South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Turmeric helped postpone hip replacement surgery
By Joe Graedon, M.S., and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D.
Q: I was suffering from arthritis when I read your column about the value of turmeric. I bought some at the local pharmacy to take, and the pain went away almost at once. Consequently, I put off the hip replacement that my doctor was only too eager to schedule.
A man from India owns my neighborhood gas station. When he asked me what I did to be able to walk so much better, I told him about the turmeric. Later, a lady who works at the pharmacy told me that suddenly four people had come in to get turmeric there. Can you tell me anything more about it?
A: Turmeric and its active ingredient curcumin are familiar to practitioners of centuries-old healing practices such as Ayurvedic medicine. Over the past few decades, scientists have been considering the antiinflammatory properties of these compounds. One review of clinical trials in people with osteoarthritis found that those taking curcumin had less pain and better quality of life (Drug Design, Development and Therapy, Sept. 20, 2016). They also used less pain medication.
Q: I have heard for years that calcium tablets go through your system without ever dissolving and therefore do no good. Is there a liquid calcium on the market that might be better absorbed in my body?
A: Some calcium tablets are poorly formulated and don’t dissolve well. As a consequence, you can’t absorb the nutrient from them effectively.
Others, however, work well. ConsumerLab.com, which tests many supplements, has found that liquid calcium citrate (Bluebonnet) is absorbed well and makes a reasonable calcium supplement. It is less likely to pose a choking hazard for people who have trouble swallowing large tablets.
Q: I have had a chronic dry cough for years. Workups with allergists, pulmonologists and even a gastroenterologist have not turned up the cause. Pulmonary function tests have ruled out asthma or COPD.
My prescriptions include metformin, glimepiride, simvastatin and losartan. The latest is Singulair for the cough, but it hasn’t helped.
Do you have any ideas? I’m feeling rather desperate.
A: Most doctors know that ACE inhibitor blood pressure medicines like lisinopril can cause a persistent cough. They may not pay attention to a drug like losartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), because they perceive it as unlikely to trigger cough. Research in rabbits does show that losartan is less likely than lisinopril to cause a cough (Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, April 2013).
Nonetheless, this does seem to be a possible, though less common, side effect of losartan. Other readers have reported cough when taking an ARB, and the official prescribing information notes: “Cases of cough, including positive re-challenges, have been reported with the use of losartan in postmarketing experience.”
We don’t know if losartan is causing your cough. However, it would make sense to ask your doctor if you could try a blood pressure medication that is neither an ACE inhibitor nor an ARB.
In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Send questions to them via www. peoplespharmacy.com.