Wellness

[bargainsgirl]

A friend highly recommended taking Tumeric for arthritic pain.  I started looking up info about it and several medical sites do not recommend taking it if you have any hormone sensitive health issues such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer etc...I am a breast cancer survivor so I am glad I read this.  I hope people see this who should probably not be using Tumeric.  I have never heard Andrew Lessman mentioning this precaution in his presentations except for "check with your doctor".  I was hoping to try this but now I will not.

[Desertdi]

Didn't do a thing for my arthritis...and then I noticed I was getting a yellow tinge to my skin.    Threw it out.

[RespectLife]

@bargainsgirl 

DH took for a long while and saw absolutely NO difference or relief.

IMHO, I do not think you are missing out.

[SilleeMee]

@bargainsgirl 

Can you please provide the names of the sites you visited so that we can read about that info. Thanks.

[cjm61]

@bargainsgirl Although I find posters recommendations interesting, I would never try anything like this before checking with my doctor. I know many ask for others' opinions here on this forum ranging from what vitamins are good for this and that to what prep to use for a colonoscopy and everything in between. I take everything with a grain of salt. 

If I do find information interesting enough I always ask my doctor. Each person is different and may have conditions that should be addressed before taking something. 

[SilleeMee]

The active ingredient found in turmeric is curcumin and in order for that to be effective it needs to be taken in relatively high concentration  which is usually posted as a 95% extract of the substance on the bottle of supp. Doses need to be close to 1500mg (extract) daily (divided into 2 to 3 with food). Not all turmeric or curcumin supps are created equal. Reading the labels for extract content is key. Most supps do not contain that vital ingredient in the necessary amounts or the recommended doses are less than effective.

[catter70]

I can't remember which, but it appears it shouldn't be taken with one of my meds, either BP or blood thinner.

[GinaV24]

Hi @bargainsgirl I also had breast cancer and did find articles that said tumeric could be a problem.  I asked my oncologist and she didn't tell me that I shouldn't take it but I decided that wouldn't use it just to be safe.

[PilatesLover]

I do feel a slight improvement in my RA symptoms when taking turmeric.  I recently learned that turmeric supplements inhibit the absorption of iron.  Since I'm also anemic I'm giving my giant bottle of Kirkland turmeric to a healthier friend who  takes it.

I would post a link but those posts get deleted.  If you search "turmeric and iron absorption" you will find credible articles on it. National Library of Medicine is one source.

[cheriere]

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@PilatesLover wrote:

I do feel a slight improvement in my RA symptoms when taking turmeric.  I recently learned that turmeric supplements inhibit the absorption of iron.  Since I'm also anemic I'm giving my giant bottle of Kirkland turmeric to a healthier friend who  takes it.

I would post a link but those posts get deleted.  If you search "turmeric and iron absorption" you will find credible articles on it. National Library of Medicine is one source.

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Have you tried the medication Enbrel? The reason I ask is like yourself, I too have pretty bad rheumatoid arthritis. My doctor was finally able to get my insurance company to approve it so my copay is very little. I haven't started them yet, but it's a weekly injection you do at home. After receiving copious amounts of steroid injections, I welcome anything that doesn't come with so many side effects. It is worth mentioning though, had my insurance not approved this medication and I had to pay for it out of pocket, it's $8,900 per month...I mean WTH??? Who could afford this without insurance