From Time:
When he first started coming to me, I gave him the usual anti-inflammatory medications we use for arthritis pain. He had no side effects, but he wasn’t helped much either, so he stopped the pills and lived with the pain. Then he found turmeric. Soon enough, there was no pain at all. [Note that this couldn’t be a placebo effect.] And his lower back and hands, which ached before, were also now pain-free.
Is this another example of foreign substances reducing arthritis? (Not to mention other immune disorders.) Or something different? I don’t know but it’s really interesting.
Thanks to Chuck Remes.
The current issue of Wired arrived today. It contains a story about cartoonist Scott Adams dealing with a neurological problem that prevented him from speaking.
The article describes his quest to regain his speech, which involved quite a bit of self-experimentation although ultimately an experiment with surgery was required.
I wonder if he ever tried giving up the Diet Coke habit he mentions on his blog. I would have tried that experiment first, given how many people self-report neurological problems linked to diet drinks.
I realize this isn’t turmeric related but I thought it was interesting.
A Univ of Michigan chemist recently found that curcumin (turmeric ingredient) inserts itself into a cell membrane, making it stiffer and hence, more immune to infectious agents.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090306172615.htm
Seth,
Why do you say it couldn’t be a placebo effect?
Jeff
Jeff, it couldn’t be a placebo effect because actual medicine — which should produce a great placebo effect — didn’t work.
Turmeric and other natural remedies could be very important for people living in countries where health care is a “right”.
“A 9-month wait for arthritis treatment: Delay can mean a lifetime of agony for victims”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1199714/A-9-month-wait-arthritis-treatment-Delay-mean-lifetime-agony-victims.html
“Turmeric”, surely.
thanks Nathan
From Wikipedia on curcumin [turmeric’s active ingredient]:
“Numerous studies have demonstrated that curcumin, amongst only a few other things such as high impact exercise, learning, bright light, and antidepressant usage, has a positive effect on neurogenesis in the hippocampus and concentrations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), reductions in both of which are associated with stress, depression, and anxiety.”
See also: “Role of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in the Circadian Regulation of the Suprachiasmatic Pacemaker by Light”, The Journal of Neuroscience, April 15, 2000, 20(8):2978-2987.
posted for a friend
Seth,
I don’t follow your logic completely. Becuase the placebo effect is motivated by the patient’s beliefs, it matters what the patient thinks.
If the man did not expect anti-inflammatory drugs to work, he would probably not have a placebo effect from them. If he did expect turmeric to cure his pain, it would be more likely to have a placebo effect. Yes?
I’m not disagreeing with possible benefit from turmeric, but your dismissal that it could not be a placebo effect, in this case.
Thanks,
Jeff
Jeff, “couldn’t be” was shorthand for “couldn’t plausibly be” or “is unlikely to be”. Yes, there is some chance, perhaps very small, that anything could be a placebo effect. If the patient didn’t think the doctor’s medicine would work, why did he try it? If he thought turmeric was more likely to work, why didn’t he try it first? My general reasoning is that if you’ve tried A, B, and C, and none of them worked, and then D works, it’s unlikely to be a placebo effect.
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