John Arts Abundant Living www.johnarts.co.nz

Last week we looked at research into the healing power of turmeric. The active ingredient curcumin is the actual brilliant yellow pigment. I find it fascinating that nature's most potent healing compounds are locked into brilliant colour. It seems as the brilliant colours in fruit, vegetables and spices draw our attention to these marvellous compounds.

The brilliant yellow of curcumin is matched by the deep purples of the active compounds in berries and red wine grape seeds. These compounds are classified as polyphenols; and I know of no other group of plant chemicals that have such a profound effect on our health.

Curcumin is truly multi-faceted. It actively reduces unwanted inflammation by temporarily disabling inflammatory enzymes while also reducing inflammatory chemicals called cytokines. And it does this without the side effects of drugs. In fact a clinical trial published as the ‘Clinical Interventions in Aging' in 2014 compared ibuprofen with curcumin for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis and concluded that curcumin was as effective as ibuprofen.

This is unsurprising because both the drug and curcumin target the COX 2 – or cyclooxygenase –enzyme responsible for inflammation associated with osteoarthritis. But curcumin is no one trick pony. It also has the ability to protect the chondrocyte cells that secrete and maintain cartilage. It does this through its potent antioxidant functions. Free radical damage of chondrocytes appears to be the main driver of osteoarthritis.

My joint formula combines the 95 per cent curcumin extract with high grade chondroitin and glucosamine. The glucosamine and chondroitin target cartilage function while the curcumin targets unnecessary joint tissue inflammation and free radical damage. For best results I recommend significantly lifting Omega 3 levels by eating oily fish, ground flax seeds and stable fish oil supplements.

If you need more information give me a call or email: john@abundant.co.nz Join my full weekly newsletter at: www.abundant.co.nz

John Arts is a qualified nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health. Contact John on 0800 423 559. To read more, go to: www.sunlive.co.nz