January 19, 2018
We are proud to share the inspirational story of our founder and Chief Executive of Hidden Art, Dieneke Ferguson who beat her multiple myeloma cancer through using curcumin, a substance from turmeric, after all conventional treatment for her cancer was stopped.
Being diagnosed with MGUS in March 2007 it developed into multiple myeloma ( a type of blood cancer) by May 2008.
She had undergone three rounds of chemotherapy as well as 4 failed attempts, made on two separate dates, to harvest stem-cells for a stem-cell transplant.
In 2008 she lost her memory for three days and as a result of the myeloma two of her vertebrae collapsed also in November 2008, which subsequently were fixed with kyphoplasty, inserting a sort of ‘cement’ in the vertebrae. One vertebra could not be fixed and she lost 7 cm of height.
Dieneke Ferguson at Barts Hospital – fourth and final failed attempt to mobilise her stem cells for stem cell transplant (May 2011).
Being diagnosed with MGUS in March 2007 it developed into multiple myeloma ( a type of blood cancer) by May 2008.
She had undergone three rounds of chemotherapy as well as 4 failed attempts, made on two separate dates, to harvest stem-cells for a stem-cell transplant.
In 2008 she lost her memory for three days and as a result of the myeloma two of her vertebrae collapsed also in November 2008, which subsequently were fixed with kyphoplasty, inserting a sort of ‘cement’ in the vertebrae. One vertebra could not be fixed and she lost 7 cm of height.
Dieneke Ferguson at Barts Hospital – fourth and final failed attempt to mobilise her stem cells for stem cell transplant (May 2011).
Staff at Barts Hospital with Dieneke’s stemcells that were harvested. Not sufficient though to undertake a stem cell transplant. (May 2011)
By May 2011 the future for her life looked bleak as no other traditional medical options were available. According to statistics at the time her life expectancy was, at the very best, one more year.
Through the Margaret’s Corner blog, Dieneke found out that curcumin could potentially not only reduce but keep her cancer at bay. And in May 2011 she started to take high doses of curcumin (8 g a day). The protocol that Dieneke has been following as described in Margaret’s Corner blog, is the protocol used by the curcumin-myeloma clinical trial (2007) at the MD Anderson Cancer Research Centre, Houston, Texas .
Eight years down the line and her cancer count is stable and not causing her any more damage. As a result her case was written up in the British Medical Journal and was published in April 2017 – Long Term Stabilisation of Myeloma with Curcumin.
Subsequently in May 2017 the BBC Radio 4 Food Programme in their Programme on Turmeric interviewed Dieneke and her consultant and co-author of the report Prof Jamie Cavenagh (Consultant Haematologist at London’s Barts Hospital ).
On 25 July 2017 her account was published in the Daily Mail ‘How Curry Spice helped a dying woman beat cancer‘ It was also picked up by This Morning, ITV (25 July 2017) the online editions of the Sun and Metro of 25 July 2017.
In January 2018 the British Medical Journal published its most read Case Studies in 2017 and the Case Study about Dieneke’s case was second on the list. This led to a new article from the Daily Mail on 3 January
This was picked up by a whole range of papers including the Times There was also interest from BBC 4 Radio Programme You and Yours , BBC Asian Network. as well as their Facebook Page. She also appeared on ITV This Morning on 8 January and the BBC London News that same day.
Please note that this is her own experience with curcumin in relation to multiple myeloma. Dieneke is not a specialist and cannot give any advice on any other cancers or more specific questions in relation to multiple myeloma. Everyone reacts differently.
Dieneke states:
“I hope that my story will lead to more people finding out about the amazing health benefits of curcumin. I also hope that as a result of the publicity more research will be undertaken so that the curcumin may become freely available on the NHS and can help others as well.
I am so pleased that two of the pictures in the Daily Mail article feature me in Brazil when I was running with the Olympics Torch for Airbnb in July 2016 in Passo Fundo in the South of Brasil. Airbnb is an online marketplace which lets people rent out their properties or spare rooms in their house to guests. This has helped me pay for the curcumin which costs me approximately £50 for 10 days. “
Kiss of the Flame, Torch Relay, Passo Fundo, Brazil, 3 July 2016
Both designers & makers as well as people with cancer have been contacting Dieneke and posting messages on her personal Facebook Dieneke Ferguson and Twitter @gerhardina. The messages have been very heart warming and Dieneke is pleased that she is able to pass on her experience to others.
