Introduction to Therapeutic-Fasting for health

In the year 2000 I began studying and practicing fasting for health.   

At that time the people in the scientific community who I mixed with thought I was “crazy” and trying “willfully try to hurt myself”.   

I remember specifically one conversation with a scientist friend who spent two hours berating me and explaining to me the science behind why I was effectively “killing myself” by choosing to go without food for longer than 24 hours.  

He said, “Your body will consume itself and destroy your organs to get energy”.

Sounds pretty scary, right?

Well, 23 years have passed since my first attempts at fasting and since then I have completed 3 day, 5 day, 7 day, 14 day and 21 day water fasts as well as many juice and fruit fasts. 

I am happy to say I lost very little (if any) muscle tissue due to my fasts (the body increases human growth hormone to conserve muscle while fasting) and currently have a higher percentage of muscle than what is typical for my age, and my blood work shows no damage to my organs.   

Phew….that is a relief. 😊

I have also led many clients through water fasts of up to 90 days as a treatment to reverse diabetes, high blood pressure/cholesterol and lose weight safely.

However, even though the current scientific evidence demonstrates that in most cases fasting is not only safe, but also an effective treatment for many chronic diseases, and could also increase longevity by up to 30% (can you imagine living 25 additional healthy years?), the view of my colleague all those years ago is still the “prevailing wisdom” among most of today’s doctors (including specialists) and nutritionists, who continue to say things like:

• • • For optimum health, you should always eat at least 3 meals a day. 
    • Your body starts to consume your own muscle and vital organs for energy when you stop eating.
    • When you fast, your body is basically shutting down and you are “wasting away”.
    • Fasting is dangerous and “anti physiological”.
    • Stopping eating is pathological, dangerous and won’t lead to permanent weight loss.   As soon as you stop fasting you will just put back all the weight and more.

General interest in fasting has increased greatly over the last 5 years, partly due to that fact that in 2016 a Japanese molecular biologist named Yoshinori Ohsumi was awarded a Nobel Prize for his discovery of “autophagy” which is a crucial mechanism by which our body protects itself from many chronic illnesses including type-2 diabetes, cancer and parkinsons.

And what is the primary mechanism by which the body activates autophagy?…….yes you guessed it, by fasting.

Recent studies have shown that fasting is a very effective treatment for:

• Reversing type 2 diabetes
• Losing weight safely and keeping it off
• Lowering unhealthy cholesterol levels
• Reducing chronic inflammation which often leads to autoimmune diseases
• Preventing and treating some types of cancer
• Preventing neuro-degenerative diseases like Alzheimers
• Extending lifespan and healthspan.

If you are still wondering if fasting is safe, just remember, it is only in the last 100 years that food has become abundant all year round for most people in developed nations (which also corresponds to the period of our history when obesity has become an epidemic).  For thousands of years prior, our species (most all other species) faced periods of food shortages and regularly had to “fast”.

That is the real reason that we accumulate fat around our body when food is readily available: to build up reserves to supply our body with energy when food is not available.   

How long is it safe to fast?

The longest medically supervised water fast was performed in 1965 in Scotland by a man named Angus Barbieri and lasted 382 days (during the whole period of the fast he consumed only water, tea, coffee and a multivitamin).

If Angus can fast for 382 days (admittedly he was very overweight when he started), then most of us can certainly safely fast for at least 3 weeks.  Remember I fasted for 21 days and was skinny before I started.

Bear in mind that fasting is not for “everyone”: people who are underweight should generally not attempt fasting.   

Also, if you have a medical condition or would like to explore fasts longer than 3 days it is definitely advisable to get professional advice before you start.

And contrary to what you probably imagine, fasting is not a torturous horrible experience in which you are hungry all the time.   

Generally, people who fast are surprised to report having increased energy, mental alertness, less chronic pain, a deepened spiritual connection and no hunger (after the first three days).

Keep reading my blog for more information on fasting and other tools to protect or regain your health.   If you haven´t signed up for my newsletter you can sign up below