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Fasting, Everyone Does It! by Janet Lynas, Ph.D., N.H.D.

I don’t care who you are you fast daily. “No I don’t you say.” Sure you do. When you go to bed at night, you’re fasting. You fast between meals. So, how does fasting affect the body. What’s the difference between the fasting that we all do and fasting for days on end?

What is fasting?

According to the definition of fasting: Fasting is voluntarily not eating food for varying lengths of time. Fasting is used as a medical therapy formany conditions. It is also a spiritual practice in many religions.

People have fasted for thousands of years. Fasting is one of the oldest therapies in medicine. It restores health. 

Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, taught us that fasting enables the body to heal itself. And Paracelsus, another great healer in the Western tradition, wrote 500 years ago that “fasting is the greatest remedy, the physician within.” Ayurvedic medicine, where my training lies, is the world’s oldest healing system, has long promoted fasting as an essential treatment.

The principle behind fasting is quite simple. Food is temporarily stopped. This gives the systems of the body a break from the task of digestion. Fasting gives the body extra energy and the chance to heal and restore itself. During fasting, stored calories are burned and this rids the body of toxic substances stored in the tissue.

However, we know the liver and immune system are free to detoxify and heal other parts of the body. In other words, American’s have a lousy diet. Fasting helps the body rid itself of the toxins taken in while eating and drinking. 

What happens when we fast?

We already know that fasting helps the body to rid itself of toxins.

Next, the extra calories that we carry around are burned by the body. When you burn off the reserved calories, you may lose weight.

Then, your appetite is resit. We tend to eat by the clock, not by if we are hungry or not.

Thirdly, the affect on the brain is amazing. Often, we feel more alert when we go without food. Studies have shown that fasting twice a week may in fact decrease the risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disease that affects memory and causes a loss in thinking and reasoning skills. Think about it this way, you’re clearing out the grim from the brain cells.

The information on fasting and gut health is lacking to an extent. More research needs to be done. Having said this, we do know that change in the human microbiome may produce more healthy bacteria.

Your sensitivity to insulin is changed. With healthy individuals, eating triggers the release of insulin. This is the hormone that moves glucose into the cells to be used for energy or stored for later use. Taking a break from eating causes insulin levels drop. As a result, one has improved insulin sensitivity, which is protective against diabetes.

Do you fast longer periods of time or not?

That’s an individual decision. Give serious consideration to how long you fast. I know people who have fasted for 40 days. However, I’m not sure this long period of fasting is beneficial.

If you have never fasted before, I recommend to start with a one day fast. This will acquaint you with learning how your body responds to going without food. When you learn how your body reacts to being deprived of food, you begin to listen to what your body needs.

Scaling back on food a few days before you begin your fast is recommended. It helps the body to adjust going without as much food. Which in turn, makes the transition easier on the body’s systems.

Taking action in your health is a step in the right direction. Three days is a good start. This is usually done over the weekend.

Be careful not to fast too frequently. Allow your body time to rebuild nutritional reserves. Two days per week is too frequent.

Recommended fasting times for regular or occasionally to rebalance your body are one day per week and/or 3 days per month and/or 10 days yearly.

Dangers of long fast

The ultimate risk of fasting, of course, is death by starvation. This isn’t usually the case for people fasting for medical reasons. But, keep in mind, taking anything to an extreme is dangerous. Your body is depleted of the nutrients needed to function properly when depriving the body of nourishment.

Even fasts for a few weeks or less can have dangerous consequences. Going without food puts two different types of stress on your heart. First, it eats into cardiac muscle for fuel. Our body does everything it can to conserve muscle during a fast, but inevitably some muscle will be sacrificed at the beginning of the fast.

After a few days, the body switches over to using fat, but researchers have discovered that protein (muscle) utilization actually increases again, even though fat stores are still available. This protein includes the muscle in your heart. If weaken too much, heart failure will result.

Strict water restriction is also a risk for heart failure because the body’s intracellular stores of minerals essential for cardiac function, like magnesium and potassium, are depleted.  The results of this cardiac muscle loss and mineral deprivation can be death.

But what about getting rid of toxins?

Another potential downside of long-term fasting is the rate of detox. Fat is your body’s storage organ for everything, this includes toxins that have accumulated over the years. You lose weight and all these toxins have to go somewhere. Toxins are removed through your bloodstream.

This can cause a healing crisis, which can be extremely uncomfortable. These symptoms are even more pronounced when not eating, since the rate of fat burning is rapid. Often people feel nauseous, sick, or otherwise ill. You may feel like you have the flu.

