Fasting: Treatment, Effect & Risks

Known from religious circles for a long time, fasting now also enjoys high popularity as a health trend. In summary, fasting is understood as the partial or complete renunciation of food and stimulants. More extreme forms of fasting may even involve abstaining from drinks for a limited period of time. With today’s number of different cures for fasting, one differentiates different methods, what concerns the admission of meals and beverages.

Function, effect and goals

The body is purged during fasting. To promote purification and purging, fasting is usually always associated with a correspondingly high fluid intake. Many people who fast for a long period of time for health reasons usually begin this period by completely emptying their bowels. The main purpose of fasting is that the body metabolizes its own reserves due to the lack of nutrient intake. This causes that the body with the dismantling of the reserves also excretes pollutants. The body is purged during fasting. In order to promote the Entschlackung and Auspülung, chamfered is connected as a rule always with an accordingly high liquid admission. Chamfered can affect beyond that lindernd on certain disease pictures or contribute to a complete healing. But also healthy humans fast and pursue thereby reasons, like the entrance to the weight reduction before a complete food conversion or simply the stabilization of the immune system. In addition to these proven effects, many people observe a positive psychological effect while fasting. They feel more balanced, more creative and observe an overall increased willingness and ability to perform.

Side effects

However, fasting can also cause some side effects. As a rule, however, these disappear after some time, as soon as the body has adjusted to fasting. These include, for example, strong bad breath, bad mood, dizziness and dry skin. When fasting begins, the body tries to obtain its energy primarily from protein, which is easier to metabolize, before it goes to the fat reserves. This means that muscle is partially broken down. If people fast extensively who are of normal weight or only very slightly overweight, in individual cases muscle tissue can be broken down at the heart, which in very few and extreme cases can have fatal consequences. Longer lasting cures for fasting should therefore be carried out primarily under medical supervision.

Fasting in therapy and treatment

In contrast, there are the positive effects, alleviation or cure of various diseases for which fasting can be used as therapy. These therapies should never be carried out without a doctor present and usually also take place in certain facilities for fasting. However, one-time medical fasting does not necessarily have a permanent purpose. It is usually accompanied by a complete change of diet, in which individual diet plans must be developed and followed independently. A renewed chamfering is recommended then each year. Fasting can be prescribed today for example with diabetes type 2. With this illness a utilization problem of the produced insulin occurs in the body mainly. Fasting can promote a regulation of the metabolic processes here. With rheumatism and arthritis chamfered likewise positive effects has. With simultaneous stimulation of the immune system the inflammation tendency is inhibited, which provides relief. By drainage and decongestion of the body the nutrient admission, which is promoted anyway sparsely supplied joint structures, which likewise alleviates the inflammations. Migraine can have among other things the cause in not compatible food. With chamfering it can be determined whether this cause is decisive. Many patients experience immediate reductions in the severity and frequency of migraine attacks after beginning a fasting regimen.