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Month: February 2019

Ply Family WellnessBlog2019February
By plyfamilywellness 0 Comments Uncategorized

What’s the Deal with Turmeric?

If you enjoy South Asian and Middle Easter cuisine, chances are you’ve come in contact with a spice called turmeric. It is one of the main ingredients in curry dishes and has a vibrant color and flavor1. One of the main reasons why turmeric has been linked to its main health and medical benefits is due to its active ingredient known as curcumin. A typical turmeric root may contain 2-7% concentration of curcumin1. There are over a million articles on the web and in journals supporting turmeric and its multiple pharmacological activities. Some examples of these benefits are listed below.

  • Anticarcinogenic
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Cardiovascular protectant
  • Helps support the liver
  • Supports the nervous system
  • Cancer prevention and treatment adjunct

Anti-carcinogenic Effects:

An anticarcinogen is defined as a substance that counteracts the effects of a carcinogen or inhibits the development of cancer2. Turmeric has demonstrated that it is capable of having an anti-carcinogenic effect on all steps of cancer development. Some studies are currently being conducted to prove that it may also play a part in cancer regression. The protective mechanism of turmeric is due to its direct antioxidant and free radical-scavenging effects. It helps jump start the body’s natural antioxidant system while simultaneously increasing levels of glutathione and other enzymatic processes of the body3. In various studies, turmeric has been reported to exhibit activity against the development of skin, breast, oral and stomach cancers. A study published by the Journal of Biological Chemistry found that Curcumin improves the effectiveness of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients3. Curcumin also promotes anti-angiogenesis, meaning it helps prevent the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth.

Cardiovascular Effects:

The effect of turmeric and curcumin on the cardiovascular system includes the lowering of cholesterol levels and inhibiting platelet aggregation. A study was conducted on 10 healthy individuals who received 500mg of curcumin a day for 7 days. There was a 33% reduction of Lipid Peroxides, which contributes to a reduction of cell damage. There was a 29% increase in HDL cholesterol and 11.63% reduction in total serum cholesterol. This cholesterol lowering ability is due to turmeric interfering with the intestinal cholesterol uptake and by increasing cholesterol conversion into bile salts4.

Liver Support Effects:

A study was conducted on mice given aspirin and carbon tetrachloride (widely used as a cleaning fluid). The mice experienced a significantly reduction of the liver blood markers when treated with 100mg/kg of turmeric5. The antioxidant effect of turmeric supports its role in treating liver conditions, especially anti-inflammatory and chloretic effects (stimulating the secretion of gastric acid). This helps with increasing biliary excretion of bile salts, cholesterol and bilirubin6. Turmeric has also been noted to help increase the solubility of the bile, showing great benefit to the prevention and treatment of gallstones7.

Nervous System Support:

Multiple studies are currently underway demonstrating the effectiveness of turmeric on the nervous system. Some studies have indicated that a protective role of turmeric on stroke models, including links to the reduction of plaque buildup in models of Alzheimer’s disease8. It also has helped with the reduction of cataract formation on the lens by reducing the rate of cellular death and boosting resistance of the optic lens9-10.

Cancer prevention and Treatment Adjunct:

One human study was conducted on 16 chronic smokers and 6 nonsmokers. The nonsmokers served as a control group, while the 16 chronic smokers were given 1.5g of turmeric per day. At the end of a 30 day trail period, the smokers who had received the turmeric each day had a reduction of a mutagenic (radiation or a chemical substance) agent in their urine11. The results of the study are quite significant. With the rise of smoke and other environmental cancer causing agents, the frequent use of turmeric appears warranted11.

How much do you need?

The typical dosage for turmeric and curcumin depends on the type of condition being treated. The most common recommendation for turmeric as an anti-inflammatory aid is between 1000- 3000mg per day.  Turmeric’s active form curcumin may have difficulty being absorbed with its rapid metabolism and low bioavailability in the body. Some reports show that not all oral administered curcumin is 100% absorbed in the GI tract, in fact 40-85% may go completely unchanged. Some tips on how to help curcumin get in the body is to mix it with black pepper, fats and with quercetin (pigment found in plants and food such as red wine, red grapes, berries and onions12.)

Before considering a dosage for yourself, it is important to consult a nutrition specialist. You can find out the level of your deficiencies and toxicities by getting a comprehensive blood test and tissue mineral analysis. Reviewing results of these testing methods with your experienced nutrition professional can help you understand where to start. By knowing exactly what diet to follow and what supplements you need with the correct dosing, you can control your body’s health status. Get tested today to get started on a pathway towards optimal wellness!

 

Works Cited:

1 Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects 2nd Edition, “Chapter 13: Turmeric, the

Golden Spice”

2 “Anticarcinogenic.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2018.

