Re: Fasting to heal eczema

Dear labellavita,

I will try. I hope I do not omit something or write too long. So here it goes:

I had been toying with the idea of fasting for quite some time before that, so I had already read many books, and – most importantly – the forum experiences of many people who water-fasted for up to 65 days. However I personally had problems getting over the first 3 days – I believed I was too hungry (yet it was no hunger – just craving – as I see now). What I think helped me the most were my regular one day fasts a week for some month and a half before I was told I had the eczema.

Once I KNEW I had a problem – now and here – something in my head shifted. I simply refused to accept the fact I should spend the rest of my live swallowing some medicals and itching all over. I was very determined – and it works – it all is in the head. This time, when I started, the „hunger“ was gone after two days. Because I knew from my previous attempts that unfortunately I don’t belong to the lucky ones who don’t get too exhausted during the fast, I took a holiday and stayed at home.

How I felt – increasingly weak (toxins flowing in my blood) - I had problems walking to the shop to get bottled water and back, I would climb to the second floor to my flat and literally collapse. My breath was awful - the first week it wasn’t so bad, I drank only bottled water (which I boiled first). On day six I switched to distilled water and then it was really bad - I could hardly stand my own breath (especially in the few last days). I was cold – this winter is fortunately pretty mild, but cold I was nonetheless and I warmed myself up in bed or in the bath (with marigold oil). I wasn’t hungry, but every day I would remember some silly food I haven’t eaten in years and I would crave it. Altogether I mentally felt pretty well though, the itching was gone, the skin looked great and I was still determined.

From day six I also started taking enemas. I read in one book that the best time for enemas is between 5-7 a.m. and 5-7 p.m. I chose the evenings. It definitely is not my hobby, but it always made me feel lighter later and I was amazed what all is still in my colon. (some say that 90% of all illnesses are caused by a furred colon) I used boiled water mixed with my own urine I had collected throughout the day (1:1), a bit warmer than my body, about 1-1.5l. It is also supposed to help the detoxifying process and make the symptoms weaker.

I needed less sleep. That is really surprising, I am a sleeper plus I have problems falling asleep. Once I do, I sleep for 8-10 hours (if possible), but I had huge problems just falling to sleep. I was very afraid of that. Quite surprisingly I had very little problems falling asleep and I would wake up some 6-7 hours later and actually get up. Wow!

My tongue was coated and after about 9 days I could see how it gradually started cleaning itself – at the tip and on the sides, it was clearly visible. I must say that one of my greatest regrets was that I didn't have the time and capacity to fast until it would be clean completely – it felt like I was forcing my body to stop doing something good – detoxifying – and I brutally threw it back into digesting and spending energy on less meaningful things. Ah well, once, I hope, I will make it to the very end..

After one week I started to feel quite confident and decided to go for one more week. Still weak, cold, but otherwise quite fine. Reading books, browsing the internet, short walks (ahem - VERY short ;-) As I said before, on day 12 and 13 the itching came back, the skin started looking rather bad and I itched literally EVERYWHERE (even in places intact before). I was extremely discouraged and very miserable, yet I finished the two weeks and hoped for the best. It is said that once the body starts cleaning, it shows on the skin and things don’t get better until after the cleaning stops – which depends on how you break the fast.

I broke the fast with vegetable juices mixed with water 1:1. I used carrot, cucumber and beet-root (Norman Walker said it was good for the skin and cleansing other organs). On day three I drank pure vegetable (much better than mixed wit water!! ;-) juice. Each time, from the start, I took about 40 minutes to consume one 3dl glass of juice, making sure it gets warm and pre-digested with my saliva. I still felt pretty weak – not much energy there. On day four I mixed some tomatoes with green peppers and heated the whole thing and cooked it a bit. No salt, no oil (for at least five days). Energy came back! :) Then I started gradually adding other vegetables, small portions, chewing like crazy. One doctor wrote in her book that all the toxins which start circulating in our blood could just sit down at any place where they just were if we break the fast too fast and don’t give the body time to start functioning properly, so I was very cautious. I ate carefully for about one week and really – when I switched to more-less normal food, the skin calmed down again and has remained like that until now. It still seems to get better every day and I am hoping another fast would help it even further. The eczema is inside the body, the rash is only a symptom, we must clean inside. I hope that after some practice with shorter fasts (7-10 days, I am still afraid after the experienece of day 12-13. Next time I will try to go for either shorter than 12 days or longer – minimally 21 days) I will be able to undergo some longer ones and feel less weak at the same time. We shall see. However I am strongly convinced that EVERYBODY should fast regularly, regardless of their health condition. It can do us only good and there is always something to clean. I also believe it should be accompanied by exercising – if one is capable. I wasn’t, yet I hope next time it will be better.

I was truly amazed that I managed not to eat for two weeks, I believe now that after some practise I could go even further. It not only helped my body, it also cleaned my mind and improved my mood-swings (before the fast I was in a state of constant sorrow, which I hated). I even had moments of love for everybody and everything – before fatigue knocked me down again ;-) I was very lucky my husband was very supportive, he ate at work and after work and in the evenings he never cooked. I could still smell even a slice of bread with cheese or tahini with honey, but it was still much easier to deal with than if he cooked his meals at home :-) My hearing was also much more sensitive than before, which surprised me too.

Now it is some three weeks after the fast, I feel enormously better physically as well as mentally and I am seriously looking forward to another fast. It may be more difficult, since my health problems don’t seem to be so urgent now, but I know they are still somewhere there and I want to get rid of them. And I also loved the feeling of stepping over my own shadow, I want to learn some more inner discipline, calm down, get more optimistic and be able to see the world from a different point of view.

Rather long – hope it helps a little :) Please, let us know about how are you doing, I wish you all the best in your struggle! Love xxx