Isn't it just one of the best benefits of modern society to have food available to us 24/7? In recent years though, research is finding that a major issue in western society is food accessibility, it seems that our genetic hard-wiring makes it so that if we can eat all the time we usually do! There is no shortage at this point of information about what happens when people eat constantly and don't do much else in the way of movement, especially strenuous (the proverbial couch potato) - disaster ensues. Heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, inflammatory problems, this overconsumption can be easily linked to just about any other health disorder you can think of.
Digestive issues are one of the most common complaints patients report In the Master The Body Clinic. To combat this I have been using intermittent fasting to augment patients healthcare plans when other when other approaches are not working. Many people find the thought of fasting absurd, though it has essentially been a tenant of every religion at some point in history. Refraining from eating can give your digestive, immune, and nervous systems a chance to reassess and improve function. There are a number of metabolic processes that occur while fasting causing the reduction of inflammation and pain. The digestion, which is the initially affected system by fasting, gets a chance to rest. The result of this rest can also reduce reactions to foods that may be causing pain.
It's not surprising then, that the heat is being turned up on the research results and interest in further research on the dramatic results of fasting.
One of the research gems that has come out of this research focus is the medical result that fasting can reduce or eliminate abdominal pain and distention in diagnosed IBS cases. This is the same anecdotal evidence I have seen in my practice.
In this study, difficult IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) cases that had no real progress with conventional treatments were treated by fasted for 10 days with a re-feeding period of 5 days to show the pain reduction results. For some this seems very scary - 10 days without food but it not a dramatic approach by any means.
Intermittent fasting has proved to be a huge benefit for my patients and very rewarding for me to see an ancient natural approach get extraordinary results, with nothing more than abstaining from food. There is a great deal of information coming out now about how to use fasting in your life to improve health, that makes it hard for the average person to know how to start.
I have seen patients have great results with reduction of pain and distention by fasting only 24 hours at a time (intermittent), it is very easy to do, with very little concern over preexisting conditions (talk to your doctor). For example, if you eat breakfast at 10 am one day then you don't eat again until 10 am the following day. On that same day, you break the fast and eat normally. Then, within another 24-48 hours, you do another 24 hour fast, etc. Another option is fasting for 24 hours 3 days per week. The effects of this are cumulative in many cases. Of course, there are lots of variations on this where people drink coffee and water only and many other variations but a true food fast is with water only being consumed. It is best for you to find out what works for you the options are endless when the bottom line is that you eat less overall.
Email us with questions - happy help! Dr. Lorn Allison D.N.
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