Let’s Talk About Turmeric

Living in a multicultural city like Toronto, it’s probably a good bet that you’ve tried curry at some point.

That means you’ve had turmeric before, since it’s a major ingredient in curry, but did you know that this spice has some great health benefits?

I’m Dr. Sheila Dyer, ND, a naturopathic doctor for depression and anxiety as an area of special interest, and I often recommend turmeric for this and many other reasons.

Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of curcumin and turmeric supplements.

What Is Turmeric?

Turmeric is a famous and common spice from the ginger family.

It’s native to Southeast Asia and has been used in India for thousands of years as a culinary spice and because of its medicinal properties.

This root has the ability to grow in any place that is warm and has enough rainfall.

The flavour is unmistakable for its deep pungent earthiness, and its colour is a vibrant shade of yellow and orange.

The main active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, which is where many (but not all) of its medicinal properties lie.

Turmeric on its own is often used to help manage skin conditions and as a natural solution for digestive issues, aside from being of course a delicious spice.

Health Benefits Of Turmeric

Turmeric contains compounds with medicinal properties called curcuminoids, the most important one being curcumin, which is a powerful anti inflammatory and strong antioxidant.

However the benefits of turmeric don’t end there, as it has been discovered that it can also help with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, depression, metabolic syndrome, and other degenerative conditions.

Here are some of the top benefits of turmeric.

1. Turmeric Has Anti Inflammatory Properties

When our body suffers damage, we experience short term inflammation which is important to fight off pathogens and heal.

However, chronic inflammation is linked with many chronic illnesses, including:

• Arthritis
• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Some cancers
• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Asthma
• And many others

It is now believed that even low level inflammation can cause certain health conditions and diseases, but compounds like curcumin that can fight chronic inflammation can help prevent such ailments.

2. Turmeric Serves As An Antioxidant

Aging is a privilege denied to many, but it doesn’t always feel like a privilege when age related health conditions start to appear.

Turmeric can help here as well.

As an antioxidant, turmeric helps reduce the number of free radicals in your body.

Free radicals are unstable atoms that can damage the cells in your body, which speeds up aging and can cause illness.

A certain number of them are needed, but too many can cause issues – that’s where antioxidants come in.

There have been studies suggesting that curcumin can also stimulate the action of other antioxidants, but further research is still needed to confirm this claim.

3. Turmeric Has Mental Health Benefits

If you suffer from depression, then turmeric may offer some hope.

A 2013 study by Sanmukhani Et Al worked with a group of people separated into three control groups.

One group took Prozac, one took curcumin, and the last one took a combination of the two.

It was shown that the group that took both saw the greatest increase in mental health, but the Prozac and the curcumin group had statistically similar benefits.

4. Turmeric Can Ease The Symptoms Of Arthritis

There are over a hundred different types of arthritis, but one thing they all share in common is joint inflammation.

Because turmeric is such a great anti inflammatory, it can be useful here as well.

There are currently many studies concluding that curcumin can be effective against joint inflammation and that it can also improve many other symptoms related to arthritis.

RELATED: Naturopathic Treatments For Rheumatoid Arthritis

5. Turmeric Can Lower Your Risk Of Cancer

We can all agree that cancer is a terrible disease that affects far too many people all over the world.

Part of the reason why cancer is such a difficult disease to manage is because it’s characterized by uncontrolled cell growth.

However, some forms of this disease seem to be affected by curcumin supplements.

Curcumin has also been studied for the actual treatment of some types of cancer and it was discovered that it can affect cancer growth and development on a molecular level, to the point where it can:

• Reduce the growth of blood vessels in tumours
• Reduce the spread of cancer to other organs
• Contribute to the death of cancerous cells

It can also help as a preventative measure against cancer, particularly cancers of the digestive tract.

It’s important to mention that the benefits of curcumin to treat cancer haven’t been studied properly in humans.

So far though, the information obtained from some studies in regards to preventing cancer in the first place, is very promising.

6. Turmeric Can Lower Your Risk Of Heart Disease

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the world, so a lot of research goes into it.

Unfortunately, heart disease is complex and many things can cause it, but thankfully curcumin seems to be able to reduce the risk of getting a heart attack.

When the endothelium (the lining of your blood vessels) is unable to regulate blood pressure, blood clotting, and other functions, you can get heart disease and this is the most common cause.

The way curcumin seems to help when it comes to heart disease is by improving the function of the lining of your blood vessels and as mentioned previously this spice can reduce inflammation and oxidation very effectively.

How To Improve Turmeric’s Health Benefits

One of the issues with turmeric is that curcumin isn’t very bioavailable.

That means your body has trouble absorbing and making use of it.

However, there are some ways around that.

When you eat food with turmeric, add in some black pepper as well.

Black pepper has a substance within it called piperine, which this 1998 study by Shoba Et Al has shown helps increase absorption by 2000%.

That’s a lot.

Most curcumin supplements include some piperine as a result.

Eating turmeric with some fatty food can also help increase absorption, because the curcumin binds with fat and is more easily absorbed.

Book Your Appointment With Dr. Sheila Dyer, ND, Today

Are you looking for natural and effective ways to improve your health by decreasing inflammation in your body?

Maybe you or a loved one are struggling with heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, arthritis or a degenerative condition and would like to learn more about the medicinal benefits of turmeric to support your current treatment.

I’m Dr. Sheila Dyer, a naturopathic doctor in Toronto, and I can help.

I’ll answer all your questions and help you explore your treatment options.

Book your appointment today and let’s set up a consultation.