TURMERIC FOR JAUNDICE: FRIEND OR ENEMY

Turmeric the wonderful, versatile herb has been used by many different cultures, to treat a myriad of diseases and ailments. Turmeric has been used as an anti-inflammatory agent in the treatment of sprains, cramps, bruises, and muscle pain. The healing properties of turmeric lie in the golden fingerlike stalk, or rhizome, the same part that is used to flavor, color, and preserve food. Turmeric is commonly found in Indian curries, giving the food a golden orange color. Turmeric has hundreds of molecular constituents, each with a variety of biological activities. Clinical and laboratory research indicates that diets that include turmeric or curcumin "stabilize and protect biomolecules in the body at the molecular level", which is shown in its anti-oxidant, anti-mutagenic and anti-carcinogenic action. It is a cholagogue, stimulating bile production in the liver and encouraging excretion of bile via the gallbladder. This improves the body's ability to digest fats. For chronic digestive weakness and/or congestion turmeric is recommended. In spring more consumption of herbs and foods can strengthen the liver. It is said to shrink engorged hepatic ducts, so it can be useful to treat liver conditions such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, and jaundice. In Jharkhand jaundice is one of the very common diseases. People here believe that in jaundice one must not take yellow color food, so they use to avoid turmeric in jaundice instead of the fact that turmeric is a traditional remedy for jaundice and other liver ailments. So, keeping this in mind a small survey was carried out in Jharkhand. Our study suggests that most of the people here are firm believer of the myth that Turmeric cannot be given at time of jaundice. 95% does not know that turmeric is a good remedy for liver ailments. 90% of patients refuse to take turmeric when suggested by Dietician. Our study suggested that an awareness program is a must to help people know about goodness of this wonder drug.

RECOMMENDED DIET FOR DIABETICS MAY NEED CHANGING

Diet is the hardest part of diabetes management. The high-cereal high fiber diet emphasized “brown foods” such as whole-grain bread and breakfast cereal, brown rice and potatoes with the skin on. The low-glycemic diet included beans, peas, lentils, pasta, quickly boiled rice and certain breads, rye, as well as oatmeal and oat bran cereals. It’s these very specific low-glycemic carbohydrates that do a much better job. Following such a diet is complicated, since the glycemic index of a food can change depending on how it is prepared and served. Researchers have found that people with Type 2 diabetes on a high-fiber diet kept their blood sugar under better control when they ate foods like beans and nuts instead of the recommended whole-grain diet. Beans and nuts are among foods that only modestly increase blood glucose levels; scientists describe these foods as having a low glycemic index. The new study, which lasted six months, is one of the largest and longest to assess the impact of foods with a low-glycemic index. The patients were divided in two diet groups. Both diets are low in saturated fat and trans fat. Both groups were told to limit their consumption of white flour and to eat five servings of vegetables and three servings of fruit each day. It was seen that the diabetic men have twice the risk of heart disease, and diabetic women, have four times the risk. The study found that the participants on the low-glycemic diet also saw significant improvements in cholesterol after six months, with increases in HDL, the so-called “good” cholesterol associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. Medicines used to control Type 2 diabetes have not shown the expected benefits in terms of reducing cardiovascular disease. Participants on the low-glycemic diet saw their hemoglobin A1C levels reduced slightly, by 0.5 percent on average, but experienced significant improvements in HDL, which increased by 1.7 milligrams per deciliter of blood on average. Those on the high-cereal diet saw smaller reductions in hemoglobin A1C and slight drops in HDL. Therefore there is a need to change the recommended diet for diabetes.

Further reading:

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/health/19diet.html?ei=5070&emc=eta1
2. David J. A. Jenkins et al. Effect of a Low–Glycemic Index or a High–Cereal Fiber Diet on Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Trial. JAMA. 2008;300(23):2742-2753.

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