So I understand this would be breaking a “true fast” but is anything that could be eaten in the mornings when fasting to avoid taking meds on an empty stomach? I technically can take my medications without food but it often causes nausea. Would something like a small amount of bone broth, veggie stock or olives drastically affect the outcomes of the fast from an immune system benefit standpoint?
I’ve previously done a 2 day and a 3 day water fast, and am currently trying a ProLon FMD kit to see if it’s easier to do with medications onboard. Ideally, I’d like to be able to do a 3-5 day water fast sometime in the near future.
Thanks in advanced for the input!
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Background: I’m fasting to address persistent fatigue / post viral fatigue (not from COVID). Fasting is one of the few things that restores my energy to near normal levels. The benefits so far have only lasted for a few days but I’m hoping with continued cycles (in conjunction with other supportive interventions) it will improve. There is some research to suggest impaired autophagy in post viral or chronic fatigue syndrome patients so I’m wondering if this may be one of the reasons why fasting helps. So far, I’ve only noticed a benefit in terms of energy when fasting 60 hours or longer.
**Yes I’ve been cleared by my doctor to fast, and yes I’ve had an abundance of both conventional and functional medicine testing to rule out other causes of the fatigue.
My understanding is that autophagy can be hindered/slowed down by calorie intake, but if you require the meds and can’t take them without food, then the benefits outweigh the risks.
So you have to monitor yourself. See if you notice improvement with the small amount of calories.
Out of curiosity (I’m a pharmacist), what medications?
The main issue with autophagy is that you can’t tell when it’s happening. It can’t be measured. The effects are long-term and hard to quantify.
Add to that the difference in how people respond to fasting, medications, treatments, illness, etc and it’s nearly impossible to know.