http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400838/Turmeric-for-Arthritis.html
This research, from Italy, was a three-month trial involving 50 patients diagnosed by x-ray with osteoarthritis of the knee. The Italian team was investigating the effect on arthritis symptoms of a special formulation of turmeric designed to improve its absorption by the body. Half the participating patients took the turmeric formulation in addition to standard medical treatment; those in the second group continued following their physicians’ recommendations.
After 90 days, the researchers found a 58 percent decrease in overall reported pain and stiffness as well as an improvement in physical functioning among the turmeric group compared to the controls. These changes were documented with a standard medical scoring method used to assess symptoms of knee and hip osteoarthritis. In addition, another scoring method showed a 300 percent improvement in the emotional well being of the turmeric patients compared with the others. And blood tests showed a 16-fold decline in C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation. Patients in the turmeric group were able to reduce their use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs by 63 percent, compared to the other group.
Results of this study are very good news for the millions of people worldwide who suffer from osteoarthritis and haven’t been adequately helped by available treatments. The dose of the turmeric formulation used in the study was one gram per day. It is now commercially available in the United States and Europe.
Turmeric may also be useful for prevention of symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, but this evidence comes from animal studies, not human trials.
Research also suggests that turmeric may prevent changes that lead to Alzheimer’s disease, and animal studies have shown that turmeric may be effective in the prevention or treatment of colon, breast and prostate cancers.
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-365491/How-curry-help-cancer-bay.html#StartComments
How curry can help keep cancer at bay
The spice that gives many curries a yellow colour could help halt the spread of breast cancer, research suggests.
Scientists found that curcumin, the main ingredient of turmeric, appeared to stop tumours spreading to other parts of the body.
It proved particularly effective when combined with an existing chemotherapy drug.
Researchers described their findings as ‘exciting’ and said they hoped patients would be able to benefit from the discovery within a few years.
Scientists took 60 mice with breast cancer and, after removing the tumours, gave some curcumin and others a normal, drug-free diet.
The rest were given a common chemotherapy drug called Taxol, or a combination of curcumin and Taxol. The team found that 96 per cent of those on a normal diet with no medication developed tumours in the lungs that were visible without a microscope.
By contrast, none of those given curcumin and Taxol developed clearly visible tumours.
Even when examined under a microscope, only 28 per cent of the mice given a combination of curcumin and Taxol showed signs that the cancer had spread.
Mice given only curcumin also saw a ‘significant reduction’ in the number of visible lung tumours.
Scientists think that the spice helps shut down a protein that plays a key role in the spread of cancers.
The research, published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, was carried out by the University of Texas’s MD Anderson Cancer Centre.
Bharat Aggarwal, a professor of cancer medicine who took part in the study, said: “We are excited about the results of the study and the possible implications for taking the findings into the clinic in the next several years.”
It is not the first time scien tists have found that curries can be good for health.
Curcumin, a member of the ginger family, is already widely used in Indian and Chinese medicine for a range of ailments from rheumatism to abdominal pain.
Studies have suggested that turmeric – of which curcumin is the active ingredient – can help to slow prostate cancer.
And last year, researchers said curcumin, which gives curries a mustard-yellow colour, could help protect the brain against the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease. This could explain why rates of Alzheimer’s are far lower in India than in the West.
Other curry spices linked to health benefits include coriander, which aids digestion, and fenugreek, which can help prevent mouth ulcers and sore throats.
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Can Turmeric Relieve Pain? @ http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1910028,00.html
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