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D S S's avatar

I’m today on my 8th day….

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Sophie Francis's avatar

Such great information in here, Orry! A few days ago, I did a 34-hour fast (my longest ever 😅) and was also so surprised that I didn't have many hunger cravings AND my mental clarity was through the roof. I'm definitely going to start incorporating the occasional fast into my life!

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Orry's avatar

Happy to hear Sophie. Everyone should do more fasting from time to time. Great to hear you consider it!

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Sara Redondo, MD's avatar

Interesting post Orry! Happy to know that prolonged fasting has well worked for you!

Hopefully, readers will approach this information with caution. Results may vary from person to person, and more human studies are required, since fasting studies have mostly been done with rats that have a much higher metabolism rate.

Long-term fasting can cause negative side effects like fatigue, malnutrition, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, hypoglycemia, muscle loss, increased cortisol levels, and, in some cases, even refeeding syndrome if not properly managed.

For this reason, alternatives have been explored, including Dr. Valter Longo's fasting-mimicking diet, attempting to offer the benefits of fasting while limiting the risks.

Conversations like this help everyone learn and grow, allowing readers to explore options that work best for them. Thanks for sharing your journey! 💛

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Orry's avatar

Thank you for your comment Sara! I really appreciate your thoughtful approach to fasting and the potential risks involved. However, I must admit I was a bit surprised that you primarily highlight studies on rats. While it's true that fasting research has often started with animal models, human studies and clinical applications have been around for decades.

In fact, numerous organizations worldwide have integrated medically supervised water fasting into their health programs, some with many decades of experience. These centers not only offer fasting for general wellness but, in some cases even support cancer patients with fasting protocols under medical supervision.

For those interested in learning more, here are some well-established organizations specializing in therapeutic water fasting:

TrueNorth Health Center (USA): A leading facility specializing in medically supervised water-only fasting.

🔗 healthpromoting.com

Buchinger Wilhelmi Clinics (Germany & Spain): Over a century of experience in therapeutic fasting and integrative medicine.

🔗 buchinger-wilhelmi.com

Clinique Lémana (Switzerland): Offers supervised therapeutic fasting programs in a medical setting.

🔗 lemana.com

Living Medicine Institute (USA): Conducts semi-annual medically supervised fasting retreats.

🔗 livingmedicineinstitute.com

Dr. Ariel Jones' Distance Fasting Program: A naturopathic doctor offering supervised online fasting retreats.

🔗 drarieljones.com

Fasting Escape (USA): Provides doctor-supervised fasting programs, including personalized protocols for various health conditions, including cancer.

🔗 fastingescape.com

It’s great to see discussions like this that allow for a well-rounded perspective on fasting. I agree while fasting is not straight without preparation for everyone, when done correctly and under supervision, fasting has been used therapeutically for decades. Therefore I also see a big approach on humans related to water fasting. Thanks again for sharing your insights Sara!

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Sara Redondo, MD's avatar

Exactly, my friend. Those and many more centers reinforce the importance of approaching prolonged fasting with care to prevent complications. So thank you, and yes, of course—it’s always a pleasure to connect!

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Claudia Brose's avatar

Thanks so much for sharing this. And not only sharing your experience of how you felt during the fasting at each step but also explaining all the "science" behind it, what happens in a body during fasting. Sooo interesting.

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Orry's avatar

Thanks Claudia for your feedback! I appreciate it a lot and makes me happy to see that my insights can be reused 🙌🏼

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Beth Bollinger's avatar

This is a terrific explanation, Orry. I do a two and a half day fast with a group every 3 months (for the past 6 years) and it is a wonderful reset and such a great reminder of what our bodies are capable of🧡

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Orry's avatar

Thanks Beth for your amazing feedback and insights. I like the approach you do with your group and that you can motivate so many people to do so too. Just amazing!

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Sean, Sane, Asen, Names,🤷🏽‍♀️'s avatar

Wow..What an auesome breakdown and enlightenment(puns intended 😉). Makes so much sense now. Thank U so much 🙏💪🥰

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Orry's avatar

Thanks hope you can reuse some information. Feel free to give feedback if so.

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Sean, Sane, Asen, Names,🤷🏽‍♀️'s avatar

I plan on it so will do. Thanks aga....aloss😉

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Feb 22
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Orry's avatar

Thanks Sue nice to hear it triggered in a positive way. We need to go best step by step when fasting is planned for longer period. It's like a marathon for the body you can't just do a cold start there is warm up needed before.

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