McHenry Inflammations Foe: Curcumin

Curcumin – the enemy of inflammation? Quite possibly! OrthoIllinois Chiropractic talks with our McHenry chiropractic family members every day about inflammation and pain, especially back pain and neck pain, arm pain and sciatica. Chiropractic care with an anti-inflammatory nutrition approach is beneficial especially when adding curcumin into the mix, an extra supported by several recent research papers!

 

 

A new scoping review (based on 389 citations from 8 different databases) of evidence concerning the use of curcumin for inflammation-related condition found a lot of support of the clinical benefit of curcumin for diseases in which inflammation plays a key role like osteoarthritis, metabolic disorders, etc. (1) A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (65 of them) that examined the impact of turmeric/curcumin on inflammation and oxidation balance found that supplementation significantly decreased inflammatory markers (CRP and IL-6) and improved anti-oxidant activity, boosting the body’s inflammation/oxidation balance.  (2) Another analysis of randomized controlled trials (29 of them focused on 5 types of arthritis – ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and gout/hyperuricemia) made known the safety of using curcumin as well as the change for the better with respect to pain and severity of inflammation. (3) A further analysis of 15 randomized controlled trials specifically centered on the effects of curcumin on osteoarthritis determined that curcumin and curcuma longa extract may be safer and more effective supplements for osteoarthritis than NSAIDs and placebo. Moreover, the unpleasant effects of curcumin were akin to those of placebo, making it a safer option. In fact, when measured against NSAIDs, another commonly used treatment for osteoarthritis, curcumin compared with NSAIDs was observed to have comparable effects on joint pain, function, and stiffness but with a lesser occurrence of adverse events. (4) So are you ready to give this natural alternative a try? Let’s talk about it at your next McHenry chiropractic appointment.

 

 

 

Make your McHenry chiropractic appointment today. If inflammation is your nemesis, let’s talk about adding curcumin to your supplement nutrition plan! OrthoIllinois Chiropractic is here to help decrease inflammation and pain!