Good question.

There has been mention of electrolytes off and on within the forum so this could be an appropriate time to explain just what they are and how important they are.
Electrolytes are minerals in the body that have an electric charge. There should be a balance between the electrolytes with "positive charges" and those with "negative charges", and all must stay within a certain range of one another or homoestasis. Water-only fasting strives for and achieves this state of homoeostatic balance of all nutrients but esp' with electrolytes.

If that balance is lost/depleted (in malnutrition for example) or if they stay outside the normal range/depleted, this can be harmful and even dangerous.
The main electrolytes are sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, chloride and bicarbonate. Sodium and potassium are important for your nervous system, while potassium is important for your heart muscle. Your muscles need the proper amounts of calcium. Chloride is the major negatively charged mineral in the body.

The problem here is that electrolyte deficiencies can mimic the symptoms of detoxification, such as weakness, leg and foot cramps, nausea, heart arrhythmias, muscle twitching, and so on and so on.
Exercise during a prolonged fast will consume electrolytes much more quickly, (plus other nutrients) as will anxiety/stress, and the reason both should be avoided in my opinion.
The only way which is thought to determine these deficiencies is via urine and/or blood tests, but there is another way not commonly mentioned, even within fasting circles: as a general rule of thumb, after day 30ish of a water-only fast, detox symptoms should be at a minimum, or absent altogether, so if detox symptoms such as those mentioned above are increasing after this time, then an electrolyte deficiency is highly likely, and the fast MUST be terminated.

Chrisb1.

sunnyy,

Well done on your fast so far. It sounds as though you're having a wonderful experience so far. It also sounds as if you're getting overly worried about whacky electrolytes instead of just trusting your body to tell you if it's unhappy.

I suspect that you'll get some good advice from some of the more experienced fasters here before long but what I will offer is comfort based on the knowledge that the body is more than capable of managing it's needs while reserves during a water-only fast. I was just reading a research paper on fasting from 1982 which summarised much of the other research on the subject while monitoring one individual's extended fast. The bottomline message was that strict water-fasting is associated with very few and rare complications and the fast is well tolerated in most cases. Serious complications were, however, frequent on modified fasts where fasters supplemented with protein or underwent other clinical adjustments under the advice of, no doubt, well-intentioned but poorly informed doctors.

You seem to be doing everything right - resting, fasting in a relaxed, supportive environment and from a position of knowledge as well as airing any concerns on this forum. I suspect that you will have a great experience but even if little niggles or worse complications arise, you'll be able to get the right advice quickly and be able to take proper action in a timely manner.

Best wishes for a pleasant journey!
NH...

Excellent topic!

Chemical, including electrolytes, glucose, lipid, amino-acids, acid-base content and etc., homeostasis is part of the general biologic homeostasis (=dynamic equilibrium, balance of internal environment). Homeostasis for humans includes also thermal, energy, weight, ..., some even go into psychological structures, adding mood fluctuations and habits to be part of the brain/behavioral homeostasis.
As we fast homeostasis is challenged for good, with every stage of fasting requiring use of the body's fine tuned mechanism to adapt to new states of internal environment and keep the reasonable balance.
Chris has pointed out the most sought electrolytes.

I would go into discussing bicarbonate, magnesium, iodine, selenium and boron.
Bicarbonates are central in keeping the acid-base balance. If I haven't read Shelton, I would have assumed that fasting induces acid excess, but Shelton points out that acidity in fasting usually lasts for several days only, when excess fat and under-oxidation of the fat is ongoing; inducing discomfort like headaches and weakness, which would subside in days. Scroll to paragraph right before "SKIN":
http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0201hyglibcat/020127shelton.iii/020127.ch7.htm

