Curcumin---

sflow

I will be done with 5 years ofArimidex in January.  I feel like I should be doing /taking something after that to keep from recurring.  Has anyone tried curcumin?  I have been reading a lot about it. 

toomuch

sflow - I've been taking curcumin since I finished my radiation treatments. I don't know if it will help prevent a recurrance but I couldn't find any worrisome information about taking it so I added it to my long list of supplements. I originally learned about it on the No Surrender Breast Cancer website. It has a section on complimentary medicine. Is that ok for me to post here? Congrats on reaching 5 years! 

beaskneas

My spouse has metastatic BC and is seeing a Naturopath. She is taking curcumin in addition to various other supplements. I would definitely give it a shot. Can't hurt and maybe it will help. She takes pills as well as mixes up curcumin with olive oil and takes it by the spoonful. I forget the ratio but it's described in the book the book Anticancer by David Servan-Schreiber.

Anonymous

My naturopath oncologist recommended it.  He isn't big on having his patients take TONS of supplements.Curcumin was one of the handful he recommended.  So I figure it's one of the top ones by consensus..so I take it.

lulubee

[The usual disclaimers... I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV... blah blah blah, etc.]   

My ND has had me taking 6000 mg of Curcumin per day in divided doses since January '11 (ten months so far).  My onc started me on Femara around the same time.  So far, so good.  My mid-year scan showed all of my extensive mets had either resolved entirely or were shrinking.  (I have another scan coming up at the first of the year, and you can bet I am taking all my curcumin daily come hell or high water!)  My TMs in October were 36 -- back in normal range, finally--  down from 110 nine months earlier when all the mets were found.

No way to know whether to credit Femara, oophorectomy, curcumin -- or all three -- for getting my disease under control, but my oncologist knows I'm working with an ND and she urges me to just keep doing everything I'm doing. 

MD Anderson and others have done Phase II trials with curcumin to good effect, so chances are your oncs have heard of it. 

As a side benefit, I notice that on days when I skip it (which are rare) I am MUCH more stiff, creaky and achy from the Femara.  It really does seem to kick inflammation to the curb.  I buy it online from Simply Purest, which is reputedly one of the brands used by researchers.  

You could take plain curcumin and do just fine, but I've tweaked my regimen over time to include three different formulas every day: Curcumin with Green Tea (because they reputedly work well together in studies), one that is simply time-released curcumin, to keep some of it circulating in my system round-the-clock, and a third one with Boswellin.  The Boswellin seems to help my joints and my mood, and I can really tell a difference when I skip it. 

Hope this helps -

~lulubee 

momoschki

Yes, curcumin is one of the many supplements prescribed by my integrative oncologist.  Haven't had any SE's.  Also important in his line-up are DIM & Metformin (you need an Rx for this one) and shiitake and chaga mushrooms. 

PLJ

My ND also recommended curcumin but the one she recommended (Meriva) contains a phytosome derived from soy. Meriva curcumin supplement has been shown to significantly improve absorption but I wondered if anyone else is concerned about ingesting a soy product on a regular basis. I started taking it and then stopped because of this...not really sure what to do. What brands do you take?

sflow

I am going to try it, but 6000 mg a day seems like a lot.  No side effects, anyone?

lulubee

I would not start with 6000... work up to it.  That IS the therapeutic dose used in studies, though.  

All my side effects from it are good ones!

lulubee

PLJ - I would be wary of the soy,also.  The ones I take from Simply Purest include Bioperene to aid absorption, which is a fairly standard add which you'll see in several curcumin brands because it is known to make it more bioavailable.  It's an extract from black pepper, I think.

Sukiann

I've been taking curcumin for a couple of years now. I take arimidex and have fibromyalgia and RA. Tumeric has helped tremendously with the pain and stiffness. As lulubee said if I miss a dose I definitely notice it. I bought mine at whole foods and try to take it religiously. I'm thrilled that some research as shown it helps fight cancer.

gardengumby

I'm going to start curcumin and ginger this weekend, partly for the cancer and partly for the pain from letrozole.  My naturopath suggested both.  I don't see my oncologist until mid-January.  If she objects then we can have a discussion about it. 

FLwarrior

gardengumby, what is the dosage your naturopath is suggesting you start with?  What form of ginger are you going to try?  Good luck, I hope it helps you.

apple

i have a stash of tumeric.. i mix it with pepper and swig it down with water.. also a batch in the freezer (bought in bulk on a whim).

geewhiz

There are LOADS of studies showing that curcumin induces aptopsis in bc cells. I can never really figure out how much. My doc said it needed pepper to be absorbed...and I think swigging it with a tsp of oil helps too, cant remember why.

Apple, I always follow your posts. I respect the stage iv forum, but your cafeteria story made me laugh out loud this morning. Hovermom's kids will probably be on drugs or in therapy in a few years, lol.

anniebell

Hi Ladies, Any thoughts on curcumin while having chemo?  I  am 1/4 of the way through a 4 T/C regime?  Thanks!

