Can Turmeric Fight Cancer?
Can Turmeric Fight Cancer. Anybody who has followed my personal journey knows that I’m not just a cancer survivor—I’m a cancer THRIVER! My quest for better health through the mind-body-spirit connection has been enlightening and empowering every step of the way. With each new leg of my journey, I am astonished by the healing power of some of our planet’s most abundant and accessible resources. And it begs the question: why aren’t more health care professionals complementing or even substituting traditional treatments with some of these natural, proven, and effective treatments? Among one of the most powerful and most studied natural treatments is turmeric. Can turmeric really fight cancer? The short answer is yes. Yes, it really can fight cancer.
Treating the Emotional Self
It is no secret that your emotional and mental well-being plays an important role on the physical self. Our bodies, minds, and spirits are all connected. They aren’t three separate entities, but rather work as parts of a whole. If the emotional or mental part of yourself isn’t healthy, it can effect your physical self. Oftentimes people may find themselves facing a cancer diagnosis and thinking to themselves, “but I eat right, I exercise, and I take care of my body. Why do I have cancer?” Sometimes the answer is complicated. But we have to consider the root cause may not actually be physical. Research has shown that there is a connection between mental and emotional health and physical illness, yet it is not something we often address when treating a physical illness.
This is where turmeric can come into the picture in terms of helping to treat and prevent cancer by treating the emotional and mental self. Curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, has been shown to reduce certain types of mental and emotional disorders including anxiety and even PTSD. In fact, a 2015 study with a curcumin-rich diet in rats proved a decrease in Pavlovian fear response. In other words, curcumin has proven to reduce PTSD measurably. So what is the connection between PTSD and cancer? In a 2017 study, traumatic stress had a role in breast cancer diagnosis. By helping to treat or prevent PTSD, we can also work to prevent cancer.
Turmeric and Cancer Prevention for the Physical Self
One of the most studied and most widely recognized benefits of turmeric is as an anti-oxidant. Oxidative stress is one of the leading environmental causes of cancer diagnoses in patients. One out of every four American deaths each year is attributed to cancer. Think about it—all of us know somebody who was intimately impacted by a cancer diagnosis. 25% of the people who die each year is cancer-related. When you look at the numbers this way, it is a public health crisis. We should be doing more to prevent cancer. With the emerging knowledge of turmeric and its amazing healing and prevention properties, we can. Curcumin helps prevent cancer in three ways: as an antiproliferative, an anticarcinogen, and an antioxidant. In a 2013 study, researchers found that people with high-risk factors for cancer or those with a previous cancer diagnosis benefited from adding a curcumin rich regimen to their daily routines.
Turmeric and Cancer Treatment
More and more emerging research suggests turmeric and its active curcuminoids don’t just prevent cancer, they can also help treat cancer. Too many times, I have seen loved ones suffer through treatments that seem to do more harm than good. Adding curcumin as a supplement or even a substitute may help stabilize or improve quality of life for cancer sufferers. In a study that was just published this month, researchers have proven that curcuminoids are helpful at reducing hepatic tumors. Cell viability of liver cancer is diminished with the introduction of curcuminoids, which shows huge potential as a natural treatment with no side effects for cancer. Another study published just a couple of weeks ago showed promise in those treating prostate cancer. Researchers discovered that a nano-compound of turmeric reduces growth of prostate cancer cells with growth of tumor cells arresting in the very early phases as curcuminoids are introduced.
Final Thoughts
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in this country. Those of us who are cancer thrivers may spend the rest of our lives trying to understand and prevent it from recurring. Through my own personal journey, I have come to recognize the entire mind-body-wholeness connection between cancer and the self. Most medical professionals don’t look for the cause of the disease, they simply treat the symptoms. However, there are connections that simply cannot be ignored if we want to start winning the battle against the disease. Once we start looking at the bigger picture, we can begin to connect the dots between our overall wellness and disease. Turmeric can play a huge role in helping to reduce the occurrence of cancer diagnoses. Not only does turmeric and its active compounds fight existing cancers, but it is also proven to prevent it from occurring in the first place. What’s more, turmeric has numerous mental and emotional health benefits that have been studied at length. It seems this naturally-occurring compound is herbal gold and its benefits are too abundant to measure. What is your personal healing experience with turmeric?
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