The world’s longest Covid-19 lockdowns in the Philippines that started in March 2020 may have its good and bad effects. Like a roller coaster, the lockdowns, with their corresponding quarantine status and safety protocols to control the spread of the virus, have been heightened or minimized several times, depending on the rate of Covid infection per area and per period of time.
Despite the lockdowns and the other measures to contain the spread of the virus such as the mandatory use of face shield and face mask, social distancing and a vaccination program that aims to attain herd immunity for the virus in the country at the soonest possible time, there is still a continued rise in the number of people getting infected.
Thus, with an already suffering nation from pandemic-induced problems, we strongly recommend to the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Science and Technology the use of virgin coconut oil as a weapon against Covid-19. The clinical study conducted last year by the DOST-Food and Nutrition Research Institute on VCO as a possible protection against Covid-19 showed positive results.
About 30 years ago, when coconut oil was under attack by the soya producers who claimed that coconut oil, as a cooking ingredient, is hazardous to health, we travelled to the US along with other officials of the United Coconut Association of the Philippines (UCAP) to engage the professional expertise of Dr. George Blackburn and Dr. Vigen K. Babayan of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard affiliate Hospital and Research Institute. We asked these experts to conduct a study on the health benefits of coconut oil. On the local front, the late Conrado Dayrit, using the same research protocol, also conducted a parallel study.
The results of the studies showed that although coconut oil contains saturated fats, they belong to the medium chain category. Thus, it is burned immediately and converted into energy. It does not stay in the human cells.
Moreover, the result of the studies conducted by Blackburn, Babayan and Dayrit on the health benefits of coconut oil was reinforced by Dr. Mary G. Enig’s findings that medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil is the best deactivating agent for envelope viruses like HIV, measles, and herpes, among others. Incidentally, Covid-19 is a new strain of these envelope viruses.
In her study, Dr. Enig used two groups of HIV patients. She administered VCO regularly on one group, and the other got none. The result showed that those who regularly took VCO had significant improvements in their health, while the health of those who did not take VCO hardly improved.
According to Dr. Enig, the medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil can disrupt the lipid membrane in envelope viruses like HIV, measles, and herpes among others, to deactivate the membrane. In short VCO-MCT has the capability to penetrate and deactivate envelope viruses like Covid-19.
This is the reason why I urge DOH to consider using VCO as a weapon against Covid-19. This could complement the other measures already being done to contain the spread of the virus. We must consider the bigger interests of the nation and the Filipinos in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Like the rest of the world, the Filipino nation continues to suffer physically, economically and socially because of the pandemic. Thousands of Filipino lives have already been lost to Covid, and countless manufacturing companies have temporarily ceased operation. Unfortunately, some of them have no choice but to close the business. I have copies of all studies done on the health benefits of MCT by the American and Filipino doctors. I am willing to share all of these documents to the proper government agencies, for them to read, analyze and strategize how MCT, being the best deactivating agent against envelope viruses like Covid-19, can help mitigate the sufferings of the Filipino nation. Unknown to many, we have a potential Covid buster within our reach.
We have tried almost everything available to protect ourselves from the virus. From prophylactic to curative medications, people use anything that could help save them from Covid-19 infection. From Lian Huwa, to remdisivir and even Ivermectin, among others, people tried using them for protection. We have the studies to back our claim, and there’s no reason why we should not use VCO for protection against Covid-19.
We have good reasons to use VCO as a potent weapon against the virus. First, the health benefits of VCO are backed by studies conducted internationally and locally. Second, coconuts are endemic in the Philippines. Third, VCO is a food supplement that has been used, and continues to be used globally and locally, for years. And last, VCO is accessible to all Filipinos for their protection against Covid-19.
Dr. Jesus Lim Arranza is the chairman of the Federation of Philippine Industries and Fight Illicit Trade; a broad-based, multisectoral movement intended to protect consumers, safeguard government revenues and shield legitimate industries from the ill effects of smuggling.