Layla2525

A really good book on supplements and breast cancer is "Waking the Warrior Goddess" by Dr Christine Horner who got Pres Clinton to sign into law a bill requiring insurance to pay for masectomy and recon for women who desire it and/or medically need it. She cites all the research studies and why turmeric & curcumin benefit cancer patients...or anyone trying to prevent cancer.

anniebell

Thanks Layla, I will definitely look into that book.

apple

you know what i really like? is ginger tea.  I simply slice a couple inches of ginger very thinly and boil it.  Sometimes on a special day i cut it into strips as well.  It really makes me feel well and open to a nap or a vigorous day of housecleaning.  I add honey or equal or sugar sometimes...

i pour it into a green smoothie if i have one... and i should have one more often.

geewhiz - thanks alot.

vacationbound

http://www.mdanderson.org/education-and-research/departments-programs-and-labs/departments-and-divisions/symptom-research/conquest-2008-fall-ca07.pdf

Kathy044

Thanks for the article vac...,here's the live link.

http://www.mdanderson.org/education-and-research/departments-programs-and-labs/departments-and-divisions/symptom-research/conquest-2008-fall-ca07.pdf

I really. really wish BCO would fix it to make it easier to make a link no matter what browser you are using. I use Firefox.  It is NOT intuitive to me to use Ctrl V to copy the url into the box and then hit insert.

MariannaLaFrance

Lots of good research going on in Texas for curcumin

 http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/health/Fighting_Cancer_From_Spice_Rack_Dallas-Fort_Worth-125057714.html

  

vacationbound

Curcumin Study at MD Anderson Link

 http://faculty.mdanderson.org/Bharat_Aggarwal/

gardengumby

Sorry to be so here and gone...  I take 2 capsules morning and evening of the curcumin, and 1 capsule morning and evening of ginger.  I'd take 2 of each, but I have to ease into things and make sure they don't interfere with my blood thinners (or increase the effect too much - as both curcumin and ginger can)

KeepingFaith69

Hi All,

How much is too much?  I am taking 5000mg (5gms) a day.

somanywomen

There's a great book I discovered a few years ago when starting this chapter of my life, it is called "FOODS TO FIGHT CANCER", by Beliveau and Gingras....great little colorful and very easy to understand..Has a chapter called Tumeric: the anticancer spice, also mentions how the addition of pepper enhances benefits...What is does not tell us is how much to take daily...

lulubee, you mentioned your doctor says 6000mg daily, that sounds like a lot, but I know it takes a lot to get the benefit..Did you find a supplement with that amount..The most I have found is 800mg with 5mg pepper..Life Extension's Super Curcumnin with BioPerine...I know it is important to look for curumin content not the tumeric content of supplement..The book also mentions that if you add green tea to this mix it has an even bigger anti cancer effect..

This is a great book and would highly recommend to all....If anyone has found a supplement with a higher content of curcumin and pepper, I would be very interested in what and where you found it..Also it would be great if it also had the green tea in it....

anniebell

Somanywomen...I just got that book yesterday but haven't looked past the first few pages yet. Guess I will be reading today!

somanywomen

anniebell, that's great, let me know what you think...I haven't had the book out in about a year, but I am thinking I will be re-reading it, I am a bit calmer now and I am sure I missed a lot in my then state of mind...

KeepingFaith69

Oooooh, off to buy the book - thanks for the advice.

I purchased my curcumin online through Vitacost.  It comes in 1000mg capsules and it includes peppers, to aid absorption.  Will drink it with Green tea from tomorrow onwards.

ccjj

just curious.. I take a curcumin supplement, but just read somewhere that the supplements really don't work.  That is has to be combined with olive oil, and pepper to have any effect. I read a post where someone makes a paste everyday with olive oil, curcumin and pepper. I'm sure the supplement doesn't hurt, but just wondering if its giving the same effect as if it was incorporated into diet with the olive oil and pepper. I dont really like the taste of curcumin so hoping the supplements are good enough.

lulubee

somanywomen, I have seen 6000 mg referenced as the therapeutic dose for breast cancer in several resources that I felt were reputable.  It is also the dose recommended for me by my ND.  I started with one tablet and worked up to 6-7 per day.

ccjj -- The curcumin supplements I take contain bioperine, a pepper extract which is added to enhance absorption. Many good brands add bioperine.  I always either take them with a meal that has some good fats, or else with a small spoon of coconut oil. They do need some good fats to break them down.

I now take two brands: Doctor's Best and Ageless Cures. Over time, I have tweaked my curcumin regimen to include three different formulations because I wanted the added benefits of green tea extract and boswellin. So...

In the morning, I take 3 tablets with breakfast:  1 formula that is curcumin + green tea, 1 super curcumin with bioperine, and 1 curcumin with Boswellin.  If I think of it, I take 1 super curcumin with lunch.  In the evening with dinner I take another 3 tablets: 2 super curcumins and 1 with boswellin.

...And that's what I do.  Curious how others are taking it.