Therapeutic fasting

Naturopathically oriented fasting cure. Therapeutic fasting involves abstaining from solid food for a fixed period of five days to five weeks. This form of fasting is not associated with feelings of hunger and activates or promotes the ability of the human body to heal itself.

A distinction is made between the preventive form of fasting and therapeutic fasting:

• Preventive form of fasting: The fasting participants are in a healthy condition. Fasting is aimed at preventing and influencing risk factors for diseases: obesity, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia.
• Therapeutic fasting: is carried out as an in-patient treatment by a general practitioner and is used to treat chronically ill patients by activating self-healing processes in the body.

Physiological aspects of fasting:
therapeutic fasting affects every organ, the interstitial tissue and the entire capillary network. As a result of the catabolic metabolism during fasting, the degradation and excretion of harmful substances and metabolic waste products requiring excretion takes place, thus improving the microcirculation in the connective tissue.
Energy supply during fasting:
Brain, nervous tissue, erythrocytes and kidney marrow are dependent on glucose, while the cells of the body, by the way, use free fatty acids and ketone bodies as energy substrates already at the beginning of the fasting. During the fasting the protein breakdown is continuously reduced, from the 3rd day of fasting onwards fat is the main fuel of the metabolism. The performance of the musculature increases during fasting, especially when using an adequate endurance exercise programme.

Psychological effects:

During the fasting period, the increased production and release of serotonin and the drop in cortisol blood values leads to an elevated mood and "inner harmony". In addition, an increased need for rest, lighter sleep and increased dreaming activity can be observed. This can lead to a temporary impairment of the ability to react and remember.

Rheumatic diseases: By lowering the arachidonic acid intake and the associated reduced formation of eicosanoids, there is a rapid pain relief in inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Fibromyalgia: According to naturopathic opinion, an over-acidified oxygen situation is a pathogenetic factor in fibromyalgia and degenerative arthrosis. Here, fasting counteracts the oxygen situation by "eliminating acidity".

Metabolic syndrome: Within the 1st week, a reduction of the increased blood fat and blood sugar values towards the normal range takes place. Due to the decrease in extracellular fluid volume, there is a reduction in heart rate and blood pressure. The body's insulin resistance is reduced by an increase in insulin receptors and weight loss.

Skin and mucous membrane diseases: atopic eczema: shorter duration of the inflammatory process, reduction of itching.

Other indications: migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic inflammatory bowel disease, chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, hay fever chronic sinusitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, recurrent upper respiratory tract infections.

Preparation day: this serves the physical and mental attunement. Detailed information about the process and effect of therapeutic fasting, for example, the initial deterioration.
Meals: Breakfast/lunch: full basic diet. Dinner: omitted; 1 portion of fruit, alternatively stewed fruit.
Fasting days:
Meals: 3 x daily ¼ liter of fasting drink plus 150 ml of vegetable juice, plus mineral water; sip intake.

In whey fasting (preferred for slim patients), diet kurmolke is used instead of vegetable juice to minimize the body's protein loss. In this variant, approximately 420 kcal/day are supplied.

Decomposition days:
The decomposition time is 1/3 of the fasting time. Both metabolic and digestive functions are reactivated during this phase. Food intake is gradually increased to 1,000 kilocalories.

Supportive measures during fasting:
Measures to cleanse the intestines: with Glauber's salt or high enema every 2 to 3 days.
Liver supportive measures: a liver wrap after the fasting meal at noon provides increased liver circulation and thus a higher detoxification performance. This should be followed by a period of rest.
Control of laboratory parameters: liver values, kidney retention values, electrolytes, blood sugar, blood count, ESR, TSH basal, triglycerides, cholesterol, blood gas analysis, blood pressure and weight control, urine pH measurement, ECG.
Accompanying physical therapy measures: dry brushing of the skin in the morning, exercise therapy, relaxation therapy.
Order therapy: accompanying conversations as an impulse to change behavioral patterns.

