Perhaps as a common courtesy to Mary T Newport, her husband Steve and their family you would like to prominently date and update your blog. One of the biggest issues with the internet and the damage it does is that once posted things remain out there for ever - doing good or bad or simply wasting space, time and efforts. That is why cyber bullying is the most devastating.

I don't see any indication that Dr Newport stopped using or believing in the right type of coconut oil or medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), including on her blog, where she notes coconut oil is the richest natural source of.

Regardless,

Her husband Steve passed away January 2, 2016. He apparently suffered a head injury in 2013 from which he never fully recovered, as well as had battled depression which worsened with the passing of his father.

As anyone who has experienced any type of loss of those they love or life can attest, it is very traumatic experience at the best of times, and each loss is multi-faceted, you never lose just that soul or whatever, you lose everything you shared with them or went with that life, and life is never the same.

Anyone who has cared for someone with longterm health problems knows that, at the best of times, it is very time-consuming and challenging, 24/7 lifelong commitment, and often not a moment to spare for self or things that you enjoy and would like to. Life changes and continues to. Every day you lose more, part of your self, life, those things you treasure, and never get back. Any one of those things in itself could more than account for the "silence" you note. Including the need to focus, stay positive, and live in the moment, valuing what you have while you have it and not wasting life or time on those things you decide are not important, as important or detrimental to life, peace and wellness.

Regardless, if you are going to post such a view, then you should contact person commenting on, ask them, and post reply, or not comment.

Being negative for the sake of voicing your own opinion can have the unfortunate consequences of deterring or delaying someone from trying something that has benefits, is safe when right source, and may do them a lot of good that they could miss out on. The earlier people start trying to change the outcome, the better the short and longterm outcome is and longer debilitating effects is held off. That may bid you time for something even better to be discovered. Hope in whatever format you find it is of vital importance. Without, we all lose. As in any intervention, it is not just one thing, it is all the things and lifestyle that change with it that lead to success or not. Including the importance of natural physical exercise for maximum well-being - mind, body and soul.

I did read Mary T Newport's 2 books, among many others, and found that the books were helpful, informative, insightful, and thought provoking in many ways, including for the challenges a doctor and hospital administrator faced in her quest to get help and look out for her husband and resources for further research and reading.

She did subsequently note, "Steve’s brain was donated to the Florida Brain Bank, a research study for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. We learned that he suffered from both Alzheimer’s and Lewy body dementia. This gave us great closure..."

If you are familiar a bit with the latter disease, it is an equally if not more challenging and devastating form of dementia to deal with components of and often not diagnosed initially if at all until too late. One risk and consequence is that treatments are always potentially dangerous, and when wrong one used, results can be even more devastating. Not the least of, the physical, mental and emotional impact.

Did anyone read Dr. Newport's blog? It was updated in Aug 2015. I can't see anything that indicates a change of heart. She says Steve has had minimal further worsening, and that it was a fall and subsequent seizures that set him back. She tells of a study at UFS and another one in Canada.

"I am overjoyed that so many people have benefited from this food-based intervention as my husband Steve has! These testimonials have helped to get grants for research at the University of South Florida (USF) Byrd Alzheimer Institute, where humane animal studies have been completed and a clinical trial of coconut oil in 65 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease is underway, funded by an anonymous foundation. This is a pilot study that will look at whether there is symptomatic improvement and also if this treatment will delay progression to Alzheimer’s disease. Several small and larger studies are taking place and a much larger three year study of MCT oil for prevention of Alzheimer’s in people with mild cognitive impairment will take place in Canada, funded by the Alzheimer’s Association."

I am very happy to read this article as my husband has Alzheimer's. Coconut oil was suggested to me as a possible help. Being what my husband used to call a cynic (I prefer the term, "realist,") I was waiting to hear something more substantial about coconut oil before I tried it. Thank you, Mr. Schappi, for a most informative article.

I don't know much about Dr. Newport, but the information in this article doesn't really impugn the nutritional value of coconut oil, even possibly as a helpful addition to the diet in dealing with Alzheimer's.

With few exceptions---and usually as a temporary measure---massive amounts of ANY nutritional substance is rarely a good idea. It's possible to overdose on just about every nutritional supplement out there. Dr. Linus Pauling notwithstanding, a large dose of vitamin C gives me a slight nosebleed. The very substance that helps strengthen capillaries evidently causes a rupture in mine when taken in large dosages.

I'll continue to use coconut oil both inside and on the outside of my body. Won't be eating 11 spoonfuls a day, however...

More research needs to be done on healing through nutrition. Drugs don’t heal; they maintain—and often not very well, at that.

Thanks for this very sensible article.

You might be right on all counts, but you have written the same cautions in 2009 when you started blogging In my opinion you are .a bit late to the blackboard. Why did you need Steve's decline to make your case?