Day 15 - 21 of taking turmeric everyday

Sometimes it is easier to describe something when we have something to compare it against. I've been trying to look for changes and differences. This is after all a practice in attentiveness. The 21 days have come to an end. What did I see? Well, it took me three months to find the words.

[Read about Week 2 here or start at the beginning with Day 1.]

There were three things I was trying to observe as a possible effect from taking turmeric everyday: the amount of hair fall, the effect on my skin and whether my knee is better.

Honestly, I couldn't tell during week 3 if I'm keeping more of my hair on a daily basis, but I remember that at some point during the second week it looked as if tumeric was helping in that department. Fast forward 3 months later (when I finally sat down to write this piece), my hair is back to falling as much as it did before, which is not to say that it is not falling at a normal, average rate.

What is clear, however, is that my knee was definitely better with turmeric supplementation. How do I know? I had run out of the turmeric supplements and immediately after went back to my family home to help with spring cleaning, and later renovations. It was more activity than I'm used to and, lo and behold, my knee held up. Until the following month, that is. I was keeping up the active lifestyle, more or less, and whenever I did anything strenuous for a length of time, I could feel it as I walk up the stairs.

In fact, I ended up hurting my back. This time, I was saved by a different supplement. There needs to be more research to see if this can be scientifically backed and it might not work for everyone. For me, magnesium worked like a charm. Just magnesium, by the way, not something else plus magnesium on top. Mind you, there are different types out there so do your homework and check in with your body to see if it's for you or otherwise.

What about my skin, then? Did anything improve? I can't tell. The wound caused by a cat scratch had healed completely. The ensuing 'bumps' around the wound has cleared up. It took about two weeks or so. Something strange I noticed one month later was that my face was drying fast. It could have something to do with the new skincare I got, or something in my body has changed so that I'm not properly hydrated despite drinking generally 4-6 glasses a day. I heard that adding salt would help and the better (best?) among them is not Himalayan Salt as we might believe but Celtic. That, I suppose, would be another interesting experiment. On that note, can anyone suggest a good hydration monitor apart from checking the colour of pee and how pruney our lips get?

After 21 days, would I take tumeric again? As far as I know, it hasn't caused harm, but that wouldn't be why we'd take a supplement. It helped with hair fall up to a point, it definitely helps maintain knee joint health and, finally, it seemed to help with skin healing somewhat. Don't expect miracles, least of all the overnight variety.

On another note, I feel that a different experiment with the amber spice is in order - to find its relationship with my body, particularly the effect it has on my menstrual cycle which is currently irregular. That would take longer, something like 3 to 6 months. You know what? I'm going to do it :)

Wishing you health in all of it's forms xo