After extensive research, I decided to begin taking today two supplements, Turmeric Force and Resveratrol Synergy. If supplements that battle Multiple Myeloma interest you, there are many sites where you can find information.Two, in particular, I found extremely readable and well-documented, not only for studies on turmeric (or curcumin) and Resveratrol, but other alternative treatments for MM:
http://www.beating-myeloma.org
http://margaret.healthblogs.org/
Beating-myeloma.org is essentially a forum for alternative treatment approaches to MM, whereas Margaret's blog, entitled "Margaret's Corner," contains a diary of Margaret's adventures in MM with quick links to studies about these and other supplements or alternative treatments. I recommend both as level-headed and well-written sites that really helped me navigate the "alternative" world of treatments for MM.
Interestingly, a study on the effect of curcumin (a major ingredient in the spice Turmeric, pictured above) was conducted at MD Anderson. Dr. Aggarwal is the main contact, and I e-mailed him directly for dosage advice at aggarwal@mdanderson.org. Aggarwal wrote back to me quickly and suggested I consider 500 mg of both Turmeric Force and Resveratrol. I'll report the effect of these supplement, if any, as they unfold to me.
I suppose you could say I'm particularly sold on the healing properties of curcumin/Turmeric because, while undergoing chemotherapy/dexamethazone treatments from November of last year (2006) to January of this year (2007,) I ate Turmeric spiced foods every day. At the time, I was doing it on the advice of a nutritionist and good friend in Austin named Mark Anthony (who wrote Gut Instinct, a really sensible and fascinating book about diet.) Turmeric is also suggested by Andrew Weil, whose book Spontaneous Healing is a must-read for anyone wishing to get healthy.It may be that eating Turmeric for three months nearly every day contributed to the free-fall my m-Proteins underwent in those early months of my diagnosis. It may have been a combination of alternative measures I used (and am using, but for six weeks when I could not during the auto transplant) which have brought me success so far. One can never be certain. But I don't believe supplementing with Turmeric and Resveratrol can hurt me. Certainly, just eating more Turmeric (found in traditional east Indian food) can't hurt at all.
Of course, Turmeric is very spicy--as are most east Indian dishes. Since I'm still a bit nauseated, I'm introducing this spice as I feel I can. Some people just don't like the taste. (One guy at the forum said Tumeric tastes like dirt to him.) Thankfully, I love Indian food, so I don't have that problem. All I need to do now is learn how to make my own Indian food. I do love curry, as well.
I used to eat all of these spices on a combination of broccoli and brown rice. But that's something I can't even think about eating without my stomach leaping inside of me. So, like I said, I'm taking the supplement and putting Turmeric into whatever I can (such as soup.) I seem to tolerate that pretty well, right now.
The Resveratrol is essentially Grape Seed Extract (pictured above,) which I've known for years as a great way to get rid of a bad cold. Since my immune system is apparently the area of my body most affected by MM (though I'd never know it--I've hardly had a single illness throughout my life AND throughout this cancer,) I can see what benefit Grape Seed Extract/Resveratrol would have.
Like I said of Turmeric, I'll report as the effect of Resveratrol unfolds to me.
