Tumeric (cucurmin) For Depression

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RAPID THERAPY FOR DEPRESSION WITH AVEA

 

By Dr. James Howenstine, MD.

December 30, 2005

NewsWithViews.com

 

Approximately 10% of the persons visiting physicians in the United

States are depressed. Pharmaceutical drugs are widely dispensed to treat

depression but all have disturbing side effects. Safe alternatives will

probably be readily accepted by the U.S. public.

 

Depression can be found in individuals who are:

Lacking the essential omega 3 fatty acids

 

Using synthetic transfats in their diets (soy, corn, saffola, canola,

sunflower seed oils)

 

Vitamin D deficient This can even be found in persons who cover

themselves with sunscreens and wear sunglasses when out in the sun. The

RDA for Vitamin D of 400 I.U. daily is set far below the correct

requirement for maintaining health of 1200 I.U. daily. As a consequence

60% to 70% of U.S. citizens are Vitamin D deficient.

 

Depression and every psychiatric illness in the psychiatric nomenclature

can be found in persons with undiagnosed infections[1] (toxoplasmosis,

Lyme Disease {borrelia burgdorfi}, mycoplasma, fungi, yeast, parasites).

 

All the above conditions should be rectified before starting any therapy

for depression as many depressed patients will have a favorable response

to correction of these health problems.

 

How Safe Are Widely Prescribed Pharmaceutical Drugs Used To Treat

Depression?

 

The two most widely used U.S. pharmaceutical types of anti-depressants

are the older tricyclics and the newer more potent SSRIs. Among the

tricyclic anti-depressant drugs are amitryptiline (Elavil), Etrafon,

Limbitrol, desipramine Norpramin, doxepin Sinequan, trimipramin

Surmontil, protriptyline Vivactil).

 

Significant side effects that can be seen with tricyclic

anti-depressants include heart attack, stroke, abnormal

electrocardiograms, low blood pressure, coma, seizures, hallucinations,

tremors, tardive dyskinesia (often permanent movement disorder involving

the extremities), neuritis, anxiety, insomnia, fluid retention,

paralytic ileus, inability to empty the bladder, constipation, rash,

hives, bone marrow depression, abnormal liver function, vomiting, breast

enlargement in males and females, impotence and weight gain. The older

tricyclic anti-depressants have less SSRI effect than the newer SSRI drugs.

 

The currently most popular category of anti-depressants are the SSRI

drugs (selective, serotonin reuptake inhibitors) (fluoxetine Prozac,

sertaline Zoloft, paroxetine Paxil, citalopram hydrobromide Celexa.).

 

A serious under appreciated problem from SSRI drugs is gastrointestinal

bleeding in the elderly. Anti-depressant drugs act by causing more

serotonin to be available to the brain where it promotes calmness, peace

and contentment. The greater the inhibition of serotonin uptake the

greater the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding.

Taking SSRI drugs diminishes the amount of serotonin that is available

to platelets to cause blood to clot. Generally the platelets use the

excess serotonin absorbed during reuptake. When this process is blocked

by SSRIs there is less serotonin available for platelets .and formation

of clots is less effective.

 

In a recent study published in the British Medical Journal 317,824

Canadians in Ontario over the age of 65 were followed. During the study

974 of these persons developed upper gastrointestinal bleeding. 41% of

the bleeding patients had been taking the high inhibition SSRIs (Paxil,

Zoloft, Prozac). The risk of bleeding jumped by 9% in persons using

medium inhibiting SSRIs (imipramine Tofranil and amitriptyline Elavil)

when compared to those on lower inhibiting drugs (desipramine Norpramine

and doxepin Sinequan).

 

Patients who had previously experienced upper g.i. bleeding were 5 times

more likely to bleed again and persons in their 80s had a 3 fold greater

chance to bleed than persons who were between 65 and 70. The use of

anticoagulants, cortisone, or NSAID drugs at least doubled the risk of

bleeding.

