MS and turmeric
I am 28 and four years ago, was diagnosed with MS. I take the conventional drugs but have also consulted a nutritionist and switched to a gluten-free diet which really helps with the fatigue. I already take fatty acids but am now interested in the turmeric extract, curcumin, which has been used successfully in mice with a similar auto-immune condition. What do you think?
On a recent fact-finding trip to India, investigating the traditional use of Ayurvedic remedies there, I discovered that turmeric, whose active agent is curcumin which gives it its intense yellow colour, is in not only the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India but the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China and the Japanese Herbal Medicines Codex too. In other words, it has a long history of use as a healing agent outside Western complementary medicine where it is used, primarily, as an anti-inflammatory agent for arthritis.
While nobody has yet established a single underlying cause for MS, much of the mainstream research is concentrated on finding a viral cause and curcumin has been found to interfere with the replication mechanisms of several viruses, including viral hepatitis and HIV. Researchers suggest it may inhibit the activity of the enzyme that would otherwise transport these viruses into healthy cells.
Even if you want to investigate this potential link, one problem with curcumin is that it is not absorbed well if taken orally. Studies looking at its anti-inflammatory effects show that high dosages of 400-600mg, taken three times a day are often needed and at these levels, you then face the risk of side-effects including vomiting and diarrhoea.
I suggest you continue to work with your nutritionist, continue to take the fatty acids which we know can help slow the progress of the disease and keep on eye on further research into the potential benefits of turmeric for this condition.