What is a lectin?
Hi my name is Kim Emerson
And I created the Lectin Free Living platform to share all my knowledge about foods with and without lectins plus general health and wellness. Why should you trust me? Well, anyone who knows me, knows that I dig deep into whatever I am committed to. I studied hard to receive an electrical engineering degree from Cornell University. I worked in both corporations and startups reaching executive level positions. Entrepreneurship became my passion after a startup that I worked at had a successful IPO. I am happily married, have 2 wonderful children. I have always exercised and ate what I thought was healthy.
What changed?
I had 3 negative health experiences: I lost my father to esophageal cancer, my son was irresponsibly prescribed a damaging intestinal medication for 10 years and I was diagnosed with guttate psoriasis after being irresponsibly prescribed 3 rounds of antibiotics plus 3 rounds of steroids.Unexpectedly, I was able to visit a doctor at the Shanghai Dermalogical Hospital while visiting where my rash was cured after 7 days dosage of a Chinese Medicine herb tincture. Unfortunately, the tincture was lost in my luggage when I finally returned to Toronto and the rash returned. The tincture was not available in the US and the Chinese doctor said it doesn’t work a 2nd time. I started studying and reading about ways to use herbs to cure skin conditions (since now I knew it was possible).
This began my journey to better understand the body and how it can heal itself. A friend recommended reading Dr Gundry’s Plant Paradox book. Unfortunately, while I was still reading the book, we decided to move back to US. Shortly after this move, my husband was diagnosed with AML (Acute Mylogenous Leukemia). This turned my life upside down one more time for 2 years. This time I was not going to blindly listen to the doctors, trust but verify. I began to read about alternative treatments and foods that can help your body heal itself. I took full control of his diet, not allowing him to eat anything that the hospital offered.
It worked!
He was able to stop the cancer with just 1 round of chemo. I also sought the help of the International Cancer Advocacy Network www.askican.org that was totally free.I attribute his survival to ICAN’s founder, Marcia Horn, and her team’s advice. They identified a gene defect which would have insured the return of cancer within 5 years.
ICAN recommended a bone marrow transplant. The Mayo Clinic recommended chemo. I knew in 5 years, my husband would be older and not as resilient. We decided to do the bone marrow transplant at UCSF. Once in San Francisco isolating through the bone marrow transplant, I finished Gundry’s Plant Paradox book. I discussed what I learned with my newly found Functional Doctor (actually looks for the cause of your ailments before treating them, ifm.org) and he agreed that a Lectin Free diet might help my skin, my gut AND my husband’s bone marrow transplant treatment. He was concerned that there were no clinical studies in support of a lectin free diet, so
I decided to do my own experiment:
I did blood work for both of us before starting the diet and then did Phase 1 and Phase 2 strictly for 5 weeks (not even the full 6) ending just before Thanksgiving. I lost weight after 2 weeks and my rash totally cleared by week 4. My gut got better but did not completely heal. After receiving 3 rounds of antibiotics and 3 rounds of steroids in a 5 week period, I was not surprised! We had ending blood work taken the day we finished the diet.
When I met with my functional doctor after the holidays, he was shocked at my blood results. I knew I had lost 15 pounds, felt better plus knew that my skin had cleared up but Dr Holthouse told me that my visceral fat had also reduced by 30% and my inflammation markers had reduced by 40%. He was so impressed that he said he would take a 2nd look at this lectin free diet. His original concern was the lack of clinical studies to verify Dr Gundry’s claims. But as Dr Gundry explains, who would pay for these clinical studies? Drug companies don’t want us to cure ourselves with diet. Sharing this diet has become a passion and along the way I have learned so much more about health and wellness. I hope that what I have learned through this journey blesses you with better health and wellness like it has my family.
Please email me with any questions info@lectinfreeliving.com .