Turmeric...the wonder herb!

hummingbyrd

Don't know if this will work for everyone, but I say it's worth looking into. I am taking Turmeric 450mg (95% curcuminoids) with 50mg of turmeric root, been on it 2 tablets 3 times a day for about 8 weeks. My last CEA (tumor marker) was 1,217 (normal is below 3). This week, I kid you not, my CEA was 36!
Now this is no fluke, it is the second time it has happened. The first time my marker was 750, 6 weeks of turmeric dropped it to 34, 8 weeks in the hospital without it and it jumped up to 1217. (They frown on herbs in the hospital).
Anyway, as I posted before you can go to MD Anderson web site and read the article they have regarding turmeric. Not recommending anyone take it, just "sharing" my story. By the way turmeric in its finished state is known as...curry powder.
God bless and Bon Appetite.
hummingbyrd

tlmac

I've been following articles about the benefits but I didn't realize, until you posted, that you can get it as a supplement.
Congratulations on the wonderful news.
terri

lindatn

WONDERFUL send us one more thing on your tumeric where are you buying it? Unfortunately all herbs etc are not created equal. Some Dr say if you are below 36 on the tumor marker it is normal? Any opiion on that? hurry and answer before they kick you off, you have much to offer some of us I am sure or send it over to my personal email. God Bless Linda

mamaocllo

lindatn said:

WONDERFUL send us one more thing on your tumeric where are you buying it? Unfortunately all herbs etc are not created equal. Some Dr say if you are below 36 on the tumor marker it is normal? Any opiion on that? hurry and answer before they kick you off, you have much to offer some of us I am sure or send it over to my personal email. God Bless Linda

Turmeric
Somewhere in the CSN last year (I haven't been able to find the original post), the day I started radiation for Stage I breast cancer for which I had just had a lumpectomy, I found a post talking about the University of Rochester trials to find out whether taking turmeric would lessen the effects of radiation. I went off to the nearest Walgreens and found they carried turmeric in their Finest Natural house brand. It was even combined with a small amount of black pepper, which is apparently necessary for the turmeric to be bioavailable and work. I took two 900 mg. capsules three times a day for the duration of my radiation treatments and had what I guess are only mild side effects - sort of a sunburn-like reddening in the area exposed to the last ten, more intense radiation treatments. This got to be considerably itchy, but I could cool it down with the aloe-vera-plus-lidocaine gel that both Walgreens and WalMart have in their suntan lotion section.

Last week I had my one-year mammogram, about a year to the day after the first suspicious mammogram, and everything is just fine - no weird spots, nobody waving at the camera. I don't know whether this can be attributed to turmeric, but I'm certainly planning to take it for the rest of my life; lots of articles online talk about it being a good preventative for all sorts of cancers and other illnesses as well. I am taking a smaller daily dosage now. Unfortunately, the Walgreens brand had a revision last Fall and no longer contains the black pepper, so I'm making my own black pepper capsules and taking one with each dose of turmeric. WalMart also carries turmeric capsules, and so does the Swanson Nutrition catalog.

I'm so grateful to this site for letting us tell each other about useful information the doctors either don't know or are too busy to mention.

aysemari

Thank you for posting this
I believe that our bodies can heal themselves, we
just have to know how to help them do it.

I will look for turmeric in the health store.

Thanks again hummingbyrd,
Ayse

carkris

aysemari said:

Thank you for posting this
I believe that our bodies can heal themselves, we
just have to know how to help them do it.

I will look for turmeric in the health store.

Thanks again hummingbyrd,
Ayse

The book anti cancer also
The book anti cancer also talks about tumeric

meena1

carkris said:

The book anti cancer also
The book anti cancer also talks about tumeric

Here is a way to use
Here is a way to use Tumeric, the spice. Mix it in olive oil with black pepper, (this is supposedly the only way it works) and you can use it over salads or to cook with. I also got this from the anti cancer book

VickiSam

meena1 said:

Here is a way to use
Here is a way to use Tumeric, the spice. Mix it in olive oil with black pepper, (this is supposedly the only way it works) and you can use it over salads or to cook with. I also got this from the anti cancer book

Meena . Thank you for 'how to use' tip;
and postings .. wonderful idea .. Running out to buy tumeric ..


Vicki Sam

mollyz

VickiSam said:

Meena . Thank you for 'how to use' tip;
and postings .. wonderful idea .. Running out to buy tumeric ..


Vicki Sam

Anti -Cancer book
I just read that part T O D A Y in the anti-cancer book isn't that somthing,,I had heard Robin Roberts on good morning america say she sprinkled it on her food everyday.
MOLLYZ

Ann2800103

mamaocllo said:

Turmeric
Somewhere in the CSN last year (I haven't been able to find the original post), the day I started radiation for Stage I breast cancer for which I had just had a lumpectomy, I found a post talking about the University of Rochester trials to find out whether taking turmeric would lessen the effects of radiation. I went off to the nearest Walgreens and found they carried turmeric in their Finest Natural house brand. It was even combined with a small amount of black pepper, which is apparently necessary for the turmeric to be bioavailable and work. I took two 900 mg. capsules three times a day for the duration of my radiation treatments and had what I guess are only mild side effects - sort of a sunburn-like reddening in the area exposed to the last ten, more intense radiation treatments. This got to be considerably itchy, but I could cool it down with the aloe-vera-plus-lidocaine gel that both Walgreens and WalMart have in their suntan lotion section.

