Curcumin: A possible Powerhouse for RA Treatment

In conventional practices, NSAIDs and glucocorticoids are used the most frequently for RA treatment, but they also bring with them a host of negative effects, particularly in long-term use. Possible negative effects include stomach and liver damage, allergic reactions, lowered immunity, increased blood pressure level, lowered red blood cell activity , and increased chance of osteoporosis.1,2 Even worse, while they help control inflammation and pain, they really only cover the problem for some time. Beyond stopping a few of the inflammation, they still can't steer clear of the joint damage of RA, or lower attendant depression, or address other chronic conditions that can certainly present alongside RA. So, apart from some temporary relief, they're essentially “one-note” forms of treatment.I think probably the most difficult things for any practitioner is treating chronic problems that have left a patient feeling frustrated, helpless, and at the mercy of synthetic drugs that can bring a wake of terrible negative effects. Being an autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis falls right into a group of illness that's typically hard to treat conventionally beyond symptom control and – if caught early enough – a slowdown in joint destruction.

The fact that these measures cannot actually stop RA may be the difficult part. As any practitioner knows, RA doesn't only make people feel below par. Left untreated, or improperly treated, it may destroy an existence. In especially difficult cases, untreated RA patients may see permanent disability within 3 years carrying out a diagnosis.1,3

This presents a genuine challenge for natural practitioners, and i believe we can do better. Timing is crucial: according to a 2011 study published in Clinical Rheumatology,3 the sooner the intervention, the better; however, about 30% of those with the most severe types of the condition don't react to conventional treatments at all.1

Exactly why your body tricks itself into fighting its own tissues in RA continues to be not proven, even though there are strong indications that intestinal permeability plays a strong role in the growth and development of this disease.4 Inside a healthy system, your body achieves a homeostasis with regards to the defense mechanisms; it runs in a pleasantly “lukewarm” temperature, as they say. That's because it ought to be – just enough to keep viruses along with other threats at bay, although not to be on overdrive. Obviously, that's the very trouble with RA. The total amount is totally off, and also the body's own defenses control against itself.5

Curcumin towards the Rescue

Fortunately, there is expect healing without complications. It's a compound from an herbal source known to practitioners of traditional Indian and Traditional chinese medicine for generations: curcumin from turmeric .

Without a doubt, curcumin is well known to practitioners here in the United States too. And definitely, I know that lots of looking over this column have used it for fighting pain. But I think that it could be a complete RA-fighting herbal powerhouse on its own.

Consider this study, published in Phytotherapy Research. Within this randomized 8-week study, 45 participants were randomized to three groups.1 All of them had been diagnosed with RA, functional class I or II. Group 1 received diclofenac sodium, 50 mg BID; group 2 received 500 mg BID of the enhanced-absorption curcumin that also contains turmerones from turmeric essential oil; and group 3 received both diclofenac sodium and the curcumin. In both curcumin groups, there were no drop-outs because of adverse effects; however, within the diclofenac sodium-only group, 14% withdrew because of adverse effects.1

Before after participation, a full check of kidney and liver function, blood sugar, and a complete blood count were performed. There have been no significant changes in these measurements, generally, in all from the groups. One laboratory analysis adverse event was reported within the drug group.1

In the Disease Activity Score-28 assessment, the curcumin-only group showed the best results for disease symptom reduction, followed by the combination therapy of curcumin with diclofenac sodium. Interestingly, the diclofenac sodium-only group scored in last place. So, was curcumin the heavy-lifter here? In the end, it had been more efficient than diclofenac sodium at reducing joint pain and swelling. Taking the curcumin using the drug was no more efficient than while using botanical alone, and taking the drug alone was minimal effective.1

Aside from those direct symptom changes, the curcumin-only group also showed improvement over others in reducing C-reactive protein , a stride of chronic inflammation, in addition to anti-streptococcal antibodies titers, which correlate with severity of RA activity.1

Diclofenac is one of the most commonly prescribed conventional drugs on the planet. Diclofenac sodium is widely used for RA treatment,6 therefore it was a simple choice for comparison's sake. And, to be certain, I'd love to see more clinical comparisons regarding curcumin, prescription medications, and RA. However this continues to be spectacular.

