Coconut Oil can reduce Inflammation caused by Arthritis

Chapter 1

Introduction

The Philippines is the second worlds largest coconut producers. According to the

Philippines Statistics Authority, it is estimated that the country produced 3.12 million metric tons

in the first quarter of 2017. However, the production is 2.3% lower than last years production

which is 3.20 million metric tons. The top four coconut producers in the Philippines are Davao

Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, and ARMM. The production of coconut in

Mindanao regions had a collective of 1.61 million metric tons or 51% of the national coconut

production (PSA, 2017). The oil extracted from coconuts has several benefits such as skin care,

hair care and improving immunity against infections and diseases. Coconut oil is 50% lauric acid

which helps in increasing immunity and fighting viruses and diseases (Wellness Mama, 2017).

According to MedicineNet, inflammation is a localized reaction that produces redness,

warmth, swelling, and pain as a result of infection, irritation, or injury. It can be external or

internal. It is stated in Home Remedies website that Arthritis is a joint disease that is extremely

painful interrupting in everyday life. The swelling and stiffness caused by the disease make

simple tasks extremely difficult. Others seek out more natural source such as coconut oil; it is

often used because of its affordable price and effective treatment. It is Stated in Collins
dictionary that a coconut oil is fatty oil obtained from the meat of the coconut and it is used for

making soap, cosmetics, etc.

There are two types of Coconut oil,Refined and Unrefined.The difference between

refined and unrefined is thatRefined coconut oil is Bleached and Deodorized.Coconut oil that has

been bleached means that it is exposed by sunlight or chemical process to whiten.Refined

coconut oil can be obtained in dried coconut oil or also known as copra.Deodorizing removes

the coconut oils distinctive odor and flavor.Some Refined coconut oil contains Sodium

Hydroxide that can help to increaseits Shelf life.

Unrefined coconut oil can be obtained in fresh coconut meat, Unlike Refined coconut

oil.Unrefined oil goes through either Quick Drying or Wet Milling.In Quick Drying,which is

commonly used themethod,They promptly dry it then mechanically express or juice it out.While

in theWet Milling process, they remove the coconut milk from the coconut itself, then boils the

coconut oil and separates the milk using some enzymes.

Unrefined coconut oil is better than refined coconut oil, it is because it has more nutrients

such as Capric, Caprylic, and Lauric acid. Aside from nutrients, Unrefined coconut oil is natural

because it has no substance added on it while the refined coconut oil undergo with many process

and hydrogenated. There are some bad effects if the oil is hydrogenated, it can affect your heart,

and increase your cholesterol. Therefore, the unrefined coconut oil is more effective than refined

coconut oil in reducing inflammation.

 The importance of this study is to give more knowledge to people specifically those who

are 40 years old and above. To look for an alternative way to reduce inflammation from arthritis

which is Coconut Oil. The Philippines is abundant in coconut production and easily found in the

Philippines. Caters to those who are looking for cheaper alternative. due to its natural

components it is safer in a sense, that those chemically produced medicines have known to have

side effects.

Background of the Study

The coconut was known thousand years ago in PacificRim and Asian countries because

of its uses such as, their leaves are used in making baskets, mats etc. As times passes by, the uses

of coconut oil expanded and it can treat some different kinds of body pain such as Inflammation

caused by arthritis. Coconuts are located in the Philippines and other tropical location. Coconut

oil can reduce the inflammation and it is more effective than other medications.

According to https://www.thesuperfoods.net/coconut/how-coconut-oil-benefits-in-

arthritis, coconut oil helps in strengthening the bones and joints of a person with arthritis which

prevents it from getting worse. Coconut oil contains Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) and it

includes a different kind of fatty acids like Lauric acid, Capric acid, and Caprylic acid.

According to the research of Taiwan and Germany https://www.thesuperfoods.net/coconut/how-

and-why-coconut-oil-helps-in-inflammation, they conducted a study in comparing the anti-

inflammatory properties of Lauric and Capric acid and according to the result, the anti-

inflammatory properties of Lauric acid is stronger than the Capric acid.

According to Dr. Bruce Fife, a certified nutritionist, a president of the Coconut Research

Center in Colorado State University, and author of 20 books including the Coconut Oil Miracle

and The New Arthritis Cure that antibiotics have no effect in curing arthritis. When a person

takes an antibiotic to get rid the infection, some bacteria can remain hidden in joints. Coconut oil

is a good cure for arthritis because they are antiviral and antifungal agents that take to eliminate

chronic infections.

The Coconut oil and other medication have the same nutrients, they have anti-

inflammatory properties but the coconut oil is much safer than other medication, some doctor

prefer to use NSAIDS, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, it can help to reduce

inflammation but it has a lot of side effects such us kidney problem, cancer, and heart problems.

Therefore, we prefer to use coconut oil than other medication. They have same nutrients needed

in reducing inflammation but coconut oil has lesser dangerous side effects.
 Dr. Bruce Fife is an author of the book The New Arthritis Cure and Coconut Oil Miracle.

