John Arts                   Abundant Living                   www.johnarts.co.nz

I recently spoke to a long-term client during a regular health review. While we have been able to help several problems, she was still battling long term digestive issues that had been diagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). I cautiously added my curcumin (from turmeric) supplement that also includes OPC (grape seed extract). While OPC is well tolerated, traditional curcumin extracts are not.

Researchers have known about the benefits of curcumin for digestive health. However, the only way to lift and maintain therapeutic levels of curcumin was to add piperine, an extract from black pepper. However, piperine is a known irritant especially of the oesophagus and stomach. I have used curcumin in supplements for over 15 years. I started to get regular feedback from clients that the supplement worsened or caused reflux/heartburn type symptoms. The only option was to stop treatment meaning a return of arthritic pain.

A few years ago, I became aware of research into a 100 per cent water soluble curcumin extract with greatly improved absorption that did not need piperine. After careful analysis I started to use this in my supplements; initially in Curcumin Plus and this year in Bettaflex. The results have been impressive. Clients could get the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits of curcumin without digestive upsets.

This has meant that I can confidently advise curcumin for common digestive problems, especially IBS and digestive tract inflammation. My client has noted a significant improvement in digestive health with less discomfort. I expect this to continue to improve over time as research has shown that curcumin can positively impact gut health by improving the health of gut bacteria likely by improving the gut-brain axis by regulating the nerves that connect the gut to the brain. For more information give me a call or email john@abundant.co.nz. You can read my newsletter at www.abundant.co.nz

John Arts is a qualified nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health. Contact John on 0800 423 559. To read more go to www.sunlive.co.nz