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whole living By Laura G. Owens C urry might not be your thing but learn to love at least one of its ingredients: turmeric. This golden spice contains curcumin, a near perfect nutraceutical packed with a long list of health benefi ts backed by piles of research. Curcumin is the darling of medicinal herbs because it acts on numerous targets in the body at multiple levels. Curcumin, alleges DolCas Biotech, a R&D company that works with the nutraceutical industry, has "benefi t for most, if not all chronic diseases affl icting mankind." Among curcumin's star qualities are its antioxidant, anti-infl ammatory and positive lipid changing properties, including inhibiting atherosclerosis and reversing insulin resistance in diabetics. Some studies have also shown that it effectively addresses a variety of factors involved in Alzheimer's disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Jaw still not dropping? Curcumin has been shown to block the growth of certain tumors and might even replace the double-edged sword of chemotherapy. Unlike today's cancer drugs that target only one kind of cancer, curcumin is believed to be effective against almost every type, including the most drug-resistant. Moreover, unlike chemo, curcumin doesn't suppress the immune system or have side effects. A s an active sailor man, Popeye had to have lightning-fast refl exes at the helm. Here's a quick way to speed up your own. Research suggests that eating spinach and other foods packed with the amino acid tyrosine may improve reaction time. Say you just polished off a plate of tyrosine- rich cottage cheese and a child darts in front of your car; chances are good you'll hit the brakes in record time. Tyrosine converts to, among several neurotransmitters, a chemical called dopamine, which is involved in regulating movement, emotional response and our reward and pleasure centers. As described in a study published in Neuropsychologia, scientists found that beyond amping up refl exes, tyrosine also offers cognitive benefi ts. "Tyrosine food supplements and tyrosine-rich food are a healthy and inexpensive way of improving our intellectual capabilities," said Lorenza S. Colzato, a researcher involved in the study. "This makes them preferable to [pharmaceuticals] Ritalin and Modafi nil, products that students often reach for to improve academic performance. Tyrosine is safe and doesn't need a doctor's prescription." BOUNCE BACK WITH POPEYE YELLOW SPICE, GOLDEN CHILD Rock Body YOUR C hronic migraine sufferers will do just about anything to avoid an attack, including nixing a healthy but common trigger—exercise. In a study published in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, researchers tested an exercise regime that actually decreased migraines. Subjects participated in an indoor cycling program that involved continuous aerobic activity. The result? Improved oxygen uptake that didn't make migraines worse. Moreover, during the fi nal month of the study subjects had fewer migraines. If they did have an attack, it lasted fewer days, was less intense, and subjects were able to cut back on their migraine meds. CYCLE AWAY YOUR MIGRAINE THE ROAD TO ROMANTIC BLISS B lame your parents if you must, but a study that followed 3,000 subjects from age 12 to 32 to determine if relationship with parents infl uences future romantic connections, results showed—no surprise—that it does, whether it's harmonious or rocky. No need to worry, however; breaking attitudes and behaviors begins with tuning in. "People tend to compartmentalize their relationships," writes University of Alberta relationship researcher Matt Johnson; "they tend not to see the connection between one kind, such as family relations, and another, like couple unions. But understanding your contribution to the relationship with your parents would be important to recognizing any tendency to replicate behavior—positive or negative—in an intimate relationship." 16 wholelifetimesmagazine.com FINAL-WLT-APRIL-MAY.indd 16 3/30/14 7:58 PM