If You Forget Everything Else, Remember the Coconut
November 6th, 2008No Wonder Gilligan was so Spry
I came across an interesting news item the other day. A physician who is married to an Alzheimer’s sufferer started adding coconut oil to his oatmeal, and he improved dramatically over a very short time. Here is a link to the article. This guy was a mess, and he sharpened up a great deal over the course of a month. Researchers think coconut oil might benefit people with other types of neurological problems, such as Parkinson’s.
My aunt has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s (prayers solicited), so I sent her a link to the story.
Coconut oil is a very weird substance. Unlike most plant fats, it’s solid at room temperature (below about 75 degrees). And it’s supposed to have a lot of beneficial effects. A reader suggested it to me a year or two back. I ended up using it to deep-fry doughnuts. If you don’t mind the taste of coconut, this is the ultimate fat for frying desserts.
The doctor who treated her husband with it says she mixed two tablespoons into his oatmeal every day. She eats it, too.
On a given day, I am lucky if I can remember my address, so I tried coconut oil in my oatmeal this morning. Mike brings dark maple syrup when he visits from New Hampshire, and I use it in my oatmeal. When you add coconut oil, it’s like eating a big, hot cookie dissolved in water.
I have been looking for a way to get more calories into my breakfast without adding carbs, and this may be a good way to do it.
In other news, I figured out what was wrong with the Red Star Arms fire control group I had in my PSL (Romak III, Dragunov, FPK). Thought I’d mention it in case other frustrated souls have the same problem later and try to solve it by Googling. If you don’t own guns, this will bore you to tears.
The trigger assembly has a couple of hooky-looking things that project upward in the receiver. One is the trigger sear. This is a hook-shaped thing that holds the hammer in the cocked position and releases it when you fire. The other is the disconnector. I am not totally sure what it does, but I believe it disengages the trigger after firing, so the sear, which drops to release the hammer, can rise again to be in a position to grab it and cock the weapon. I think it also holds the hammer while the sear pops back up. Then I think it releases the hammer so it can swing into the sear and catch. I read the PDF over at Red Star Arms, but it’s very badly written, and the drawings are bad.
Anyway, here is what kept my rifle from cocking itself. When the bolt comes back after a round is fired, it knocks the hammer into the disconnector. Then the hammer catches under the disconnector. It then pops out and catches under the sear. If the disconnector is too far back, the hammer will miss it, and it won’t catch under it. There is a set screw on the front of the disconnector, and it adjusts the disconnector’s position. If you turn the screw counter-clockwise (the “loosening” direction), it will pull back up into the disconnector, and the disconnector will rotate forward, toward the hammer. My screw was too far in, so the disconnector was too far back, so the hammer kept missing it.
You are supposed to adjust this thing until it works, and then you have to apply Loc-tite. The shock of shooting the gun will make the screw rotate unless you glue it in place. Red Star Arms says to use blue Loctite, but some guy on a forum claims there is a special Loctite for set screws, and it’s green.
If your gun works with the screw adjusted flush with the bottom of the disconnector, you can just remove the screw and put it where you won’t lose it.
You can test the disconnector by removing the receiver cover and the gas piston and working the action by hand.
The stock fire control group in this thing is a complete piece of crap. The trigger slap will make your finger numb, it will ruin your accuracy, and it will make it harder to shoot other guns well later in the day. So a new assembly is probably a good idea. The one I have is expensive and adjustable, but there are cheaper ones.
This is kind of a silly gun, but once the trigger starts working, it will seem less silly. The Russian sniper ammunition is supposed to be accurate and highly lethal, and the gun is AK-based, so it should be very tough and reliable. The gun costs a lot for what you get (about $750 with a used Russian 4x scope), but it’s a pretty accurate semi-auto that takes detachable 10-round magazines and kills people reliably at a hundred yards. With ballistics similar to a .30-06, it’s no poodle-shooter. If you get shot with this thing, you stay shot. I’m no gun guru, but it sounds like a good substitute for an M1 Garand.
November 6th, 2008 at 9:40 AM
I’m definitely going to have to try the coconut oil. I wonder how it works with ADHD? I am borderline ADD, but I don’t want to medicate. I’ve tried watching my diet, but I wonder if this will make a difference.
I’m going to see if I can get my hands on some and try it out.
November 6th, 2008 at 11:46 AM
The garand is pretty and American but it’s expensive and you don’t want to damage something of historical significance. The Dragunov is cheap, shoots cheap ammo, and runs reliably under incredibly adverse conditions, once set up correctly. I’d say it’s a good choice.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:57 PM
I wouldn’t call the Dragunov “cheap”. True Dragunovs are going for a few thousand dollars. And the PSLs are going for Garand-like prices (at least $8-900) these days.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:08 PM
I think it only seems cheap when you compare it to new semiautomatics with big detachable magazines.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:30 PM
Blue loctite, you have to put on before assembly. It’s not so sticky that you can’t disassemble later. It takes long enough to “set up” that you’d have plenty of time to get the right adjustment.
