I'm in an interesting spot. After my PCR had gone up from undetectable three months ago, I decided to start taking Curcumin and see what happens. My last PCR went undetectable again. I was happy, no way to know if curcumin was the cause but it didn't seem to be hurting anything so I figured I would keep taking it. Over the past week or so I have had two things happen that appear related to blood quality. I have started bruising pretty bad, I have three large bruises on my legs. These are real black and blues and not the skin abrasions I typically get below the skin surface. I also have had an increase in the Cherry Hemangiomas that I have been dealing with since I started taking Gleevec. No one can tell me why I have been getting the Cherry Hemangiomas for certain, but it appears it could be something to do with the capillaries and potentially the quality of platelets (my actual platelet count is fine).
I did some further reading on Curcumin and found the following:
"Animal research suggests that curcumin (the active ingredient in the yellow spice turmeric) has anticoagulant action. Both ginkgo and curcumin appear to keep blood platelets from sticking together to form clots."
Bruising and Cuts
Other serious side effects of taking curcumin include being able to bruise easily and having cuts that cease bleeding at a very slow rate. People who experience these side effects should notify their doctors immediately.
Read more: Curcumin Side Effects | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/...l#ixzz1zwKAdzOv
Hemorrhagic Stroke Symptoms
Some people might experience a very dangerous side effect of taking curcumin. Hermorrhagic stroke symptoms are potentially dangerous curcumin side effects. Hemorrhagic strokes occur when the brain bleeds. People might notice either numbness or weakness of the legs or arms (or both), changes in speech and vision, or persistent, extreme headache. In these situations, emergency medical attention should be sought.
So I'm really not sure one way or the other. I've decided to stop taking Curcumin for now and see if things clear up a bit. I will probably try again and see if issues return, in which case I would have to abandon it all together. It sucks, because I believe there is a benefit to it. Obviously everyone will react different, but I would suggest being aware and keeping an eye out for these things if you have decided to experiment with it.