Water fasting - Can I take my meds?

[Kati]

Not true, here's one study published on NIH website saying patients normalized their high blood pressure after 13.6 (average) days of water fasting
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12470446

No doubt that there are immediate effects of a water fast. Weight loss is also totally expected. But is this going to last after weeks, months and years of retruning to a normal eating? My best guess is not a chance.

 

[svetoslav80]

No doubt that there are immediate effects of a water fast. Weight loss is also totally expected. But is this going to last after weeks, months and years of retruning to a normal eating? My best guess is not a chance.

I guess it lasts at least for weeks, because another identical study says patients have stopped taking antihypertensive medication after the fast.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11416824

 

[stolpioni]

Have you made water fasting before, for shorter periods? Are you aware of the dangers?

Yes, as I have written (twice) in this thread I have tried a 96 hour water fast previously. It went well.

No. You get sodium. But what about potassium, calcium, magnesium? You also need glucose for the absorption of electrolytes.

Apparently you shouldn't need all of that. Your body has reserves that should last a very long time. The body is evolved to be without food for very long periods. Here is a guy who went on a water fast for over a year:

http://cristivlad.com/total-starvation-382-days-without-food-study/

That probably is unhealthy (except for in his case, apparently), but I think a couple of weeks at least should be safe for most people.

If you really wanted to add trace minerals, you could add a few drops of this to your water:
https://www.amazon.com/Trace-Minera...=UTF8&qid=1500580953&sr=8-2&keywords=minerals

I may do that actually.

No health care professional in their right mind would recommend such fasting. Published books are not acceptable scientific and peer-reviewed references.

But there are a lot of articles and books written by health care professionals that advocate for water fasting. They even have clinics were you can go to get a supervised long fast (that can last 30-60 days).

It seems to do wonders for autoimmune diseases and inflammation. People are getting cured from arthritis, nerve pain etc. 30-year-old scars disappear...

 

[erin]

Yes, as I have written (twice) in this thread I have tried a 96 hour water fast previously. It went well.



Apparently you shouldn't need all of that. Your body has reserves that should last a very long time. The body is evolved to be without food for very long periods. Here is a guy who went on a water fast for over a year:

http://cristivlad.com/total-starvation-382-days-without-food-study/

That probably is unhealthy (except for in his case, apparently), but I think a couple of weeks at least should be safe for most people.

If you really wanted to add trace minerals, you could add a few drops of this to your water:
https://www.amazon.com/Trace-Minera...=UTF8&qid=1500580953&sr=8-2&keywords=minerals

I may do that actually.



But there are a lot of articles and books written by health care professionals that advocate for water fasting. They even have clinics were you can go to get a supervised long fast (that can last 30-60 days).

It seems to do wonders for autoimmune diseases and inflammation. People are getting cured from arthritis, nerve pain etc. 30-year-old scars disappear...

What is the logic behind? Why not drinking water cures all those diseases you've mentioned?

 

[stolpioni]

What is the logic behind? Why not drinking water cures all those diseases you've mentioned?

The logic behind it is that when the body shuts down digestion it can focus its energy on healing itself. It gets rid of all the toxins that you have stored up in fat cells among other things. After 3 days it goes into ketosis and this is when the healing starts. This is what animals do when they are wounded, they stop eating until their body has healed itself. This can take days, weeks or even months. During this time they only drink water.

Here is a guy with Lyme who tested a 10 day fast, and did blood work during the experiment. He describes his experience:

https://thequantifiedbody.net/10-day-water-fast-results/

 

[lansbergen]

This is what animals do when they are wounded, they stop eating until their body has healed itself.

Cats must be forced fed if they have not eaten for 2 days.

 

[stolpioni]

Cats must be forced fed if they have not eaten for 2 days.

I don't know about cats specifically. It's possible that they will starve to death after 2 days without food (although I doubt it). Most other animals however (including humans) can go much longer without food.

 

[skipskip30]

This is what animals do when they are wounded, they stop eating until their body has healed itself. This can take days, weeks or even months. During this time they only drink water.

Is there any body of research that's found they choose to fast as opposed to just not being able to hunt when wounded?

 

[stolpioni]

Is there any body of research that's found they choose to fast as opposed to just not being able to hunt when wounded?

It's a good point. I don't know actually.

