Multiple Myeloma an incurable disease, but I have spent the last 25 years in remission using a blend of conventional oncology and evidence-based nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle therapies from peer-reviewed studies that your oncologist probably hasn't told you about.
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I’ve often wondered if curcumin side effects could hurt me. I ask this question first because I take many nutritional supplements daily but more to the point, I’ve been taking curcumin for more than ten years.
As a multiple myeloma survivor, there are many evidence-based reasons for supplementing with curcumin.
Be aware however, that there is also the risk of curcumin side effects.
Here are some documented side effects of curcumin/turmeric supplementation:
According to research, curcumin is “well-tolerated” when taken in recommended doses. I believe the recommended dose is between 500mg and 2000mg. In the world of multiple myeloma, I read about many people with active disease who take 4000mg to 8000mg.
On the one hand, I understand why people with an incurable blood cancer take large doses of an evidence-based therapy that kills myeloma yet may also cause side effects.
The only way that I can think of to reduce the risk of the side effects outlined below is to take a regular pause from supplementation. Meaning, when I empty a bottle of curcumin, I take a break while I order the next bottle.
If you have any questions about curcumin email me at David.PeopleBeatingCancer@gmail.com
thanks,
David Emerson
“Aims: Although turmeric is commonly ingested and well tolerated, there is increasing evidence that over-the-counter turmeric supplements can cause drug-induced liver injury. We sought to thoroughly characterise clinicopathological features of patients for whom liver injury was attributed clinically to turmeric supplements.
Methods and results: We identified 11 patients via retrospective pathology archive review: 10 females (91%) and one male, with a median age of 58 years (range = 37-66 years).
Histologically, biopsies showed acute hepatitis (eight cases, 73%, including five pan-lobular and three zone 3-predominant inflammation), scattered lobular aggregates of histiocytes (two; 18%) and a chronic hepatitis pattern of injury (one; 9%). Mild bile duct injury was present in five biopsies (45%).
All patients stopped ingesting turmeric supplements after presenting with liver injury, and four patients additionally received steroid therapy; liver function tests normalised in all patients.
Roussel Uclaf causality assessment method (RUCAM) analysis estimated the likelihood of turmeric supplement-associated liver injury to be probable (eight cases) and possible (three).
Conclusions: Histological features in the ‘possible’ cases were consistent with drug-induced injury, highlighting the added benefit of histological analysis relative to RUCAM analysis isolation.
This study underscores the need to obtain a full history of over-the-counter medications and supplements when investigating aetiologies for liver injury, including supplements purportedly containing innocuous compounds such as turmeric.”