Spicing-up Your Supplements Shown to “Digest Cancer” – Your Health Detective

I don’t know about you but I love Indian Curry; except I have to make the spice combination known as garam marsala by combining my own herbs so that the blend does not contain any nightshades…which I avoid like the plague because of their propensity to induce inflammation. I was fortunate years ago to have an Indian friend who was a gourmet cook and showed me step-by-step what authentic Indian curry should be. Now, researchers have found scientific reasons to consume more of the compound that’s the basis for curry – curcumin…click to continue reading…

Historical Perspective

Turmeric is one of nature’s most powerful healers. The active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, has been used for over 2500 years in India, where it was most likely first used as a dye.

The medicinal properties of this spice have been slowly revealing themselves over the centuries. Long known for its anti-inflammatory properties, recent research has revealed that turmeric is a natural wonder, proving beneficial in the treatment of many different health conditions from cancer to inflammation associated with fibromyalgia, gout, arthritis, and cognitive disorders, to name a few.

Scientific News

Researchers at the Cork Research Center in Ireland treated esophageal cancer cells with curcumin – the chemical found in the spice known to westerners as turmeric. Turmeric is what gives curries their distinctive yellow color; be careful, it stains everything but, oh, the taste is worth it. When the scientists gave cancer patients turmeric, it started to literally kill cancer cells within 24 hours — the cells began to digest themselves. The results were published in the British Journal of Cancer.

Additional studies suggest that curcumin supsresses tumors and that people who eat substantial amounts of curry are less prone to the disease, although curcumin loses its anti-cancer attributes quickly after ingestion. That said, the lead author in the Irish study, Sharon McKenna, reported that her research suggested the potential for scientists to develop curcumin as an anti-cancer drug to treat esophageal cancer.

Cancers of the esophagus kill mosre than 510,000 people across the globe annually – tumors are especially deadly with a five-year survival rate of just 12-31 percent.

What McKenna found in her research is that curcumin used “an unexpected system of cell messengers” that caused the cancer cells to die. Normally, faulty cells die by committing programmed suicide, or apoptosis, which occurs when proteins called caspases are “switched on” in cells. These cells showed no evidence of suicide but rather the addition of the molecule inhibited caspases and stopped this “switch” from being flicked. It made no difference to the number of cells that died – suggesting curcumin attacked the cancer cells using an alternative cell-signaling system…maybe the cells finally got the right area code to send the message?

In a more recent study, U.S. researchers found curcumin may also help stimulate specific immune system cells to benefit cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease.

The following are 20 reasons researchers found to add turmeric to your diet and as a daily supplement:

1. It is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent, useful in disinfecting cuts and burns.

2. When combined with cauliflower, it has shown to prevent prostate cancer and stop the growth of existing prostate cancer.

3. Prevented breast cancer from spreading to the lungs in mice.

4. May prevent melanoma and cause existing melanoma cells to commit suicide.

5. Reduces the risk of childhood leukemia.

6. Is a natural liver detoxifier.

7. May prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by removing amyloyd plaque buildup in the brain.

8. May prevent metastases from occurring in many different forms of cancer.

9. It is a potent natural anti-inflammatory that works as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs but without the side-effects.

10. Has shown promise in slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis in mice.

11. Is a natural painkiller and cox-2 inhibitor.

12. May aid in fat metabolism and help in weight management.

13. Has long been used in Chinese medicine as a treatment for depression.

14. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it is a natural treatment for fibromyalgia, arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

15. Boosts the effects of chemo drug paclitaxel and reduces its side effects.

16. Promising studies are underway on the effects of turmeric on pancreatic cancer.

17. Studies are ongoing in the positive effects of turmeric on multiple myeloma.

18. Has been shown to stop the growth of new blood vessels in tumors.

19. Speeds up wound healing and assists in remodeling of damaged skin.

20. May help in the treatment of psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions.

Turmeric can be taken in powder or pill form. It is available in pill form in most health food stores, usually in 250-500mg capsules.

Once you start using turmeric on a regular basis, it’s fun to find new ways to use it in recipes. My favorite way, other than in curries, is to use it is to add a pinch of it to egg salad. It adds a nice flavor and gives the egg salad a rich yellow hue.

Contraindications: Turmeric should not be used by people with gallstones or bile obstruction. Though turmeric is often used by pregnant women, it is important to consult with a doctor before doing so as turmeric can be a uterine stimulant.

The Way I See It…

Supplementation to alleviate pain and inflammation should be a first-line of defense before considering pain medications that carry a wide array of side-effects. The professional formula I use and have recommended for over twenty years is Inflavonoid – it’s main ingredient is turmeric and available only from health professionals. At the first sign of inflammation, take two with a bite of food. Thereafter, take one per hour for another three doses with some food. This is especially helpful when an existing inflammatory condition is acclerated by lets say nightshades or food additives because it calms down the inflammation before it gets out of hand.

Your Health Detective:

Uncovering Clues to Add LIFE to Your Years…NOT Merely Years to Your Life, Naturally

Dr. Gloria Gilbère (aka Dr. G), D.A.Hom., Ph.D., D.S.C.,

EcoErgonomist, Wholistic Rejuvenist

Dr. Gilbère is renowned worldwide for her work in identifying and finding natural solutions to chemically-induced and inflammatory disorders, multiple chemical sensitivities, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, Gulf War Syndrome, and digestive disorders that defy conventional diagnosis and treatment. She consults worldwide via telephone and at her Institute in north Idaho. Visit her website at www.gloriagilbere.com for details about consulting with her.

Creator of certificated courses to become a Wholistic Rejuvenist™ (CWR) and for post-graduate education for health and spa professionals. Go to www.gloriagilbere.com and click on Wholistic Skin & Body Rejuvenation (WSBR™) for course outline. Available on-site at worldwide locations, and via distance-learning at your convenience globally.

Information in this newsletter is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by medical professionals, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent a disease or disorder. The FDA has not reviewed or endorsed the contents of this educational publication.

Copyright is held by Gloria E. Gilbère, to which all rights are reserved. Other than personal, non-commercial use or forwarding, no material in this newsletter may be copied, distributed, or published without the expressed written permission of its author and copyright holder.