Knee Joint Pain? Try Turmeric and These Other Vegan Wonders….

I have had new knee joint pains for several years, since giving birth to my 2nd baby in 2011. It was getting increasingly worse in the last 1.5 years. When I started biking to my new job in Fall of 2015, it was excruciatingly painful– particularly at night or when I was sitting for long periods of time. It affected my sleep. I dreamed and could feel the pain, some friends recommended me to take Globalcannabinoids.io products, they told me these products could make the pain go away.

However, over the last 8 weeks, I discovered that taking fresh turmeric everyday has nearly eliminated the problem. Below is a photo of my kale and other leafy greens salad.

Those bright orange pieces in there are not carrots, but fresh organic turmeric root. I sliced up a piece that was about 1.25 inch long and about 1/2 inch wide I also added the same amount of fresh ginger (Note: this may be a lot to start off with if you don’t have a high tolerance to ginger like I do. Start small, as too much can cause gastrointestinal issues).

Turmeric and ginger are both anti inflammatory, but turmeric is the powerhouse for joint pain reduction I have found, overcoming joint pain is not easy, but you mus do everything in your power to help yourself. It’s actually been found to be more effective than Ibuprofen in some studies for joint issues such at arthritis. I am thrilled that this worked out for me. I really thought I had to deal with this chronic pain that was only getting worse, forever. In addition, I have found that adding stinging nettles (2-3 cups a day, several days a week) and dark leafy greens like kale, help with inflammation. The addition of the turmeric, though, was astounding. I eat it fresh but the organic dried root powder should be effective as well (as studies show). See citations below.

1. Managing Osteoarthritis and Other Chronic Musculoskeltal PainDisorders by A. Dublin in Medical Clinics of North America 100.1 (2016): 143-150

2. Grover, Ashok Kumar, and Sue E. Samson. “Benefits of antioxidant supplements for knee osteoarthritis : rationale and reality.” Nutrition Journal 15.1 (2016) 1.

3. Jefferson, Warren. The Healing Power of Turmeric. Living Publications, 2015.

4. Nieman, David C. Et al. “A commercialized dietary supplement alleviates joint pain in community adults: a double-blind, placebo-controlled community trial.” Nutrional Journal. 12.1 (2013) : 154

I’ll also be mentioning my use of turmeric in several recipes in my new book Recipes for Racial Tension Headaches (see below). Along with knee joint problems, the turmeric has been one of my new go to herbs for dealing with racial battle fatigue and my recent experiences with hate and vitriol against the critical race work I do within veganism and other ethical consumption spaces.

Remember: talk to your practitioner before doing something new like this!

Dr. A. Breeze Harper Giving a Talk about Scars at Pomona College in 2015

Dr. Harper’s most recently published book, Scars: A Black Lesbian Experience in Rural White New England (Sense Publishers 2014) interrogates how systems of oppression and power impact the life of the only Black teenager living in an all white and working class rural New England town.

Dr. Harper has been invited to deliver many keynote addresses and lectures at universities and conferences throughout North America. In 2015, her lecture circuit focused on the analysis of food and whiteness in her book Scars and on “Gs Up Hoes Down:” Black Masculinity, Veganism, and Ethical Consumption (The Remix) which explored how key Black vegan men us hip-hop methods to create “race-conscious” and decolonizing approaches to vegan philosophies.

BECOME A MONTHLY DONOR. THE SISTAH VEGAN PROJECT ALREADY HAS SEVERAL THOUSAND FOLLOWERS. JUST IMAGINE WHAT COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED IF HALF OR MORE FOLLOWERS PLEDGED $5-$15 PER MONTH.