 

SSRIs can cause nausea, headache, dry mouth, anxiety, insomnia,

diarrhea, sexual dysfunction and tremor. The worst side effect is

psychotic episodes called serotonin syndrome. Persons on SSRIs over age

65 might want to consider switching to a less dangerous non

pharmaceutical depression therapy. SAMe is quite effective but very

expensive. B complex with supplemental vitamin C and phenylalanine,

omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil or flax oil), or St. John’s Wort (SJW) all

can clear depressions. Drug interactions can be seen with SJW which must

not be taken with SSRIs as serotonin syndrome may appear. Taken alone

SJW is remarkably safe.

 

Few U.S. citizens realize that the mass murderers who committed the

Columbine High School, Red Lake and other fatal school violence were

nearly universally taking Prozac or similar SSRI anti-depressants. Eli

Lilly Company knew that Prozac could cause users to commit violent acts

against self (suicide) or against others (mass murders) but this

information had been carefully hidden as awareness of this information

would have certainly hurt the sales of this drug and other similar SSRI

pharmaceuticals.

 

What Is Avea?

 

Tumeric (cucurmin) has long been used

in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine

as an anti-inflammatory, to treat digestive disorders and liver problems

and for the treatment of skin diseases and wound healing.

Cucurmin stimulates the production of bile and facilitates emptying of

the gall bladder. In animals cucurmin protects the liver, has anti-tumor

action, reduces inflammation and fights some infections.

 

Avea is an extract from the root of Curcuma longa commonly know as

tumeric. Nutramedix has a proprietary formulation of cucurmin that is

more effective than conventional cucurmin because of special extraction

and enhancement techniques.

 

The primary uses of Avea are as an anti-depressant, antioxidant and

anti-inflammatory agent. Cucurmin has found wide acceptance as a

valuable therapy to suppress inflammation in persons found to have

elevated CRP values and elevated sedimentation rates Statistical

analysis of large populations has revealed that persons with elevated

sed rates and CRP values are at greater risk for heart attacks and

strokes than persons with normal CRPs and sed rates. Bringing CRP and

sed rate values back to normal in these persons is believed to stop

arteriosclerotic injury to arteries. Presumably inflammatory changes in

the inner membranes of the arteries (endothelium0 are being healed by

cucurmin.

 

A study published in the June 2005 issue of the European Journal of

Pharmacology titled The effects of cucurmin on depressive-like behaviors

in mice looked at two animal models of depression. Neurochemical assays

showed that cucurmin produced a marked increase in serotonin and

noradrenalin levels in the frontal cortex and hippocampus in the mice.

Dopamine levels were increased in the frontal cortex and striatum

regions. Monoamine oxidase activity was inhibited in the mouse brain.

 

The German Commision E reports that cucurmin has no known

contraindications, no known side effects and no known interactions with

other drugs. In May 2005 toxicology studies were completed on Nutramedix

Avea at the University of Guayaquil, Ecuador. No toxic effects were seen

even when the animals were given doses 160,000 times the equivalent

human dose.

 

Patients suffering from depression report relief from depression within

a few hours to a few days after starting Avea. A 38 year old woman had

been seriously depressed for more than 10 years despite therapy with

several different pharmaceutical drugs. When started on her first dose

of Avea she felt less depressed after 30 minutes. The depression was

gone in 24 hours but the therapy was continued.

 

The dosage of Avea is 10 to 12 drops three or four times daily. Patients

who respond rapidly to Avea should remain on this therapy for one to two

months to allow the body to reset neurochemical balances in the brain.

Patients who have been taking SSRI drugs should slowly taper off SSRI

therapy over many weeks.if they wish to terminate SSRI therapy.

 

We think that persons trying Avea for depression will be pleased with

this safe rapidly acting therapy. Avea can be obtained from

naturalhealthteam.com phone 1-800-416-2806 and from nutramedix.com phone

1-561-745-2917.

 

Footnotes:

 

1, Strick, Frank Townsend letter for Doctors & Patients April 2004 pg.

123-125

 

 

 

© 2005 Dr. James Howenstine