PMR and the Dr. Gundry Lectin elimination Food Plan

I haven't seen it mentioned in the PMR support group but have seen it mentioned in other groups. Here's a search of Connect if you want to scan through the comments while you wait for members with PMR experience to respond - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/comments/.

I know that this chat room is a helpful and caring place and it is in that spirit that I respond to the post by @lamoore about Dr Gundry's lectin elimination food plan for inflammation. I am EXTREMELY disliking of Dr Gundry and his con, to put it plainly. I have looked at, reviewed, and seen interviews with this man. My opinion is based on the unfortunate time I have spent watching and evaluating him and other medical charlatans over the last 6 years. The internet has created a vast ocean of these and other cons. If Gundry's "diet" is free, then by all means try it. His ideas and diet, which is heavily dependent upon buying his supplements, has been shot down by peer reviewed research. Lectins do exist, but data as to them harming us is non-existent. Lectins , most, are broken down by cooking. As for his diet being anti-inflammatory, no proof exists for it being as such. I am all in at trying anything if it is within reason and price. I, for example, have incorporated acupuncture into my treatment for PMR. For the price and time invested, I find it a helpful part of the package. Others on this chat space may find that a waste of money. So be it, for them. I just have a special place in the "disgust" part of my brain for Gundry, et al. Interested in this topic of challenging "Drs" and their miracle cures and ideas, then check out Dr Mike at https://www.youtube.com/@DoctorMike who has had many of these people on as guests to describe what they are doing. I think you might find it interesting. Even Dr Mike, a celebrity Dr, is suspicious to me but so far he is not "selling" anything. He interviews many of these internet celeb Drs. I was quite impressed with his challenge, yet respectful approach. His Gundry interview is quite telling, for me. And his interview with Dr Gupta is refreshing. Respectfully....

I am a registered dietitian and have no respect for Dr. Gundry's opinions, as do most nutrition experts. Beans are a common staple in people who live to be over 100. that should tell you a lot.

@petermccarville
I see you believe acupuncture helps inflammation. Someone on here mentioned vibration therapy to relieve inflammation and pain of PMR. Do you have any thoughts with vibration treatment?

@caroljeand I never said that acupuncture helps inflammation. And, if I implied that, I apologize. I am not realy sure what and how acupuncture works for me. My wife has seen direct response from it in the form of jumpstarting her ovulation after being diagnosed as perimenopausal in her twenties. That resulted in a great daughter 27 years ago. For me, I have had response with acupuncture for overactive bladder. It just so happens that the main stream medical urology world uses this hack from the acupuncture world. Acupuncture for me is still a bit mysterious as to what it does and how it works. I have no training in it and have to rely on the "expertise" of my acupuncturist. BTW I did finish a 9 month round of prednisone for my PMR. I am not advocating against western medicine. I embrace it. I have no thoughts on vibration treatment as I have never heard of it. I have jokingly said (prior to PMR) that if a man dancing on a table in front of me, naked, helped with an illness I had, I would probably go for it. As long as he did not charge too much! 🙂

@caroljeand. You got me interested in the vibration therapy idea for inflammation. I looked it up and found this journal article on it. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11323691/. I had heard of it for muscle training and actually had an experience with it in Germany about 15 years ago. And, my wife actually used it as a therapy when recovering from knee surgery in Germany at that time. Not sure how it might enhance healing or help with PMR inflammation but worth investigation. I think that PMR inflammation is inflammation that has gone haywire or rogue. It is inflammation (systemic) that is not caused by some sort of trauma to the body. I have always looked at this kind of inflammation (PMR-type) as an overreaction of the CNS (central nervous system) and not as a response to some sort of trauma to our body. One might call that kind of inflammation a "healthy inflammatory response" while PMR inflammation is rogue and unwarranted.

@petermccarville
I mention the vibration therapy because someone on this site felt that it helped her PMR. I have a friend with a machine I want to try.
It makes sense that possibly it stimulates circulation and I connect the same with acupuncture you mentioned. They both are probably healthy and beneficial in some manner and just wondered if you had any thoughts on it.
Thanks.

@petermccarville
If you feel PMR is not tied to trauma I have to share my experience with you.
Last June I caught the back of my foot in the storm door and ripped open the back of my heel. It was a traumatic injury and I needed seven stitches. It was a difficult recovery with swelling and inflammation. During recovery I was feeling strangely weak and attributed it to my body’s energy going to the healing.
Also my flexibility was compromised and eventually couldn't get in and out of the car and had trouble getting up and down off the toilet. The injury was last week of June and was officially diagnosed with PMR last week of August (took 3 weeks for an appointment)! I already knew I had PMR before the diagnosis as my mother had it and knew the symptoms.
The genetic link is real.
I always wondered if I would get PMR as I saw how miserable she was and dreaded getting it. Thankfully we have new means of dealing with it today.

@caroljeand Thanks for the story and the connection to trauma. I think I need to clarify what I meant by trauma. When one gets a sprain of the ankle. An actual traumatic event like a fall or a misstep in which the ankle overly bends. That is a trauma and inflammation starts in that area of the damage. That kind of inflammation is what I meant when I referred to "healthy" or warranted inflammation. It is inflammation that is necessary to heal a wound (a trauma). On the contrary, I had shoulder and hip inflammation during my PMR experience but I never had a trauma to those areas. I do agree with you that trauma can trigger PMR and that trauma can be both a physical and psychological types of trauma. Many people in this chat room have spoken about being in an enormous stressful event(s) prior to PMR. Others have had accidents (traumas) that have brought on PMR in their opinion. An others have spoken about illnesses or vaccinations or operations that have been followed by PMR. I don't doubt them that PMR and those events have a relationship/connection. Inflammation in the right amount and in the right place(s) is a good thing. Given that, I do not see any reason for PMR inflammation! Great discussion. Yes, the genetic link is real too. I am just speaking to one of my many many cousins who is 58 and newly diagnosed. Out of 7 aunts and uncles (I have) we know of atleast 5 that had it. Many of the children (over 30 of them) of those 7 are starting to get it of late.

@petermccarville
Thank you for clarifying… the connection between my injury and PMR was so clear to me.
I asked my rheumatologist this week if my trauma was related to my injury and if I am healed, shouldn’t my PMR be in remission - she said it’s not that simple. I asked if it was my diet - she said “no”. So, it’s a mystery disease and it exercises our coping skills.
Sorry to hear you have so many relations affected by this, but it underscores how genes have such influence on our lives. I only have one brother and at the age of 86 doesn’t show any signs and have two children in their forties. They are well aware of this disease and fingers crossed, they will escape it.
Best wishes😊