• lack of weight reserves
• diseases associated with cachexia (Tbc, carcinoma)
• postoperative deficiency symptoms
• anorexia nervosa
• Psychoses
• States of exhaustion
• Neuroses
• Diabetes mellitus type I
• advanced kidney or liver failure
• Retinal detachment
• Ventriculopathy / duodenal ulcer
• coronary heart disease (CHD)
• decompensated hyperthyroidism
• high-dose immunosuppressive therapy with corticosteroids.
• Addictions
• Pregnancy and lactation
• Taking anticoagulants.
  

Ingredients for the fasting days

• Lenten tea: liquorice root 20g, nettle herb 30g, hawthorn leaves with flowers 20g, field horsetail 10g, dandelion roots with herb 20g; pour 500ml of boiling water over 1 tbsp of the tea mixture and leave to steep for 10 minutes in a covered container, then strain and consume one cup several times a day.
  
• Fresh plant press juices: Consume in daily change. On the 1st day dandelion, 2nd day nettle, 3rd day birch leaves. Dosage: 3 x 1 tablespoon to support the excretion process.
  
• Potassium effervescentTbl: 1 tablet daily. Cave: A loss of potassium is common during fasting due to a neurohormonal counterregulation.
  
• Honey: at signs of hypoglycemia ½ teaspoon of honey dissolve in tea
  
• Fasting Drink Sine (clear vegetable broth) Recipe: about 500 g vegetables, carrots, celery, zucchini, cauliflower, beetroot, cook in 1 liter of water, strain and season with fresh herbs and some grainy organic vegetable broth.
  
• Dietary curm whey (enriched with 30g protein): one litre a day as part of the whey fasting.
  
• Vegetable juices in organic quality: for example celery, carrot, beetroot, tomato or sauerkraut juice (not for diarrhoea).
  
• Decoction: Mucus preparation for patients with sensitive stomachs and when taking medication. Recipe: Boil 500g diced potatoes in 1.5 l water, add 6 tbsp. linseed and 3 tbsp. wheat bran, cook for about 20 minutes and then strain (one portion approx. 50g).
  
• Glauber's salt or FX-passagesalt 20 to 40g (laxative at the beginning of fasting)

Ingredients for the set-up days:

• Fasten-Trunk Con: Here we use the recipe of the Fastentrunk Sine and add 1 teaspoon wheat bran and 1 teaspoon linseed.
  
• Potato soup: cook about 500g potato, carrot and courgette cubes in 1l vegetable stock, puree if necessary and add fresh herbs and spices.
  
• Mixture: Soak 50g raisins and figs each, cook them together with 1 teaspoon linseed, 1 teaspoon wheat bran and 1 teaspoon wheat chimney.
  
• Fresh fruit: Mix 2 tablespoons of soaked oat chimney with 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and raisins, grate the apple and fold in.
• Mashed potatoes: cook about 300g potatoes with a little vegetable stock until slightly soft, puree with the vegetable stock used and season to taste.
  
• Saccharomyces boulardii: e.g. Parenterol® 3 x 1 dose to maintain the natural colonization of microorganisms and regeneration of the intestinal mucosa.

Set-up days:

First day: in the morning: ¼ Fasting Drink Con and 1 glass of vegetable juice (for whey fasting 1 pot of whey). Lunch: breaking the fast with a grated apple or a portion of applesauce, in the afternoon another apple or applesauce. In the evening: ¼ l potato soup.

Second build-up day: in the morning: ¼ Fasting Drink Con, soaked plums with curd. Lunch: potatoes with curd cheese and natural yoghurt or potatoes with steamed vegetables. Evening: Mixed or alternatively finely ground wholemeal bread with vegetable spread.

Third day: morning: ¼ Fasting drink con, soaked figs, fresh fruit, curd cheese and natural yoghurt, wheat bran. Lunchtime: raw salad plate with low-fat dressing and mashed potatoes or potatoes with curd and natural yoghurt or potatoes with steamed vegetables. Evening: Fresh fruit or finely ground wholemeal bread with vegetable spread with cheese or curd.

1. Weidner B (2012) In: André-Michael Beer, Martin Adler [Ed.] Leitfaden Naturheilverfahren für die ärztliche Praxis, Urban und Fischer Verlag S 128ff.