Tag: <span>benefits of turmeric</span>

The Magical Mystery Drug: Turmeric for Pain Management Atlanta? Part 2

There are many herbs and herbal compounds showing promise for pain management Atlanta. One of these is a little yellow spice commonly found in Indian food.

In our last article, we talked about 6 of the biggest benefits of Turmeric in alternative or holistic therapies for pain management.

Maybe, with more doctors accepting alternative medical treatments – or complementary medical treatments for pain management – there will be the opportunity for the needed testing and proof to bring curcumin mainstream in the near future.

Here are Four More of The 10 Biggest Benefits of Curcumin (Turmeric) Including Pain Management:

Turmeric can even help prevent – maybe treat (?) – cancer…

There are many different types of cancer but they all have some things in common and those things are affected by curcumin. Researchers have been studying curcumin as a cancer treatment and have found it can effect growth, development, and spread at the molecular level. Studies have shown it can decrease new blood vessels in tumors, metastasis (spread of cancer), and even kill existing cancer cells.

In test animals, studies have shown curcumin reduces cancerous cell growth and inhibit the growth of tumors. Whether these results can be replicated in humans has not yet been studied enough. Yet, there is some evidence it prevents cancer in the first place (especially cancers of the digestive system like colon cancer).

Perhaps Curcumin may one day be used in conjunction with conventional cancer therapies? The initial studies are promising.

Curcumin may prevent – or treat – Alzheimer’s Disease.

Alzheimer’s is the most common neurodegenerative disease in the world and the #1 cause of dementia. So far, there has been no real treatment for Alzheimer’s. This makes preventing it, a priority.

Curcumin has been demonstrated to cross the blood-brain barrier. This is hopeful because it means it could stop the inflammatory and oxidative changes in the brain that breed Alzheimer’s, in their tracks.

Similarly, another factor in the development of Alzheimer’s is the growth of protein tangles called Amyloid plaques. Studies show curcumin may help clear these plaques.

While nothing regarding curcumin and Alzheimer’s is yet concrete, it does show promise as a potential answer to this crazy disease.

Curcumin is great for arthritis – a common source of pain for many people.

One thing that causes many people to seek pain management – and/or become dependent on pain management medications – is arthritis. Arthritis can be very painful and debilitating.

Most types of arthritis involve inflammation of the joints. As we have covered, curcumin definitely decreases inflammation and possibly, better than current medications. Therefore, it can be deduced that it would be effective at treating arthritis and thereby, reducing arthritic pain. *Recent studies even show curcumin is extremely potent against rheumatoid arthritis – a disease that causes tremendous pain for the sufferer and that only powerful drugs help.

Curcumin may reduce depression.

In a controlled trial, 60 patients were divided into 3 groups. One group took Prozac, one took 1g of curcumin, and another took both. After six weeks, the curcumin and Prozac groups were nearly the same in terms of effect on depression and the group that received both was doing the best.

Again, this is thought to be because curcumin increases brain-derived neurotropic factor. As such, some studies also suggest it would then increase serotonin and dopamine – natural fighters against depression. Subsequently, this would help with pain management since these feel-good hormones help people with their own natural pain fighting ability.

In summary, turmeric / curcumin shows great potential for preventing, treating, and fighting some of the most pervasive, degenerative, and deadly diseases and health issues we face. While much more testing probably needs to be done before turmeric will replace modern pharmaceuticals, it likely has a place in complementary medical treatment since it is basically side-effect free.

The Magical Mystery Drug: Turmeric for Pain Management Atlanta?

There are many herbs and herbal compounds showing promise for pain management Atlanta. One of these is a little yellow spice commonly found in Indian food.

Turmeric is quickly becoming known as a magical, mystical, miracle cure – or at least treatment – for many common illnesses and conditions. It’s also starting to be regarded as a holistic pain management treatment too.

Turmeric is actually one of the most widely researched and documented herbal treatments we have available today. It has been used in Eastern medicine for over 1,000 years and Western doctors are now recognizing its efficacy as well. To date, the medicinal properties and components or turmeric have been the subject of over 5600 peer reviews and published medical studies. The conclusion being turmeric is equitable to many common drugs for treating inflammation, mental and brain disorders, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and pain. It’s even been shown to possibly treat – or even prevent – cancer and Alzheimer’s.

The active ingredient in turmeric – what makes it work so well – is curcumin. However, there is so little curcumin in turmeric that you must take an extract to get about the 1g you need. Additionally, in order to be effective, turmeric / curcumin must be taken with black pepper, or piperine. It increases the absorption of turmeric by 2000%.  This can either be included with your Turmeric supplement OR you can take it with a handful of peppercorns.

The First 6 of the 10 Biggest Benefits of Curcumin (Turmeric) Including Pain Management:

Turmeric / Curcumin helps to control inflammation and possibly, reduce pain.  

Turmeric helps the body fight foreign invaders that cause inflammation and has a part in repairing damage already done as well.

To a certain extent, inflammation is good. It helps the body fight off bacteria and illnesses. The problem comes in when inflammation becomes long-lasting, or chronic and the body turns on itself. In fact, inflammation is now thought to be at the root of most Western medical issues.

Turmeric / curcumin’s effectiveness against inflammation is one major reason it’s so great. In fact, some studies have found it to be as strong against inflammation as over the counter medications. This can mean turmeric / curcumin may be a good pain management option, especially since it has no side effects.

Turmeric / curcumin increases the body’s antioxidant capacity.

“Oxidative damage” is thought to be one of the main agents behind aging and disease. This type of damage occurs when free radicals interact with organic substances such as fatty acids, proteins, or DNA.

Antioxidants protect our body from these free radicals. Curcumin can actually neutralize free radicals due to its chemical structure. But that’s not all. Curcumin even prompts the body to create more of its own antioxidants too. Antioxidants too, reduce inflammation – yet another possible pain relief mechanism.

Curcumin increases brain-derived neurotropic factor, improving brain function and lowering the risk of brain disease.

Until recently, it was thought brain pathways could not repair or regenerate after childhood. Now it’s known this is false. The neurons can not only form new connections, they can multiply.

One of the main drivers of this process is Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, a growth hormone that functions in the brain.  Many brain disorders – such as depression and even, Alzheimer’s – have been linked to a decrease in this hormone. Since curcumin increases BDNF, it can be extrapolated it may be effective at reversing brain diseases and age-related decreases in brain function.

Curcumin improves various factors that should reduce the chance of heart disease.

Heart disease is the #1 killer of adults in the world. Curcumin improves the function of endothelium, the lining of the blood vessels.  Endothelial dysfunction is a strong predictor of heart disease because it prevents regulation of blood pressure, proper blood clotting, and other problems. One study shows curcumin as effective as exercise at treating endothelial dysfunction, while another shows it as good as the drug Atorvastatin.

But remember curcumin is also a great anti-inflammatory and antioxidant too. In yet another study, patients were given either a placebo or Turmeric before open heart surgery. The group that received turmeric had a 65% decreased risk of heart attack.