Aloha everyone and Happy New Year,

I have been trying to research natural treatments for Alzheimer's since my father was diagnosed in early December. I came across some information about Turmeric and that it seems to help break down the plaque that causes Alzheimer's... as well as a ton of other great info about the health benefits. Here's a great link to some turmeric info.

This is where it gets interesting though. Early Christmas morning I was taking a meditative hike, thinking about my family so far away, thinking about my father... wondering what it must feel like to know that you might soon forget your friends and family. Wandering through the wet forest in my own fog of melancholy, I found myself in a giant patch of Turmeric. Most of the above-ground portions of the plants had died back, but the bright golden-orange rhizomes were unmistakable. I don't believe in coincidences, so i harvested some and took note of the location. I don't think my parents would be too keen on figuring out how to use the whole rhizome, so i think i will send them some capsules of the standardized extract for now. I don't even think it's legal for me to mail them the fresh roots from Hawaii.

I have started to use the roots myself. For the first few days I just blended them in with my green smoothies in the morning. For the last 4-5 days I've blended two thumb-sized pieces into 8oz of fresh green coconut water first thing in the morning. I can't describe it, but something just tastes instictively right about this mixture. I'm thinking about doing a 2-3 day fast with just this mixture.

Does anyone have experince with fresh Turmeric beyond it's use as a spice? I know it is loaded with Curcumin which is supposed to be great for the immune system. I will probably start this fast on Sunday and I will post any observations.

Arugala, If you read this, do you have any insights into Curcumin?

Aloha nui loa, Greg

I love fresh turmeric. It is very supportive to the liver and great for inflammation.

I've been making ginger turmeric tea for a few years, and it does wonders for my skin.

a low carb ketogenic diet was found to be effective in a mice model of alzheimers...

if trying this id suggest virgin coconut oil as an easily metabolized fat source, due to its MCT content.

also exercise should help... it improves blood flow, and helps rejuvenate the brain.

also i would try drinking green tea and maybe start popping some cordyceps capsules.

boosting the immune system with medicinal mushrooms may help clear out all the plaque build-up.

turmeric has many benefits, but bioavailability of cucumin (most studied component) is poor... it might be better absorbed when dissolved in fat/lipids, as is the case with traditional curry preparations.

Thanks for the responses everyone!

Jono, Do you think if I add a tsp of coconut oil to the turmeric and coconut water smoothie that it would help with the curcumin absorption?

Thanks and happy new year! Greg

Well, cucumin is lipid soluble, so my guess is adding some fat when consuming will help... similar to how adding some olive oil to a salad increases absorption of fat-soluble nutrients.

I might also try adding some turmeric powder to a warm tea made with green tea and fresh ginger... ginger and green tea both enhance bloodflow...

there's some evidence that adding a pepper extract (piperine) to turmeric aids absorption... some supplements are made with this formulation, im not crazy about extracts but maybe in acute conditions they are desirable...

hey maui greg

i know that u probably already know that cilantro juice is good for chelating heavy metals

so i was just thinking that if ( and i emphasize "if" the cause of the alzheimers was related to aluminum ( since a lot of people used aluminum pots and pans for cooking as well as wrapping stuff in aluminum and sticking it in the oven and also deodorant contains aluminum...stuff u probably already know.. but anyhow..)

do u think that giving your dad the choice of drinking some freshly made cilantro juice ( with whatever else he wants to put in it to flavor it) might also be a good addition to your curative methods?

just an idea

also, i've not had much experience with turmeric other than that it always made my hands and fingers yellow if i got some on my hands and even water would not take away the yellowish color

sorry i can't give u more advice on that

but i am touched that you would explore those methods for your dad
you really care about him

bless you

If you are interested in looking into other options, you may want to check out the book Excitotoxins by Russell Blaylock. He discusses Alzheimeer's in it along with nutritional and pharmaceutical considerations.

Wishing you vibrant health

You can also check www.garynull.com . He has many articles about Alzheimeer.
Thanks a lot for the information about turmeric.I knew that it is an amzing liver and bile cleanse,but I didn't know so much good things about it.Thanks again.

Wow, A big Thank You to everyone for all the helpful responses... i will look into all of them.
One of the biggest difficulties that I am facing is the distance between me and my parents...They're in Florida and I'm in Maui. My father is 80 and my Mom is 70. They are retired and have nothing but free time, but they do not seem to want to spend any extra time preparing juices or healthy food alternatives. i know if I lived near by and I could make the stuff for them, that they would take whatever I made. They are very supportive of my raw lifestyle and when I visited in early December I bought a buffet of great raw food dishes from a place called Veggie Magic in Sarasota (check them out if you're in the area) and they really enjoyed it. Unfortunately they can't drive more than a mile or two from home. The saddest part by far, is that they are already set in the belief that it's too late for them, that nothing they can do now (besides taking pills) will help. I try to be encouraging without being pushy. I try to use the David Z Mason approach and encourage them to find what feels good, to find fresh fruit that they love and just eat more of that, but unfortunately they seem to have given up. Heartbreaking to witness, but I will continue to try to help... at least if i send them supplements in pill form I know they will take those.

Once again, Thank You to everyone here, you are all so wonderful and caring and I hope this new year brings continued health and happiness to everyone in your lives.

Side-note: LaV, funny thing about the Turmeric staining everything yellow... As I've been experimenting with different mixtures of fresh turmeric I noticed that it stained my skin and cutting board and I was worried that it might stain my teeth too. When I look in the mirror after drinking it, my teeth look fine... but now my toothbrush is bright yellow! weird.

Wow Pistachio, I just read some articles by, and interviews with Dr. Blaylock about excitotoxins. Horrifying... but great information, especially about the yeast extract that companies are using instead of MSG. So many of my "health conscious" vegetarian friends eat food with that stuff in it all the time...scary!

Thanks for the great info!

Aloha nui loa, Greg

Greg, sorry to hear about your dad and your worry over not being geographically close to your parents. You sound like an emotionally close and loving family. I believe that is even more important.

It appears the Universe sent you fresh tumeric doesn't it?

I received some equally disturbing news about my sister yesterday. I feel that 2008 will be a challenging and growing year for me and my family. I am glad I found raw the fall before last so I am physically up for it.

I have been saying something to myself my friend said a couple of months ago and although it seems so simple, I find it comforting. She said "Things happen the way they are supposed to."

Happy New Year!!

Curcumin have many other benefits other than cognitive functions. I use it every day to combat my pain with arthritis, as it acts as an anti-inflammatory. If I miss a day or two I can really tell the difference.

I've also read that it could possibly lower cholesterol, restore kidney function from kidney disease. It also helps with indigestion, reduce cataracts, multiple sclerosis and inhibits certain cancers. Also HIV patients responded to curcumin treatment.