The Transformational Power of Fasting: The Way to Spiritual, Physical, and Emotional Rejuvenation by Stephen Harrod Buhner

Author:Stephen Harrod Buhner [Buhner, Stephen Harrod]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Health/Wellness
ISBN: 9781594776946
Publisher: Inner Traditions Bear & Company
Published: 2012-02-01T16:00:00+00:00

SIDE EFFECTS FROM FASTING

People experience a wide range of side effects during fasting, as follows. These seem to depend on the individual and his or her particular health picture. No one experiences all of these side effects during a fast.

Dizziness, especially on standing quickly. This comes from the lower blood pressure that occurs during fasts. It is important during water fasts to sit first if you have been lying down, then stand slowly near something you can hold on to.

Confusion and mental fog. This comes from the brain’s shift from glucose to ketones as fuel. It usually passes within 2 to 4 days.

Cold extremities, sometimes unpleasantly so. This, like dizziness, is from the decreased blood pressure. Blankets are usually a necessity during deep fasting. Fasting in the winter is often more difficult because of the increased body coldness.

Weakness. This is common on water fasts and will last throughout the fast. Exercise other than occasional walking should be avoided on water fasts. While gentle walking or bodily movement can often help an overall sense of well-being on a water fast, rigorous exercise of any sort makes energy demands on the body that can only be met by its use of protein for fuel. This will lead to much more muscle loss and can place a significantly heavier burden on your body. Rigorous exercise during a water fast is strongly discouraged. Gandhi commented in his writings that his misunderstanding of this—he walked many miles each day on his first long water fast—caused him to seriously injure his body. He never completely recovered. This is a time to allow the body to conserve energy and go about the process of healing and detoxifying itself.

Nausea. This is quite common and is often a component of the body processing the toxins that are stored in fat tissue. Nausea can often be alleviated by drinking more water.

Occasionally some people experience vomiting. This can often be avoided by drinking lots of water (three to six 8-ounce cups daily). Vomiting, however, is sometimes a part of the body’s detoxification. Although I hate it myself, vomiting often leads to a sense of freshness and revitalization once it has passed. Excessive vomiting should be dealt with cautiously. It may indicate a serious problem and can also lead to dehydration. Make sure you replace the fluids you lose if you do vomit by drinking more water.

Headaches. These can sometimes be severe, especially if you are a caffeine user. Caffeine use should be tapered off over a period of several weeks prior to a fast to avoid this. Caffeine withdrawal can produce one of the truly great 1- or 2-day headaches of all time, especially if you drink lots of coffee. Most headaches pass in a day or two and are often helped by drinking more water.

Coated tongue and bad breath. This is common. Normally the tongue will clear to a healthy pink color in 7 to 30 days, depending on how much work your body has to do to detoxify itself. It is not necessary for the tongue to completely clear to have a successful fast.

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