Katie Mohan, a 57 year old woman living a healthy lifestyle, started taking a turmeric supplement to reduce wrist pain and inflammation. Despite eating well and exercising regularly, she began to feel unwell, experiencing nausea, itching and a slight yellowing of the skin. Within two and a half months, her condition worsened and she ended up in the emergency room. She credits a report on supplement induced liver injuries with prompting her to seek medical help.
Medical tests revealed that her liver enzymes had reached 60 times the normal level. Her doctor said she was dangerously close to needing a liver transplant. The turmeric supplement she had taken also contained black pepper, which increases curcumin absorption in the body. She was unknowingly consuming over 2200 milligrams of turmeric extract daily, far beyond a safe limit.
Although such cases are still uncommon, studies show they are becoming more frequent, with turmeric increasingly involved. Many people wrongly assume that herbal supplements are completely safe. Katie’s experience shows that even natural products can cause serious harm if misused. She now shares her story in hopes that it might raise awareness and help someone else avoid a potentially life threatening situation.
Vocabulary:
• healthy (adj): in good physical condition
• wrist (noun): joint between hand and arm
• turmeric (noun): yellow spice with benefits
• scare (noun): sudden fear or alarm
• injuries (noun): physical bodily harm
• nauseous (adj): feeling like vomiting
• hepatologist (noun): liver disease specialist
• harm (noun): physical or emotional damage
Source: NBC News