To fast or not to fast?
With regards to detoxification, this is an important clinical question.
Under ideal circumstances…
(Say a person is very well nourished and they have good body stores of all the different nutrients floating around in their tissues, blood and cells)
Fasting would lower the load on the body of various potential chemicals that are taken in through the diet on a temporary basis.
It would also then upregulate which means it would send a signal to the genes telling it to “Turn up detoxification to one point twenty one gigawatts!”
Now, in someone who does not have adequate body stores of all of these various nutrients that are important for detox support, and there are many such as the B vitamins, minerals, and some phytochemicals and antioxidants.
If these are not present in optimal levels, when they fast, they’re going to be asking of their body something that they don’t have the raw materials to support so their detox process will be compromised.
This then leads to a “healing crisis” which are adverse symptoms like inflammation, headaches, sleep disturbances, anxiety, gastro intestinal problems and pain. They feel absolutely crappy. The term “healing” should be removed and just call it what it is – a crisis.
What I’ve found to be much more effective, healthy, and has improved outcomes, is providing a low allergy type of calorie-restricted diet with adequate protein.
Protein is vitally important because protein upregulates your detox function.
Add to that appropriate nutrients that are necessary to support the two phases of detoxification.
This type of program trumps a fast in terms of clinical effectiveness, safety, and outcome.
You’re probably wondering if you can really do a detox with food alone.
Find out in Part 4.
Make a promise to yourself starting today:
Stop feeling lousy…rotten…awful…crummy…miserable…terrible…crappy.
Find a good Functional Medicine doctor to help you get to the root cause of your health problems.
Like I always say:
Find the cause.
Fix the cause.
Feel normal again!
Dr. Carri Drzyzga, DC, ND – The Functional Medicine Doc
Find the Cause. Fix the Cause. Feel Normal Again!
