Cetyl Myristoleate Documentation

totalhealth: Dr. Cochran, before we get started discussing some of the exciting results that you have found using Cetyl Myristoleate (CM), would you please give our readers a little of your background? Dr. Cochran: I would be happy to. I received my doctorate in chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1984.

Since that time my post-graduate education has included programs in the operation and diagnostic procedures of scanning and liquid crystal thermography, the philosophy and clinical techniques of acupuncture and clinical nutrition. Actually I grew up in a chiropractic family. My stepfather and brother are graduates of Palmer College and my mother spent almost 40 years in my father's office doing nutritional counseling. She was way ahead of her time and taught me quite a bit. I have also had the opportunity to teach college level human anatomy and physiology and I presently own a company that does consulting for the nutritional industry and specializes in creating nutritional formulas. I am the author of the booklet "Dr. Chuck Cochran Discusses Arthritis and Cetyl Mvristoleate."

TH: For those of our readers who are unfamiliar with cetyl myristoleate, would you please describe it for us?

Dr. C: Cetyl myristoleate, sometimes just referred to as CM, is an oil product. At room temperature it has a smooth, runny texture to it. For professional chemists out there, it is the hexadecyl or cetyl alcohol ester of the unsaturated fatty acid cis-9tetradecenoic acid, more commonly known as myristoleic acid. In other words, for those non-chemists like me, a cetyl alcohol molecule is added to the fatty acid, myristoleic acid, and the ester, cetyl myristoleate, is created.

TH: So cetyl myristoleate is synthesized. Does it occur naturally as well?

Dr. C: Yes, cetyl myristoleate has been isolated in several different animals including the mouse, the male beaver, sperm whales and a couple of species of rats. So far it has not been found in any plants. However, there are plant sources of myristoleic acid which can then be used to create the cetyl myristoleate.

TH: We have heard that cetyl myristoleate is effective in treating arthritis. Is this true?

Dr. C: Yes, I have found it effective in addressing some of the causes and many of the symptoms of the various forms of arthritis. You know, the term arthritis is technically not a medical diagnosis. It is a general term that describes a symptom of inflammation (-itis) of a joint (arthro). It is also a term used to describe over 100 different conditions that involve inflammation, pain, swelling and restricted ranges of motion of the joints and/or surrounding tissues in the body.

Arthritis comes with many different faces. One type, known as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is a result of an overactive immune system that can no longer differentiate self from non-self and starts to attack normal, healthy tissues in the body. The most common type, known as osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease (DJD), is a result of the destruction of joint cartilage due to wear-and-tear over time, abnormal skeletal biomechanics, a major injury to the joint, or a series of minor injuries known as repetitive stress injuries. Another type that primarily affects the distal joints of the fingers and toes, but can also cause severe crippling, is associated with psoriasis and thus is referred to as psoriatic arthritis. A couple of other conditions we hear a lot about these days and that account for over 20 percent of the visits to the rheumatologist are fibromyalgia and polymyalgia rheumatica. Fibromyalgia affects muscles and tendons, not the joints. It normally occurs in younger women, whereas polymyalgia rheumatica includes the joints, as well as other connective tissues, and is found in older women. All of these conditions respond very well with CM treatment.

TH: How do so many different forms of arthritic conditions, with so many different causes, respond to one treatment?

Dr. C: The only explanation is that CM operates in at least four different ways. First, and one of its most exciting functions, is that of an immunomodulator or an immune system regulator. It has the ability to calm down hyper immune responses and so we see favorable results in treating conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. Second, it has anti-inflammatory effects. Not only does it work well in addressing the symptoms of what we call true inflammatory arthritis, but also other conditions in which inflammation can have damaging effects, such as prostatitis and myofascitis. One of the first things we hear from patients shortly after starting CM treatment is that they lose their morning stiffness. Even before that first cup of coffee and hot shower, they feel loose and able to move around smoothly and quickly.

Finally, CM treatment has analgesic or pain-killing effects. My personal belief is that the reduction in pain is due to the antiinflammatory qualities of the cetyl myristoleate. It only makes sense that once the swelling has gone down within the affected tissues, the pressure against the pain-sensitive nerve endings is reduced and consequently pain is reduced as well.