 

Precautions

Some people simply shouldn’t practice extended fasts, period:

  • Young children are still growing rapidly and need adequate nutrition at every stage to make sure their bodies develop properly.
  • Very elderly people often don’t have the physical resources to fast safely.
  • People who are seriously ill, or people with chronic heart or kidney conditions, shouldn’t fast since their bodies may not be able to withstand the stress of fasting.
  • Women who are pregnant, or trying to get pregnant, should eat plenty of nutrient-dense food, because a well-fed state is essential for healthy reproduction.

Above all, research fasting before you undertake going without food. Taking control of your health is recommended. No one knows your body like you do.

 

In conclusion, talk with your heath care provider before starting a program of fasting.

 

Do You Have A Dirty Mind? by Janet Lynas, Ph.D., N.H.D.

Is your mind dirty?  Or should I say, “Is your brain dirty?”

Little is known about natural support of the brain and how to rid the brain of damaging toxins.  Unfortunately few doctors of allopathy medicine have little or no understanding on the natural approach to brain health.

Toxins That Target The Brain

Toxins in our environment are the leading cause of neurological illnesses. We do have a built in monitoring system that has the purpose of protecting our brain.  This system is designed to eliminate these toxins from our vulnerable brain.  However, the regretful reality is that we do live in a toxic environment.  Your brain has been saturated with them on a daily basis.  With this exposure over time, the effects begin to rob us of our memories and is slowly killing us.  To top it off, there is no stopping this exposure in the near future.  Evidence on the effects of toxins robbing our brains of precious health continues to stack up.

Current Alzheimer’s Research journal published a recent study on the devastating effects on the cellular level.  Research reviewed the available data connecting environmental toxins to Alzheimer’s.  The review indicated the terrifying path these toxins take.  Toxins alter the metabolic pathways associated with the development and progression of dementias.

Studies have confirmed the root cause of the frightening disease!  If this is true, why has this not gone viral throughout the news media.  Money!  Industries who are developing the toxins we are exposed to have a high stake in keeping this information out of the media.  Not only are toxins destroying the environment and our brains, but heavy metals are also contributing to these neurological diseases.

The Heavy Metal Mayhem

You’ve seen the commercials on television about mayhem (produced by an insurance company).  Imagine the mayhem caused by mercury, aluminum and copper on the brain.  The big three heavy metals lead to neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques.  Did you know that the mercury level in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients is at least three times higher than the rest of the population?

Where are we getting mercury?  Mercury is found in certain seafoods and fish, such as tuna.  These high levels of mercury are taken in when we eat seafoods and fish that are contaminated with it.  This is why pregnant women are told to avoid seafoods.

What you may not realize, is that you are being exposed to high levels of coal-burning toxins in industries burning coal.  A staggering 48 tons of mercury is pumped into our air every year.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that we ingest 7-9 mg of aluminum daily.  Aluminum is found in antiperspirants, cooking utensils, some medications and vaccines.

Now add to that the growing concern of copper.  High levels of copper destroy essential detoxifying nutrients such as vitamin C, the B vitamins and zinc.  Birth control drugs can increase the level of copper.  You might want to rethink wearing that copper bracelet or jewelry. The copper is absorbed through the skin.

You can ask your physician to test you for heavy metals with a blood test.

What Is The Key To Beating Alzheimer’s?

Did you know that your brain has a natural way of protecting itself from the onslaught of heavy metals and other toxins?  The amino acid glutathione is referred to as the master antioxidant.  Glutathione is produced and regenerated in a process called methylation.  Methylation is responsible for immune system function, brain chemical production, organ protection and detoxification.

This is what happens when the process works according to plan.  However, if the body is overloaded with toxins and heavy metals, the system fails to protect the body and brain.

The good news is that once you eliminate the toxins and heavy metals from you body, you can start to rebuild the support system your body needs.  One piece to the puzzle is a prescription for Cerefolin NAC.  This prescription only medication is pricy and insurance will not pay for it.  Your physician may not write a prescription for the drug either.

You can combine natural ingredients by adding glutathione, vitamin B vitamins, NAC, alpha lipoid acid, zinc, and selenium.  These ingredients will help to protect your brain cells and the rest of the nerve cells throughout your body.

If you are planning on doing a detoxification of any kind, remember that you may feel worse before you feel better.  As the body is releasing these toxins, you may experience what is called a “healing crisis”.  What this means is that as your body is releasing the toxins, you may feel “flu” like until the toxins are flushed out of your body.  A healing crisis response during detox is a good sign.  This will pass in a few days.

Summary

First step is to eliminate the toxins from your home as much as possible.  Read labels.  Buy products without aluminum in them.  Don’t cook with aluminum cook wear.

Second step is to eliminate foods that may have toxins such as certain seafoods and fish.  Eat organic as much as possible.

Give your body the supplements it needs for support.

We can not eliminate all the exposure from toxins, but by eliminating as much as we can, we are on the right road to health.