BEATING DIABETES & OTHER HEALTH BENEFITS OF FASTING
Today we are going to talk about the incredible benefits your body can achieve under the auspices of a properly supervised fast. When done correctly, fasting is one of the most effective therapies available to kick-start the body’s healing abilities and bring about total wellness in a safe and long-lasting way.
However, no matter how successful a short-term fasting program might be, it needs to be consistently followed-up with a healthy lifestyle, namely mindfulness, diet, environment, and physical activity. The following examples are just a few of the many beneficial uses of fasting.
Diabetes
Many chronic illnesses such as diabetes have been shown to respond remarkably well to fasting. In particular, through the use of a carefully followed diet, lifestyle program and intermittent fasting many adult-onset diabetic patients have been freed from the use of daily insulin injections and other medications. Such a program will allow most diabetics to maintain normal sugar levels without the use of medication. Similarly, insulin resistance is positively affected by fasting, enabling sufferers to better tolerate carbohydrates.
Brain Function
Fasting has been shown to dramatically enhance brain performance because it boosts a particular protein called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). How it works is that BNDF fires up brain stem cells to create new neurons, simultaneously stimulating other chemicals, which in turn promote better overall health. In this way, increased growth of new nerve cells is beneficial to brain overall brain function.
Addictions
Addictions to substances such as alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine are examples where fasting can really help. The protracted withdrawal symptoms that prevent many people from becoming drug-free can be dramatically reduced with fasting. Most people are surprised how easy it is to quit (and stay quit!) smoking or drinking with the help of a supervised fast.
Eating Habits
Fasting can help improve ingrained eating habits. It’s a sad truth that modern society’s over-consumption of food, obsession with looking good, use of food as a mood enhancer and general bad attitude (all carbs are bad!) has caused a sharp rise in the number of people suffering from eating disorders, such as binge eating and obesity. Fasting is like a reset button – the longer you fast, the more your body can regulate hormone levels, you can learn about proper nutrition and you can break the cycle of abuse.
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Disturbances of the gastrointestinal system including esophagitis, gastritis, colitis, constipation, bloating and the symptoms associated with so-called candidiasis (overgrowth of the yeast candida), usually respond well to fasting. Such patients who go on a fast typically begin seeing results in as little as a week and by the end of two weeks show remarkable change in their bowel movements.
Back & Neck Pain
Often patients with chronic pain who have received extensive treatment, including drugs, surgery and physical therapy, will experience dramatic improvement through the use of fasting. Joint pain, in particular of the lumbar spine (low back) and neck, is remarkably responsive to this kind of treatment. A combination of fasting, rest, exercise, improved posture and body use can have remarkable results.
Cardiovascular Disease
Angina and muscle pain (ache, cramp, numbness, fatigue) are examples of conditions that will often respond rapidly to fasting. It’s not uncommon for a person’s cholesterol levels drop by as much as 100 points; in conjunction with total pain relief and freedom from medications within a few week. In many cases of high blood pressure [hypertension], patients who employed fasting were able to achieve and maintain normal blood pressure without the use of medication.
Weight Loss
Losing weight has been proven time and time again to be both possible and effective whilst fasting. When there is no sugar or food around, the body will burn fat for energy after two to three days. In this way guided fasting can enhance hormone function and rapidly assist weight loss. From a scientific standpoint, lower insulin levels, increased amounts of norepinephrine and enhanced hormone levels all contribute to depletion in body fat. Lastly, let’s take a few minutes to look at the crucial steps, and likely outcome, involved when transitioning into a fasting lifestyle.
Transition
Fasting, for as little as 24 hours to as much as 30 days, will often dramatically shorten the time it takes for an individual to make the transition from a standard diet and lifestyle to a healthy and sustainable one.
People who undertake to fast in a supervised setting (e.g., a specialised retreat like the one offered by Vietnam Detox) invariably achieve better and faster health results than those that go it alone. The emotional support and intensive health education they receive during their retreat go a long way to increasing overall acceptance with dietary and lifestyle recommendations.
As with the above, when individuals try to make drastic dietary changes without the benefit of a fasting coach, they often become quickly disheartened and quit easily. Transitioning to a healthy lifestyle can bring about feelings of fatigue, nausea, headache, vomiting, skin irritation, diarrhea, bloating, irritability, joint pain, depression and so on.
Unless practitioners begin to experience some benefits quickly, it’s difficult to get them to practice these new healthy living habits for the long-term. Changes that may take months (or even years), such as a careful eating plan, may develop more quickly as part of a properly supervised fast. The importance of a safe and supportive fasting environment cannot be more greatly valued as it’s a key component in keeping people on the wellness journey; once people begin to reach their potential they are more likely to maintain a lifelong commitment to healthy living.
If you’re ready to begin your own wellness journey under the supervision of a certified and passionate fasting coach, reach out to us at Vietnam Detox today at www.vietnamdetox.com or dieter@vietnamdetox.com for more information. 
