Fasting Log: Day 7

Determine your cleanse duration and time period. Try to arrange that your fast is in a time period where you have low activity. Avoid heavy kinds of work if at all possible. When it comes to long fasts, and inability of somebody to handle a long fast, you just do the best you can. When detoxification increases, as it does during fasting, the liver, kidneys, lungs, and immune system work extra had to handle the load. If these systems were already compromised before the fast, one must proceed carefully. You go as long as you can tolerate it, whether physiologically or emotionally, and then come back to eating again.

Once you have some energy and are a few steps further toward health, you can consider doing another fast. Several short fasts can definitely do wonders if one long fast cannot be undertaken. Long fasts are preferable to short ones because once the body is in the fasting state, it cleanses systematically into the harder-to-get-at body tissues. For this reason, most of the recoveries from illness have taken place in the latter parts of long juice or water fasts. Long fasts give the body the uninterrupted time to do the work of healing. The first few days of fasting gets rid of the gross waste products of digestion, but only after this can the body pull out its tools to get to work on healing.

Proteins and Fasting

It was theorized that protein loss during fasting was harmful and that a fast should be supplemented with protein. Fasting with protein became known as the Opti-fast. Fasters took nothing but water and a protein drink. Sadly, several people died. Protein digestion during the fasting stage created an overload of urea and the blood became acidic. In this condition, the organs become more damaged instead of healing. To the body, fasting is a natural process. During water or juice fasting, the protein levels of the blood remain constant. Although protein is being utilized, a person fasting 40 days on water will not suffer a deficiency of either protein, vitamins, minerals, for fatty acids. In the breakdown of dying and diseased cells, all essential substances are available while fasting for reuse within the body. These dead cells are utilized in a systematic manner.

Protein deficiency is non existent in North America. You never hear of anyone being diagnosed with protein deficiency. Fruit and vegetable juices have water-soluble, highly absorbable proteins. The body has a store of protein, and it uses it selectively. Dying cells are the first to be used and healthy and vital tissues are the very last and will only be used as a last resort. Only during starvation is protein being stripped from healthy tissue to be used to survive. This may take 30 to 80 days of fasting on water to reach this point.

The systematic searching of cells to be metabolized is crucial in the healing of cancer. [But, fasting is not recommended for cancer of the liver!] A cancer cell represents protein and calories. Some cancers are persistent that you have to force the body to choose between healthy cells and cancer cells. This requires a long fast on small portions of juice combined with days of water fasting.

Activity Level

It is good to at least have mild exercise and movements with short walks to keep the lymphatic fluid moving and to keep the vascular system working. The amount of exercise you can do is very much dependent on your existing condition and how you are feeling that day and what kind of fast you are doing. Basically, one needs to be alert and listen to one’s body and not to overdo. Fasting is resting, not a marathon! You may feel weak during a water fast and may need to rest more often. While juice fasting, you may experience an abundance of energy that makes exercise easy. If you experience energy loss, limit yourself to stretching exercises, light walking or deep breathing.

Aiding Elimination of Toxins

Enemas: If you are not having natural bowel movements, then an enema is advised to move out the toxic material that is being scoured by your body. You will feel much better after taking an enema. An enema can be taken daily in the beginning days of a fast, then bi-daily for the remainder using just plain water.

Mucus: IT is common during fasting for the nose and throat to pass sticky mucus, clogging the sinuses. White strands of mucus may be found in the stool. You may find that you are more comfortable if you use a Neti Pot to clear the sinus cavities to prevent getting a cold with the clogged sinuses. You can also drink lemon juice with water to help clear the mucus.

Showers/Baths: Plan to shower or bathe daily to aid in cleaning the pores and assist in the removal of toxins. The skin is a large organ and many toxins are removed through the pores causing a gummy deposit on the surface of the skin. It may help to brush the skin removing the sludge that is deposited there.

Frequency of Fasting