To Liza (and others who have experience with fasting)

I did my first fast (first ever) this week, following the protocol of ND
Richard Schultze's liver detox.  In addition to raw fruit and vegetable
juices and lots of water, I took an herbal tincture and an herbal tea
designed to support the liver as well as his intestinal formulas (one to
stimulate the colon, which contains herbs like licorice, senna, and other;
the other to cleanse the colon, which contains things like apple pectin,
activated charcoal, bentonite, etc.) I also took a morning drink with olive
oil, garlic and ginger; and a few spoonfuls of superfood (spirulina, dulse,
yeast, etc.)  In the afternoons I also drank a broth made from cooking a
mixture of vegetables (he calls it a potassium broth)  Also Day 1 and Day 5
allowed me to eat just raw fruits and vegetables in addition to the juices.

I had some unexpected reactions and want to hear what you think these might
mean:

The first 2 days I was very thirsty although I was drinking so much water
and other liquids that I sometimes felt bloated.  I thought maybe it was
because I wasn't getting as much salt as I was used to, or because maybe
some of the herbs were diuretics (I'm going to check this out in my herb
book).  I added a bit of celtic salt to my diet and made sure I got some
celery juice and this thirsty feeling went away by day 4.

On the 3rd day I noticed that I was sleeping more than normal; it was hard
to get up and I felt sluggish in the morning.  I was very cold all the time
on days 3 and 4 (partly because the weather suddenly changed and it went
down into the '60's)  At the same time, I felt that I was cleansing not only
my bowels but my emotional baggage from the past.  And this feeling of
cleansing continued through days 4 and 5.

On the 4th day I felt a tremendous boost of energy in the evening; in fact,
I felt so clear and happy after my evening yoga gathering that I couldn't go
to sleep until about 1 am. (usually go to bed by 11 pm)

I didn't get enough sleep that night and felt pretty tired and even a bit
spacy the next day. I also noticed that a rash was developing on my arm,
that an infection one of my teeth which had been healing had started to puff
out again, and I felt generally pretty weak. My mid-afternoon my tongue was
coated and I felt as if my yeast had returned.   As soon as I started eating
a little bit of solid fruits and vegetables, I started craving fats and
finally broke down in the afternoon and nibbled on some almonds and took a
swig of flax oil (I was putting it in my dog's food and couldn't resist).
When I went to bed that night, I awakened at 4 am feeling way out of
balance, with my legs aching and twitching.

Today, my first day on solids, I went to the gym, and although I had lost
merely a pound or two (was hoping not to lose anything as my weight is just
where I want it), I had very little strength and had to reduce my weights
substantially as well as my time on the treadmill.  This really concerns me.
I know I'll build up the muscle tissue again, but usually need animal
proteins to do this.

So my feeling about juice fasting is very mixed.  I worry that it puts too
much sugar into the digestive track which feeds the yeast, and possibly not
the right balance of calcium and magnesium and phosphorus to keep the body
chemistry neutral.  Even though I made some green juices every day -- the
fast called from fruits in the morning until lunch and then in the evening
-- I'm used to eating leafy greens 2-3x a day and didn't feel like I'd had
enough greens.  Yet without the sugar in carrots and beet juices, one tends
to get mighty hungry and the green stuff doesn't taste good enough to drink
in large quantities.  I suspect that juice fasting also may make the body PH
too alkaline for some persons.

In sum, my experience was that cleansing took place but it was much more
stressful and imbalancing to the physical body than other means of
cleansing.  Perhaps I needed to do it longer, or do it differently.  I'd
like to hear your feedback.

Janis

                           Janis C. Bell
320 Oakland Park Avenue               Visiting Scholar
Columbus, OH 43214                       Art History OSU
home tel: 614 447-8983 fax: 614 447-8783                   [log in to unmask]
           Associate professor, Kenyon College, on leave
                      alternate e-mail:  [log in to unmask]