TH: How effective is CM treatment? Are there any other products that can be used to increase the percentages of results?

Dr. C: A recent double-blind placebo study was performed on 431 patients who had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative joint disease and psoriatic arthritis.l The study divided this large group into three smaller groups. Group one received only cetyl myristoleate; the second group received cetyl myristoleate combined with glucosamine hydrochloride, sea cucumber and hydrolyzed cartilage. The third group received the placebo. They received this treatment over a one-month period. There were 13 different parameters evaluated including blood values, physical findings, pain assessment, doctor evaluation and patient assessment questionnaires. The first group experienced a 64 percent improvement while the second group saw an overall 88 percent improvement. The placebo group improved only 14.5 percent. By combining other very safe, natural products with the cetyl myristoleate, results can be dramatically improved. I wish this study had been done over a three-month period or the CM doses had been increased. I am sure results would have been even more impressive.

My own clinical experience shows similar results to the study. I've had considerable clinical experience with CM over the past several years, having been among the very first practitioners to use it with patients. I have observed that many of them obtained significant relief in relatively short periods of time, often in four weeks or less. By using other nutrients, such as boswellia serrata, turmeric, flaxseed oil, vitamin C, manganese, zinc and copper, success rates also increase. For those with decreased digestive function, enzyme therapy is essential. We have found that the liver is intimately involved with how well CM functions. So for those with a history of prolonged drug use or liver and gallbladder problems, I often recommend some sort of liver support prior to the CM treatment. This will also increase the rate of improvement.

TH: Why do you refer to cetyl myristoleate as an anti-aging nutrient?

Dr. C: To explain this I need to talk about hormone-like molecules found throughout tissues in the body called prostaglandins or leukotrienes. They are very powerful molecules whose effects are local. In other words, they are produced and used in the very same tissues, unlike hormones, which are produced in certain tissues (glands) and utilized in other tissues or organs. When attempting to determine how cetyl myristoleate functions in the body, I looked at other fatty acids required in our diets, like the omega-3 and omega-6 oils. Our body uses these essential fatty acids to produce either favorable or unfavorable prostaglandins and leukotrienes. I believe that CM treatment somehow manipulates the good over the bad prostaglandins and leukotrienes and truly has anti-aging effects.

There are three basic groups of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins of the first and third series are the ones that we term good or favorable. Prostaglandins of the second series and leukotrienes, commonly referred to as eicosanoids, are the bad or unfavorable ones. To explain why we term them good or bad, let's take a look at how some of them function in the body. Prostaglandins of the first and third series help to relax blood vessels and improve circulation, reduce cholesterol made in the liver, improve functioning of T-cells which destroy foreign invaders, reduce proliferation of immune cells that can over-react, reduce release of histamine in allergic reactions and reduce pain and inflammation. They also relax bronchial tubes to make breathing easier, suppress release of insulin from the pancreas and stimulate release of human growth hormone. Prostaglandins second series, the bad ones, produce pain and inflammation, depress immune function and induce the kidneys to retain salt, leading to water retention and high blood pressure. Meanwhile, there are certain leukotrienes that cause bronchial constriction in those with asthma and others that help to cause an increase in tissue damage in autoimmune disorders. If a nutrient has the ability to modulate and balance these very powerful chemicals, it would have great anti-aging capabilities.

TH: Cetyl myristoleate is often referred to as CMO. Why do you call it CM?

Dr. C: CMOT is a trademarked product, cerasomal cis-9 cetyl myristoleate, an analog of cetyl myristoleate. An analog means a similar molecule. I have communicated with a major distributor of this product and was told that there is very little, if any, cetyl myristoleate in their product. Interestingly, the original research, performed by Harry W Diehl during a twoyear period from 1962 to 1964, did evaluate for several analogs, including cetyl myristate, cetyl oleate and cetyl elaidate. He found that only cetyl myristoleate had any significant effects.2 The one double blind placebo study used cetyl myristoleate and not CMOT. They are different products.

TH: Have you found any side effects with CM treatment?