Turmeric for Tendonitis, Arthritis, and Cancer

The golden spice turmeric, commonly found in many tasty Indian dishes, contains an interesting and potentially valuable therapeutic component.  Curcumin, found in turmeric, modulates several  cellular pathways and has been used as a nutraceutical supplement to combat inflammation.  Importantly, turmeric has been found to have a high safety profile.  This is consistent with its use for thousands of years in India and China.

Research studies have shown turmeric can modify tendon inflammatory pathways.  (Ref)  One study found "curcumin can improve the quality of tendon rupture healing, and thus represents a promising strategy in the management of injured tendon tissue."  (Ref)

Tumeric / Curcumin may also be of value in the treatment of osteoarthritis by decreasing inflammatory pathways.  "Short-term supplementation with curcuminoids attenuates the systemic oxidative stress in patients with osteoarthritis.  These antioxidant effects may account for the reported therapuetic effects of curcuminoids in relieving osteoarthritis symptoms.  (Ref)  Some clinical studies suggest using Tumeric / Curcumin may result in better improvements in pain and walking when compared to using chondroitin and glucosamine supplements alone.  (Ref)  Finally, some formulations of curcumin have been specifically found to reduce the pain associated with knee arthritis.  (Ref)  (See chart below)




Recently, curcumin has also been studied as a cancer treatment.  It has been shown to inhibit a variety of pathways connected to cancer cell growth.  It may also enhance the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy thereby enhancing its efficacy.  Much more work needs to be done but these early cancer studies have confirmed cucurmin's excellent safety profile.  I started to wonder if we should consider taking curcumin to prevent cancer.

Bloodcure's take home message for turmeric is to consider it for tendonitis and arthritis symptoms.  The data suggest the supplement is safe and it may be a natural way to treat these very common disorders.  Consider a dose of 500 mg to 1500 mg per day that contains black pepper extract.  The black pepper helps with absorption of the turmeric.

As always, check with your personal physician prior to initiating any new supplement as each of us is unique.

AM
TotalTendon

Biologic Orthopedic Update from Las Vegas

The TOBI biologic orthopedic meeting this past weekend in Las Vegas was simply outstanding.  Dr. Steve Sampson put together an excellent collection of lectures and then followed by an impressive ultrasound anatomy session by Dr. Jay Smith from the Mayo Clinic.   Hands on injections and bone marrow aspiration in a cadaver lab completed the stellar conference held at the Red Rock Resort.

Las Vegas Red Rock Area

Some highlights of the sessions.  We heard about the use of PRP in soccer players from Dr. Imtiaz Ahmad from London, England, the use of PRP for osteoarthritis from Dr. Brian Cole from Chicago, the use of adipose-derived stem cells for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis from Dr. Yun Choi from South Korea, minimally invasive techniques for articular cartilage damage from Dr. Neil Ghodadra from Los Angeles and the Andrews Institute Experience using Biologics to Accelerate Healing from Dr. Adam Anz.   Lectures about hydrodissection using ultrasound (Dr. Lam, Hong Kong), the current landscape of disc regeneration challenges and promises (Dr. Bae, Los Angeles) and the value of mesenchymal stem cells (Dr. Caplan, Cleveland) were also given.  That was just part of day one of the conference.  Day two included several more interesting and important lectures.  I think there were over 300 attendees and many more following the streaming video (including myself on day one).  In between the lectures, discussions were carried out in the hallways and exhibit area.  Overall, it was a fantastic international event.

The field of biologic orthopedics is exploding.  Worldwide interest in minimally invasive techniques to treat challenging musculoskeletal problems is rising rapidly.  It will still take time, effort and some luck to discover and develop clinically meaningful treatments.  The good news is, progress is definitely being made toward these lofty goals.

AM
TotalTendon

Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic today will undergo back surgery to treat a herniated disc.  I underwent a similar procedure 3.5 years ago.  Below is a video of that procedure.