Speaker A
Have you been struggling with arthritis, suffering from pain, swelling, and inflammation in your joints? If so, you're not alone.
Discover how turmeric can reduce joint pain and inflammation in arthritis within 90 days, backed by scientific research and expert advice.
Key Takeaways
- Turmeric's curcumin is a scientifically supported natural remedy for reducing arthritis-related inflammation and pain.
- Effective turmeric dosage ranges from 1,000 to 1,500 mg daily, preferably with enhanced absorption (e.g., with pepper).
- Turmeric is a safer alternative to NSAIDs for people with heart or kidney conditions but requires medical supervision if on blood thinners.
- Choosing high-quality, third-party certified turmeric supplements ensures safety and consistent potency.
- Gradual dosing and regular evaluation of effects are important for safe and effective turmeric use.
Summary
- Turmeric, specifically its active ingredient curcumin, has potent anti-inflammatory effects that help reduce joint pain and swelling.
- Curcumin works by blocking inflammatory enzymes like COX-2 and reducing inflammatory proteins such as cytokines and TNF alpha.
- Clinical studies show that 1,000 mg to 1,500 mg of curcumin daily can reduce pain and inflammation in osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis.
- Turmeric is a safer alternative to NSAIDs for patients with contraindications like heart disease or kidney issues.
- Long history of turmeric use in traditional medicine supports its safety and efficacy, with mostly mild side effects reported.
- High doses of turmeric/curcumin can act as blood thinners and may interact with medications like warfarin, so medical consultation is advised.
- Quality supplements should be certified by third-party organizations such as NSF, USP, or ConsumerLab to ensure accurate dosing and purity.
- Starting with a low dose and gradually increasing while monitoring effects is recommended for turmeric supplementation.
- Personal testimonial: Dr. Girnita's father experienced significant improvement in knee pain and swelling within 90 days of turmeric supplementation.
- Supplementation with turmeric may slow disease progression by protecting joint cartilage and reducing oxidative stress.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
In this video, I will discuss a natural, research-backed remedy that could help you. I'm talking about turmeric, and I will explain three reasons why I believe you should try it if you are dealing with arthritis.
Speaker A
A few years ago, my father was complaining of severe pain, swelling, and was almost unable to walk due to pain in one of his knees.
Speaker A
My father has heart disease and diabetes, and NSAIDs are not ideal in his case as they can cause more side effects than benefit.
Speaker A
However, I gave my father a course of naproxen for about two weeks, but they did not help.
Speaker A
Then, as a rheumatologist, I proposed he do a steroid injection in the knee. I did that and again waited for another two weeks.
Speaker A
Unfortunately, no improvement. So what to do? I could not give him another course of NSAIDs, I could do another injection, but... I remembered that a patient of mine told me about this supplement that he has been using for a few months and was very helpful for his knees. This supplement was called turmeric... (video with turmeric supplement)
Speaker A
As you probably know, I have a PhD in immunology, and I had to search and see what the scientific evidence is. Is this truly a good supplement? After all, I was talking about my own father! Here I go, I embarked on a search for scientific evidence, and here is what I found!
Speaker A
#1 Turmeric has potent anti-inflammatory effects. The key to turmeric's potential for relieving pain is related to its active ingredient called curcumin. There are numerous studies that demonstrated curcumin's anti-inflammatory effect. By decreasing inflammation, turmeric will reduce the pain.
Speaker A
You see, there are different forms of arthritis, and people suffering from RA, PsA, or AS suffer from a lot of inflammation that can cause severe damage to the joints. People with OA, or wear and tear arthritis, can also suffer from a low degree of inflammation too.
Speaker A
In my search, I found there were more than 10,000 studies about turmeric and inflammation and more than 120 clinical studies.
Speaker A
Curcumin can help fight this inflammation through several mechanisms. It blocks inflammatory enzymes like COX-2 enzyme. This is the same enzyme that is blocked by NSAIDs like ibuprofen, and in this way decreases inflammation. Curcumin can also reduce the production of certain inflammatory proteins, that we call cytokines, and decrease the level of TNF alpha and others in the body, which also reduce inflammation.
Speaker A
There are also some animal studies that found curcumin to lower oxidative stress, which can protect the joint cartilage and reduce the wear and tear process. By disrupting inflammation and protecting the cartilages, curcumin might potentially decrease pain and swelling and slow down disease progression.
Speaker A
#2: There is clinical evidence for arthritis relief. Now my question was, so is turmeric going to work for people with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis? In 2016, a study that included many randomized controlled trials found that 1,000 mg/day of curcumin reduces OA pain and inflammation as well as NSAIDs like diclofenac and ibuprofen. This is very important! Because, as I said, if you have contraindications like heart disease, kidney disease, or a previous GI bleed, NSAIDs are not an option for you.
Speaker A
This was the case of my father. Remember, he had heart disease, so using ibuprofen or naproxen can cause him a heart attack.
