Fasting, ready or not?
One of the most interesting health-related topics of 2015, brought up in conversation by a variety of people was Fasting and so I thought after the normal over-indulgence at Christmas it was worth researching a little more.
“Everyone has a physician inside him or her; we just have to help it in its work. The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well. To eat when you are sick is to feed your sickness.” – Hippocrates
All the feedback I have received from those who have tried fasting was positive. All of these people had help in ensuring that they went into it in a managed way – namely they were either at a clinic especially created for 9-28 days of fasting or they requested a pack developed in California by researchers at the University of Southern California and led by Prof Valter Longo that is called the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD).
The first personal experience of the Buchinger Wilhemi clinic in Germany was via a newsletter from Dr Marion Gluck; she is renowned for leading the way in the use of Bio-identical hormone therapy in London. Marion stayed for 9 days that included Time to arrive, for a digestive rest, for fasting and for refeeding.time for arrival, digestive rest in readiness for the fast and then a day for adjustment to refeeding – all of fundamental importance for making the most of the experience. Marion describes her typical daily intake as Time to arrive, for a digestive rest, for fasting and for refeeding.a small pot of herbal tea in the morning with a tablespoon of honey, a glass of freshly pressed juice at lunchtime and in the evening a thin, watered down vegetable soup; all in all 200 calories.
The most significant elements of her experience was that she didn’t feel hungry, felt amazing, lost a stone in weight and got rid of the inflammation on her knee that had been bothering her for six months. They are holistic at the clinic keeping you busy with ‘Me’ time, relaxing pursuits and exercise appropriate to you; you are monitored every day by professionals to ensure your body isn’t undergoing trauma by your experience. This has to be the best way to carry out such a feat if of course you have the money to book yourself in.
Only recently a new client enthused about her time at both the clinic of the same name in Germany and their other one in Spain. She had gone to cleanse her body of the many harsh chemicals that had been part of recommended medical intervention to restore her health previously. The orthodox practice had worked for her but left her feeling very unlike the lady she had been.
The clinic helped her to find herself again physically, emotionally and spiritually. So much so that she will be down in Cornwall in the Spring to recreate the experience for herself with the knowledge previously gained on how to do it safely with the gradual introduction and conclusion to the fast as described above and holistic treatments that I am looking forward to giving as part of her daily routine. I will keep you posted on any further tips she gives me in a few months’ time!
The other way described earlier to help restore the body to natural health was through the fast-mimicking diet. Not as easy seemingly as often undertaken at home with the days’ routine to find energy for but I heard the reports in the Telegraph inspired one lady to give it a go as she wanted to flush out medicinal drugs from her system and try and reboot her body to manage her blood pressure naturally after hopefully losing weight after the fasting.
Everyone is different and eats a different amount of food daily, consumes varying amounts of caffeine, alcohol and sweet things so surely the side effects of such drastic fall in calories and change in diet would be determined by your personal starting point. The article with the hyperlink above describes the reporter Victoria Lambert trying out the FMD with extreme effects to endure while having to carry on with daily life – constipation, nauseous, splitting headaches and unpalatable Kale crisps! But the other lady’s report wasn’t as bad – her low point was when she didn’t know how she would manage the following day, as by the end of Day 4 she felt exceptional weak but then she woke up full of energy on Day 5; her turning point.
Conversely, WebMed disagree with fasting and report that such activities may slow down metabolism so when you go back to normal eating you may feel even more hungry, eat more and so put on more weight than when you started. The fasting website where this debate was found also discusses how fasting has been used to help chronic conditions all over Europe for decades.
Drs. Kellberg and Reizenstein of the world-renowned Karolinska Institute in Stockholm—where decisions on the nominations for the Nobel Prize in Medicine are decided; clinically monitored in-hospital patients in fasting studies lasting up to 55 days, demonstrating that scientific, prolonged fasting’s not only perfectly safe for most, but can be therapeutically beneficial but again obviously strictly monitored so please don’t try this.
Finally, I love juicing and this for me is a great way to ensure you get all the nutrients you need but give your digestive system a bit of a break. There are fasting clinics and fasting centres throughout Europe, where therapeutic juice-fasting has long been used as the premier weight-loss, detoxification, and healing modality over the entire 20th Century and continuing into the 21st. Always get advice from your doctor if you are on medication or under his supervision for a chronic condition before any dietary changes.
Best wishes to a healthy and happy 2016,
Sarah Greenhalgh