It seems curcumin is not only great for psoriasis but other health problems as well.....
bring on the "curry" :p
Dear Reader,
Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could set loose inside your body a microscopic cleaning crew that would hunt down and remove harmful microorganisms and waste products?
Actually, that crew already exists, working hard every hour to keep you healthy. It's a force made up of cells called macrophages that have the capacity to attach to connective tissue or travel throughout the blood stream where they overwhelm microorganisms that can do you harm. And while macrophages are very effective at what they do, sometimes they need a little help.
Researchers at UCLA have produced evidence that a common spice might be just the help that microphages need to protect the brain from Alzheimer's disease.
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Crossing the barrier
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In yesterday's e-Alert, "Same Time Next Year" (10/17/06), I told you about a study that showed how the active chemical in marijuana (THC) may help control the buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain that contribute to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Of course, THC has yet to be legalized for medicinal purposes, but there's growing evidence that curcumin may also be an effective amyloid plaque inhibitor.
Curcumin is a yellow pigment in the root of turmeric. Curry gets its distinctive color and flavor from curcumin. But in addition to its culinary appeal, curcumin is a natural antioxidant and inflammatory that has been used by Indian Ayurvedic healers for thousands of years to treat indigestion, arthritis, and urinary tract disorders.
In the e-Alert "Nice Spice" (1/26/05), I told you about a UCLA study in which aging mice with advanced amyloid accumulation in the brain were injected with curcumin. Results showed that curcumin was able to cross the blood-brain barrier and bind to beta amyloid, which helped block amyloid plaque aggregation.
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Clean up crew
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In the September 2006 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, another UCLA team reported on a study that tested the effects of curcumin on AD.
STUDY ABSTRACT
Researchers took macrophage samples from six AD patients and three healthy control subjects
When macrophage samples were tested for their ability to bind with amyloid, uptake efficiency was found to be significantly lower in the AD samples, compared to the control samples
Macrophage samples were then exposed to curcumin for 24 hours
Amyloid uptake efficiency was significantly increased in half of the AD macrophage samples treated with curcumin
Curcumin was more effective in macrophage samples taken from patients with early-stage AD
Curcumin had no effect on macrophage samples from healthy subjects
UCLA researchers Laura Zhang told NutraIngredients-USA that the next step in their research will be it identify the factors that helped the immune cells respond. Meanwhile, the UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Research Center has begun a clinical trial with human subjects to study the effect of curcumin supplements in AD patients.
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Precautions
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Alzheimer's rates in India (where curcumin is widely consumed in curry dishes) are among the lowest in the world. But for most of us here in the west it's not really practical to sharply increase our dietary intake of curry.
Curcumin supplements can be found in health food stores and through many Internet sources. But curcumin users should be aware of these precautions:
Indigestion is one of the conditions curcumin is used to address, but large doses my cause ulcers in some patients
Curcumin has been shown to lower cholesterol by prompting the liver to discharge bile, but this can be a problem for anyone with an obstruction of the biliary tract
Curcumin thins the blood, so it should not be taken with anti-coagulants or anti-inflammatory drugs.
Talk to your doctor or a health care professional before taking curcumin supplements.

some more reasons why curcumin tops the list for most of us....
excerpt from Dr. Blaylock's medical newsletter:
*Curcumin
This is one of the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory substances known. Its effects are comparable to steroids, without the harmful effects. We know that all inflammatory arthritis problems arise from the activation of a special inflammation signal molecule in cartilage cells called NFkappaB, or NFKB. Curcumin powerfully inhibits this cell signal and also suppresses the destructive enzymes mentioned above (MMPs and collagenase).

I am in full agreement with you Sally. When my skin flares up, I immediately start a course of Curcumin capsules daily for around two weeks before the skin subsides, and this WITH NO OTHER changes or modifications to my life. No medications.
This routine works each and every time to reverse plaque psoriasis and put it into remission. I highly recommend it to others as a safe alternative remedy.

Good input, Masked Man.
:D

hi whoatrigger,
im happy for you that you clear your self and welcome to the p family. you have met some of the wonderful people on here and will find alot of great info. welcome and nice to meet you.
have a good night all
richard

Whoatrigger....how many capsules do u take daily when u flare. I do take some but am not real strick on how often and have no clue how much I should be taking.
Thanks

I take one capsule three times daily for about two months for total healing, but it depends how bad your condition is.
Also, I avoid all the triggers for me, such as sugar, processed food, etc. Eat well, preferably light, raw, and sparingly. Drink lots of water, no alcohol, juice, caffeine, or pop. Vegetarian, organic.
No big surprise, but it all works beautifully for me. I hope others can get relief with these simple medicines. You can help yourself and avoid being a slave to prescription drugs.

Thanks. I will up my cucumin. I have been eating the right foods since May with the added benefits of a nice weight loss. I also do feel a whole lot better by doing more veggies and fruit.
I did have clearing for a while and then got sick. I had a scratchy throat for almost 3 weeks which led into a slight case of bronchitis. I did not want to get antibiotics thinking it would make my ps worse but instead it got worse and I mean major worse by not getting treatment. Lesson learned. I never had it on my face but this time did. So now I am working on clearing it up again with good eats and drinks.

Good for you fittingit. It's hard to change years of habits. Much easier to take a drug and suffer all the consequences. For me, I've tried the drugs with really disasterous effects and the more I hear from others, it seems I am not alone. Getting off steroids will cause a "rebound effect" of psoriasis. Meaning it gets worse before it gets better. The rebound effect is temporary and may be horrible, but the getting better part is more permanent in the long run if you stick to your guns and continue with a clean diet, etc. Good luck!