Many I talk to have never heard of Turmeric, to which I am a little surprised, in a good way. This powerful cousin of the ginger root has fantastic health benefits that range from anti-inflammatory to liver protecting. In Indian Cuisine they use this in curry powder. It has a unique taste with a little bit of bitter/spicy feel. If you have never tried it then I say give it a shot but if not there are supplements that you can take to benefit from this powerful plant.

The list of what turmeric can help is long. Dr. Axe has a wonderful article on it here. Check it out for what it has shown to be beneficial for. There is a lot of research out there showing how beneficial it is and why to take it. I personally recommend it as an anti-inflammatory as well as a protector of the liver. These go hand in hand. When you have inflammation in the body either from an injury or from eating too many foods that cause the inflammation cascade, (More on that later), then inflammation can wreak havoc. It is a subtle type of chronic inflammation that has been shown to be a factor in chronic disease states as well as cancer.

Inflammation is how the body heals. It is needed because it brings nutrients, white and red blood cells as well as many other factors to heal the site of injury. Without it we would never heal cuts, sprained ankles, or broken bones. This is so important to understand that it is the natural way we heal. So it is a good thing! However when we are stuck in this healing mode for too long due to chronic irritation to the tissue such as too much processed chemicals having to be filtered out that healing can’t take place, then it becomes a huge problem. What happens if your bone doesn’t heal? You get the picture. If the body has a constant supply of bombardment from other sources that it can’t heal then we will never get back to a state of health. Most of the time it is a lot more subtle than a bone breaking. It is things such as the foods we eat that are irritating to the stomach, the small and larger intestines and the liver, that are causing little amounts of inflammation every time we eat certain foods. Over the short term you won’t notice much, but in the long run it can have a big role in chronic disease.

Now, it’s not as simple as saying just get rid of the inflammation. There is a lot more that goes on than that. The body has to filter out the waste that has been there for so long, and healing can take longer. It is so important to understand that if something has been silently going on behind the scenes, say 20 years, then getting better in a week isn’t going to happen. That is just the reality of it. But beginning those steps is crucial because we want you to have a healthy life into your 80’s and beyond!

When it comes to any health problem I like to tackle it beginning in the gut and work from there. But even before that happens I like to make sure that elimination pathways are working to usher away the waste that is in the body. This is where turmeric can be a key player in that. It not only helps to be anti-inflammatory but it helps with liver detoxification pathways so that it can be eliminated through the bowels as well as the kidneys. It’s a two punch plant. It has the added benefit of helping the liver with transforming the harmful waste into something we can get rid of safely. This whole process is long and complex something I love to talk about but it would get long winded if I were to cover it here, so I won’t for today!

So how to take turmeric so you can get the benefits? I recommend a good quality supplement because it will maximize the effects. One thing about turmeric is that it is hard to absorb. (see my other blog post about absorbing supplements). So finding a source that helps with absorption is a must. The ones that I recommend are from Orthomolecular Products. They provide a great formula that is pure and standardized to get the most out of the turmeric. One thing to look for when buying is the standardized curcuminoids extract to 95%. This ensures that you are getting the most beneficial form. Another thing to make sure is that there is something to help absorption. The one I prefer has rutin and quercetin in it to help absorption. These are things to look for when buying a supplement as this. I recommend getting anywhere from 600 mg to 1000 mg a day spread out into 2 doses. This ensures that you are getting the anti-inflammatory effects throughout the day.

So there you have it. A little tidbit on turmeric and some benefits. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask!

In Good Health,

Dr. Kauffman