Fasting: Detailed description, tips, pros and cons.
Methods of therapeutic fasting.
Methods of therapeutic fasting.
Humans discovered fasting the same way they discover most useful things: by accidentally noticing what animals already figured out centuries ago.
When an animal gets sick, it stops eating. No debates, no “but I’ll just have a snack.” The body shifts into recovery mode. Humans, on the other hand, tend to eat through stress, illness, boredom, and existential crises. So fasting looks radical… when it’s actually quite natural.
When an animal gets sick, it stops eating. No debates, no “but I’ll just have a snack.” The body shifts into recovery mode. Humans, on the other hand, tend to eat through stress, illness, boredom, and existential crises. So fasting looks radical… when it’s actually quite natural.
What is therapeutic fasting?
Fasting is not magic. Not a cure-all.
It’s a controlled stress that activates the body’s internal repair systems.
When done correctly, the body stops focusing on digestion and starts reallocating energy toward cleansing and recovery. But “correctly” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.
It’s a controlled stress that activates the body’s internal repair systems.
When done correctly, the body stops focusing on digestion and starts reallocating energy toward cleansing and recovery. But “correctly” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.
What happens in the body?
First comes cleansing. Waste products and toxins circulate through the blood. During fasting, the body intensifies elimination through the kidneys, intestines, skin, and lungs. As this process improves, people often report more clarity, lighter mood, and better overall well-being.
But don’t romanticize it too much. At first, you may feel weak, irritable, or tired. Your body is basically doing a deep clean, not a spa day.
But don’t romanticize it too much. At first, you may feel weak, irritable, or tired. Your body is basically doing a deep clean, not a spa day.
Who can benefit?
Fasting has been used in cases like:
- excess weight
- allergies
- skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis)
- mild hypertension
- digestive disorders
- chronic fatigue and even mood issues
It’s especially relevant when medication is not ideal or causes complications.
- excess weight
- allergies
- skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis)
- mild hypertension
- digestive disorders
- chronic fatigue and even mood issues
It’s especially relevant when medication is not ideal or causes complications.
Important reality check
Fasting is not just “stop eating and hope for enlightenment.”
You need:
- preparation of the digestive system
- supportive practices (walking, light movement, fresh air)
- sometimes cleansing procedures
- psychological stability
Dry fasting for long periods or extreme approaches without guidance? That’s less “healing” and more “gambling with your organs.”
You need:
- preparation of the digestive system
- supportive practices (walking, light movement, fresh air)
- sometimes cleansing procedures
- psychological stability
Dry fasting for long periods or extreme approaches without guidance? That’s less “healing” and more “gambling with your organs.”
Foods Traditionally Believed to Support the Spleen
Whole grains, leafy greens, root vegetables, herbs, spices such as turmeric and ginger, fermented foods, seeds, sea vegetables, and green tea are often included in supportive dietary approaches.
Popular approaches
Different methods exist, but they all start similarly:
Method 1
This approach begins with short fasting periods and gradually increases duration. It typically starts with one-day fasts, then expands to longer cycles over time.
A key principle is rejecting the use of enemas, as they are considered unnecessary and draining for the intestines.
A typical structure may look like this:
1. one-day fasts practiced regularly
2. a one-week fast every few months
3. a longer fast (up to three weeks) once a year
This method is often combined with a vegetarian lifestyle to reduce the burden on the body.
Method 2
This method emphasizes that fasting should not exist on its own, but in harmony with breathing, water balance, and nutrition.
Breathing plays a central role. The idea is that oxygen, hydration, and metabolic rhythm form the foundation of life, and fasting must align with these processes.
Cleansing practices are carried out alongside fasting, not separately.
The structure is simple:
1. an initial fasting phase of two days
2. after two nights on an empty stomach, a small, controlled meal is introduced (around 300 ml)
Method 3
This approach is based on staged or “cascade” fasting.
Instead of one long fasting period, the process is divided into several phases. Each fasting cycle is followed by a recovery period with controlled nutrition. Over time, these alternating cycles create a longer overall treatment process, especially in more serious conditions.
