I've been reading about how herbs like chamomile, ginger, arnica, etc. work and some of them inhibit inflammatory eicosanoids to relieve pain. Does anyone know if taking herbs would also inhibit good eicosanoids like pharmaceutical pain relievers do?

This is an interesting article about how various herbs work

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...7q43ibfT_g

My old naturopathic doctor recommended tumeric (sp?), a spice.

I take 2 tablespoons a day now.

It feels strongly to me that when I do so, that the "nerve pain" goes away a lot more. E.g., my limbs no longer go numb at nighttime. I don't have pain when I lie on my side anymore. But I still have pain if enough pressure is applied, it's a lot less though.

I see a pretty clear connection. I'm off ZFO so I can't attribute my nerve pain going away due to ZFO but I definitely am zoning very carefully probably 90% of the time.

OmegaRx. I need to remember that name ... OmegaRx.

Alexy

Hi Sarah - I take one turmeric capsule a day. How do you take 2 TBS? Do you mix it with something? I'm interested for my neck pain.

Larry, I put a spoonful of turmeric in a raw chocolate and berry smoothie almost every morning. Here's the recipe (I use more turmeric than the recipe calls for, and eyeball the ingredients without measuring):

http://www.zonediet.com/forums/aft/61409


SUE'S BROWNIE BATTER SMOOTHIE

I'll add some specifics about the brands I like best in it for flavor and consistency, but no special brands are needed. It's a 3P, 2C, 5 F meal.

(tweaked to meet my needs of 3P, 2C, 5F, and to include inflammation lowering ingredients)

Ingredients:

1/5 frozen organic (OG) banana

1 generous block frozen OG dark cherries, about 1/3 cup or 12 big cherries (I use Cascadian Farms, Trader Joe's or Columbia River Organic's, because I can't stay in the Zone as well with other other brands of cherries.)

1 huge heaping T raw cacao (chocolate) powder, about 1/8 cup (not dutched, which means not treated with alkali)

3 blocks Zone Protein Powder (3 scoops)

1/2+ tsp. turmeric (refer to info in The Anti-Inflammation Zone)

a very generous amount of cinnamon (cinnamon stimulates the efficiency of insulin)

a scant 1 tsp. alcohol free glycerin based almond flavoring

1/8 to 1/4 cup of chocolate soy milk, just to help it blend better (I use "West Soy Unsweetened Chocolate Soy Milk" because it has barely has 1g insulin stimulating C to each P block)

1T Zone OG olive oil




Directions:


Blend with an immersion blender, or process is a small food processor. Makes one very thick and delicious chocolaty breakfast and keeps me in the Zone very well (I'm carb sensitive). Sometimes I'll also add a tablespoon or two of plain yogurt.

You can also divide it into thirds thirds and freeze to eat for quick snacks (that makes three 1 block snacks with the same drop a carb and add fat adjustment).

Hi Larry,

Turmeric is a spice. I get it from the bulk section of Bulk Barn. It's cheapest that way. But I'm looking for an organic version in the next several weeks as I have no idea whether turmeric might have pesticides, etc., that I don't want.

I just mix it into ... well, for me, I make it into a drink. Not one of those fun drinks, just a "supplement drink."

I put in one tablespoon of turmeric, cinnamon and organic cocoa each into the container. Into some water (and, now, I'll be adding olive oil and black pepper too! based on another thread!). And I drink it and it's ok. Oh and I blend it with a hand blender.

That's all I have to do ... :-)

I drink it 2x a day ...

Alexy

I don't know how fast it would effect your neck pain, Larry, but it takes me several days to start feeling the positive effects of turmeric. :-)

I just took my first OmegaRx capsule today, after 7 days of NO FO. wish me luck ... :-)

Alexy

"LUCK" !

LOL.

You're the one who was curious about the NAET treatments, right? Or was that John?

Sarah, just curious, did you decide to take Sea Health Plus with your Omega Rx?

Hi Sarah - I'm the one that's interested in NAET. Have you had enough treatments to know if it works?

Sarah and Sue - thanks for the recipes with turmeric.

You're welcome, Larry. Forgot to add, on the days don't eat the smoothie with turmeric, I eat 3 Zone Joint Support caplets, spread throughout the day (they contain turmeric, ginger and olive extract): "A proprietary formulation of three uniquely qualified concentrated polyphenols to naturally regulate inflammation. Contains tumeric(curcumin) to help regulate the formation of inflammatory hormones, ginger extract with xanthine to help inhibit enzymes that make inflammatory hormones and olive extract with hydroxytyrosol, a unique anti-inflammatory compound." http://shop.zonediet.com/product/de...l/519.aspx

Hi Sue. Ordering the OmegaRx and seahealthplus tomorrow, finally ... one case each. It's the cheapest way of going about it as far as I can tell.

:-)

Alexy

Hi Sarah - I bought the ingredients of your turmeric/cinnamon/cacao drink. I added some pepper and olive oil (I'm not sure how much to add of these). I had to add stevia to get it down but then it was pretty good. We'll see if this helps with my neck pain in a few days.

