Q. For some time I have had increasingly bad pain in my right knee, left hip and lower back. I was getting so depressed because I was barely functioning.
A friend recommended turmeric, and I decided to try it. Up to that point I had been living on way too much ibuprofen every day. Since the first turmeric tablet, I have not needed another ibuprofen.
The results with turmeric are much better than with ibuprofen. My energy level is also better.
The lady at the health food store recommended fish oil and I have been taking that too. But I know that the turmeric is helping the pain and inflammation, as I started it first and noticed results even before beginning to take fish oil. I definitely recommend turmeric as an anti-inflammatory to anyone who can take it.
A. The active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, has well-established anti-inflammatory activity. We could find no studies on the combination of fish oil and turmeric for arthritis pain in humans. Preliminary rodent research suggests that this combination might be helpful in fighting inflammation (Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, Nov. 10, 1994).