Curcumin & Depression

Now, if the idea of recommending curcumin for RA was just about promoting safe pain relief and stopping joint destruction , this compound can also relieve among the worst facets of RA: depression.

According to the Cdc & Prevention , there's a “high prevalence of tension and depression- documented in a number of clinical populations of people with RA.”7 They also mention that the presence of depression and anxiety could mean that individuals tend to not stick to their prescribed span of treatments. The advantage of getting a natural therapy for RA and depression seems like a perfect fit for just about any practitioner. Here too, curcumin shows its versatility.

In a clinical study, patients with major depressive disorder showed the best response utilizing a combination of fluoxetine and high-absorption curcumin enhanced with turmeric acrylic – a 77.8% response rate, as measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale .8

What I find interesting is that the single-therapy groups' scores were virtually identical: fluoxetine at 64.7%, and curcumin at 62.5%. Ie, curcumin essentially worked as well as the prescription drug, fluoxetine, in terms of the measurable changes in the HAMD-17 score from baseline to 6 weeks of treatment, but without side effects.8

In another placebo-controlled study, high-absorption curcumin enhanced with turmeric essential oil showed antidepressant effects in people with MDD 4-8 weeks after treatment.9 Related research found that 500 mg BID of curcumin influenced biomarkers that seem to be associated with depression, including leptin and endothelin-1, and reduced their effects over an 8-wk period.10

Mechanisms of Action

How can curcumin achieve this much to impact multiple conditions? The answer is that it works along many pathways, whereas synthetic drugs typically work along only 1. Rather than fighting on the narrow front , curcumin works widely and deeply to:

• Suppress the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B , which regulates the expression of pro-inflammatory gene products
• Downregulate cyclooxygenase-2 , the enzyme associated with most inflammation
• Downregulate the expression of cell-surface adhesion molecules linked to inflammation
• Inhibit the game of pro-inflammatory tumor necrosis factor-alpha 5

Additionally, a Japanese cultured-cell study discovered that curcumin inhibits histone acetyltransferase, which ultimately helps lower the game of interleukin -6, an inflammatory cytokine and causal element in RA .11

So, curcumin has lots of mechanisms of action to support its use. And, in an easily absorbable form, you will not have to worry about side effects or dosage levels which are too challenging for patient compliance.

Using Curcumin in Clinical Practice

Curcumin also shows remarkable possibility to relieve inflammatory bowel disease, which makes it a perfect agent for countering conditions resulting in leaky gut syndrome. In a tiny clinical study, patients with ulcerative proctitis and Crohn's disease received daily curcumin.12 The patients with ulcerative proctitis were also taking prescription medications; however, after the 2-month study period, 2 participants could quit taking 1 of their prescriptions altogether , and 2 others reduced their dosages. Inflammation levels returned to normal as well. Patients with Crohn's disease who completed the study showed significant improvement, including less frequent bowel movements, less pain and cramping, and better-formed stools.12

The curcumin used in the RA and depression studies was naturally enhanced with turmeric essential oils to boost absorption beyond that of standard 95% extracts, which could necessitate high dosages and cause gastric discomfort. This blending with turmeric oils appears to extend curcumin's retention time in the plasma, and at significant levels.13 In practical terms, this means that whether recommending for RA or attendant depression, the dosage could be as little as 1000 mg daily by 50 percent divided doses – definitely an easy level for patient compliance.1,8,9,10

When people struggling with RA first come to my office, they think frustrated and adrift because they feel powerless over the pain and soreness of the disease. Curcumin's potential as part of an all natural treatment plan for RA is astounding. Numbers from the CDC show that there are 1.5 million Americans with RA,8 so we have our work cut out for all of us. But having curcumin in our corner helps make the fight quicker to win.