Eating curry is GOOD for you! Turmeric helped cancer patient, 57, beat myeloma after five years of treatment
A WOMAN diagnosed with blood cancer has beaten the disease with the help of turmeric.
Dieneke Ferguson, 57, was diagnosed with myeloma in 2007 after complaining of high blood pressure, according to a report in the British Medical Journal.
Within 15 months of her diagnosis her cancer had progressed to stage three.
Dieneke underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and in October 2009 had stem cell transplant, but the treatments didn't work.
In 2011 she began taking daily doses of curcumin, a key component of the spice turmeric, after another two rounds of stem cell therapy failed.
Dieneke took eight grams each night on an empty stomach.
A few months later she began a weekly course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which involves breathing pure oxygen in an enclosed chamber that mimics higher than atmospheric pressures.
Over the last five years her cancer has remained stable and her blood counts are within the normal range.
She has also maintained a good quality of life during this period, according to the report.
Curcumin is a polyphenol derived from the perennial herb turmeric and has been used as a traditional Indian medicine for centuries.
Curcumin is a natural antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and has analgesic properties, according to the BMJ report.
More recently, it has demonstrated an ability to slow or inhibit cell growth in a wide variety of tumour cells, including myeloma.
It has also been found to help alleviate a range of other health problems.
A 2016 review, published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, found that turmeric extract could help minimise the symptoms of arthritis.
Some research has even shown turmeric could could help prevent Alzheimer's by stopping the accumulation of proteins thought to cause the disease.
A 2008 study also found that turmeric can help lower cholesterol, therefore helping to prevent serious health problems like heart disease and stroke.
WHAT IS MYELOMA?
Myeloma is a cancer that begins in the plasma cells, a type of white blood cell which is made in the bone marrow.
Plasma cells form part of your immune system.
Normal plasma cells produce antibodies, also called immunoglobulins, to help fight infection.
In myeloma, plasma cells become abnormal, multiply uncontrollably and release only one type of antibody known as paraprotein, which has no useful function.
Unlike many cancers, myeloma does not exist as a lump or tumour.
Most of the complications arise from a build-up of abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow.
Treatment is often aimed at controlling the symptoms of myeloma with a combination of drugs.
Since she began taking the curcumin Dieneke has maintained her daily dose.
She told "I have been on all sorts of toxic drugs and the side-effects were terrifying.
"I told my oncologist I was taking it and he was very interested, especially when it apparently made such a difference."
About 5,500 people are diagnosed with myeloma every year in the UK.
It is the second most common form of blood cancer, but only represents about two per cent of all cancers.
It is a cancer that begins in the plasma cells, a type of white blood cell which is made in the bone marrow.
Plasma cells form part of your immune system.
Normal plasma cells produce antibodies, also called immunoglobulins, to help fight infection.
In myeloma, plasma cells become abnormal, multiply uncontrollably and release only one type of antibody known as paraprotein, which has no useful function.
Unlike many cancers, myeloma does not exist as a lump or tumour.
Most of the complications arise from a build-up of abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow.
Treatment is often aimed at controlling the symptoms of myeloma with a combination of drugs.
In Dieneke's case doctors said more research is needed to determine if curcumin could be a future treatment for the disease.
MOST READ IN HEALTH
The report said: "Whether such effects are observed in patients with active disease remains to be seen.
"The fact that our patient, who had advanced stage disease and was effectively salvaged while exclusively on curcumin, suggests a potential antimyeloma effect of curcumin.
"She continues to take daily curcumin and remains in a very satisfactory condition with good quality of life.
"This case provides further evidence of the potential benefit for curcumin in myeloma.
"We would recommend further evaluation of curcumin in myeloma patients in the context of a clinical trial."
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