The Benefits Of Turmeric

Who knew that a spice used in curry, could help reduce inflammation, fight cancer, and impact neurodegenerative diseases?  I didn't until Vivian told me she was taking turmeric to reduce inflammation.  The day after she told me that, another friend of mine told me she sprinkled turmeric on her food or added it to smoothies every day to fight arthritis, which had crippled her and made her unable to play the harp.  With the help of turmeric, she is again playing the harp!

My dog park friend Alan, an ob/gyn for 40+ years in Northern California, has now retired, and has taken his interest in medicine in a different direction.  He reads and researches supplements and herbs, and is my "go to" resource on natural or alternative approaches to solving our medical conditions.  The active component of the spice turmeric is curcumin.  It has a long history in Chinese and Indian medicine.  Modern science has discovered that this ancient compound can drastically impact neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.  Rheumatoid and osteoarthritis can also be reduced with the use of turmeric.

1,000 mg of turmeric per day is the recommended dosage.  That's two pills per day, or 2 teaspoons of ground turmeric added to your food.  I just started taking the pills 8 weeks ago.  I have not taken any pain reliever in weeks, and I can honestly say I am pain free.

There is a simple blood test that doctors can order, along with your regular blood panel, but usually  don't.  It's called CRP, which stands for C-reactive protein.  It measures the amount of inflammation in your body.  We know inflammation is bad, so why not find out your CRP?  I just called my doctor and told him to order this test along with my regular blood work.  He said, "Ok."

As with any supplement or herbal product, talk to your doctor before taking it.  It is not to be taken by people on blood thinners, for example.  I'm excited about the possibility of getting some relief from my aches and pains, bad shoulder, and overall osteoarthritis, from turmeric.  I'll keep you posted.

Since I originally wrote this article, I have gotten the results of my CRP.  I found out that my doctor DID order this as part of my blood panel last year.  At that time, it was 6.3.  Now it is.3.  Even the 6.3 was below normal, but now I'm really low.  I can only attribute it to the tumeric, as nothing else has changed.