Fasting and healing

One of the things I’ve read about the NSNG, LCHF, Keto, and fasting protocols is that it can have unexpected effects.

  • Scars fade
  • skin tags fall off
  • “healing crises” that stress the body as it completes the healing process of old injuries or illnesses. This can lead to brief – 1-5 hour – outbreaks of rashes, stuffy nose, runny nose, pain in old injury sites – that feel better than ever once the crisis passes. This is particularly true on longer fasts.
  • odd signs of detoxification (crud expelled through the skin – boils, isolated acne)
  • inflammation decreases, reducing joint and muscle pain, easing breathing, possibly eliminating sleep apnea.
  • eliminate “brain fog”
  • reduce symptoms of ADHD
  • The ‘whoosh’ – a brief plateau as fat is burned off but the fat cells are briefly filled with water, but then one day: “whoosh” and you lose a lot at once when the fat cells give up and die. I’ve had days when I’ve lost 5+ pounds just from peeing out extra water. Sometimes several in a row. Then, it slows down, then I get another one.
  • via autophagy, the body consumes not just fat, but lean mass, particularly skin.  I haven’t lost enough yet for a direct comparison to past low-weight looks, but Marie insists that the weight I’ve lost through fasting has not resulted in loose skin the way past efforts (“medical fasts” of 600+ calories a day, intense exercise) did. I’ve noticed less of a shar-pei effect on my legs this time around, which I’m happy about. Dr. Fung says he’s never had to refer anyone for skin surgery. I’m not anticipating NO loose skin, but if what I’m left with is not a health risk, I’ll be thrilled.  Those who lost a ton of weight but also did a body transformation (gained muscle mass, fat in low range)  had an amount of loose skin I could happily live with.

I’m still in the early stages, but I have seen some scars I’ve had for years start to fade. I have some pretty prominent skin tags, and some much smaller ones. I haven’t noticed any fall off yet, but I’m seeing deflation of the larger ones. I’ve had boils burst twice when going to the bathroom, on a fat pouch above my groin, spewing blood and pus tidily into the toilet. I never knew they were there until they were gone. Freaked me out the first time. Now I almost hope for them.

It all sounds too good to be true, but honestly, even with my seven day fasts I’ve experienced some amazing beneficial effects.  One of the most welcome is the reduction in cravings. I’ve been around foood and junk food all week, but I can look at it with curiosity rather than desire.  I found a Snickers bar when setting up my new desk a few days ago; it’s still there. Before I started fasting, I would have laughed at the idea that a candy bar could last more than a few minutes around me – I could buy 30 dollars or more of junk food, enough to last weeks for most people, and polish it off in a day. Now, I don’t want to. Yes, I can remember the nice taste of that first bite, but I don’t feel the need to experience it. Tempted? yes. Beyond my ability to resist? Nope. That’s a miracle.

I’m not pushing fasting as a miracle cure, though; it’s pretty scientifically based. leptin, ghrelin, insulin, cortisol – they influence behavior. Fasting is designed to burn off excess insulin and over time reduce the default level of insulin, reducing the body’s setpoint, allowing good metabolism rather than fighting against metabolism. The damage caused by redlining the insulin production for decades will take time to heal. Fasting helps accellerate the healing. Growth hormone production, autophagy, reducing the overall amount of work the body must do, lessening the load on the heart, liver and other organs, killing off bad gut bacteria.

My church recommends a 24 hour “dry” fast every month, which is more intense than a water fast – the equivalent of a three day fast. Done faithfully, it is literally rejuvenating, producing growth hormone, giving many body systems a rest, and encouraging autophagy. may explain why so many older Mormons look an feel so young.

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