Dieneke also gave a presentation about her Experience on the Myeloma Info Day, London, 18 November 2017.
For anyone interested in more details on the type of curcumin she used please see here
https://hiddenart.co.uk/2018/01/19/how-our-ceo-dieneke-ferguson-beat-her-incurable-cancer-through-curcumin/
Details of the type of curcumin taken by Dieneke Ferguson
Dear friend,
I hope that this will help you in combating your illness. But please remember that I am not a doctor and have been taking this for my personal use. Every human body reacts differently so you will have to experiment to see what works for you. So, please note that the 8 g per day I have been taking for multiple myeloma cancer has so far worked for me. But I must say it is the recommended amount. Some research has also been done in regards to curcumin in relation to other cancers. However I cannot advise on that and the quantities might not necessarily be the same. Please also note that curcumin doesn’t cure you but keeps your cancer cells under control. So in a way your cancer becomes a chronic illness. If you stop taking the curcumin the cancer will come back.
I took curcumin whilst not having any chemo. I don’t know how it works if you are also taking chemo. In any case I would suggest that you take the curcumin as far as possible from your chemo so that both don’t interact with each other.
The brand I have been taking is Dr Best C3 Curcumin with Bioperine 1000mg pills. The key ingredients are the 3 types of Curcumin (hence C3) and the bioperine, which is pepper that helps with the absorption. There are other brands available. The key thing is that they have C3 Complex curcumin with bioperine and that they are 1000 mg pills.
Subsequently after the case study was written up I found out that Sabinsa the company that manufactures the C3 Complex Curcumin with bioperine also sells the curcumin. This is the link to the C3 Complex Curcumin at Afisupplements.com . Their pills come in pots of 60 pills instead of pots of 120 pills.
I was taking 8 g all at once at night with an empty stomach as it helps with the absorption. However other people take it at a different time of the day. In fact, I am currently taking 9 g per day.
When you start, you build up over 4 weeks. The first week you take 1 pill (1 g) , week 2: 2 pills (2 g), week 3: 4 pills (4 g) and week 4: 8 pills (8 g).
The protocol comes from Margaret’s Corner blog and the initial protocol is here. In the end everybody has a different way of taking them. Margaret’s latest update on her protocol is here
I normally Google the companies that offer the Dr Best C3 Curcumin or look on Amazon. They are about £50 (pot of 120 pills) but some e-shops give a discount depending on quantity you buy, so I mostly buy 5 or 6 at a time. So it is worth your while to shop around. When you compare the prices, make sure to take into account the shipping as well.
You might want to listen to the 30 minute long BBC4 Radio Food Programme. The episode is called Turmeric and gives a good overview of the many aspects of turmeric. In addition to myself the presenter Sheila Dillon also interviews my consultant Prof Jamie Cavenagh about my case during the last 6 minutes of the programme. During the programme, other people are interviewed and talk about different uses of the curcumin as well. The link to the Turmeric Programme is this . Here you will also find details of the Case Study and Margaret’s Corner blog.
You can read my journey with my cancer here.(See top article)
Good luck
Dieneke
https://hiddenart.co.uk/details-of-tcurcumin-taken-by-dieneke-ferguson/
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Doctor's Best, Curcumin, High Absorption, 500 mg, 120 Capsules
By Doctor's Best
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Package Quantity: 120 Count
120 Count
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Turmeric root (Curcuma longa) (Curcumin C3 Complex) 1000mg
Standardized to >95% Curcuminoids
Including:
Bisdemethoxy Curcumin (2.2% - 6.5%)
Demethoxy curcumin (15 - 19%)
Curcumin (75 - 81%)
Product Rank:
#1 in Curcumin
#21 in Herbs & Homeopathy
https://my.iherb.com/pr/Doctor-s-Best-Curcumin-High-Absorption-500-mg-120-Capsules/13
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(Note: One of the latest bio-absorbable curcumin is Theracurmin available from Natural Factors and Kordels)
Natural Factors write-up on Theracumin:
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Article below is from Sabinsa the maker of Doctor's Best Curcumin C3 supplement
(The brand name BioPerine is also owned by Sabinsa Corporation Source: https://www.superfoodly.com/best-turmeric-curcumin-supplement/)
(The brand name BioPerine is also owned by Sabinsa Corporation Source: https://www.superfoodly.com/best-turmeric-curcumin-supplement/)
India-made turmeric extract gives UK cancer patient new lease of life
A woman's deadly blood cancer was stopped in its tracks when she began taking a daily dose of an Indian-made compound based on turmeric, prompting experts to call for further research.
