Turmeric gets Roz back on top
WHEN Roz Palmer P l was hit with crippling back pain that kept her awake at night and stopped her from being active, she sought relief in everything from physio to painkillers.
‘I was going to the gym a couple of times a week, doing a five-mile walk on Saturdays and going away with my sons for walking holidays,’ says Roz (right).
‘The back pain came on over a couple of weeks. When I went to an outdoor party a gang of us started playing cricket and it finished me off — my back was really bad after that and I could hardly stand upright.’
Doctors could tell there was something wrong but were unable to find the exact cause. After 18 months, Roz was at her wits’ end.
‘Physiotherapy and osteotherapy didn’t bring lasting help and I didn’t want to take anti- inflammatory pills for long. My mum had heard about turmeric and I thought I’d give it a go.’
Helping Roz would be no easy task. Back pain would wake her up when she turned at night. It could take several minutes of careful preparation to get out of bed each day, and standing still for just 30 seconds could result in discomfort.
This all changed after only three weeks of taking turmeric. ‘It’s like a whole new world for me. I feel better during the day and I’m not waking up at night. At work, I’m not hanging on to desks to get from one place to another.’
Professor Alf Lindberg, former secretary of the Nobel prize committee for physiology or medicine, explains the advantages of a formulation made by a Cambridge-based
company. ‘It is well known that curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) is poorly absorbed in the gut.
‘In our supplement we combine curcumin with lecithin to prevent it being destroyed in the stomach. This allows it to be absorbed and distributed around the body.’
The company is now offering a money- back guarantee to customers who do not feel a difference after their first pack.
‘I thought the chances of turmeric being this good were low, so I’ve been terribly impressed by it,’ says Roz. ‘Keeping mobile is key to helping my back pain and it helps me to do that. My movement has improved no end. I can climb hills with my sons again!’