Dr Fife stated that antibiotics have no effect in curing arthritis. When a person takes an antibiotic

to get rid the infection, some bacteria can remain hidden in joints so it has no effect in our body

but when we use coconut oil it can eliminate the infections because they are anti viral and

antifungal agents.

Statement of the Problem

The following questions will be answered by our research.

1. Which is better to use, refined or unrefined Coconut oil?

2. Is the coconut oil safer to use than other medications as treatment for Arthritis?

3. Why can the coconut oil reduce inflammation caused by arthritis?

Hypothesis

Unrefined coconut oil is better to use than refined for it did not undergo many processes.

Coconut oil is safer to use than the usual medication for arthritis because it doesn't have

dangerous side effect. Lastly, Unrefined Coconut oil contains nutrients that help reduce the

inflammation caused by arthritis.

This Theoretical framework is based on a specific theory Oil/fats theory Made by MeitY or
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Oils/fats theory

Fats

Can absorb Heat

Can reduce
inflammation

Fats and oils have higher boiling point. Thus, they cannot absorb enough heat at room
temperature and thats why it takes time to reduce the inflammation of a certain part of a body.
 Conceptual Framework

Coconut oil contains different nutrients that can help to reduce inflammation from arthritis.

Through the Conceptual Framework, the different nutrients coming from coconut oil and their

different role in reducing the inflammation will be explained here.

Coconut oil

Saturated fatty acid

Lauric acid Capric acid Caprylic acid

Has anti-inflammatory property

Can reduce inflammation

 Coconut oil has saturated fatty acids that can help in reducing inflammation. Under

saturated fatty acids contains Lauric, Capric, and Caprylic acid. All these 3 medium chain fatty

acids(MCFAs) helps to increase the High Density Lipoprotein(HDL), which helps in removing

fats that include bacterias, cholesterol, phospholipids and triglycerides, by the help of HDL,

removing these fats helps protect people from infection using these saturated fatty acids . These 3

fatty acids have anti-inflammatory property and because of that, it can help reduce inflammation.

Significance of the Study

This research is about reducing the inflammation caused by arthritis by using coconut oil.

As we know coconut oil has different nutrients that can be used for our foods, skins, and for

medical uses like fighting inflammation and acne. People who have arthritis suffer painful

swelling, inflammation and stiffness in the finger, arms, legs and wrists. If a person have that

symptoms caused by arthritis, it is hard to move and do our works so it has a big effect on our

daily lives. The importance of this research is to give people awareness to the people especially

to the people who have arthritis. Also, the importance of this research is to help people who have

arthritis to lessen the pain that theyre experiencing. People who cannot buy expensive

antibiotics can use coconut oil as an alternative treatment for arthritis and according to our

research it is better to use coconut oil than other medication because other medication cannot

help to reduce the inflammation because some bacteria can remain hidden in joints while coconut

oil are antiviral and anti fungal agents that can eliminate chronic infections. By this research we
can help people to make their severe feeling caused by arthritis to a comfortable feeling because

of coconut oil.

Scope and Limitation

The purpose of having the scopes and limitations of the study is to identify the resources, we

researchers will be using to complete a certain experiment. But in this case, we wont be doing

an experiment about the effects of coconut oil on reducing inflammation. The coconut oil that we

will provide in this research will be bought, thus, we wont need to make our own coconut oil.

The purpose of this study is to find alternative medicine, which is relatively cheaper to

cure arthritis. Two types of oil will be discussed in the research paper which is refined and

unrefined coconut oil. Coconut oil has three main properties to mainly focus on the cause of

inflammation to cure arthritis. In this study we viewed the history of coconut, where it came

from and what was its uses before. Philippines is one of the largest coconut producers in the

world, researchers believed that it is more accessible hence it will become easier for the

researchers.

Definition Of Terms

The Definition of Terms will help you to discover unfamiliar words.

Arthrits-painful inflammation stifness of joints.

Bleached-A process where the coconut is exposed from sunlight to make it whiter

Capric Acid-Fatty acid that has a formula of CH(CH)COOH

Caprylic Acid-Fatty acid with 8 carbon atom chain

Chronic-Having an illness persisting for a long time

Copra-Dried coconut meat used to extract coconut oil

Deodorized-Removing the coconut oil's smell and flavor

Inflammation-Physical condition in which a part of the body becomes red

Lauric Acid-Fatty acid with 12 carbon atom chain

Quick Drying-Drying the copra then mechanically juices the coconut oil

Wet Milling-Separates the coconut milk from the coconut itself then boils the coconut oil

References:

Philippines Statistics Authority. (2017). Major non-food and industrial crops quarterly bulletin,

January-March 2017. Retrieved from https://psa.gov.ph/non-food/coconut.

Davis, Kristin. (20130. What are the benefits of coconut oil with arthritis? Retrieved from

http://www.livestrong.com/article/176920-what-are-the-benefits-of-coconut-oil-with-

arthritis/

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/coconut-oil

https://www.healthy-oil-planet.com/history-of-coconut-oil.html

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/refined-vs-unrefined-coconut-oil-2296.html