Hi all,
I've seen it been asked before but the answers were vouge and some threads were deleted.
Let me just say that I've fasted before and the highest I've got was 4 days while being on meds except the last day.
I have a chronic condition, it doesn't seem to contraindicate water fasting but I cannot go without the meds, the only negetive thing is what they do in general and it's making me less energetic and tired by default. with fasting it becomes a little tougher
I take it for epilepsy but it's not a dangerous one and like i said, I've done this before while being on a different combo, one of them counts as psychotropic but most medications for epilepsy influence the brain one way or another and i take them only for that disorder. In addition, they both can be taken on an empty stomatch
I really want to know two things in general:
1. Does consuming meds while water fasting breakes the fast technically or will I still be able to get into keitosis and have detoxification and healing effects either way?. even if it will be on a lower level scale since I'm already taking a medicaiton which is toxic by itself I would still see it as a better than nothing solution
2.Some people asked if they can take tea 1 cup a day while water fasting, I saw the answers, today I tried to fast without any coffeine like 2 years ago but it was harder since the combo i take influences my nervous system and I actually decided to break the fast and drink the cup of tea. I would like to know if the tea itself also stops the whole process of water fasting?, I know that this forum is just about water fasting but you're the experts and hence the reason I ask those questions, I would prefer to have a cup of tea in the afternoon at least on the first days of the fast so I would avoid getting too tired and perhaps stop with it after reaching full ketosis which by theory should give me more energy.
p.s=I know you're not doctors and I'm not asking you to be, I care less about wheter it can worsen my condition ( It's not really a concern for me) I just want to make sure that I won't just water fast for nothing, I loved the experience from last time but It's still not so easy and I want to be certain I will actually get good results physically (healing part) and not just mentally (how toughts appear etc..) which will give me more motivation to hold the fast.
Hello!
Disclaimer: I'm a medical student, but since I'm not a medical doctor yet, my word certainly CANNOT be taken for granted. It is merely advise from one faster to another, but it is advise that I feel is based on scientific research and what I'm taught in med school.
1. Do not discontinue your medications and do not alter the prescribed dosage without consulting your doctor first! The medication for epilepsy will not break the fast or alter the process of fasting; ketosis is going to happen since you will be consuming minor to no amounts of carbohydrates. Also, your body is ALWAYS naturally detoxifying, especially when metabolizing medications; the medication is broken down (if per os, in the stomach) and then the active agents are released and go into your blood stream, while the medication's toxic waste is filtered and expelled from your body. So yes, your water fast is going to be beneficial whether or not you are on medication.
2. A cup of tea also won't break the fast, since there are very little (if any) carbohydrates in it, so you'll still be on ketosis. Even though, water fasting is considered to be ideal, drinking tea or other liquids (like coconut water) won't do any harm and you will probably reap most of the benefits of fasting! Do what you feel is most comfortable, since in your case fasting can be troublesome!
Fun fact: A ketogenic diet, like water-fasting, is very beneficial for reducing the symptoms of epilepsy and scientific evidence show that fasting has anti-seizure properties! (source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898565/ )
Enjoy your fast!
If you seek an understanding of the physiology and facts/myths of water-fasting, here is a good link: http://naturalhygienesociety.org/articles/fasting1.html