Once Upon a Turmeric

My love affair with turmeric began more than four years ago. This was how it started. This is my story.

I had my routine blood test in 2013, and found that I have rheumatoid arthritis (RA)!

RA is an inflammatory disorder that affects your joints. It occurs when your immune system mistakes your body’s health tissues for foreign invaders.

To be honest, my limited knowledge of this disease went as far as associating it with old people. Wrong! I was mistaken. I confused RA with osteoarthritis (OA), another common joint conditions, occurs most often in older people. OA is aptly called wear-and-tear arthritis.

Upon consulting my rheumatologist – considering my age (I was 47 then), and the fact that I hardly had any symptoms associated with the disease, I was not prescribed any medication. Also once taken, I will be required to take them for the rest of my life, which is to be avoided, if possible. Since I didn’t experience much pain (except for some occasional discomfort), I left it at the backburner and continued my life as per normal.

A few years later, totally unrelated to my earlier diagnosis, my husband and I decided to go to an Ayuverdic center in Bangsar for some general treatment. We were in India prior to that, and we had an introductory taste of ayuverda. The experience was magical! We loved it.

The trip to the center opened up my eyes to a whole new world of alternative healing, and traditional medicine. For the uninitiated, Ayuverda is a system of medicine native to India.

Ayuverda is based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a delicate balance between our body, our mind, and our soul. Our life forces or energies called dosha, control how our body works.

They are VATA dosha (wind), PITTA dosha (fire), and KAPHA dosha (water). Everyone inherits a unique mix of the three doshas. I learnt that my doshas are a combination of VATA PITTA – the elements of wind and fire!

What took me by surprise was – with VATA dosha as my main life force, it is thought that I am more likely to develop several conditions, one of which being rheumatoid arthritis! I was blown away, knowing that the ‘likelihood’ of having RA was already a reality for me. I was already diagnosed with RA a few years earlier.

As part of my treatment plan, I was advised to drink a concoction of raw turmeric with some fenugreek, soaked in one cup of hot water, as a start to my early morning ritual.

I was told that turmeric is a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, and it may also help improve symptoms of arthritis.

At that particular time, my thinking was …. just try it. It is natural, no chemical addition, no harm.

I have been consuming the turmeric with fenugreek drink, every morning, for almost five years now. God bless my helper for preparing this miracle drink for me all these years. Based on my annual medical checkup, I am pleased to share the following:

1. 1) Rheumatoid Factor (RF) : from 128 IU/ml in 2013, reduced to 42.3 IU/ml in 2019. The healthy reference range is <20.0 IU/ml;

1. 2) Cholesterol : from 6.3 mmol/L in 2016, reduced to 4.7 mmol/L in 2019. The healthy range is <5.2 mmol/L.

Over the years, I have shared my story with as many people who would listen. I have helped a few friends with inflammation problems like gout, and joint problems. They have benefited from consuming the turmeric with fenugreek drink, as part of their daily habit. The key point here is consistency. If it works for me, it can possibly work for you.

Try it. It doesn’t hurt to try.