An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (Full Version)

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Daddy4UdderSlut -> An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/22/2006 5:16:44 PM)

For anyone reading, that is of say, a certain age (40's or beyond)... if you have an interest in so-called alternative medicine, but believe in science, then check out a substance called Curcumin.

It's been on the scientific radar now for about a decade if I recall.  Unlike most "diet supplements", this one looks quite promising and is being examined by mainstream science.

Most importantly, there is good reason to believe that it is safe, and rather tantalizingly, that it is also efficacious as a prophylactic treatment for Alzheimer's disease, and for heart disease.  The evidence to date comes from epidemiology, in-vitro-studies, animal models, and some limited clinical trials.

I take it myself, and it is the only such substance that I do.  I don't believe in the power of crystals, leprauchans, or the Easter Bunny.

Not saying that anyone else needs to take it also... but, just trying to help, and I would suggest checking it out in the scientific literature.  See, for example:
1.  Journal of Neuroscience. 2001 Nov 1;21(21):8370-7
2.  Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2005 Feb 18;280(7):5892-901.
3. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2006 July 25; doi:10.1093/aje/kwj267
4. Current Alzheimer Research. 2005 Apr;2(2):131-6.



Daddy4UdderSlut -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/22/2006 8:03:06 PM)

If you want to understand why curcumin may be useful prophylactically for heart disease, or just want to understand heart disease a little bit better... check out this fine 2002 article on atherosclerosis from Scientific American, that happens to be available online.  The subtitle about the long-held view being "wrong"... is a little misleading, since the new theory is a modification of the old theory *S*... but it's a great and accessible overview, nonetheless...
http://www.sfu.ca/kin305/06-23-R1.pdf#search=%22%22scientific%20american%22%20atherosclerosis%22



popeye1250 -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/22/2006 8:11:34 PM)

I thought it was supposed to be good for preventing cancer?



Daddy4UdderSlut -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/22/2006 8:24:31 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: popeye1250
I thought it was supposed to be good for preventing cancer?

That may be, popeye.  It's the focus of a fair amount of investigation right now, and I have seen those articles in the literature, but haven't read them.  I am more familiar with atherosclerosis and Alzheimers.  Curcumin is known to have significant anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and radical-quenching properties (all of which could be useful in avoiding cancer).  It's also known to easily cross the blood-brain barrier (not many substances do that), to inhibit amyloid plaque formation and disrupt existing amyloid plaques.

And the cool thing is - it's been used in our food for many centuries, so it's likely to be pretty darned safe.  Human trials to date using multigram dosages have shown no ill effects.

The Sci. Am. article describes the role of inflammation as it's now understood (or as it was in 2002) in the mechanism of atherosclerotic lesions and their rupture.




Daddy4UdderSlut -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/22/2006 8:48:23 PM)

One of the problems is that there are so many current lines of investigation, things can be a bit confusing, unless you have access to the literature, and do a good deal of reading.

It's still a minority, but there's been a movement towards open access for the scientific literature, and there are actually a number of reputable journals available free online nowadays.

I just did a quick search in BMC Cancer, and found this for example...
http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2407-5-97.pdf
It's a computational chemistry article, where they are using Curcumin as a "lead compound" and exploring variants around that using "virtual screening", which basically means simulating the screening experiment in the computer.  Then they actually synthesize some of the most promising variants suggested by the virtual screening, and then screened them for real in the lab against cancer cell cultures to see, among other things, if they would kill them.  They worked....



Rule -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/23/2006 12:54:11 AM)

Thanks. I copied and saved the posts and will later investigate.



Daddy4UdderSlut -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/23/2006 7:42:59 AM)

Rule, I hope that you're posting in my thread for someone else's benefit, because, blissfully, I'll never see another word that you type. [:)]



LuckyAlbatross -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/23/2006 7:51:11 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Daddy4UdderSlut
Rule, I hope that you're posting in my thread for someone else's benefit, because, blissfully, I'll never see another word that you type.


Heh, the public announcment of being put on ignore- the ultimate cyber smackdown!



Daddy4UdderSlut -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/23/2006 7:57:46 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: LuckyAlbatross

quote:

ORIGINAL: Daddy4UdderSlut
Rule, I hope that you're posting in my thread for someone else's benefit, because, blissfully, I'll never see another word that you type.


