Joint pain is quite common for those of us living with IBD, especially during flare ups. Not to mention, sometimes an IBD diagnosis can come with secondary diagnoses like arthritis.
Curcumin Insights
Curcumin contains vitamins like vitamin E, K, C, and B-complex, as well as minerals like iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, selenium, calcium, and potassium.
Curcumin is one of the most diverse therapeutic herbs and it has been researched for its role in a wide variety of conditions. Curcumin is most revered for its powerful anti-inflammatory effects and its ability to reduce inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-6, and TNFα.
Curcumin & Joint pain
A systemic review sought to determine the efficacy of turmeric in patients with knee arthritis, and it found that turmeric improved pain and physical function when compared to placebo.
When compared to NSAID’s (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications), turmeric had similar effectiveness to medications. Additionally, turmeric extracts resulted in 12% fewer adverse events compared to NSAIDs.
Curcumin can be useful in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, a painful autoimmune arthritis disease of the joints. Those with RA experience joint swelling, pain, edema, tenderness, redness, stiffness, and sometimes experience joint muscle atrophy and joint deformity in later stages of the disease.
Another review of turmeric found that it was effective in reducing knee pain and improving physical function. Curcumin may be synergistic with boswellia, a herb used in pain management for osteoarthritis. If you’d like to check out the brands we recommend for Curcumin and boswellia – you can find them HERE.
Make sure to talk to your health care provider & IBD dietitian before implementing a supplement protocol. Keep in mind – herbal support is only as good as getting the appropriate quality and dose which is something that requires individualized guidance. If you’d like to become a patient, please schedule a call HERE.
Did you know isolated Curcmin and Turmeric are very different? Check out our previous article on the differences- HERE.