Curcumin or Turmeric Extract
 

I have noted in some of my reply posts that I have seen an end to my body twitches over the past two months. The change I made was including a 900mg capsule of Curcumin to my daily regimen. I am finishing a 60 capsule bottle and needed to replenish my supply. As I research Curcumin, I found some interesting information.

Curcumin has been shown to reduce the collection of amyloid plaques in brain tissue. Amyloid plaques are thought to be the primary cause of Alzheimer's Disease and are also observed in the brain tissue of those suffering cognitive struggles from head injuries.

For me, the ability to go to sleep without having to worry about my body getting stuck in twitching mode.

If anyone is going to try curcumin, it appears to be sold in 300 mg, 450 mg and 900 mg dosages. It has a very low absorbability so one needs to take a large dose, 900 is recommended daily, to allow the small amount absorbed to be effective. It is also best to take it with food and especially fatty food or fish oil. It is fat soluble so consuming it with fat can help the absorbability.

It can be pricy at $20 for 60 900 mg capsules. It is put on sale frequently so this price can be halved by a careful shopper.

there are other curcumins with increased absorption:

1) Curcugel 500mg

2) LongVida Curcumin

You can Google these. the Curcugel is not so expensive.
but the LongVida product (often used in studies now), is more costly.

Yes, I know about these higher bio-available curcumin sources. Research shows that they have usually a 20% greater absorption. They sell for as much as twice the cost of the common curcumin supplements for a 20% greater absorption..

You could try turmeric tea, easy to make and inexpensive. I don't know the potency as I have just started looking into it. I know it's easier to drink than apple cider vinegar. Have you ever had a twitch that feels like someone kicked the bed, not as hard as the falling down body jerk and it seems to happen after I fall asleep?

Thanks mrsD, I may have to check on those. The AOR one I am using is quite expensive but the ND tells me it's one of the best if I can find it.

Mark, I noticed my hand shakes/twitches have faded as well. Not sure why, it used to be a warning signs for me. Happened about a month or so after starting my curcumin and higher magnesium dose.

I have been taking turmeric since a couple of months 500mg and have seen significant improvement in my sleep twitches. Apparently my sensitivity to bumps and jerks is much improved and I can drive in my car without having to keep a cushion under me. I dont know if turmeric helped that but it certainly made my twitches go away. Definitely worth a try for PCS as it might help with many other symptoms too

LongVida brand is now licensing out at a lower price to good companies like NOW....

NOW's brand is called CurcuBrain. one capsule a day is all you need. 400mg of highly absorbable curcumin.

Thank you. I will definitely look into this brand it looks interesting . currently I use scortis healthcare's curcutis-95 and its also good. Its one of some brands that contain piperine as well for better absorption. After trying a few brands I finally got something that suited me and I felt good. But it's pricey.

Organic India's turmeric formula is worth a try as well its a reputed brand.
Good luck to you and have a speedy recovery :)

I don't have a TBI.... but I do have arthritis and inflammation, and that is why I use the curcumin (CurcuBrain). ;)

I've read that taking turmeric with pepper (regular black pepper) also greatly increases its absorption. My dad takes it for Raynaud's syndrome (bad circulation in extremities) and noticed a big improvement after he started using pepper too.

Edit: I also put a good heap of turmeric in my eggs every morning. Tastes pretty good!