It is estimated that almost two million people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with some form of cancer this year. Of this population, around 600,000 are gauged to pass away from the side effects of this disease. These sobering statistics have prompted many medical professionals to seek better treatment options for cancer – often in the improvements of certain pharmaceutical drugs or radiation therapy.
A rarely-studied option, nevertheless, lies in natural medicine, particularly in the therapeutic benefits of curcumin. The compound, which is found in abundance in turmeric, has been studied to have remarkable anti-tumor abilities. Of particular interest is the exact mechanics of curcumin: It appears that the nutrient not only induces apoptosis (cell death) in various carcinomas but strengthens the immune system as well by flooding the body with potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents.
A recent study emphasized this, with researchers suggesting the effectiveness of curcumin in killing thyroid cancer cells. Three different extracts of curcumin were observed for their efficacy at modulating cell activity in thyroid carcinomas. What the researchers saw was astounding: All three extracts inhibited cancer cell growth and protected the body against oxidative damage triggered by injury or inflammation. It was noted that a higher percentage of curcumin showed the greatest effect in improving health. The results of this study were published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
These results provide hope to those who are looking for alternative treatments to cancer. Current treatment methods involve painful therapy which has been studied to not be effective.
The powerful effects of curcumin
Curcumin is safe, affordable, and highly effective in treating cancer. Scores of studies have concluded that curcumin kills tumor cells by regulating multiple cell signaling pathways including cell proliferation pathways, cell survival pathways, and caspase activation pathways. This is a hell of a mouthful, but it basically means that curcumin treats cancer by disrupting how cancer cells communicate with each other.
Remember that cancer is a hyperproliferative disorder. It occurs when cell regeneration and proliferation goes out of whack. By making it harder for cancer cells to “speak” and “hear” each other, curcumin stops tumors from growing and lessens already-present growths.
The beauty of this is that curcumin works in many ways, making it extremely difficult for cancer cells to become “curcumin-resistant.” And, unlike chemotherapy, curcumin targets only cancer cells, leaving healthy cells unaffected. (Related: Curcumin causes colon cancer cells to self-destruct.)
How to take curcumin
The best way to use curcumin is to eat turmeric. The rhizome is available in many forms, including as a powder, tea, extract, capsule, or as a cut root. There are no official recommended dosages for turmeric or curcumin, and even among natural healers, no standard dose has been agreed upon.
That said, a general starting point is to begin with one gram of curcumin per day for one week. If you experience no side effects, you can increase this to two grams per day for the second week. Double this dosage to four grams per day for the third week. Double this again to eight grams a day for the fourth to eighth weeks. You should typically see dramatic results by the end of the eighth week.
To receive the most out of curcumin, take it with black pepper to improve its bioavailability.
You can read more about the superpower abilities of curcumin at PreventCancer.news.
Sources include:
BMCComplementAlternMed.BioMedCentral.com
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