Elaine's Corner

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  The video for this week is about Tumeric, a spice that is used extensively in cuisines from the Middle East.  It has been lauded as an anti-inflammatory by many “alternative medicine” practitioners.  But you know us: we like to find out what the actual appropriate studies say so we can be sure the stuff actually is worth your time and money and does no harm.  Here is the information you might find useful.  

     Tumeric by itself is not very well absorbed into your system.   Curcumin is the active ingredient in tumeric.  Curcumin can be bought by itself, and in uncontrolled studies, appears to help reduce inflammation in bowel diseases, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis.  You may have heard that tumeric is effective on scleroderma, but no studies in humans showed an effect on scleroderma.  In the test tube and in animals it affects inflammation which is active in scleroderma.  There is not proof of any effect in scleroderma in humans, sorry to say.  There are special formulations of curcumin that are better absorbed.  Ask your pharmacist about them.  

     Are there side effects, you may ask?  After all, you never get something for nothing.  There are rarely side effects, but those that occur are:  nausea, diarrhea, liver injury, yellow stools, GI bleeding, headaches and rashes.  Again, they are rare.  

     If you take curcumin, remember that it is poorly absorbed.  It will be better absorbed with black pepper, fatty foods or coconut oil or special formulations like (eg.) nano-particles.  Your pharmacist might be able to get those for you.  

     I have included two reasonably good articles about the subject.  Please talk to your rheumatologist if you have questions.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2637808/

Have a great day. You deserve it!  

💐🌼🫶🏼🧚🏽‍♂️🪷🍄🍀

A new study highlights the brain’s role in immune health It truly is a question of mind over matter Read in The Economist:

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__apple.news_AagUthistQu6K-5FxX99zrMYQ&d=DwIFaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=3A6AULDhR87WKmOjV4wkHEkOzXw-rAoleZfwJ4xn83E&m=-CILOZ-9q-y0bV96wp4ECVw_XrEEIgLxFWtLCbxAvpi4DpJ3jX5LtpxFwBAkJdPH&s=UB2dsxYlNrUPhOPw7cNsBBd4i4esgqtCyA2jLvFvxbQ&e=

Happy end of January and let’s all be grateful  that we live in a state the keeps its snow in the mountains where it belongs!  Meanwhile, remember the concept of placebo?  Here is even more evidence that the mind is powerful and affects so many physical functions.  

Enjoy.

Warm hugs,

Elaine Furst

Did you know that scleroderma patients may be taking up to 40 or more medications per day, sometimes twice a day?  Add supplements to that amount and you are swallowing a lot of chemicals and other substances!  This is an informative article from the NY Times about supplements and what doctors think of them.  It is not argumentative but informative so you can see the logic behind most physicians’ opinions.  It has lots of information that you can trust.  One very important caveat:  all supplements, herbs, tinctures, oils, etc.  have side effects ranging from mild or non-existent to dangerous, often when combined with your regular medications.  Even pure grapefruit juice can affect the strength of all the medications you’re taking! 

Enjoy the article.  There will be no exam this time  : - )

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/well/doctors-supplements.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Of course, you can also look up the supplements you’re taking on the USP (the US Pharmacopeia) website:  https://qualitymatters.usp.org/categories/dietary-supplements.  It has lots of information that you can trust.  One very important caveat:  all supplements, herbs, tinctures, oils, etc.  have side effects ranging from mild or non-existent to dangerous, often when combined with your regular medications.  Even pure grapefruit juice can affect the strength of all the medications you’re taking!  

Enjoy the article.  There will be no exam this time  : - )

Warm hugs,

Elaine Furst

Editor

efurst@prodigy.net

PS:  If you have any suggestions for this educational Nook, let me know on my email.  Thank you.

This is an upbeat story that shows how unintended consequences happen in happy circumstances, not only negative ones.  And you can now feel good that your “disability” has, in some ways, helped others. 

https://www.upworthy.com/7-everyday-conveniences-we-take-for-granted-that-wouldn-t-exist-without-disability-inclusion

Have a great day. You deserve it! 
💐🌼🫶🏼🧚🏽‍♂️🪷🍄🍀