Curcumin for MS

[dormanmom]

I have read a little about curcumin (thumeric) having success treating MS, has anyone used it as a supplement and seen results worth mentioning?   Thanks.

[HVAC]

Tumeric has been widely tested  for cancer and has proven to help with inflammation. I take it for my cancer. I still take my standard treatment but use it too.
Alex

[aspen2]

Agree with the use of Google scholar ... Even then it's good to take articles in context.  It does filter out a bazillion blog posts, anecdotal stories etc.

The reduction of inflammation benefit appears to be real at this point.  There's been a lot done in the last three years since this was posted.  Although I just re-google (scholared)and found research back to 1973 in reputable journals.

It's interesting though because not knowing anything about this, when I my issues started up (whatever they are -- undiagnosed) in 2013, I started to crave Indian food.  Lots.  Thankfully my whole family loves it.  Finally last year I looked into it and began using turmeric in other things.  It's on my eggs in the morning, along with pepper.

I have no idea if it's helping -- so no pseudo scientific anecdote here.  I do know that I no longer crave Indian food constantly so the turmeric/curcumin was the thing my system needed.   I also know the last two relapses I've had were milder ... But Ive also started taking LDN now, which also acts as an anti-inflammatory (Google low doee naltrexone novel anti-inflammatory)

Quite probably coincidence. Maybe. My feeling is that they both are working in an anti- inflammatory capacity, and there is valid research that supports that.  Since many chronic diseases (including RRMS) have an inflammatory component, I certainly am willing to keep taking it.  It's not necessary to supplement -- it can be part of diet as well.

[Diggersboo]

There's plenty of solid science behind curcumin and autoimmune disease, including ms. Instead of using Google (where you have to put everything you hear in those annoying inverted commas) use google scholar. It filters out the propaganda and only uses independent studies, instructions and journals!!

Here's the latest review on the subject. Definitely worth a go in the background. Use a supplement that has pipperine in it (black pepper) which boosts absorption. Don't buy cheap. Plenty of reviews online.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/17569223/

[immisceo]

Google Scholar simply indexes journals and publications. They are of highly variable quality. A listing on Google Scholar says precisely zero about the overall quality of the research. Critical thinking is still important. Likewise, PubMed simply indexes research. The original you mention comes from a 2007 Springer publication. The full chapter isn't available online, just the abstract, so it is impossible to address it from an informed perspective based on the link you provided. The authors, however, do have a history of having their research withdrawn, corrected, and retracted by journals.

[SarahL2491]

perhaps something I read in a book about MS sums it up pretty good,
if its a legitimate help in fighting MS, the MS website would definitely hear and know of it and would be blasting the airways with the infer for us.......
until then.......there's always someone wanting your money........even for supplements..............

If you track the literature backwards far enough, supplements usually fall thru the cracks in validation.............but then the power of suggestion is always lurking...

Good luck but personally I think you are throwing away money.........also, you have to consider where some of these studies take place............MS does tend to occur more in the northern climates, although the camps are still divided over that one........

just food for thought

[dogmum]

I am actually just getting started taking this soon, so I don't have any results to talk about here nor there.  A member here was actually kind enough to share her supplement plan with me which I tweaked for my own needs and am just getting started on.  

Firstly, JJ was correct that there is no cure for MS.  I've heard about 10 different "cures" since I learned what MS was just a few short months ago.  

However, my feelings on tumeric are similar to those of trying to eat better:  it can't hurt to try.  It's not a vitamin that I have to worry about interacting with drugs that I may take in the future.  It's simply a food that the western world does not eat that may or may not help giving my body something it needs to slow the progression of an autoimmune attack.  For all of the other things I'm willing to put in my mouth/body, I figure it can't hurt to try! lol I take a few other things that are basically just food extracts to help with sx's since my dear neuro isn't in a rush to dx me or to give me symptom management drugs.  

You can ask me in a month and I'll let you know how I find them.  Otherwise maybe someone else will have something more helpful to share.  

[supermum_ms]

Personally I think anything that has any claims relating to 'cure' attatched to it, is simply b/s, there is no cure for MS! I couldn't actually remember ever hearing of this one, so went looking, i found a bit of traffic on the subject but struggled to find the 'science' which backs up the claims.

In relation to MS, Tumeric is 'suppose to' have been shown to halt and or reverse MS in the mouse model. It also 'suppose to' protect against cancer, other autoimmune diseases and Alzheimers to name a few. I found statements like this one "Alpha Lipoic Acid has been shown to prevent T-cell migration across the blood brain barrier, like Tysabri. ALA is a powerful antioxidant that facilitates food energy into cellular energy" all over the place but like i said I couldn't find the scientific reseach that actually backs up these claims.

I did find some research, it didn't exactly prove the theory but is speculatory, theorising the posibilities. l didn't find any double blind trials etc. I did find more articles regarding the anacdotal association to countries with high Turmeric useage and low incident rates of MS, Alzimers and other autoimmune conditions, which doesnt really proove the theory imho.

There was a study by "the researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, believe curcumin may interrupt the production of IL-12, a protein that plays a key role in the destruction of the myelin by signaling for the development of neural antigen-specific Th1 cells, immune cells that then launch an attack on the myelin sheath." That comes from a basic but balanced article but you should note that the reseach most places are talking about doesn't actually state that curcumin has been proven to be anything more than a 'maybe'.
http://multiplesclerosis.tribe.net/thread/0aae2bef-1f6f-4787-bfd4-e1895c5cc10a

If you look here [http://www.ayurvedicmedicine4u.com/research/ ] you'll see curcumin is connected to many serious diseases, the one on MS is about half way down the page. What i've basically got out of reading all this stuff on curcumin, its a natural anti inflamatory, antioziant (sp) but the claims going beyond that is just not proven, theory based, anacdotal but not proven.

Cheers.........JJ

PS oops, so my answer would be no never tried it, and i wouldn't be expecting it to improve sx of MS.