Therapeutic fasting – or simply ‘fasting’ in the increasingly common term – is nothing more than abstinence from food in order to give the body time as to reset itself functionally. This reset involves:
- Optimizing the immune system
- Reducing inflammatory processes
- Optimizing the microbiome
- Regulating digestive processes
- Regeneration of the hematopoietic system and stem cells
- Increasing the efficiency of cell autophagy
- Influencing neuroplasticity and nerve growth factors
- Hormonal optimization
- …and many, many more.
My experience as a medical consultant of the fasting camps organized by Cezar Elisei (here in Romania) has confirmed some of these effects; I have observed both the “going in” and “getting out” of fasting, the signs and symptoms of the participants (some of them having serious dysfunctions/illnesses) and the refeeding process.
Normally, the whole process involves ‘training’, starting with what is called intermittent fasting – i.e. an hourly, cyclical eating/fasting interval (the 24-hour day is divided into an eating interval and the rest of the time is fasting time), which is gradually increased and maintained over a long period of time, so that the body gets used to it. Only then can you try a full day (24 hours), then 2 days, then 3 days – the same thing, cyclically, at set intervals.
For today’s man, engaged in “lots and little things”, perhaps the idea of a food break is kind of scaring. Most of the time, the level of stress generated and maintained by the daily activities of most of us does not allow the ‘luxury’ of this break – which also involves sitting down, taking a mental break, getting out of socializing etc. Personal experience – both with myself, patients and camp participants – has shown me that at home, under normal, everyday conditions, one can fast intermittently and fast for a maximum of 3 days. Anything beyond this interval is a strain on the body’s capacities – weakened, deficient, stressed by toxic factors in the environment, lack of sleep in terms of quantity and quality, and subjected to a multitude of stimuli of all kinds (visual, olfactory, gustatory, auditory, tactile). If there is a desire/need/indication for more, I would recommend retreating to a natural place (house/cabin in the country, away from the hustle and bustle of the city) or to a favorable place (e.g. monastery or fasting camp/retreat).
The fact is that, regardless of the time of the year or the length of the fast, our bodies would periodically deserve such a “reset”, at least once a year, if not several times. In the Therapeutica method, we recommend therapeutic fasting if it is helpful to the patient, offering guidance throughout the process.
Tofan Bogdan, MD