A cornerstone of (My) Health
As I like to point out in my book (yes that was a shameless plug): “it doesn’t happen to you until it happens to you”. When I got diagnosed in 2011 with a particularly tenacious cancer (that had already spread) I figured drastic times called for drastic measures. I cut almost all animal protein out of my diet, and started researching what I could do to kill off, or at least slow the growth of, the cancer cells that I KNEW were already lurking in my body. One of the first things I specifically and consciously added to my diet to help this fight was Turmeric.
Healthy cells die and renew naturally. We turnover almost all of our 10 Trillion body cells every 100 days. Cancer cells however overstay their welcome by somehow turning off their suicide genes. What Turmeric does is reprogram back the self-destruct mechanism into cancer cells. It’s a complex process you can try to understand here. Turmeric it seems can block every stage of cancer transformation, which is why it’s worth taking for cancer prevention (remember, “it doesn’t happen to you until it happens to you”) as well as an adjunct to treatment. Turmeric’s benefits extend well beyond cancer however. The anti-inflammatory benefit Turmeric has on heart health is so great that 1 tsp taken once a day is equivalent to 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise a day (yes you read that right). Turmeric AND exercise of course is better again.
Turmeric’s anti inflammatory effects have been shown to benefit suffers of osteoarthritis, lupus, ulcerative colitis and even inflammatory eye conditions. I take 1/2 a tsp a day in a smoothie, as well as a further 1/2 tsp in soup a few times a week.
What’s This Got to Do with Teeth?
Turmeric has been found to significantly reduce postoperative pain following surgery. If you’re getting your wisdom teeth removed (or any other surgery for that matter) you should take Turmeric before and after the procedure. Don’t get fooled into taking a Turmeric derived (Curcumin) pill though. As is often the case, the plant beats the pill by a considerable margin.
(Dr T is dentist Brett Taylor. After being told he was probably going to die a lot sooner than he expected (or wanted) he suddenly became focused on health. Go figure)
Dr T Simple Health Checklist
- Eat 4 Brazil Nuts once a month to reduce cholesterol
- Eat 4 tablespoons of flax meal (30g) a day to reduce blood pressure
- Take ½-1 teaspoon of ginger per day
- Take ½ a teaspoon of AMLA powder per day
- Put 2 Green Tea Bags in a water bottle and sip during the day
- Take 1/2-1 teaspoon a day of Turmeric a day