My daughter sent this to me.  I am by nature a skeptic but thought I'd post
this to BC and PCa groups to see what you might have heard.

Kathy
aka smiley

In God We Trust
 Eat This Spice. It Could Save Your Life
 The curry spice turmeric could help prevent and possibly even cure cancer.
 Also found in yellow mustard, turmeric contains an ingredient called
curcumin that researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center in Houston say may help suppress and destroy the blood cancer
multiple myeloma. Curcumin is what gives mustard and turmeric their yellow
color.
 In the laboratory, the researchers added curcumin to human cells infected
with multiple myeloma. The result: The curcumin stopped those cells from
replicating, and the cells that were left died, reports Reuters.
 Even though the study did not actually test curcumin in cancer patients,
lead researcher Dr. Bharat B. Aggarwal is so impressed with these early lab
results that he recommends cancer patients eat food seasoned with turmeric.
And with good reason. Previous research has shown that curcumin may fight
other types of cancers besides multiple myeloma. It has also been shown to
have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can heal wounds and
possibly fight Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis. Best of all,
curcumin has no known side effects in human beings--even in large amounts.
The study findings were published in the journal Blood.
 A study last year from Kumamoto University in Kumamoto, Japan, that was
published in the journal Cancer also found that curcumin prevented cancer
and stopped tumors from growing. Reuters reports that the Japanese
researchers determined that curcumin inhibited the production of
interleukin-8 (IL-8), a protein that attracts white blood cells to a
particular site and leads to inflammation. The compound also reduced the
activity of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kappaB), a molecule that helps
regulate the gene that produces IL-8.
 What does that mean? Tumor cells secrete high levels of IL-8, which is a
protein that causes inflammation. The exact role IL-8 plays in cancer growth
is still unclear, but previous research shows it may stimulate tumor cells
to produce at the same time it suppresses the immune system. But the
compound in turmeric--curcumin--curbs IL-8. If the spice actually does what
the study findings suggest, then "curcumin is capable of working as a potent
agent that reduces tumor promotion," the researchers concluded.
 In yet another study, researchers from the University of Rochester Medical
Center in Rochester, N.Y., found that curcumin helped protect the skin of
cancer patients who were undergoing radiation therapy. A common and painful
side effect of radiation is burns and blisters. Mice who were given three
doses of curcumin for five to seven days a week along with a dose of
radiation had minimal skin damage caused by the radiation. In addition,
curcumin was found to suppress the development of new cells in tumors, which
furthers the effectiveness of radiation therapy, reports Health Newswire.
 There's only one problem with what could be Mother Nature's miracle cure
for cancer, and you won't believe what it is: Greed. To learn more about
turmeric's cancer-fighting properties, including the proper dosage, requires
large medical experiments with a great number of patients. Such ventures are
costly and are typically financed by drug companies eyeing future product
development. However, in this case, the "drug" is a natural compound.
Aggarwal explained to Reuters that no drug company can reap the financial
benefits if turmeric proves to be an effective anti-cancer drug so no drug
company is likely to pay the big bucks needed for the medical studies.

 --Cathryn Conroy