(Part 1 of two parts)
There are a lot of herbs and spices that are good for dogs. One of them is turmeric.
Dana Scott, in “Turmeric For Dogs: 5 Surprising Health Benefits” in dogs naturally.com, said research studies have shown turmeric “can trump a lot of expensive drugs” such as:
• Arthritis drugs
• Steroids
• Chemotherapy
• Inflammatory bowel disease drugs
• Anti-inflammatory drugs
“Turmeric contains a compound called curcumin – which is essentially its active ingredient. Curcumin has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, wound healing and anticancer activities. It can help fight diseases like arthritis, diabetes, cancer, liver disease, gastrointestinal issues and more,” Scott said.
1. Turmeric is anti-inflammatory
Inflammation is not only related to a joint disease in dogs. It can be a chronic, hidden inflammation that is silently killing your dog.
“It’s the root of nearly all disease,” Scott said.
Inflammation causes a lot of illnesses such as cancer, arthritis, allergies, kidney disease, dental disease, and digestive disease, she added
“Not all inflammation in the body is a bad thing. If your dog is exposed to viruses or bacteria, acute inflammation will release white blood cells to the body tissues and start the healing process,” Scott said.
But chronic inflammation which stays for weeks, months and even years is the real cause of degenerative and inflammatory health issues in your dog, she stressed.
“Researchers recently found that heart disease can be linked to dental disease. Chronic bladder infections can lead to bladder cancer. And they’re finding that chronic low-grade inflammation is a major driver of arthritis and joint degeneration,” Scott said.
A surprising but good finding based on a 2014 study showed that curcumin in turmeric “outperformed ibuprofen in people with arthritis, “ said Scott.
In another study – in 2004 in Oncogene—Scott said curcumin (as well as resveratrol) worked as well as anti-inflammatory drugs..
Turmeric, she said, worked better than aspirin and ibuprofen. Add to that the fact that turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory “medicine.”
2. Turmeric can help dogs with cancer
Turmeric, based on a UK study, was found to stop “precancerous changes from becoming cancer,” said Scott.
Turmeric can help prevent cancer and even help treat cancer naturally, she stressed.
“Nearly 1/3 of the studies done on turmeric are cancer research … and the results are very promising.Turmeric has been shown to kill cancer cells and prevent more from growing,” Scott said.
The American Cancer Society has also declared that curcumin interferes in cancer growth and spread, Scott said.
Curcumin found I turmeric, she added, has also been the focus of many because it can reduce the size of tumors and can kill cancer cells. claims,
“Half of adult dogs today will get cancer … so turmeric could be a great way to protect your dog from cancer and the inflammation that causes it,” Scott stressed. (to be continued next week)