 

[jaybee00]

30 days is too much. Longo recommends like 4 or 5 days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valter_Longo You can take your meds, you can eat a small amount of calories (like less than 200--according to Longo). There is no need to drink distilled water. I drink fruit flavored teas (or powered miso soup) which adds a trivial amount of calories. I've done 4 days and five days. Your sleep will be very bad during the fast, as your body gets very wired and it is hard to sleep. Didn't really help me tho overall. Longo and others claim there are positive physiological benefits to periodic fasting, but that you really need to pass three days before the positive effects start to happen. Longo recommends that all fasting be done under medical supervision. It get easier the more you do it.

I became interested in this topic because of evidence that fasting may help "repair" the immune system and may reduce B cells in certain tissues--which is something that rituximab also does.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24504160

https://news.usc.edu/63669/fasting-triggers-stem-cell-regeneration-of-damaged-old-immune-system/

 

[IreneF]

10-30 days sounds way too long if you haven't had experiences doing it before, it's especially risky at the moment when you break the fast and start eating again.

I'm interested in fasting as there are certain recent studies indicating that it can "reset" your immune system in a way (link), however, 72 hours is apparently enough to trigger this effect. I had a go at fasting a couple of years ago. The first 24 hours were easy, after that I started getting palpitations, and by the 40th hour I felt so weak I could hardly work or do anything meaningful.

Regarding the meds, I would assume the absorption might get slightly higher if they are taken on a totally empty stomach like when fasting, but I can't really give a specific answer to this.

Some drugs need to be taken with food, esp. if they're oil- and not water-soluble.

 

[erin]

The logic behind it is that when the body shuts down digestion it can focus its energy on healing itself. It gets rid of all the toxins that you have stored up in fat cells among other things. After 3 days it goes into ketosis and this is when the healing starts. This is what animals do when they are wounded, they stop eating until their body has healed itself. This can take days, weeks or even months. During this time they only drink water.

Here is a guy with Lyme who tested a 10 day fast, and did blood work during the experiment. He describes his experience:

https://thequantifiedbody.net/10-day-water-fast-results/

Interesting.
One of my friend recently eat boiled brown rice and water for 3 days. She's severe IBD and she was having a major attack. She's fed up with conventional medicine, not offered much to her. She said she tried this. The brown rice had to be over boiled for some reason and a very small portion. Plus some water and a lot of rest. Not talking etc. She actually left her normal family environment for 3 days and just slept and meditated and ate tiny amount of the rice + water. She got significantly better in day 3. Then she extended to a week but she started to add few more foodstuff.

She got back to her normal life now. It's been few months she says she needs another session. But can not leave as family has problems and demands of her.

 

[IreneF]

Cats must be forced fed if they have not eaten for 2 days.

Well, no. My cat didn't eat for a week because her gut stopped working. She was saved from major surgery by a last minute ultrasound. We were far more miserable than she was.

 

[IreneF]

The logic behind it is that when the body shuts down digestion it can focus its energy on healing itself. It gets rid of all the toxins that you have stored up in fat cells among other things. After 3 days it goes into ketosis and this is when the healing starts. This is what animals do when they are wounded, they stop eating until their body has healed itself. This can take days, weeks or even months. During this time they only drink water.

Here is a guy with Lyme who tested a 10 day fast, and did blood work during the experiment. He describes his experience:

https://thequantifiedbody.net/10-day-water-fast-results/

Human beings need exceptional amounts of energy. Your body can pay attention to more than one thing at a time, and there's no evidence that fasting helps healing, unless your gut itself is injured. If you want to get rid of toxins in your fat cells, try some Olestra. https://paleoleap.com/do-people-release-toxins-when-they-lose-weight/

 

[lansbergen]

Well, no. My cat didn't eat for a week because her gut stopped working. She was saved from major surgery by a last minute ultrasound. We were far more miserable than she was.

Every rule has exceptions.

 

[stolpioni]

there's no evidence that fasting helps healing

No actually there is evidence.

 

[Hell...Hath...No...Fury..]

I love fasting. It might/or might not be dangerous, but so is merely being alive to people like us.

I don't stop taking my liquid vitamin and mineral supplements during, and still take my usual anti-oxidants too, but on a smaller scale.

Having a break from using energy digesting really helps me. I usually do between 1-3 days.

I'm expert at 1-3 days as I've been a migraine sufferer since 4 years old and during severe migraine attacks i can't eat anything for the duration anyway which is up to 72 hours each time so my body is used to it I guess but its nice to do it by choice occassionally too.