It’s that sneeze-y time of year. You know when the spring rains leave pollen on your car, patio, and outdoor furniture?
So many people are starting to reach for their Zyrtec, Allegra, or Claritin. If you’re tempted to pop one of those magic pills, hold your horses!
That stuff has some serious side effects such as: drowsiness, dizziness, constipation, upset stomach, blurry vision, dry mouth, nose, and throat, nosebleeds, headache, nausea, vomiting, cough, fungal infection of the throat, weakness, earache, trouble sleeping, flu-like symptoms, stinging, burning of the nose, nervousness, fast heartbeat, increased blood pressure, loss of appetite, and the worst one, leaky gut. Leaky gut can lead to allergies (which is what you were treating in the first place), arthritis, and more.
Do you really want to go there?
There’s something better. Curcumin.
Curcumin is derived from the tumeric plant and concentrated to deliver therapeutic levels of powerful anti-inflammatories and anti-oxidant effects. Taken daily at a dose of 500mg over a period of two months, curcumin effectively at reduced sneezing, runny nose, and nasal congestion (Wu, Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2016).
That’s quite a relief from seasonal allergies, but wait, that’s not all! Curcumin may relieve your allergy symptoms but what else is it doing in your body to create health? A lot!
Curcumin blocks inflammation by blocking cyclooxygenase-2 like Motrin does. It also works in the body as an anti-oxidant.
Curcumin is great for improving gastrointestinal issues. In one study of 116 participants suffering from indigestion, 87% reported improvement. In another study of ulcerative colitis, 50 people with active colitis who were not responding to standard therapy were given 1.5 grams of curcumin twice daily for one month. 54% of participants who took the curcumin went into remission compared to none of those taking the placebo (Hanai, Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2006).
Curcumin reduces pain due to both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. In one study, the pain relieving results of c
urcumin matched the pain relief of the pharamceutical diclofenac.
Curcumin also is effective in reducing auto-immune chronic anterior uveitis, lowers cholesterol, lowers blood sugar, lowers blood pressure, and can suppress cancer cells. Curcumin can even reduce major depression. How about those side effects!?!
You need to know that not all curcumin is created equally. Curcumin is fat soluble so you want a brand that has a suitable carrier. What I recommend for my clients and what I take is BCM-95. It’s been tested for potency by Consumer Labs and is used in various research studies that have proven time and again to be effective. Depending on your condition, your recommended dose of curcumin changes. Be sure to check in with us to find out how much you should be taking and to make sure your supplementing won’t interfere with your current pharmaceutical protocol.
As with any nutraceutical, work with registered orthomolecular health practitioner to balance your supplements according to your health needs. While certain nutrients can be used therapeutically, many should not be used at therapeutic doses for long periods of time.
I encourage people to get as much super food in their diets as possible. Tumeric is certainly a super food. You must be cautious, however, when it’s been processed. Most tested tumeric sold as a spice in stores have high levels of filth, aka bug parts. So, unless you’re trying to increase insect parts in your diet, try to find fresh tumeric. It looks like a small version of ginger, but its incredibly orange. If you can’t find fresh tumeric, I recommend the Whole Foods 365 brand of tumeric.
Here is a fun recipe to try that is sure to leaving you feeling fabulous.
