You may recall I have a bum knee. I’d like to claim it’s an old sport’s injury. But I’ve never been much of an athlete and the truth is I don’t know what caused the deterioration in the joint.
What I DO know, however, is it hurts like the dickens. Well, that is unless I take my supplements. They dial back the pain to far more manageable levels.
My orthopedist recommended chondroitin and glucosamine. The powerful combo made a huge difference, allowing me to pack the cane away in the back of a closet.
But some days the pain still snuck up on me. And then I read a doctor’s account of the curry spice turmeric erasing the chronic pain of first his patient, and then himself.
It convinced me I should give a curcumin supplement—the active ingredient in turmeric—a try.
Curcumin tackled my own troublesome knee pain
The change was subtle at first. But it wasn’t long before I realized the inflammation and pain had practically disappeared for much of the time.
And now when I accidently run out, or have to stop taking curcumin for a while, boy do I feel it.
I’ve told you about the powerful pain and inflammation fighting powers of curcumin before, of course. In fact, I’ve become something of an evangelist for the potent spice.
But now a new study is backing up my experience in a big way. And it could unlock the secret to a pain free life for you too. But without dangerous pain killer side effects.
Study proves curcumin beats common painkillers
The pilot study, published in the peer-reviewed journal European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, recruited a group of rugby players suffering from chronic bone or muscle pain.1
And let’s face it, if anyone knows pain these guys do.
Half of the players took a one gram curcumin tablet twice a day for up to 10 days. The other half downed the common painkillers acetaminophen or ibuprofen instead.
The researchers regularly monitored the volunteer’s pain levels, symptoms and overall physical health for 20 days.
And the results blew everyone away.
The guys taking the spice supplement experienced every bit as much pain relief as the players who were taking the pain killing drugs. One curcumin taker even described his joints as feeling “the same as when I was younger.”
But there was one glaring difference between the natural supplement and the drugs.
The unlucky players taking the acetaminophen or ibuprofen were FOUR times more likely to end up battling stomach and gastrointestinal problems.
Use curcumin to avoid dangerous NSAID side effects
Painkilling drugs can be very effective, of course. But that benefit can come at a steep cost.
Over time, NSAID drugs can destroy the protective lining in your stomach, exposing delicate tissues to damaging acid. This can trigger life-threatening bleeding and painful ulcers.
Plus they can send your risk for a heart attack skyrocketing.
Acetaminophen side effects cause over 55,000 E.R. visits yearly. And hundreds of folks die from complications caused by medications containing the drug every year.
And a recent study I told you about a few weeks ago found 15 percent of Americans are regularly overdosing on NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen.
But with curcumin proving to be just as effective as drugs at tackling chronic aches and pains—and without the dangerous side effects—there’s simply no reason to take the risk.
I recommend looking for a supplement that also contains piperine. This black pepper extract will help you absorb the curcumin better so you get the most benefits.
Reference:
1. “A naturally-inspired, curcumin-based lecithin formulation (Meriva® formulated as the finished product Algocur®) alleviates the osteo-muscular pain conditions in rugby players,” Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2017 Nov;21(21):4935-4940
Latest posts by Alice Jacob (see all)
- Can your joint pain REALLY predict the weather? - September 28, 2021
- How to fight back against ‘long COVID’ fatigue - September 27, 2021
- Fix scary heart arrhythmia with 1 habit change - September 27, 2021