Speaker A
In a more recent study in 2020, this was an RCT in 70 patients with knee OA.
Speaker A
They compared curcumin vs placebo/inactive pill. Here are the results: patients that received curcumin 1000 mg daily for three months had less pain compared to placebo.
Speaker A
When it comes to rheumatoid arthritis, the results are equally impressive. In a study from 2016 on patients with RA, they found that curcumin 1000 mg/day for at least 90 days resulted in decreased inflammation, decreased pain, and decreased number of tender and swollen joints.
Speaker A
Even in patients with psoriatic disease, a study published in 2020 showed that curcumin inhibits pro-inflammatory molecules in the immune system cells with noticeable improvement in both the skin and the joints.
Speaker A
You have to know, the dose matters! These studies showed a dose of 1-1.5 g of curcumin to be effective.
Speaker A
Plus, you should choose a product that is enhanced with pepper that will enhance its absorption.
Speaker A
#3: There is a long history of medicinal use. My third reason for trying turmeric is its long-standing use in traditional systems of medicine around the world. You see, in India and other parts of Asia, turmeric has been used to treat inflammatory conditions, infections, wounds, digestive issues, and more.
Speaker A
Importantly, turmeric is also considered relatively safe when used appropriately. Most studies report only mild, infrequent side effects like stomach upset, and no major safety concerns have emerged from clinical trials.
Speaker A
Here is a warning! Be careful that high doses of turmeric/curcumin can act as a blood thinner or can worsen the effect of blood thinners like Coumadin/warfarin.
Speaker A
As always, speak to your doctor before supplementing, but the long history of turmeric use is reassuring.
Speaker A
What happened with my father's knee pain? He started to use this supplement. I will link the product in the description of this video, and in about two weeks his pain decreased, the swelling decreased, and he was able to walk so much better. In about one month, he just had pain with prolonged walking. In three months, he had no more pain and swelling.
Speaker A
Now, not all of you might be using turmeric to cook with it, and even if you cook with turmeric, you might not be using the correct dose, so you may consider using a supplement.
Speaker A
If you are looking for good quality supplements, you might check the link in the description below about a product that is considered of good quality.
Speaker A
The best way to ensure the quality of a product is to look for one that has been certified by a third-party company.
Speaker A
Being evaluated by a third-party company, the supplements will receive a certificate of analysis (COA). This certificate will attest that what they claim there is in the supplement is actually there and the same components and doses remain the same between different batches. There are different certificates like NSF, USP, ConsumerLab. I would strongly recommend looking for these certifications. My advice is that with any supplement, start with a low dose and gradually increase the dose while monitoring the effects. Always reevaluate the effect on your body every 2-3 months.
Speaker A
If you see a benefit, you can continue. If not, you should stop. And now that you understand how turmeric can be properly used to reduce inflammation or pain, you might be surprised what other supplements can do for arthritis, so watch this video.
Speaker A
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR GOOD QUALITY SUPPLEMENTS YOU MIGHT CHECK THE LINK IN THE DESCRIPTION BELLOW ABOUT A PRODUCT THAT IS CONSIDERED OF GOOD QUALITY.
Speaker A
THE BEST WAY TO ENSURE THE QUALITY OF A PRODUCT IS TO LOOK FOR ONE THAT HAS BEEN CERTIFIED BY A THIRD-PARTY COMPANY.
Speaker A
BEING EVALUATED BY A THIRD PARTY COMPANY, THE SUPPLEMENTS WILL RECEIVE A CERTIFICATE OF ANALYSIS (COA) THIS CERTIFICATE WILL ATTEST THAT WHAT THEY CLAIM THERE IS IN THE SUPPLEMENT IS ACTUALLY THERE AND…. THE SAME COMPONENTS AND DOSES REMAIN THE SAME BETWEEN DIFFERENT BATCHES. THERE ARE DIFFERENT CERTIFICATES LIKE NSF, USP,
Speaker A
CONSUMERLAB. I WOUD STRONGLY RECOMMEND TO LOOK FOR THESE CERTIFICATIONS . MY ADVISE IS THAT WITH ANY SUPPLEMENT, START WITH A LOW DOSE AND GRADUALLY INCREASE THE DOSE WHILE MONITORING THE EFFECTS. ALWAYS REEVALUATE THE EFFECT ON YOUR BODY EVERY 2-3 MONTHS.
Speaker A
IF YOU SEE A BENEFIT YOU CAN CONTINUE, IF NOT YOU SHOULD STOP….AND NOW THAT YOU UNDERSTAND HOW TURMERIC CAN BE PROPERLY USED TO REDUCE INFLAMMATION OR PAIN, YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED WHAT OTHERS SUPPLEMENTS CAN DO FOR ARTHRITIS, SO WATCH THIS VIDEO.
Topics:turmericcurcuminarthritis reliefjoint paininflammationnatural remedyrheumatologyNSAIDs alternativesupplementsanti-inflammatory
