Comment by maxxxxx | Hacker News Reader

Comment by maxxxxx | Hacker News Reader

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Turmeric has helped me quite a bit with my inflamed joints after learning about it at a yoga ashram. Now I cook a lot with it. What i have noticed though is that supplements do nothing for me. I only feel a difference when it's fresh powder or even better ground from a root.

I have done several experiments where I stopped taking it. Every time my joints got worse and then better after resuming cooking with Turmeric.

No idea how it works but it seems to work.

To add to your experience, i have managed to treat several severe tooth/gum abscesses with fresh sliced tumeric root steeped for 4-12 weeks in brazilian sugarcane rum (51 pinga). It kills the pain almost instantly and after a few days of use, the infection disappears. I now swish it in my mouth once a month or so as a preventative measure.

It's important to note that there are more than 10 varieties of tumeric, and have markedly different morphologies.

Also: growing conditions or perhaps some other factor affects the depth of the yellow color of a crop, as well as smell, which seem to be indicators of potency.

Lately, particularly since the recent judicial decision in India regarding the intellectual property rights of tumeric which denied a patent to a western company, I've seen general attitudes toward 'curcumin' in western academia revert their opinion about it's potential.

i dont expect any study that isolates the curcumin molecule (which ks widely known to be non-bioavailable on its own) to be very effective.

furthermore (conspriacy theory warning) considering the lack of scruples of the bio-based businesses (med agri gen chem), i wouldn't be surprised to see medically inert or even toxic varieties of 'unprofitable' and/or 'competitor' plants to flood the market in places where tumeric isn't grown amongst traditional small farmers. just a thought, and fits the monsanto narrative in the us and india.

It common among men with low testosterone to have aching joints. Have you checked your levels?

Also funny that some men on TRT take turmeric(with some black pepper) to lessen the amount of estrogen converted from testosterone.

Actually I checked my levels a few years ago and they in the lower range of normal. The doctor said it's fine but I was wondering about that. My recovery time from injuries and workout also has increased a lot. It's probably part of aging but testosterone could play a role too.

You need to do a full blood analysis. I'm not a doctor, but I know that testosterone can be bound to SHGB hormones and then it's useless for the body. But your total amount of testosterone can still be high, in range and so on but if a large % of that is bound to SHGB it's no different from having an under range level. You'll still feel miserable, having a more negative view of everything and increased risk of cardiac problems.

So check your amount of free testosterone and % bound to SHGB. Also, levels mean nothing if the balance between testosterone and estradiol("e2") is bad.

> It common among men with low testosterone to have aching joints.

Great... We can have either pain or hair loss... And don't even think about the prostate...

Intelligent design... Meh...

It's almost guaranteed that some of your experience is the placebo effect, but it's impossible to know how much.

As I wrote before I have tried a few times back and forth with consistent results. Maybe it's placebo but it works reliably for me. As long as it works I am happy.

The thing with placebo is that it is an effect. As you say, if it actually helps (and does no harm, or replaces something that helps much more...) - then placebo can be useful and beneficial. It can be difficult to prescribe however...

The thing about placebo is that you can't measure it on yourself - you can only find out with large enough double blind tests. But as long as it works for you - placebo or not - good for you!

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