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.