Green loctite wicks into the assembly, so it might be preferable for a set screw. But it sticks so hard you’ll need a heat gun (at least) to adjust or disassemble later. Not so good if there are plastic parts nearby. Use sparingly.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:47 PM
THANKS!! I’ve been searching for that link to send a friend whose mother has Parkinsons. I sent it to my sisters as that is what our own father died of, and we are possibly at risk for it also. but I didn’t send it to myself. Thanks, Thanks, Thanks.
I think they are on to something.
November 6th, 2008 at 3:54 PM
The brain is made of fat, which is why we can’t eliminate fat entirely from our diet, so it stands to reason that various oils are good for the brain. I’ve been hearing about fish oil for years (that’s why they say fish is good brain food — and maybe I need to eat more fish, that could be what is wrong with my brain).
November 6th, 2008 at 6:46 PM
Don’t use Green Loctite… that stuff is a little too much for something that may need occasional adjustment… use Red or Blue. Springfield Armory uses Green Loctite to “glue” in the ejectors on some of their 1911s… and that is a high impact part.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:41 PM
Wow! Thanks for that link! Since my mom and hubby are both diabetics and Parkinson’s runs in my father’s family I am really eager to try this.
November 6th, 2008 at 10:40 PM
The very best quality coconut oil I could find was called Fresh Shores and I get it at the Mercola.com site. Very nice stuff.
November 7th, 2008 at 12:22 AM
Loctite® has a lot of part numbers; it’s not just green, blue, red. There are (at least) two versions of green Loctite®. There’s the stuff for setscrews (“wicking”), which the guy at the link and dipnut are talking about, and there’s “sleeve retainer”. They are slightly different in consistency, with “sleeve retainer” being a little thicker but still fairly watery. The adhesive that forms the major ingredient is the same.
With either one of them, make absolutely, positively, one hundred percent sure that whatever you’re fixing with it is EXACTLY where you want it if the two parts are a sliding fit or closer. You will not get it loose with a heat gun. It takes a torch, and the stuff doesn’t decompose, it only gets gooey — if you let the part cool at all, it’ll stick again on the way out. It’s the next best thing to brazing.
For myself, I’m very much a fan of the more watery versions of the blue stuff. On a #6 screw (4 mm) or bigger you can usually break it with hand tools, perhaps with a little MEK to soften it, but it doesn’t give in normal use. Fair warning: I’ve never used it on a gun action.
Regards,
Ric
November 7th, 2008 at 1:08 AM
Blue – adjustable, remakeable, prevents movement due to vibration. You likee for this application. Even white glue or dykem will work.
Green – permanent (crystalizes to a hard resinous state). It’s made for permanent assemblies with microscopic clearances, like bearings into races. Most likely you will strip the screw head trying to loosen it.
Use very little of whatever it is you use.
November 7th, 2008 at 6:41 AM
Dear Steve,
You blaspheme, there is NO substitute for an M1 Garand.
Well maybe an M14 (M1A) 😀
scooter
November 7th, 2008 at 12:09 PM
Steve,
My mom has had a series of small strokes. I bought some coconut oil last night. I had to go to the organic foods aisle. Yow! That stuff is expensive! $5.00 for a small jar! They had a big one for over $22! Frying doughnuts must cost over a hundred bucks! Her caregiver gave her a tablespoon in her oatmeal this morning. I figured it couldn’t do her any harm. We’ll see what happens.
November 8th, 2008 at 9:12 AM
If you see vertical stringing with a Soviet hammer-forged barrel, cryotreating will clear that right up. I have been very surprised how reliably that works with the whippy hammer-forged Soviet stuff. Just as an FYI.
November 8th, 2008 at 5:50 PM
Look up “The Coconut Lover’s Cookbook” on Amazon. From Healthwise/Piccadilly Books
November 9th, 2008 at 2:45 AM
Bradford, if you order a gallon online from Mercola it is much cheaper for the quantity and it tastes a heck of a lot better than those little jars in the store.
November 9th, 2008 at 10:40 AM
Yeah, I need to chime in with a thanks for the heads-up on the coconut oil too: we purchased a jar yesterday, and it’s being added to our diet today (in the small amount the article mentioned). Fortunately I love the taste.
November 25th, 2008 at 2:49 AM
Isn’t that amazing! I really wasn’t surprised to hear about coconut oil’s incredible Alzheimer’s benefits.
I believe the reason why coconut oil is so beneficial for Alzheimer’s sufferers is because coconut oil’s unique fatty acid content (medium chain fatty acids – MCFA) can feed our cells even without the aid of insulin.
MCFA-rich coconut oil helps your cells, including brain cells of course, to stay alive and kicking. I think coconut oil helps feed brain cells to keep them healthy and avoid degeneration, which is characteristic of Alzheimer’s.
Cheers,
CoconutOilGuy
http://www.coconut-oil-central.com
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