Study Finds Natural Spice Might Relieve Pain as Well as Ibuprofen!

Do you suffer from arthritis in one or both knees? If you do and would like to know how to get some relief, then this information will be very important to you.
Here is Why…
Researchers have found curcumin, a component of the spice tumeric, may work as well as or better than anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.
Tumeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant and is best know as one of the ingredients used to make curry and also as the ingredient that gives store-bought mustard its bright yellow color.
For centuries, tumeric has been used by both Chinese and Indian medicine as an anti-inflammatory treatment, and lately it’s been hailed as a “super food” with many possible health benefits. Some people even claim tumeric can be used to treat medical conditions like Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and even several types of cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society’s website, “Turmeric is a common food flavoring and coloring in Asian cooking. Animal and laboratory studies have found that curcumin, an antioxidant that is an active ingredient in turmeric, demonstrated some anti-cancer effects in the lab. But human research is needed to determine curcumin’s role in cancer prevention and treatment in people. Several types of cancer cells are inhibited by curcumin in the laboratory, and curcumin slows the growth and spread of some cancers in some animal studies. Clinical trials are underway to find out if it can help humans as well.
“Curcumin is being studied to find out whether it helps other diseases such as arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and stomach ulcers. It is also being studied to see whether it can help lower “bad cholesterol” and improve outcome in kidney transplants. A few early studies have been done in humans, but much more human research is still needed to find out if curcumin can be effective in these uses.”
Good News for
Knee Arthritis Sufferers!
A study published in the March 2014 edition of Clinical Interventions in Aging compared Curcuma domestica (C. domestica) extracts to ibuprofen to treat knee osteoarthritis. Over 350 knee osteoarthritis patients with high pain scores were given either 1,200 mg/day of ibuprofen or 1,500 mg/day of C. domestica extract.
The study concluded: “C. domestica extracts are as effective as ibuprofen for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. The side effect profile was similar but with fewer gastrointestinal AE reports in the C. domestica extracts group.”
Two things are very important here…
First, according to this study, C. domestica extract relieves knee osteoarthritis pain. Even more importantly, the study concluded that the adverse effects were similar to ibuprofen except for fewer gastrointestinal problems.
But, adverse events were only noted if they occurred during the study and drugs like ibuprofen can have even worse side effects. In fact, ABC News reported the results of a large Danish study that found, “People taking ibuprofen — sold under the brand names Advil, Motrin, Nuprin — had [a] 29 percent increased risk of stroke.”
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen is in this group) have carried a warning for increased risk of cardiovascular problems since 2005. C. domestica extract use has not been found to increase an individual’s risk for heart attack or stroke. Some researchers and doctors speculate that freshly juiced tumeric may outperform tumeric extract but of course, more research needs to be done.
New Study Finds Nagging by a Spouse
Can Shorten Their Partner’s Lifespan!
Sometimes reality sounds more unbelievable than fiction, and this is one of those times. According to a new study, nagging by a spouse can actually kill you. That’s right, researchers have finally given anti-naggers some good amunnition to end the badgering. According to CBS News, “Danish researchers from the University of Copenhagen said having a nagging partner can significantly shorten one’s life, and could result in three extra deaths per 100 people per year.” The study also said people nagged by their spouses are more likely to develop heart disease and cancer and men are at greater risk than women, if only slightly. Researchers always like to say, “more research needs to be done” but it appears that nagging someone, even if your intentions are good, may be doing more harm than good.
How the “Black Death” Can
Make You Healthier
It might seem strange to think that something like the “Black Death” (also called bubonic plague) can make you healthier, especially since it was one of the most devastating epidemics in human history.
In fact, the bubonic plague is estimated to have killed nearly one hundred million people between 1347 and 1351. For a better understanding of the devastation, the plague wiped out approximately 30% of all Europeans and almost 50% of Londoners in just four years.
But, a new study sheds a different light on the Black Death, and it is not all bad.
The study published in the journal PLOS ONE suggests that, “people who survived the medieval mass killing plague known as the Black Death lived significantly longer and were healthier than people who lived before the epidemic struck in 1347.”
The article indicates that, “the disease targeted elderly adults and individuals who had been previously exposed to physiological stressors.”
A key point here is that the disease did not just target “older” people. In fact…
The 14th-century Black Death was not an indiscriminate killer, but instead targeted frail people of all ages.
Survivors of the plague experienced improvements in health and longevity with many people living to ages of 70 or 80 years, as compared with pre-Black Death populations.
Improvements in survival post-Black Death didn’t necessarily equate to good health over a lifespan, but revealed a hardiness to endure disease, including repeated bouts of plague.
The Black Death, either directly or indirectly, shaped mortality patterns for generations after the epidemic ended.
This is All Very Interesting Information… but…
Why is Any of This Important to YOU Now?
Good question. This study, like just about all studies, is not “the answer.” It shows interesting correlations and raises even more interesting questions.
One such question is, since the Black Death only seemed to kill people with weakened immune systems (the frail), wouldn’t it be wise to do everything possible to strengthen your immune system to its full genetic potential by eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep, managing stress, and keeping your nervous system functioning optimally as possible?