Hi Larry,

So it was pretty good ... once you added the stevia! LOL.

I can't add stevia since I'm so carb-sensitive. I'm like Sue that way. But I far prefer eating this way because I have far better control over my hunger and I'm still losing weight even though I have too much olive oil etc in my diet ... I've lost 15 lbs in the last few months ...

I'd love to hear whether this works for you ... so I'm hoping you'll keep us updated.

Alexy

Sarah;
Larry was asking how much Pepper and Olive Oil was recommended by the other info you found?
So, in addition to 1 Tbl Turmeric, Cinnamon, and Cocoa - how much Pepper and Olive Oil?
AND - I wonder - Does that article/info you found distinguish IF there is a difference between White pepper and Black pepper?
Just curious ...

Wasn't me who was talkin' about the pepper and olive oil.

That was on another forum thread somewhere around here. Maybe someone could point you there.

Or just Google "turmeric" and "black pepper."

E.g., this one ...

http://www.naturalremediescures.com...ck-pepper/

If you scroll down, there have been research done, etc. Of course, as Cranberrycat would say, ya gotta look at who funded the study, who dun the study, etc., etc ... LOL ...

there are other studies as well but I haven't Googled ...

Alexy

Hi Larry, it was you I was thinking of when I asked who was the one asking about NAET treatments ...

I ... *think* ... it works. I think there's a lot of good stuff there. I have been having a lot of doubts, partly because NAET isn't recognized by the medical world, for example, but I am noticing changes in myself.

It is harder to be sure, though, because, well, I was trying different things at the same time ... so what to attribute what to? You know?

That said, I'm still waiting and seeing ... another two weeks, though, and I should be in a better place to say what I think of it ...

So I'll keep you (and whomever else might be interested!) updated ... I'm writing notes as I go along on the various NAET treatments I've been getting ... :-)

Alexy

Hi Sue,

That chocolate smoothie with the cherries ... I've been wanting to make it for myself.

But I can't seem to find the kind of cherries you've been talking about around here in the Maritimes ... or maybe they come under different names here?

Alexy

Dark sweet cherries, aka Bing cherries. :)

Ok, so I look for dark sweet cherries ...

thx

Hi Sarah - your turmeric drink does seem to be helping my neck pain some. I add about 1/8 tsp of pepper to it. I'll keep taking it and see if i can get even more improvement. I occasionally have a little digestive stress from it but it doesn't last long. thanks! I may reduce to 1/2 TBS at some point to see if that works as well. A whole tablespoon twice a day seems like a lot.

Still taking mega doses of turmeric powder. Since so much isn't absorbed, it feels like I'm taking too much and makes my urine and feces smell really bad. The ingredient in turmeric that causes pain relief is curcumin. "Turmeric contains approximately 2 percent curcumin by weight, so a tablespoon of turmeric, which weighs 6.8 grams, contains about 0.136 gram curcumin, or 136 milligrams."

source http://www.livestrong.com/article/5...z24ZsKW0K4

Many companies sell 500mg pills of 95% curcumin which is a lot more curcumin than is in a TBS of turmeric.

I've been surfing the internet and I found this pill http://curcumin-turmeric.net/ (Biomor) It claims that one pill = 4g of 95% curcumin (8 pills). It also claims that one Biomor pill = about 6 pills of 95% curcumin + piperine (from black pepper)

I'm going to order it and try it. Two pills a day should give me much, much more curcumin than I am getting now from 2 TBS of turmeric.

The company is in San Antonio, a few miles away from me.

Hi Larry,

Glad to hear it seems to help your neck. I saw my naturopathic doctor--a primary care practitioner too--yesterday. She said for me to go off cinnimon, since 2 tablespoons was way too much for me, maybe a tsp a day would be fine for me. I elected to completely go off it, take a break from it, though.

So I took that part out of my drink ...

But she said that 2 tablespoons of turmeric a day is fine, it's not a problem ... so I'm continuing with this as it does help, particularly if I take one tablespoon near bedtime.

But, it sounds like it's affecting you in the bathroom department, LOL, and it's great you Googled and got the information on curcumin. Thanks for sharing.

I'd love to hear what it's like for you once you start taking the pills ... so I'm hoping you'll keep me/the readers updated ...

Alexy

Larry, check out Zone Joint Support. Three of them will give you a gram.

Sue - I didn't see curcumin or turmeric mentioned in the ingredients of Zone Bone Support.

Zone™ Bone Support
Serving Size: 3 Softgel Capsules
Servings Per Container: 30

Vitamin D (cholecalciferol) 200IU 50%
Vitamin K (Phytonadione) 10mcg 13%
Calcium (as carbonate, citrate, gluconate, aspartate, malate, micronized, hydroxyapatite) 750mg 75%
Magnesium (as oxide, aspartate, citrate) 400mg 100%
Boron (as calcium borogluconate) 1mg **
Horsetail Extract (equisetum arvense) 25mg **