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Turmeric Circumin Yay or Nay?

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suzare
suzare Member Posts: 33
edited January 2022 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

Forgive me if this has been discussed before. I have been taking Turmeric for years for its anti-inflammatory benefits. I have researched whether it is safe to use when you have breast cancer and especially on an AI (Anastrozole in my case) and I have found many conflicting studies that say no to and to take it as it can prevent breast cancer. I have seen incidentally, that other ladies take it with good results. Can anyone weigh in on this? As I have read through so many threads on here, I see many other supplements recommended that have shown good benefit, especially on AI's., so I go right out and buy them (after a little research). Thanks in advance for any advice. I need to add that the MO I saw just once in this whole journey said no and the RO I saw many times, said yes. Confusion reigns.

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  • lillyishere
    lillyishere Member Posts: 770
    edited January 2022
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    I was very enthusiastic on starting turmeric couple years ago when I started letrozole but it didn't work for me. I stopped and I got better. Sometimes, I like to have a golden milk and it seems that turmeric does increase SE of letrozole in my case. Also, I was getting bruses because it was thinning my blood above the normal levels.

  • rah2464
    rah2464 Member Posts: 1,192
    edited January 2022
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    Suzare my MO always references the herbal/supplement guide at mskcc.org, Memorial Sloan Kettering website. The herbal reference is a little hard to find now on their website but it is still there. It will tell you if certain supplements have possible interactions or if they are phytoestrogens, which would be important for you. I seem to remember I wanted to take Curcumin/Tumeric but I couldn't because it mimics estrogen. But it has been a while since I looked it up.

  • suzare
    suzare Member Posts: 33
    edited January 2022
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    Hello Ky, and thank you for the reply and the reference. I am still finding studies that agree with MSK and just as many who don't. To err on the side of caution, I will stop using it. All the best to you. ~ Susan

  • suzare
    suzare Member Posts: 33
    edited January 2022
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    Hi LillyIsHere (love the name) Thank you for the input on Turmeric. I'm sorry you had such a bad result with the Turmeric. Good thing that you stopped taking it with no long terms issues. I think we are all on the journey to finding that magic bullet with some helpful results and some that end up being a caution. I'm sorry to see that you have the same cancer as I do. I am three months post surgery, two weeks past radiation and one week on Anastrozole and quite honestly, my head is still spinning as I try to navigate the new normal. I wish you all the best with your cancer journey. ~ Susan

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