Ferguson had myeloma diagnosed more than a decade ago. Her illness has an average survival of just over five years - making it one of the most fatal forms of the disease. It was rapidly spreading - causing increasing back pain - and she had already had a second relapse.
Treatment with chemotherapy and stem cells failed and she faced a third relapse. After research online she began taking 8 grams of curcumin, one of the main compounds in turmeric, each day in a tablet made by Indian company Sabinsa, costing £50 every 10 days.
Doctors said that, despite having no further treatment, her condition had remained stable for the last five years. Her case was published in BMJ Case Reports.
Dr Abbas Zaidi, a haematologist at Barts NHS Health Trust, said, "Here we describe a myeloma patient who started a daily dietary supplement of curcumin when approaching her third relapse.
"In the absence of further antimyeloma treatment the patient plateaued and has remained stable for the last five years with good quality of life."
The remarkable improvement described in BMJ Case Reports follows previous research into the health benefits of turmeric, which is packed with antioxidants.
In India, the benefits of turmeric have long been recognised by traditional systems of medicine and are known to every homemaker. But as kitchen turmeric contains two per cent curcumin it would be physically impossible to eat enough to get the same dose.
In the West, since the turn of the century more than 50 clinical trials have tested curcumin - the pigment in turmeric that gives it that bright yellow colour. These suggest the spice can protect against lung disease, myeloma, cancers of the pancreas, colon and breast as well as Alzheimer's, heart disease and depression.
It has also been shown to help speed recovery after surgery and effectively treat arthritis.
Writing in BMJ Case Reports, Dr Zaidi said, "Curcumin is a polyphenol derived from the perennial herb turmeric and has - for centuries - been used as a traditional Indian medicine.
''Several reports published over the two decades have claimed various health benefits of curcumin and this has led to its increasing popularity as a dietary supplement to prevent or treat a number of different diseases.
''The biological activity of curcumin is indeed remarkable.''
It produces multiple effects through its ''natural antioxidant, anti-in ammatory, antiseptic and analgesic properties.''
Dr Zaidi added, ''Here, we present a case of a heavily pretreated relapsing myeloma patient who, in the absence of further treatment options at the time, started daily curcumin and has since remained stable for the past five years.''
Dieneke continues to take curcumin without further anti-myeloma treatment and her cancer cell count is negligible.
Dr Zaiudi said, ''Over the last 60 months, her myeloma has remained stable with minimal uctuation in paraprotein level, her blood counts lie within the normal range and she has maintained good quality of life throughout this period.''
Dieneke, who lives in north London, first came across the potential remedy on the internet and decided to try it as a last resort.
Myeloma occurs when the white blood cells produced in the bone marrow multiply uncontrollably and stop producing the normal antibodies needed to fight infection. The process causes bone damage, intense pain, fatigue and nerve damage.
Dieneke uses a product from Sabinsa made from three forms of curcumin molecules and which has been recommended by patient forums.
The tablets are relatively expensive even by UK standards, but provide a form of curcumin that's better absorbed by the body.
This woman shares how TURMERIC helped her recover from blood cancer - Times Now
New Delhi: We already know that turmeric is a wonder spice, which provides a plethora of health benefits - ranging from preventing cancer to aiding in weight loss. Now, a woman claimed that taking this potent spice, rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, has helped her overcome her deadly myeloma - a cancer of plasma cells in the bone marrow.
According to a report published in the British Medical Journal Case Reports, Dieneke Ferguson, 57, was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2007 after complaining of high blood pressure. She underwent three rounds of chemotherapy and four stem cell transplants, however, the treatments failed to work and her cancer began to spread rapidly.
It is reported that the cancer was also causing increasing back pain and she already had a second relapse. After research online and stopping conventional medical treatments, in 2011, she started taking 8g of curcumin a day - one of the main compounds in turmeric - as a last resort. The tablets, which contain a high level of curcumin, are expensive costing her £50 for 10 days.
