Hi,
I have decided to start taking a Turmeric supplement in my never ending quest to alleviate itching' and have bought a box of "ultra turmeric with black pepper and vitamin D" made by Vitabiotics. Each capsule contains 13g turmeric.
Does anybody know if this is a safe dose to take with the aspirin and 1000 mg hydrea?
As always thanks for being there.
I am not quaified to answer that but have a quick chat with your doc. Safest.
My mpn specialist advised me not to take tumeric and I also am on baby aspirin and 1500 mg hydra
My doctor at hospital knows I take them and said it was ok
Thank you for your responses.The worrying part about this is we all seem to get different advice, but I guess none of us are the same.
My haematologist says my pruritus is not down to PV because I itched way before my bloods went haywire, and as such he re referred me to a dermatologist, rather than recommend anything. I saw a MPN specialist as a one off second opinion who said to try anything , just introduce one thing at a time. So from my research I have gathered that curcumin/ turmeric seems to help.
I think I'll give the local pharmacist a ring.
Worth bearing in mind that Turmeric is a blood thinner. So if you already taking aspirin or coumadin/warfarin, or any other such drug, do check with your hematologist!
Oh gosh. Thanks for that. I didn't realise turmeric was a blood thinner. I take aspirin as well.
Unfortunately conventional medics have very little training in benefits of combining natural meds with ‘conventional’
Also unfortunately seeing a functional practitioner etc is for those who can afford it .
I have been advised it’s fine to take curcumin with aspirin but don’t know about hydroxy
Hi, I have PV and have had problems with itchy skin but as a result of the PV rather than anything else. I was taking anti-histamine (cetirizine) with paracetamol in the evenings to try to calm things down before sleep due to itchy skin attacks during the evening. I'm currently on 75mg aspirin and 500mg/1g alternate days hydroxycarbamide.
I've been taking a turmeric supplement for some months now (Holland and Barrett 400mg capsules, 2 capsules daily) along with another anti-inflammatory called NAC (also from H&B). 13g of turmeric sounds an awful lot and as someone rightly points out it does have an anti-coagulant effect and so shouldn't be taken if you're already on serious blood thinners. Mine are taken with the haematology team's consent although not sure if they're that into this stuff. Have a look at Carolyn Katzin's PowerPoint presentation from 2017 in the pvreporter.com website where she explains the potential benefits of anti-inflammatory food ingredients including turmeric (curcumin) and their inhibition of the cytokines underpinning our condition. Don't though take any supplements without involvement of your haem team. Angela Fleischman and Robyn Scherber (all in the USA) are also interested in these types of ingredients and their potential to inhibit symptoms at least.
The bonkers thing I do which I believe does prevent the itchies is a cold shower on alternate days. This is supposed to help the immune system and according to Wim Hof in his book has an inhibiting effect on several of the cytokines. Ever since I started I've not had a single itchy skin attack other than slight tingling for about 15 mins after the shower. I do miss having a soak in a warm bath and it was rather grim in the cold weather a couple of months ago but I suppose no pain no gain. I broke all the rules and started on turmeric, NAC and the cold showers on the same day but after some experiments do believe it's the cold shower that stops the itchy skin. There is more information in the pvreporter website about the 'itchies' (no mention of cold showers though!) but I for one don't subscribe to the idea of rubbing in moisturiser after a shower as my skin was never dry to start with and it didn't help.
This does seem to be a very personal and trial & error approach and different things appear to work for different people. I suspect some foodstuffs may aggravate the itchies as well - for me it's anything very salty such as crisps. Again the pvreporter document on this indicates foodstuffs to avoid but I found keeping a food diary useful in the early days to try to pin things down.
Hope this helps and good luck.
Paul
Thank you so much for your comprehensive reply. I shall take a look at the Carolyn Katzin's power point and I am a big fan of Angela Fleischman and Robyn Scherber. It's from Angela Fleischman's talks I have decided to try turmeric. It sounds like I've bought the wrong dosage but it was all they had in my local pharmacy. I'll pursue a bit more professional guidance before taking anything.Am seriously thinking of trying the cold showers and you are the only other person who has actually agreed with me that moisturizer doesn't help. I have never had dry skin either. It's so good to hear from other people with similar symptoms.
Thank you once again.
You might find skin brushing before shower good. Very invigorating !!!
Some of the benefits may include:
stimulating the lymphatic system.
exfoliating the skin.
helping the body rid itself of toxins.
increasing circulation and energy.
exfoliation.
helping to break down cellulite.
Why is turmeric so very expensive in the little capsules? I stir a tiny amount into my morning glass of homemade kefir, and hope for the best. Aldi, 49p for 40g.
Always get the best quality supplements you can afford . . Supermarkets won’t be selling high quality .
You cannot take Tumeric if you take Hydrea as per my hematologist.
Turmeric ok!
turmeric in inflammation in PMF
Turmeric dose guidance 
Update on my treatment plan and Turmeric Shot 
Any success with turmeric? Or anti inflammatory diet? 
