The Benefits of Supervised Water Only Fasting
Fasting is a practice that has been used for 1000’s of years. Millions of people fast around the world every year. When you are wanting to achieve a specific goal through fasting and have no experience with fasting it can be daunting to fast alone or worse in a house where everyone else is eating. What if you could have supervision? Fasting supervision through phone calls and video calls with a practitioner trained in Water Only Fasting can be supportive and increase the benefits of your fast. Read on to find out why.
How should I feel?
Everyone feels different when fasting. Some people feel energetic, others lethargic. There is no right way to feel when fasting. However some reactions to fasting are important to watch and when they get too severe it can be a sign you need to stop fasting. For example, feeling dizzy can be common. However if on standing you almost faint, there is an increased risk for falling over and hurting yourself. This severity of dizziness would need interventions such as guidance on how to manage this reaction safely and or to stop the fast. Other reactions you can have while fasting are headaches, nausea, dehydration, vomiting, low blood sugar symptoms, extreme fatigue, and awareness of your heart beat. Having a trained guide can support you in observing your reactions and guide you to stop the fast if they're too severe. In supervised fasting key vital signs and reactions are recorded so that your adaptation to the fast can be measured safely.
How do I know when to stop my fast?
Having a trained guide to support you in deciding the length of your fast and knowing when to stop is essential. There is now research that shows that some conditions require a certain fasting time length to be resolved while others may take longer. Your body response to the fast will help determine the fasting duration. You may aim to do a 5 day fast but on day 3 your body is showing signs that you need to stop fasting. The aim is to fast as briefly as possible to get your desired results.
Does fasting help my specific health concern?
We know from research that fasting is beneficial for certain conditions more than others. For example a 7-10 day fast has been shown to reverse hypertension (1, 2). Fasting has also shown to improve taste sensitivity (3). There are also preliminary case studies that show it is beneficial for psoriasis and reducing visceral fat (the bad kind of fat often kept around on our stomach) (4, 5). However, for other conditions we do not have as much scientific research yet to show if it is effective. Talking with a professional who specializes in fasting and has read the research can help guide you to know what length of fast is right for you.
What should I eat when I am refeeding?
When you stop your fast I recommend a slow refeeding process. You refeed for half of the time of your fast. There are certain foods you should and shouldn't eat. The refeeding protocol I recommend has been used by True North Health for many years to reduce the many reactions that can occur when you introduce foods again. Often people overeat or struggle with constipation. Having a guide to help you understand how to address these issues makes for an easier and pleasant refeeding process.
What does a supervised fast include?
Supervised fasts include an Initial Consultation to make sure that fasting is right for you and to check that the body is healthy enough to undergo a fast. Comprehensive lab tests (blood tests) and questions are asked to check the body can adapt to a fast. Phone calls are scheduled throughout the fast and during the refeeding process. Each protocol is personalized for each person so that they can reach their health goals.
Choose a Supervised Fast!
When undertaking your first fast and when doing prolonged water fasting, supervision is recommended. It gives you the confidence that you are getting the most benefits out of your fast and also that you are doing it in a safe way. It allows you to have a professional to ask if you are worried about any symptoms that are uncomfortable. When refeeding it gives you the confidence you will not be undoing all the good work you did fasting by overeating or eating foods that will give you a sore stomach. I have trained at True North Health in California, a Medically supervised Water only fasting clinic and have supervised many of my clients fasts in New Zealand. I am experienced at supervising fasts as well as creating fasting protocols for different health conditions.
If you are after support to know if fasting is right for you and how to do it effectively and safely please book a consultation or a clarity call.
References
1 Goldhamer, A. C., Lisle, D. J., Sultana, P., Anderson, S. V., Parpia, B., Hughes, B., & Campbell, T. C. (2002). Medically supervised water-only fasting in the treatment of borderline hypertension. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 8(5), 643–650. https://doi.org/10.1089/107555302320825165
2. Ciurleo, A., & Marchese, M. (2002). Medically supervised water-only fasting in the treatment of hypertension. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics, 25(2), 138–139. https://doi.org/10.1067/mmt.2002.122320
3. Myers, T. R., Saul, B., Karlsen, M., Beauchesne, A., Glavas, Z., Ncube, M., Bradley, R., & Goldhamer, A. C. (2022). Potential Effects of Prolonged Water-Only Fasting Followed by a Whole-Plant-Food Diet on Salty and Sweet Taste Sensitivity and Perceived Intensity, Food Liking, and Dietary Intake. Cureus, 14(5), e24689. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.24689
4. Matthieu Bonjour, Sahmla Gabriel, Analila Valencia, Alan C. Goldhamer, and Toshia R. Myers. Challenging Case in Clinical Practice: Prolonged Water-Only Fasting Followed by an Exclusively Whole-Plant-Food Diet in the Management of Severe Plaque Psoriasis. Integrative and Complementary Therapies.Apr 2022.85-87.http://doi.org/10.1089/ict.2022.29010.mbo
5. Bonjour, M., Gabriel, S., Goldhamer, A. C., & Myers, T. R. (2021). Medically Supervised, Water-Only Fasting Followed by a Whole-Plant-Food Diet Reduces Visceral Adipose Tissue. International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention, 3(2), 6 pp. https://doi.org/10.22230/ijdrp.2021v3n2a267