The idea is to reduce stress on the body while still achieving deep cleansing and adaptation.
Different philosophies, same idea: the body can reset if you stop overwhelming it.
Method 1
This approach begins with short fasting periods and gradually increases duration. It typically starts with one-day fasts, then expands to longer cycles over time.
A key principle is rejecting the use of enemas, as they are considered unnecessary and draining for the intestines.
A typical structure may look like this:
1. one-day fasts practiced regularly
2. a one-week fast every few months
3. a longer fast (up to three weeks) once a year
This method is often combined with a vegetarian lifestyle to reduce the burden on the body.
Method 2
This method emphasizes that fasting should not exist on its own, but in harmony with breathing, water balance, and nutrition.
Breathing plays a central role. The idea is that oxygen, hydration, and metabolic rhythm form the foundation of life, and fasting must align with these processes.
Cleansing practices are carried out alongside fasting, not separately.
The structure is simple:
1. an initial fasting phase of two days
2. after two nights on an empty stomach, a small, controlled meal is introduced (around 300 ml)
Method 3
This approach is based on staged or “cascade” fasting.
Instead of one long fasting period, the process is divided into several phases. Each fasting cycle is followed by a recovery period with controlled nutrition. Over time, these alternating cycles create a longer overall treatment process, especially in more serious conditions.
The idea is to reduce stress on the body while still achieving deep cleansing and adaptation.
Different philosophies, same idea: the body can reset if you stop overwhelming it.
Pros and cons (because nothing is ever perfect)
Pros:
- deep detox effect
- metabolic reset
- prevention of certain diseases
- improved sensitivity to food after
Cons:
- hunger, irritability, poor sleep at the start
- temporary worsening of chronic issues
- stress on kidneys during long fasts
- not suitable for everyone
After about a week, the body usually adapts. Before that, it can feel like you’ve made a terrible life decision.
- deep detox effect
- metabolic reset
- prevention of certain diseases
- improved sensitivity to food after
Cons:
- hunger, irritability, poor sleep at the start
- temporary worsening of chronic issues
- stress on kidneys during long fasts
- not suitable for everyone
After about a week, the body usually adapts. Before that, it can feel like you’ve made a terrible life decision.
Who should NOT do it?
Absolute contraindications include:
- active infections (like tuberculosis)
- severe heart conditions
- advanced liver disease
- diabetes requiring insulin
- ulcers, thrombosis, serious inflammatory processes
Also avoid fasting during severe psychological instability. Your mind needs to cooperate, not sabotage the process.
- active infections (like tuberculosis)
- severe heart conditions
- advanced liver disease
- diabetes requiring insulin
- ulcers, thrombosis, serious inflammatory processes
Also avoid fasting during severe psychological instability. Your mind needs to cooperate, not sabotage the process.
Practical advice
- Drink clean water (unless doing a supervised dry fast, which is not beginner territory)
- Move gently, breathe deeply, get fresh air
- Use light supportive practices like massage or sauna carefully
- Don’t overdo water procedures, energy matters
- Break the fast gradually, or your digestive system will protest loudly
Strangely enough, fasting can even help restore appetite in underweight people by resetting hunger signals.
Final thought
Fasting is not about punishment. It’s about stepping out of constant consumption and letting the body remember how to function on its own.
Do it blindly, and it becomes stress.
Do it consciously, and it becomes a tool.
And like most powerful tools humans get their hands on… it depends entirely on whether you use it wisely or turn it into another extreme experiment.
- Move gently, breathe deeply, get fresh air
- Use light supportive practices like massage or sauna carefully
- Don’t overdo water procedures, energy matters
- Break the fast gradually, or your digestive system will protest loudly
Strangely enough, fasting can even help restore appetite in underweight people by resetting hunger signals.
Final thought
Fasting is not about punishment. It’s about stepping out of constant consumption and letting the body remember how to function on its own.
Do it blindly, and it becomes stress.
Do it consciously, and it becomes a tool.
And like most powerful tools humans get their hands on… it depends entirely on whether you use it wisely or turn it into another extreme experiment.