Dieneke, who took eight grams of curcumin - the equivalent of about two teaspoonfuls of purely powdered curcumin - each night on an empty stomach, is now leading a normal life. Doctors say her case is believed to be the first recorded instance in which a patient has recovered just by using curcumin without conventional medical treatments.
Dieneke, who took eight grams of curcumin - the equivalent of about two teaspoonfuls of purely powdered curcumin - each night on an empty stomach, is now leading a normal life. Doctors say her case is believed to be the first recorded instance in which a patient has recovered just by using curcumin without conventional medical treatments.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in which curcumin has demonstrated an objective response in progressive disease in the absence of conventional treatment,” her doctors, from Barts Health NHS Trust in London, wrote in the British Medical Journal Case Reports.
A few months later, she also embarked on a once-weekly course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (90 min at 2 ATA) which she has maintained ever since.
Despite having no further treatment, over the last five years, doctors said her cancer had remained stable and her blood counts are within the normal range with daily curcumin.
Her case has prompted to do further research on the spice. Curcumin in turmeric is well-known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. A number of studies linked curcumin to improved brain function and a reduced risk of lung disease, heart disease and depression.
About 5,500 people are diagnosed with myeloma -- a relapsing-remitting cancer for which there is currently no cure -- every year in the UK.
* Disclaimer – Sami-Sabinsa’s products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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Links
BMJ Case Reports - Long-term stabilisation of myeloma with curcumin
Margaret's Corner blog - Living with smoldering myeloma in Tuscany
BBC podcast on turmeric:
Phase I Study of Surface-Controlled Water Soluble Curcumin (THERACURMIN CR-011L)
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BioPerine
Composition: 95% piperine
BioPerine is technically a brand of ingredient, not the finished product you buy. Curcumin capsules and powders include this ingredient to increase absorption. Typically the amount of BioPerine used is less than 1% by weight.
The brand name BioPerine is owned by Sabinsa Corporation, which manufactures and supplies alternative and natural products including herbal extracts, minerals, and cosmetics. Dr. Muhammed Majeed founded Sabinsa in 1988 and today, the company employs over a thousand people with operations in 11 countries throughout the world.
Although most known for pairing with curcumin, BioPerine’s active ingredient – piperine – has been demonstrated to increase absorption of CoQ10, selenium, vitamin C, beta carotene (vitamin A), resveratrol, and numerous other water and fat soluble vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids.
What is BioPerine complex good for? Well, this peperine-derived product has undergone U.S. clinical trials to validate its safety and efficacy of increasing the bioavailability of not just curcumin, but many other nutrients, too. This method and composition were patented.
The previously mentioned clinical trial that was published in 1998 had examined BioPerine absorption in both rats and humans3. Rats had a much higher absorption rate than humans for both basic curcumin and curcumin with BioPerine, but both groups saw an increase in curcumin concentration in the blood when BioPerine was used.
For humans, when 2g of curcumin per kg of body weight was administered, the maximum blood serum concentration reached was 0.006 mcg/ml. When the same dosage was given with 20 mg of BioPerine, it boosted the levels of curcumin in the blood to 0.18 mcg/ml. It’s true that’s a 30-fold increase, but the decrease from 45 to 60 minutes is dramatic as you can see.
The BioPerine patent (5,536,506) was filed February 24, 19955. A patent is good for 20 years, which means that this one as well the several child patents granted under it are now expired.
That being said, even though nothing legally prevents a competitor now from ripping off Sabinsa’s composition, it still continues to be a good idea to buy products which contain their branded ingredient. Why? Because they have a proven track record of manufacturing it. Newcomers may – or may not – manufacture it as uniformly. After all, Sabinsa has had 20+ years to perfect that process.
The BioPerine ingredient is sold to numerous supplement manufacturers. That means that in addition to the most widely known and best rated turmeric supplements using it, some cheaper (e.g. store brands) and lesser-known brands use it, too.
https://www.superfoodly.com/best-turmeric-curcumin-supplement/
Source of information on above blogs and links:-
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MOSTLY PERSONAL BLOGS OF MYELOMA PATIENTS OR THEIR CAREGIVERS
Source of information on above blogs and links:-
DON'S MYELOMA DIARY
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