Heh, the public announcment of being put on ignore- the ultimate cyber smackdown!

Fortunately, it's a minority, but by their very nature it's the loudest of the voices here... there are a few people who are just entrenched in far-out ideology and whose mode of 'discussion' is to ignore the points of others and try to 'win' exchanges with a mixture of avoidance, denial, insults, propaganda, and good old-pitbull persistence.  That's not why I am here, to exchange with those folks, so increasingly, when I see it, I use the "block" button just as it was intended for. *Sighs* Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh [:)]



LuckyAlbatross -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/23/2006 8:02:40 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Daddy4UdderSlut
That's not why I am here, to exchange with those folks, so increasingly, when I see it, I use the "block" button just as it was intended for. *Sighs* Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh [:)]

There's a difference between using the block button, and publicly informing someone that they have been blocked by you with a haughty attitude.

http://www.collarchat.com/m_441664/mpage_1/key_block/tm.htm#441670
Block List



Rule -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/23/2006 8:09:21 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: LuckyAlbatross
Heh, the public announcment of being put on ignore- the ultimate cyber smackdown!

I do not feel smacked down, LA. I respect D4US. That he chooses to not respect me is not my problem, but his. It tells more about him than about me. What he lacks is graciousness and flexibility. (Not admirable traits, but I respect him for that as well. There are all manner of people and to each his own worth.)



juliaoceania -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/23/2006 8:13:17 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rule

quote:

ORIGINAL: LuckyAlbatross
Heh, the public announcment of being put on ignore- the ultimate cyber smackdown!

I do not feel smacked down, LA. I respect D4US. That he chooses to not respect me is not my problem, but his. It tells more about him than about me. What he lacks is graciousness and flexibility. (Not admirable traits, but I respect him for that as well. There are all manner of people and to each his own worth.)


I admire your posts, and your attitude... it has always seemed gentle and kind to others even when in a disagreement over what you discuss.. this post is a measure of your class.



Daddy4UdderSlut -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/23/2006 8:15:05 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: LuckyAlbatross

quote:

ORIGINAL: Daddy4UdderSlut
That's not why I am here, to exchange with those folks, so increasingly, when I see it, I use the "block" button just as it was intended for. *Sighs* Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh [:)]

There's a difference between using the block button, and publicly informing someone that they have been blocked by you with a haughty attitude.

http://www.collarchat.com/m_441664/mpage_1/key_block/tm.htm#441670
Block List

Well, okay, you have me there - I will refrain from doing this in the future, and in fact, I have simply silently blocked a couple of other bad actors.  I admit, this makes the most sense.



LuckyAlbatross -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/23/2006 8:41:26 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rule
I do not feel smacked down, LA. I respect D4US.

I was being facetious and making a point about D4, had nothing to do with you really.



darkinshadows -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/23/2006 8:42:29 AM)

Geez Em... are you pulling that wonderwoman costume and righting the wrongs of humanity again?[;)]
(okok... calm down all you people out there having erotic thoughts of LA in costume...)
 
Peace and Rapture



Rule -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/23/2006 8:47:27 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: LuckyAlbatross
I was being facetious and making a point about D4, had nothing to do with you really.

I know. [;)]



Daddy4UdderSlut -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/23/2006 8:56:37 AM)

So... is there anyone out there who would actually like to talk about Curcumin?



darkinshadows -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/23/2006 9:00:33 AM)

Well, I believe Rule was interested... but you wouldn't know that, because you use the 'block' feature.
Peace and Rapture



Rule -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/23/2006 9:04:08 AM)

I quote from a book published in 1987-1989.
 
In Europe this additive is called E100. It is made from the dried root of Curcuma longa, which is a plant from the ginger family of plants.
 
In pigs it was observed that their thyroïd got larger due to abnormal multiplication of its cells when given this additive. (That may have had another cause, though, I speculate.)
 
I will research D4US's references at a much later date.



mnottertail -> RE: An Alternative Medicine That Really Works? (8/23/2006 9:21:55 AM)

So.........what is the supposed dosage, and now we come back to pharmacognosy, I read an article that it should be used in concert with Vitamin E.  Seems like it could be taken right outta the spice jar, what is the benefit of buying capsules?

Ron 



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