Juice Fasting, Detoxification

By Bonnie Jenkins, Advanced Natural Medicine

If you’re anything like me, you probably overdid it during the holidays. Between the rich foods, celebratory drinks and the seasonal stress, by the time New Years rolls around I, for one, feel like a slug – my body seems heavy and congested and my normal energy is nowhere to be found.

About this time every year, I take the advice of one of my favorite sources, Dr. Elson Haas. Dr. Haas recommends a periodic juice fast to clear out toxins, rejuvenate the immune system and kick-start energy.

According to Dr. Haas, juice fasting is safer than water fasting because it supports the body nutritionally while cleaning out the body. He also believes that it produces a better detoxification and a quicker recovery than limiting yourself to just water.

And I can tell you from experience, a two to three day juice fast is a wonderful way to start the New Year.

Does A Body Good

The desire to clean and purge the body is age old – it has been used in almost every culture throughout history to improve spiritual and physical well-being. And science is finally beginning to catch on. Numerous studies show that periodic fasting not only improves overall health, it can help treat specific conditions.

In one study, conducted at the Center for Conservative Therapy in Penngrove, CA, 174 patients suffering from hypertension participated in an 11-day fast. By the end of the study, about 90 percent of the participants achieved blood pressure below 140/90 mm Hg, with the greatest decrease in those suffering from the most severe hypertension. In fact, the subjects whose systolic blood pressure was initially greater than 180 mm Hg. reduced their systolic pressure by more than 60 points – enough to stop taking their blood pressure medication.

Norwegian researchers have also found that fasting may help alleviate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. In this study, 27 patients adhered to a four-week fast, followed by a strict vegetarian diet. After one year, the patients reported significantly less pain, stiffness and swelling, as well as increased strength and overall better health.

Preliminary lab experiments suggest that short-term fasting may even help you live longer. During one animal study, researchers at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, discovered that mice who fasted for four consecutive days every two weeks had a significantly longer lifespan then the mice that ate a typical diet. How does this translate to humans? According to the National Institute on Aging, fasting increases a persons lifespan as well or better than caloric restriction.

Research has also shown that periodically fasting for short periods of time lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol, boosts insulin sensitivity, stimulates the release of growth hormone, reduces the rate of viral infections, helps protect the brain from excitotoxins and improves the quality of sleep, concentration, vigor and emotional balance.

What's Really Going On In There?

Unfortunately, when people unfamiliar with the basic physiology of fasting think of foregoing food, they think starvation. But most fasts fall far short of starvation. The difference is that, during starvation, the body uses up its reserves of non-essential tissues and then begins to break down the vital organs to supply its energy needs.

Fat stores make up most non-essential tissue. During the first day or so, the body uses its glycogen reserves (the sugars that are the body’s basic energy supply). Once these reserves have been depleted, the body begins using fat. The problem is, the brain, which has high fuel requirements, still needs the sugars converted from glycogen. To obtain glucose for the brain, the body begins to break down muscle tissue during the second day of the fast. But, since the brain would require the amount of energy equal to more than a pound of muscle a day, the body has developed another way to create energy that saves important muscle mass. This protein-sparing process is called ketosis.

During ketosis, the liver begins converting stored fat and other non-essential tissue into ketones, which can be used by the brain, muscles and heart as energy. Although many conventional doctors and dieticians maintain that ketosis can be dangerous and toxic to the body, proponents say that, since many toxins are stored in fatty tissue, fasting has a detoxifying effect.

Getting On The Fast Track

So who should fast? Most healthy people can safely go without food for a few days. But there are some people who should avoid fasting altogether. If you are undernourished or underweight, or if you’ve recently had surgery, fasting isn’t for you. Pregnant or lactating women should also steer clear of fasting. “I don’t recommend fasting for cancer patients, especially those with advanced problems,” says Haas. People with peptic ulcers, heart disease or a weak immune system should also take a pass, notes Haas. If you’re uncertain about your health status or have an existing condition, treat fasting as you would any new diet or exercise program and consult your health care provider before you begin.

