Curcumin

Nardella Clinic naturopaths in Calgary use intravenous curcumin to help with a variety of conditions.

Curcumin is the active component of turmeric from the plant Curcuma longa, an Indian spice used in cooking. The benefits of curcumin are multiplied in comparison to in turmeric, since the curcumin is the constituent that poses the most benefit. When it is extracted, and concentrated its effects are far greater than that of turmeric.

Studies have shown that curcumin acts as an anti-inflammatory agent, since it inhibits cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), lipoxygenase (LOX), and nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) enzymes activated in inflammation cascades.

Curcumin has anti-viral activity and research has shown that Curcumin is a worthwhile treatment for Epstein-Barr Virus by working on lymphocytes, splenocytes and LCL proliferation.

Curcumin has the ability to reduce inflammation.  Nardella Clinic naturopaths use it to help with the symptoms of autoimmune diseases including Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid arthritis and Lupus. It primarily works by inhibiting COX-2, LOX and iNOS enzymes. Through similar mechanism of action, our Naturopathic Doctors have seen success in including Curcumin into the treatment protocol for treating Lyme disease, which can manifest in muscles, the gastrointestinal tract, joints and nerves.

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is a common syndrome that women experience prior to menstruating. Symptoms can include abdominal cramping, low back pain, breast tenderness and irritability. Although hormonal implications can be the root, inflammation is at the cause of these symptoms.

Our naturopathic patients who have been regularly getting this treatment often report a decrease in pain symptoms—sometimes immediately after curcumin administration—especially for joint and nerve related inflammation.

Naturopathic Cancer Care

Naturopathic Doctors at our Calgary clinic also use curcumin to support patients through their conventional cancer treatments.  From a cancer perspective, numerous studies have been done to show the NF-kB-inhibitory activity of curcumin along with its ability to suppress tumor growth and induce “apoptosis” or killing of cancer cells. In fact, there is also extensive research that demonstrates that curcumin can increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to particular chemotherapeutic agents and radiation therapy. Curcumin specifically operates by affecting the growth receptors that promote tumor growth. Curcumin is used as an anti-cancer agent because of its ability to regulate cell signal transduction pathways of cells including NF-κB (inhibits this pathway), Akt, MAPK, p53, Nrf2, Notch-1, JAK/STAT, β-catenin, and AMPK on a molecular level.

So, why is intravenous curcumin beneficial? Any substance administrated intravenously is far more available for the body to utilize in its entirety in comparison to oral supplementation. Some conditions warrant oral supplementation and some would be better supported intravenously. Naturopathic curcumin preparations for intravenous administration is liposomal versus water-soluble, which makes it far more effective in its uptake into the tissues.