How Turmeric Heals Asthma and Eases Breathing
Disease is often regarded as something complicated—it seems we secretly believe this is why everyone is so sick, and getting sicker.
It certainly is true that the full sophistication of the body and its afflictions are far beyond the reach of our current understanding (despite the arrogance of some scientists). This doesn’t mean that the underlying causes of disease can’t be thought of simply, though. By dissecting and deconstructing everything, modern medicine convolutes each part, and loses the simplicity of the whole.
One prominent example of a simple medical principle that is too often ignored is the role inflammation plays in disease.
Inflammation is often referred to as “the root of all disease.” This may seem like hyperbole, but it’s surprisingly close to the truth—experts now acknowledge that nearly every disease ever studied can be correlated with chronic inflammation in some way (as opposed to acute inflammation, which is a natural and necessary defense mechanism).
Because chronic inflammation is the body’s own immune response gone haywire, it provides an elegant illustration of how disease is simply a sign of imbalance in the body. Healing is therefore less about tweaking and “fixing” individual pieces, and more about bringing the body back into overall alignment.
This is not to say that targeting specific health problems isn’t worthwhile, but only that we need to return to natural medicines and practices that serve particular therapeutic functions while balancing the body as a whole system. On the contrary, pharmaceuticals and invasive medical procedures target one problem, only to create others in the form of side effects and complications.
One natural medicine that strikes this balance with almost miraculous efficacy is turmeric, a culinary spice turned panacea that happens to be one of the most remarkable anti-inflammatory agents on the planet.
If you’ve been following the buzz within the natural health community for long, you may already be aware of turmeric’s many talents. Thousands of studies attest to turmeric’s healing mechanisms, which have been proven useful for the treatment and prevention of arthritis, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, and many other diseases and conditions.
While there are individual effects and mechanisms that explain how turmeric works its magic for each of these diseases, its anti-inflammatory power is the fundamental reason why it’s able to combat so many different health issues.
And now researchers have discovered yet another inflammation-linked condition that turmeric heals: asthma and other bronchial issues.
Breathe easy with turmeric
Scientists have long understood that asthma is brought on by chronically inflamed airways—figuring out a way to deal with this underlying inflammation has been more confounding.
Traditional treatment of asthma usually takes the form of inhaled corticosteroids, which lower bronchial inflammation only for short periods of time. Inhalers are the equivalent of continually taking painkillers rather than healing the underlying inflammation causing the pain. Furthermore, corticosteroid use comes with a long list of side effects, including mouth infection, suppressed immune function, increased risk of cataracts and osteoporosis, and severe allergic reactions.
These side effects are simply accepted as a matter of course (even though inhalers don’t even heal asthma in the long-term), because asthma is considered a lifelong disease with no cure.[1]
Turmeric is beginning to prove this fatalistic belief wrong. The wide-ranging successes showcased in other turmeric studies have made the mainstream medical community much more willing to test it as a treatment for other inflammatory diseases. Many scientists now even admit that healing chronic inflammation with functional foods and lifestyle modification is a powerful approach to treating illness.[2]
One prominent study implemented curcumin (the primary anti-inflammatory compound in turmeric) as an “add-on” therapy for bronchial asthma. Participants who took 500 mg of curcumin twice daily (in addition to their conventional asthma medication) experienced a greater improvement of airway obstruction, and the add-on produced no side effects.[3]
While studies on asthma and turmeric have been going on since the 1990’s (when researchers discovered that turmeric clears phlegm buildup, alleviates coughing, and prevents asthmatic reactions),[4] studies have only recently returned to the concept that turmeric could be a replacement for (not just an add-on to) conventional asthma medications. The first study cited above did not report that curcumin had “clinical efficacy,” because it was framing curcumin as a sort of amplifier for the main treatment (corticosteroids) rather than a primary treatment itself.
But other recent studies have demonstrated the directly asthma-healing effects of turmeric, including its ability to decrease acute airway inflammation,[6]
Trying turmeric for yourself
If you suffer from asthma, recurring bronchitis, or other respiratory issues, turmeric could be a great ally for you.
Just make sure that you seek out a turmeric product that overcomes curcumin’s low absorbability, such as Purathrive’s Liposomal Turmeric with Fulvic Acid. The folks at Purathrive have pulled out all the stops and created a product of unparalleled potency and effectiveness, thanks to its liposomal delivery, full-spectrum formulation, and fulvic acid content (which helps immensely with nutrient absorption).
Always remember that asthmatic reactions can be severe and life-threatening events. Don’t stop taking your conventional medication without talking to your doctor first. Pay attention to what your body needs; making the switch to natural medicines is a special and empowering process, but it must be done with common sense and great care.