If you’ve never fasted, it’s important to have a plan of action before you embark on your fast. Since fasting is a way to cleanse and detoxify the body, it’s wise to reduce the amount of animal protein you eat, as well as caffeine, alcohol and nicotine during the week leading up to your fast. It’s also a good idea to drink at least eight to ten glasses of water a day. While those who fast on a regular basis can do it during their regular work cycle, if you’re a novice, you may want to choose a weekend when demands are few. And, regardless of how long you intend to fast, Haas recommends setting aside time to meditate, exercise and take detoxifying baths. For those who opt for a juice fast, you will need to have a juicer or blender and a supply of fresh fruit and vegetables, preferably organic. Freshly made juice is always the best, since the nutrients in the juice diminish the longer it sits.

Fresh fruit or vegetable juices diluted with an equal amount of water are an excellent recipe for cleansing your system. Some vegetable choices are carrots, celery, beets and a variety of greens. Want more variety? Supplement juices with vegetable broths and herbal teas. For extra energy during your fast, Dr. Haas suggests adding blue-green algae, such as spirulina or chlorella to your juice. As your body begins to rid itself of toxins, don’t be surprised if you experience headaches, fatigue, irritability or lightheadedness. Depending on your level of toxicity, you may also develop bad breath, body odor or skin eruptions as poisons are released. Haas also warns that your tongue will acquire a thick white or yellow “coating” that can be brushed or scraped off. These side effects are usually temporary and well worth the discomfort.

One Last Thing ...

Once your fast is over, it’s important to make a gradual transition back to eating. “Breaking a fast must be planned and done slowly and carefully to prevent creating symptoms and sickness,” says Dr. Haas. He advises taking several days, or half of the total cleansing time, to move back into your diet, which is hopefully a newly planned, more healthful diet. “Our digestion has been at rest, so we need to go slowly and chew our food very well.”

Whether you choose to fast on water alone or on fresh juices, fasting not only helps your body rid itself of toxins, it will leave you feeling lighter, cleaner and more alive. Once you’ve experienced the benefits of fasting, you’ll wonder how you ever survived without it!

This Just In ...

Boosting your growth hormone levels can be a great way to turn back the clock and a lot of people are jumping on the anti-aging bandwagon. But, as with most trends, there’s also a lot of misinformation circulating about the safety of taking Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and especially their precursors, known as secretagogues. One person who wanted the straight scoop was a reader named William, who wrote:

“Precursors to HGH are being touted heavily as an anti-aging product with claims that it is absolutely safe. Nothing is said about the effects on an enlarged prostate.”

For years, doctors believed that there was a link between higher levels of circulating IGF-1 and prostate cancer. And since long-term use of secretagogues can boost IGF-1 levels 25 to 40 percent, there was some concern. But a recent study by L. Cass Terry at the Medical College of Wisconsin found that wasn’t the case.

In the study, blood samples were taken from 749 men, many of whom were on growth hormone replacement therapy. And six of the participants had prostate cancer. After analyzing the samples, Dr. Terry concluded that high blood IGF-1 levels have absolutely no relationship to PSA levels or prostate cancer. In fact, another study by Thomas Jefferson University found that low, not high, IGF-1 levels were associated with prostate cancer!

If you are thinking about taking over-the-counter anti-aging hormones, but worried about their effect on your prostate, there is one you need to watch. DHEA is often taken to increase stamina and reduce body mass and bone loss. But it can also cause an increase in dihydrotestosterone (DHT). High DHT levels can cause prostate growth and may signal prostate cancer, so it’s important to have your levels monitored by your health care provider.

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References:

Baffa R, et al. “Low serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1): a significant association with prostate cancer.” Techniques in Urology. 2000;6:236-239.

Goldhamer A, et al. “Medically supervised water-only fasting in the treatment of hypertension.” Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapy. 2001; 24:335-339.

Kjeldsen-Kragh J, Haugen M; Borchgrevink CF, et al. “Controlled trial of fasting and one-year vegetarian diet in rheumatoid arthritis.” Lancet. 1991; 338:899-904.

Sogawa H, Kubo C. “Influence of short-term repeated fasting on the longevity of female (NZB x NZW) F1 mice.” Mechanisms of Ageing and Development. 2000;115:61-71.