A new way of looking at nutrition
For the last three years, my patients have been receiving an anti-inflammatory diet that Dr. Steven Gundry was using for his patients in Palm Springs, California as part of his protocols to reverse chronic diseases. I have had the good fortune of working with Dr. Gundry at his office on seven visits over the last 4 years. This has changed the way I practice medicine, especially with patients who have heart disease or any of the numerous chronic diseases burdening many Americans.
If you have been to my office since late June 2017, you probably received the latest version of his diet that I received on my last visit to Dr. Gundry. This two-sided sheet describes his anti-lectin, anti-inflammatory diet now known as the Plant Paradox diet. Plant Paradox is the name of his new book that came out in April 2017. In it he makes a strong case for the role of foods in being the root cause of chronic inflammation and chronic diseases from heart disease to arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease. In an easy to read manner he describes his journey uncovering the role of lectins in foods in promoting inflammation and chronic disease. As patients, including himself moved away from lectins, many chronic diseases improved or resolved. Lectins are inflammatory proteins present in common “healthy” foods like dairy, grains, legumes and night shades like tomatoes and potatoes.
For most of us, lectins are like “ incoming missiles” that make little holes in the lining of our small intestine. This opens the door for lectins and other proteins to come in contact with the immune system which must react to defend. This reaction by the immune system begins a vicious cycle of inflammation that grows to the symptoms we call a chronic disease. These little holes cause what is called “leaky gut” or increased intestinal permeability. Avoiding lectins is the first step to stop making holes and with nutritional support, the gut lining will start to repair itself and patients begins to reduce their inflammation and chronic illnesses.
I have seen first hand, scores of patients improve their health with this lectin-free approach in Dr.Gundry’s office as well as my office. To help patients connect to this restorative medicine approach my patients are given a list of You Tube videos to watch along with a copy of the diet. My favorite video out of more than 10 is titled: Dr. Steven Gundry Plant Paradox. In this 42 minute video, the interviewer, Brian Alvarez asks the right questions to give you a good overview of the logic and successes of Dr. Gundry’s results with very sick people.
This blog will kick off my investing time in promoting Dr. Gundry’s work to the medical students and medical residents I work with as well as general audiences including my patients. Look forward to more info on these topics in pod casts and our own You Tube videos to educate the masses and prepare patients for their visits with me in restorative medicine.
About Dr. Marco De La Cruz
As a board certified family physician with many years of experience, I have come to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of conventional medicine. Opening a blocked coronary artery or antibiotics to cure pneumonia is a modern miracle indeed. However, the more common, chronic diseases do not do as well in the conventional apporach of making a diagnosis and choosing a pharmaceutical drug. These medications may be helpful, but in many chronic health problems they do not cure ailments or restore health. Unfortunately, the side effects of pharmeceutical treatments can reduce the quality of life and even cause death. I believe there can not be limits to the search for answers to my patients' health problems. This belief has guided me in the development to a personalized, integrative approach to optimal health. By using conventional medicine as a starting point and adding effective remedies from natural and nutritional medicine, I am able to provide my patients with the counsel they seek and be a more effective partner in restoring health.
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