Fast

Known from religious circles for a long time, this is a delight Fast meanwhile also as a health trend of great popularity. In summary, fasting means the partial or complete renunciation of food and luxury foods. In the case of more extreme forms of fasting, drinks may even be abstained from for a limited period of time. With today's number of different cures for fasting, different methods are differentiated when it comes to the intake of food and drinks.

Function, effect & goals

Many people who fast for a longer period of time for health reasons usually start with a complete bowel movement. Fast The main goal is that the body metabolizes its own reserves through the lack of nutrient absorption. This has the effect that the body also excretes pollutants when the reserves are depleted. The body is detoxified during fasting. In order to promote detoxification and flushing, fasting is usually always combined with a correspondingly high fluid intake.

Fasting can also have a soothing effect on certain clinical pictures or contribute to a complete healing.

But healthy people also fast and pursue reasons such as starting weight loss before a complete change in diet or simply strengthening the immune system. In addition to these proven effects, many people observe a positive psychological effect while fasting. You feel more balanced, more creative and observe an overall increased willingness and ability to perform.

Side effects

At the Fast however, some side effects may also occur. As a rule, however, these disappear again after a while as soon as the body has adjusted to fasting. These include, for example, bad breath, bad mood, dizziness and dry skin. At the beginning of the fast, the body tries to get its energy primarily from protein, which is easier to metabolize, before going to the fat reserves.

This means that muscles are partially broken down. If people fast extensively who are of normal weight or only very slightly overweight, muscle tissue in the heart can also break down in individual cases, which in very few and extreme cases can have fatal consequences. Longer fasting cures should therefore primarily be carried out under medical supervision.

Fasting in Therapy & Treatment

In contrast, there are the positive effects, alleviation or healing of various diseases in which Fast can be used as therapy. These therapies should never be carried out without a doctor present and usually take place in certain fasting facilities.

However, one-time medical fasting does not necessarily have a permanent meaning. It usually goes hand in hand with a complete change in diet, in which individual nutrition plans must be worked out and adhered to independently. A new fast is then recommended every year. Today, fasting can be prescribed for type 2 diabetes, for example. In this disease, the main problem in the body is the utilization of the insulin produced. Fasting can help regulate metabolic processes here.

Fasting also has positive effects on rheumatism and arthritis. With simultaneous stimulation of the immune system, the tendency towards inflammation is inhibited, which provides relief. By draining and decongesting the body, the absorption of nutrients in the joint structures, which are already sparsely supplied, is promoted, which also relieves inflammation. Migraines can be caused by intolerable foods, among other things. Fasting can be used to determine whether this cause is decisive. Many patients experience an immediate reduction in the severity and frequency of migraine attacks after starting a fast.