In a healthy state, and most often despite presence of illnesses, human blood is usually kept slightly alkaline at pH 7.35 to 7.45. Chemically pH 7 is neutral, pH 0 is 100% acid (like in pure hydrochloric acid) and pH 14 is 100% base (like sodium hydroxide). These extremes are not observed in living beings. Even more, urine lowest normal pH is around 4.5, and stomach acid would not normally go under 4 in most people, even after consuming heavy protein.
It is intuitive for me to build bases reserve, when preparing for fasts, through alkali generating food (raw food, especially leafy greens and citrus fruit and herbs like turmeric) and testing urine/saliva with pH strips for a while, aiming for urine pH 7.5-8 in the evenings.
The scientific flaws of alkaline food critics are based on a fact that it would not "significantly alter" the blood pH. The body will strive by all means to keep it around 7.35-7.45 ... on the expense of over worked kidneys, lungs, cell acidity and decrased functional capacity. ... Yes, but! ...: alkaline food will push the CELLS' internal pH into alkalinity, for which tests are NOT done in medical institutions. Furthermore, cells' alkalinity is very effective mean to ward off cancer, arthritis, infections, parasites and most probably most human ill conditions. (Commercial alkaline food critics also largely benefit from grain, dairy and meat promotion and sales ...)
Morning urine pH reflects your homeostasis best, it will normally be lower than 8, since sleep puts us into under-oxygenation and therefore toward acidity. Saliva pH is dynamic with meals, but if salivary glands are healthy; after mouth cleaning, we should hope for pH 7. pH 7 is cited to be ideal for keeping and building calcium and phosphorous in the teeth. pH strips can be ordered in any pharmacy across North America and information on pH is available in Wikipedia.
Magnesium now gets its long due fame, as being essential in every cell's metabolism, involved in calcium storage, a necessity in preventing osteoporosis, weakness, muscle and menstrual cramps, eclampsia and pre-eclampsia, premature birth, constipation and so forth. 60% of western population in studies was shown to have magnesium deficiency. Normal blood levels of magnesium do not exclude deficiency, since it's main stock is in the cells, for which tests are not done. Similarly, normal blood levels of calcium do not exclude calcium deficiency, it can be found through bone tests and through tooth demineralization.

I am going a little into personal observation, since I do not claim they may be valid for everyone, but rather for people with my kind of body state and living conditions.
Since my water proves to have pH 5.5, and my calcium reserves are not brilliant, (I am 20% bellow the ideal calcium content in bones), in a fast preparation I use 1/4 tsp of Bicarbonate (Arm and Hammer or Atlas Inc brands claim to be clean from Aluminum) in water every day. I may increase that amount until evening urine pH of 8.
Here I can add that calcium is a base protector, it counters acidity. I tried calcium carbonate, but my experience suggests it would be only beneficial for me if I exercise. If I do not do much exercise, it is cleared up through urine, making it cloudy-whitish ... I feel this would not be good for the kidneys in the long run.
Calcium and magnesium are best supplied through lots of greens.

Iodine was found to be deficient in 40% of western people in different studies. This comes due to extensive sodium bromide flour whitening, chlorination and fluoridation which displace Iodine from cells and thyroid hormones. Selenium and Boron are essential in Iodine absorption and have also other functions. Iodine is found in wall nuts, seaweed, selenium - in broccoli, spinach, garlic. Boron is found in different nuts, beans and in grapes.

As in all mineral depletion, their soil depletion is a result of vast deforestation, erosion, mono chemical fertilizers, and the prevalent monoculture farming. Today's industrial crops, and therefore farm animal products, are largely depleted and altered when it comes to mineral content.

Consuming raw vegetable juices or broths are very advisable, since they would provide higher concentration of minerals to a depleted body before and after fasts, as well as on the long run. It makes sense to use ocean or Himalayan salt, since these contain micro-elements (micro -electrolytes). They also do not contain added aluminum, sulfites , sulfates, nitrates , talowate, and who knows what other industrial 'improvements'. Micro element importance is underestimated and their deficiency can bring about different complaints including weakness, difficult recovery form illnesses, chronic conditions, CFS, difficult fasting experience among these, and etc.

DL