3 Curcumin Treatment Suppresses IKKβ Kinase Activity of Salivary Cells of Patients with Head

and Neck Cancer: A Pilot Study http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/17/18/5953

4 Soni KB, Kuttan R. Effect of oral curcumin administration on serum peroxides and cholesterol

levels in human volunteers. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol

5 Lin SC, Lin CC, Lin YH, et al. Protective and therapeutic effects of Curcuma Xanthorrihza on

hepatotoxin-induced liver damage. AM J Chi Med 1995; 23: 243-254

6 Ammon HP, Wahl MA. Pharmacology of Curcuma Longa. Planta Med 1991;57:1-7.

7 Ramprasad C, Sirsi M. Curcuma Longa and bile secretion. Quantitative changes in the bile

constituents induced by sodium curcuminate. J Sci Ind Res 1957;16C: 108-110.

8 Lim GP, Chu T, Yang F, et al. The curry spice curcumin reduces oxidative damage and amyloid

pathology in an Alzheimer transgenic mouse. J Neurosci 2001; 21: 8370-8377

9 Pandya U, Saini MK, Jin GF, et al. Dietary curcumin prevents ocular toxicity of naphthalene in

rats. Toxicol Lett 2000; 115: 195-204

10 Awasthi S, Srivastave SK, Piper JT, et al. Curcumin protects agains4-hydroxy-2-trans-nonenal-

induced cataract formation in lenses. Am J Clin nutr 1996;64:761-766

11 Polasa K, Sesikaran B, Krishna TP, et al. Effects of turmeric on urinary mutagens in smokers.

Mutagenesis 1992; 7: 107-109

12. Nita Chainani-Wu. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. July 2004, 9(1): 161- https://doi.org/10.1089/107555303321223035

 

This information has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

By plyfamilywellness 0 Comments Adjustments, Chiropractic, Diet, Exercises, Nutrition, Weight Loss , , , , , ,

The Terrible T’s

If you have come into our office you have probably heard us talking about the “Terrible T’s” quite a bit. But what are the terrible T’s and what impact do they have on your health? The 3 terrible T’s are traumas, toxins, and thoughts. Each one plays a pivotal role in health in its own unique way. Let’s break these down individually and dive into how they each can affect you.

We will start with traumas. Traumas are probably the most obvious T when it comes to the impact they have on your health. Traumas are defined as any injury, accident, fall, bump, scrape, bruise, etc. Traumas are the things you usually can easily remember. They are things that happen that you know caused some sort of pain or dysfunction in the body. For example you recall falling off your bike and hurting your knee or getting in a car accident and suddenly having neck pain. But sometimes traumas aren’t quite as obvious. Think about some repetitive traumas you go through daily. Do you sit at a desk all day? That’s a trauma for your low back. Every time you look down at your phone that’s a trauma for your neck. We are starting to see more and more cases of repetitive traumas causing problems for our patients. So how do we correct for these traumas? Chiropractic adjustments are wonderful for restoring proper joint motion and function following biomechanical injuries to the body. We love seeing the results our patients get even from just a few adjustments of the spine or even extremities! Chiropractic adjustments help to reduce pain, restore range of motion, and get people back to feeling like themselves.

The next T I would like to talk about is toxins. Toxins are things that get into your body and cause massive inflammation. That build-up of inflammation can lead to wide spread pain and discomfort. Most commonly toxins are found in our environment in the things we eat and expose ourselves to. Think of your daily routine getting ready. Do you use clean shampoo, do you use deodorant with aluminum, are you using toxic makeup products? It’s important to make the switch to clean and natural products for all of the above to make sure you are protecting yourself. Now think about the foods you eat? Are you eating enough fruits and vegetables? A majority of people are not. Do you eat fast food? Gluten? Dairy products? These things are commonly very toxic and inflammatory for people. This inflammation from food is not always present as symptoms of gastrointestinal discomfort. Sometimes inflammation from food can show up as joint pain, back pain, or even nerve pain. We have seen multiple people who don’t seem to respond to chiropractic care suddenly start to see amazing improvements when we start looking at what toxins are in their environment and remove them. Our bodies were made to thrive and heal and be healthy as long as we remove toxins interfering with that process!

The last T we need to discuss is thoughts. This is one of the most difficult T’s for most of our patients to wrap their heads around. Our thoughts are so powerful when it comes to our health. Patients who have a positive outlook on their health generally see much better results in our office. In Chinese medicine they discuss in depth how each emotion effects each organ. Anger congests the liver. Fear can cause problems in the kidneys. Sadness can affect the lungs. In our office one of the most common things we see is stress. Stress is often carried in the muscles of the neck and shoulders. We can help biomechanically by adjusting the neck and stretching the musculature but unless we address your stress levels we may never find the results you are looking for.

At Ply Family Wellness we always look at our patients as a whole, not just a list of symptoms. We don’t take neck pain as just neck pain. We will dig to the root of what exactly is causing that neck pain. Was it an accident? Was there some sort of trauma? Is there a toxic overload coming from your environment? Are you overly stressed and holding it in your neck and shoulders? Could it be something else entirely? At our office we won’t settle for just relieving your pain. We also want to make sure that it doesn’t come back. If you are interested in finding out what is causing your ailments please give us a call. We would love to work with you.

 

Written by: Kameron Bavender, DC