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Turmeric/Curcumin for ME/CFS?

Learner1

Senior Member
Messages
6,305
Location
Pacific Northwest
We...you might also investigate why your lymph nodes are swollen to begin with... You might gain some insight into what's driving your illness...
 
Messages
58
We...you might also investigate why your lymph nodes are swollen to begin with... You might gain some insight into what's driving your illness...
Yes, you're right, I've been researching this a lot and I have some ideas. I don't think it's got anything to do with infections, as I don't have flu-like symptoms, nor pain of any kind... Since after I discovered cinnarizine, a vasodilator drug which is bringing me back to life. I feel almost normal, apart from fatigue (which is more normal fatigue, not flu-like fatigue like before cinnarizine) a heavy head feeling and the lymph nodes which I mentioned. Since my Pvfs was triggered by the Dengue virus (known to cause hemorrhagic fever) I think that my problem is some kind of endothelium dysfunction or inflammation... I might be wrong, but this is my best bet at the moment, and seeing how I respond to an anti-inflammatory agent could be diagnostic (like cinnarizine was).
 

Learner1

Senior Member
Messages
6,305
Location
Pacific Northwest
Hmm...maybe. Sure sounds like your immune system might be up to something.have you investigated that? Could be some other reactivated virus, like the many notorious herpes family ones that plague so many of us. Or something autoimmune? Or even a cancer? I hate to be Debbie Downer here, but sounds like something's going on worth investigating...
 

Gingergrrl

Senior Member
Messages
16,171
@tiredowl I wanted to let you know that I ordered this topical Curcumin on Amazon yesterday and will update this thread once it arrives and I have a chance to try it (for neck pain).
I'm very interested in this topical cream now.

My topical curcumin cream never arrived and the package is now officially lost and I need to call Amazon. If I ever do get to try it, I will still report back here!
 

tiredowl

Senior Member
Messages
170
Location
Norway
My topical curcumin cream never arrived and the package is now officially lost and I need to call Amazon. If I ever do get to try it, I will still report back here!

Oh no! I hope you received your package at last.
The site I ordered from was an UK-based site.
:)
 

gbells

Improved ME from 2 to 6
Messages
1,491
Location
Alexandria, VA USA
Turmeric is great for SEIDs because it blocks the NF-kB pathway that viruses use to ramp up inflammation. I found that it quickly improved the quality of my sleep. Earthing bands also help people have better sleep by facilitating a neutral state that promotes cell healing. This won't kill the viruses but does help one minimize their damage.
 

MonkeyMan

Senior Member
Messages
405
People, I recently started taking curcumin capsules in the Longvida form (the product I take is called CurcuBrain -- and please note, I have no financial interest in the company that makes it), and have noticed a dramatic reduction in brain fog and an improvement in my energy and quality of sleep. Although the label says take one capsule (400 mg) per day, I take 3 capsules in the morning and 3 more in the evening. I take it with a dollop of olive oil and crushed black pepper. Remarkable results, and (knock on wood) no side effects. I may try boosting the dose even higher to see what happens.
 
Messages
69
Location
USA
People, I recently started taking curcumin capsules in the Longvida form (the product I take is called CurcuBrain -- and please note, I have no financial interest in the company that makes it), and have noticed a dramatic reduction in brain fog and an improvement in my energy and quality of sleep. Although the label says take one capsule (400 mg) per day, I take 3 capsules in the morning and 3 more in the evening. I take it with a dollop of olive oil and crushed black pepper. Remarkable results, and (knock on wood) no side effects. I may try boosting the dose even higher to see what happens.

Any idea what mechanism is causing the beneficial change?
 

Learner1

Senior Member
Messages
6,305
Location
Pacific Northwest
Curcumin is an antioxidant, a COX2 inhibitor, anti-inflammatory, and a broad spectrum Phase II detoxer. Any of those mechanisms can help ME/CFS. It also is effective in fighting cancer. I've experienced them all at different times.

I've also tried all the "high potency" brands, including Longvida, looking for something to help my brain swelling from IViG after IV curcumin, which had greatly helped me, came off the US market. The best product was Designs for Health CurcumEvail, which I've taken up to 8g a day of.

Another product that beat Longvida, Meriva, and all the others was CoreCurcumin by nurish.me. I was originally given a sole by the immunologist who developed it. It's a micellized version that comes in a liquid form, great if you think the DFH CurcumEvail capsules are too big to swallow. 2-3 drops under the tongue are effective. The downside of if is that it's messy - concentrated curcumin gives you orange teeth for awhile. It also has a strong taste, which might be objectionable for some.

I also learned how to get curcumin stains out of things, as it stains easily. Just leave whatever in the sun - I've had it get stains out of a white shirt.
 

Learner1

Senior Member
Messages
6,305
Location
Pacific Northwest
Designs for Health carries both C3 and CurvumEvail. While both start with the same curumin derivatives, DFH's Evail process makes it absorb faster and it more bioavailable.
 

nyanko_the_sane

Because everyday is Caturday...
Messages
655
I use Curcubrain from NOW which uses the LongVida process for greater bioavailability. I find it is effective and generally cheaper than some of the other products out there. I want to try Thorne's Meriva, which might be another good product to try.
 

Learner1

Senior Member
Messages
6,305
Location
Pacific Northwest
I use Curcubrain from NOW which uses the LongVida process for greater bioavailability. I find it is effective and generally cheaper than some of the other products out there. I want to try Thorne's Meriva, which might be another good product to try.
Longvida and Meriva are both good products, but were not strong enough to help my symptoms, which Designs for Health CurcumEvail does at lower doses.
 

nyanko_the_sane

Because everyday is Caturday...
Messages
655
Longvida and Meriva are both good products, but were not strong enough to help my symptoms, which Designs for Health CurcumEvail does at lower doses.
This is good to know, thanks! How many of the Curcum-Evail softgels do you take?