Re. Tumeric
--I have both OA and RA and have been instructed to use Tumeric. I have been using an organic powder/spice form that I just sprinkle on my hard boiled eggs, avocado and tomato in the morning. Would this form be comparable to a tablet form?

The fat in the avocado may help absorption some....but tumeric that is "raw" and not solubilized somehow, is just not absorbed much. It will remain mostly in the GI tract and may provide some local anti-inflammatory actions there.

The studies that were done showing promise for body inflammation used specially optimized curcumin to enhance absorption thru the GI tract and into the blood stream.

My thinking is sprinkles are not much in dose I have a swansons turmeric phytosome with meriva and each cap is 500mg, I take one per day for sure. Also have a weaker turmeric that is 720mg per cap and says 2 per day. both from swansons. I make soups at least once a week, and pour 2 caps of turmeric in my soup.

Thanks Mrs. D,
for your information and response.
I bought this product from WalMart: Spring Valley, Turmeric Curcumin. 500 mg. It comes in gel capsule. Facts,: Turmeric 500 mg (Curcuma longa) (root) Other ingredients: Gelatin,Contains < 2% of Silica, Vegetable, Magnesium Sterate.
__No: gluten Yeast, Wheat,Milk or milk derivatives,Lactose,Sugar,Perservatives,Soy,Artifi cial color, artificial flavor, Sodium,(less than 5 mg per serving.)

I want to ask you if this is an OK Turmeric supplement.
--Thank you

This is not an optimized product.... it is probably just going to stay in your GI tract and be move out with the stool.

The active curcumin is not soluble in water environments... so one has to use an optimized produce like was used in the recent medical studies.

If you type in "optimized curcumin" you'll find those products.

I use CurcuBrain by NOW.... and it is working for me some. Not spectacularly yet, but then that will take time I think. I get mine at Amazon. I don't think many stores have the newer more soluble products yet.

I've been taking MSM powder for a lot of years, heard about it from a person on the roadback group who deals with RA and he takes higher doses of MSM for pain reduction. I take most days 1 tsp three times per day in spring or distilled water. I can feel the pain leave my body as I drink it down.

My neighbor who has very limited funds now reluctantly is injecting with Orencia and pointed to her head where she is losing so much of her beautiful curly hair.

MSM has worked for me for a lot of years and I continue with it....when I start to hurt more I know it's time for a tsp of MSM.

My major issue is Osteoarthritis but recent blood work showed RA factor. C

I intended to post this MSM link with the above, but forgot to.

http://www.webmd.com/arthritis/news/.../arthritis-msm

Rheumatoid arthritis doesn't happen to people because of a lack of turmeric or MSM powder in their diets. RA happens when genetically prone people ingest lectins.

The solution? ......Stop ingesting lectins, along with the carbohydrates which cause undigested foods to enter the bloodstream.

Lectins are extremely sticky proteins which the immune system can react to. Cartilage cells attract lectins from foods like wheat, beans and potatoes. The immune system recognizes the lectins as an infection. The immune system attacks the lectin molecules, and attacks the cartilage they cling to.

The old medical saw which says autoimmune diseases happen when the immune system attacks "self" tissue by mistaking it for "not-self" antigens is simply false. The immune system is far smarter than that. RA represents the immune system performing its job. RA sufferers are simply over-taxing their immune systems.