Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhizomatic herbaceous plant belonging to the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is native to southwest India (also cultivated in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and most of Southeast Asia), where plants are gathered annually for their rhizomes and propagated from some of those same rhizomes in the following season. When not used fresh (like ginger), the rhizomes are … Read more
In recent years, science is finally beginning to grasp the obvious fact that the human body is a system, so that when something goes wrong in one part of the organism, it has effects in other parts of the organism as well. The most obvious example of this is the new focus on the microbiome … Read more
This post serves as a follow-up to yesterday’s post on the relationship between trauma exposure and neuroinflammation. This review article comes from Frontiers in Neuroendocrine Science. This is from the abstract: Inflammasomes activate pro-inflammatory caspases 1 and 5, which then cleave the precursor forms of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-18, and IL-33 into their active forms. … Read more
This is an interesting overview of the current research on how inflammation can play a role in depression, schizophrenia, and autism. I suspect there is much more research to be done in this realm, but I believe they need to stop using pharmacological interventions targeted at a specific molecule or hormone in the immune response … Read more
Over the last decade, research into curcumin (Curcuma longa, a constituent of turmeric that gives the curry spice its yellow-orange color) has demonstrated potent chemoprotective and chemopreventive effects, as well as use as an anti-cancer therapy. Curcumin produces anti-cancer effects through several different channels: Inhibits the proliferation of tumor cells Decreases inflammation Inhibits the transformation of … Read more
We have known for quite a while that children who experience abuse and/or neglect in childhood are more likely to have metabolic disorders as adults (i.e., be overweight, have type-II diabetes, high blood pressure, and so on). The mechanisms of action have not been clear, other than an awareness that it involves inflammation. The researchers … Read more
New research from Richard Davidson’s team at the U of Wisconsin has identified gene expression changes in meditation. After eight hours of mindfulness practice, the meditators showed a range of genetic and molecular differences, including altered levels of gene-regulating machinery and reduced levels of pro-inflammatory genes, which in turn correlated with faster physical recovery from … Read more
Dr. Charles Raison with the Dalai Lama. Dr. Charles Raison is the Barry and Janet Lang Associate Professor of Integrative Mental Health with the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Arizona (with a joint position in the School of Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry). Dr. Raison joined the UA to … Read more