Anyone here try a nutritionist?

[Allsgrandso]

Hi everyone, my lovely sister wants me to see a nutritionist to try and figure out what's causing the inflammation in the first place with pmr.

Has anyone had any success in reducing inflammation/pain with diet?

The nutritionist has said she has had success with pmr in the past but I'm not sure how it can be measured. It's going to burn itself out sometime anyway and while on steroids how would you know if diet had any effect?

I'm going to go for one consultation anyway as it can't do any harm. Although I really don't want to put unnecessary stress into the mix of having to watch everything I eat and for it not to matter anyway.

I do have a healthy diet btw 😉

[PMRpro Ambassador]

You can do it yourself - cut carbs and that helps both avoid weight gain, reduce the risks of developing steroid induced diabetes and sugar is also very pro-inflammatory. And that is free of charge.

I don't believe she has had success with PMR - I don't know anyone who successfully managed PMR without pred. There have been claims on the forums - their description of their dietary approach made me cringe at the amount of shopping and preparation required! The cost must have been high and the amount of time in the kitchen would have finished me! I couldn't stand for long and my hands HURT!!!

[SnazzyD]

If it were that easy there would be many cured people just from diet. Aiming to figure out what causes it by going to a nutritionist assumes that it is all down to food. There also seems to be some conflicting views about which foods are the baddies or not between different nutritionists, so it clearly isn't an exact science. That's the human body for you, complex and perplexing, with no easy fix.

I go for making every mouthful count for something my body needs with the occasional thing that is of questionable value other than pleasure for the tastebuds.

[HeronNS]

I agree, if PMR could be treated successfully through diet we'd all be well. There's no incentive for drug companies to keep us on the med as pred is so cheap, so no conspiracies here. On the other hand it doesn't hurt to make sure one is eating as healthily as possible, that can only be a good thing.

[Allsgrandso]

Thanks for replies folks. I just want to try everything I can to kick this horrible pmr 😕 I know there's a wealth of knowledge and experience here and was just throwing it out there to see if anyone had any success by changing diet. I just wish we knew what causes it in the first place.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Allsgrandso]

Hi,

Unfortunately you "can't kick PMR" - no matter what you do or eat, or not eat - PMR and GCA have their own built in timescale!

Certainly you can eat anti-inflammatory foods, avoid those that are likely to make it worse, generally look after your body and get plenty of rest.

But ultimately you have to accept that the only thing you can do is control the inflammation caused by the underlying illness by taking the steroids at the correct level you need - you can do diddly squat about the PMR itself!

As others have said, if there was a miracle cure there would be no need for this forum.

As for what causes it, nobody knows for sure, but certainly a build up of stress seems to be the final straw that makes your immune system throw its arms up into the air and saying 'I've had enough'.

Even in this modern world of wanting an answer to everything, sometimes there isn't a definitive one. Just accept what you've got, and get through it the best you can - that's what we all have to do!

Take care.

[Allsgrandso in reply to DorsetLady]

Thanks so much for your reply 🤗 I really think stress is a huge player in this so totally agree with you on that. Will give the nutritionist one visit, can't do any harm I guess🙈

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Allsgrandso]

No it can't. I was talking to my masseur/acupuncturist today - not GCA related - and her view is you should be willing to try most things once to see if it improves your symptoms. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it!

[piglette in reply to Allsgrandso]

Dear 567efg, I became a nutrition fanatic when I got PMR and went to a nutritionist. She seemed keen on me taking supplements which seemed to be giving the suppliers more profits. I found that finding out about the different vitamins, minerals, etc etc. that occur in the body and how they interact worked incredibly well. Google really was helpful.

[Allsgrandso in reply to piglette]

That's good to hear that you got benefit piglette. Are you in remission now from pmr? Did you actually notice a difference in pain through diet changes? Thanks a mil

[piglette in reply to Allsgrandso]

I have still got PMR and my inflammation markers have been rocketing over 100. No one seems to know why. Pred brings them down and then they go up again. They have now decided I suffer from high inflammation.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to piglette]

Idiopathic inflammation... Well, there's a dx!!!

[piglette in reply to PMRpro]

That's it, I am obviously meant for another planet.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to piglette]

Maybe we could get a BOGOF ticket - where do you fancy?

[piglette in reply to PMRpro]

I would like two heads!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to piglette]

Only 2????

[Sandradsn]

In the early days of pmr ( Jan 16)I cut out sugar and gluten,It didn't seem to make any difference to me.I just felt deprived (chocolate)and even more miserable.So i reduced carbs and ate sensibly most of the time.I've managed to keep my weight down and that has helped with regard to hip and leg pain.I feel so much better being lighter.

[Sandradsn]

P.S Someone told me that inflammation can be caused by a leaky gut and cause immunity problems like PMR ??let us know how you get on with the nutritionist.

[Allsgrandso in reply to Sandradsn]

I'm skeptical about the leaky gut/gluten stuff tbh but sure will let you know how it goes 😉

[Sandy1947]

I cut out carbs, sugar and night shades for 3 months. My weight is low. However, once I ate sugar for a few days on a holiday and noticed no difference in pain levels. Where is the proof re. sugar causes inflammation?

[Karenjaninaz]

A nutritionist has no specialized training. People set themselves up to sell vitamins and other odd foods. On the other hand, a registered dietitian could help you if you really can’t sort out particular diet.

[piglette in reply to Karenjaninaz]

This thread is five years old.

[winfong]

Searching on "nutritionist," I didn't find a whole lot any newer than this. And it does seem like a fairly decent post for the topic.