Last week I had my one-year mammogram, about a year to the day after the first suspicious mammogram, and everything is just fine - no weird spots, nobody waving at the camera. I don't know whether this can be attributed to turmeric, but I'm certainly planning to take it for the rest of my life; lots of articles online talk about it being a good preventative for all sorts of cancers and other illnesses as well. I am taking a smaller daily dosage now. Unfortunately, the Walgreens brand had a revision last Fall and no longer contains the black pepper, so I'm making my own black pepper capsules and taking one with each dose of turmeric. WalMart also carries turmeric capsules, and so does the Swanson Nutrition catalog.

I'm so grateful to this site for letting us tell each other about useful information the doctors either don't know or are too busy to mention.

Turmeric
This is the exact trial I viewed in an article at MD Anderson. Turmeric with pepper and olive oil. I am adding the Turmeric and Pepper I am already on the olive oil.
Why does hummingbirds post say 2006?

Thanks to all on this one

Annie

baker819

what is a cea?
What is a cea and when is it given? Is it a blood test? Is it the blood work given at the onc's office? Joyce

davidnalson

Really awesome information. This is new for me. Once a time, my doctor has recommend me to use Turmeric which is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family. Actually herbs have bundle of adavantages and it is used for curing diseases in the old ages even few of people are using till now like hakeemabdulraheem(.)com but unfortunately we really don't have much knowledge about characteristics of different herbs. Anyways, thanks for sharing your experience with us.

SlowGardener

How to use Turmeric as support nutrition

I spoke with someone trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine who recommended Turmeric, or the active ingredient in it, Curcumin,  for immune support during chemotherapy.  That,  and a few other spices, herbs,  etc.  (piperezine, coriander, cumin, sour sop or graviola, milk thistle, lycopene . . . vitamin C and D . . . follow directions on bottle or read up on your own on the internet -- use some skepticism and compare what different sources say).   I believe Piperezine is a component of, or another name for, black pepper, which also has medicinal properties.  

Turmeric has always been known to have medicinal qualities in Chinese and East Indian traditional medicines.  Now there is a lot of evidence-based data -- research done on it and how and why it works.      It is not a "cure" but it supports the body and encourages healing.

I also found that when I was going through the worst of my chemotherapy and had no appetite, that a curry or stew made with extra turmeric and other curry spices (sometimes bringing out the flavor by heating them in hot butter or coconut oil at the beginning of the recipe) actually tempted me to eat more -- smelled appealing -- and I normally do not care for turmeric in cooking.  Chemo will alter your sense of taste and smell.

Suggestions for cooking: 

Get any "curry powder" --  Durkee's or any brand you are familliar with, or try a garam masala powder (a type of curry powder, under many different brands) and add a bunch of turmeric. Buy spices by the pound at an Asian grocery or even on amazon to save money.  Shop for better prices.   I usually have a 1:3 ratio  of curry powder to turmeric powder -- varies with the day and how I feel, but the idea is to take more turmeric and I am not a fan of turmeric alone.   I throw in cumin and coriander seed powder (this can be bought as a mix, used in certain East Indian dishes), cinnamon, cloves, cardamom -- and whatever smells good for me on a particular day.  The above spices can't hurt and some have been researched for beneficial compounds that are anti-oxidants etc.   Put them in the pot and cook with them.  They have a different flavor if lightly "roasted" in butter or coconut oil in the pan before adding other items -- I find this appetizing. Your tastes may vary (probably from day to day).

You might want to sautee some onions and garlic to go with the curry powder mix,  and use this to flavor your pot of vegetables, stew, curry, whatever.  Sweet red or green pepper, or hot pepper if you like hot food (I usually don't, but then, when I lose all sense of taste, sometimes a little "zing" of heat is appetizing -- varies from day to day for me so I keep my stew or curry or soup or whatever mild, and add heat later to a small portion).

The Capsules:

I know that I won't always eat what is good for me.  I tried, and I just didn't have the energy to cook with turmeric every day or even every week.  So I will be going back to the capsules of turmeric.    Don't get the cheapest brand, but you don't have to get the most expensive either.  Find a company that seems to be solid, that tests some of its products, and the quality seems good --  (not a lot to test, but some companies are more careful and consciencious, while other companies provide poor or false ingredients).  I read reviews of different brands of the same supplements on amazon, and learn all sorts of things that way.  Also search medline and other science-publication sites, or just do searches.  If you have the energy, that helps you make decisions. Capsules are more expensive than the powdered Turmeric sold for cooking.  

My grandmother used to make her own capsules of herbs, but that is so time consuming and probably not something you want to do when you aren't feeling well.   There used to be gadgets to help you fill your gelatin capsules with herbs and supplements -- for the really dedicated!  

I don't think you can go wrong with just taking capsules of Turmeric according to the directions on the bottle.  I was told Turmeric and Piperazine were two ingredients that support the immune system and work together to be even better than either alone; so you can buy them separately or in combination.  

HapB

Thanks

I have just started cooking with Tumeric and I like it. I also started using it in curry dishes. I don't like taking capsules because they are unregulated by the FDA and so many are produced in China that I don't trust them.  I have swithced to a plant based diet and have been researching diet as a means of boosting my immune system, which is obviously not working very well. It sure can't hurt and I actually feel better this week than I have in a long time. There are lots of books out there and it is tough to know which diets are best. Right now, I am going with Dr. Fuhrman's "Super Immunity" book and cookbook. It sure can't hurt and is well worth a try.