Hey, all. I am a lucky one to have ocular herpes for the last year. I did a seven day water fast seven years ago, so this is my first water fast since my diagnosis of HSV-1 in my eye.
I am on my fourth day of a liquid fast, wherein I consume 1c organic chicken broth 40cal, 9g protein, at 6pm, and appropriate levels of Na+, K+ and Mag in limon (yes– a fruit crossed between a lime and a lemon) water daily (3g KCl, 2.1g NaCl, 400mg Mag), along with 2tsp instant coffee Nestle Taster’s blend in hot water once daily (AM). I also consume single servings of Reishi and Lion’s Mane extracts by Host Defense in AM/PM, as well as Astragalus by Herb Pharm AM/PM for enhanced immune support. The evening of the third day, I did moderate exercise for 1.5 hours (Day 1=moderate exercise, Day 2=no exercise).
The morning of the fourth day, I experienced symptoms of a recurrence of my HSV-1 in my eyeball, did some research and found this lovely article from 2017. Essentially, herpes can hijack autophagy mechanisms to propagate and flare up. This is not so bad of a deal for those who have onset on their lips, nose or genitalia. These outbreaks are painful but do not cause long-term damage to the sense organs they infect (I believe– not sure about HSV incidence in genitalia causing long-term damage). It is bad for people with ocular herpes who can go blind from the corneal damage caused by repeated scarring by HSV-1 on the cornea and is a leading cause of blindness in the world.
This is at most a PSA and at least a discussion posed for criticism and exploration of knowledge into finding out what people like me can do as far as maintaining a fasting schedule while having this illness. I had no idea this virus could respond to autophagy this way (I assumed it would be managed via the immune-supporting mechanisms of the fasting state), if that is in fact what is happening. I mitigate viral outbreak with daily 500 mg Valacyclovir and have not had an outbreak in several months after adjusting my lifestyle to prevent as many outbreaks as possible.
I would appreciate any and all criticism on my post. I love fasting but clearly after onset of this virus in my eyeball, I may need to adjust my fasting behaviors for future health maintenance. Take care!
Very interesting - I have HSV1 (oral), and on day 8 of my current fast started a break-out (in a completely new location on the lip…didn’t even think it was a cold sore until it was VERY apparent that it was!) I only get cold sores maybe once every 3-4 years, so I’m not on any anti-viral. But, I figured this one flared up because my body was doing a purge.
Didn’t even occur to me that HSV1 is hijacking my autophagy. As this is the first time I feel like I’m doing fasting “correctly” (with electrolytes, light exercise, broth, vitamins, etc), I’m curious to see if I’ll start have more frequent outbreaks.
I can’t offer any advice to you in terms of what prolonged fasting may do for flare-ups, or what you can do to mitigate it…but just wanted you to know that you’re not alone in seeing an outbreak during fasting. Here’s hoping that this will be short-lived, and our bodies will get back in balance so that outbreaks will be even less frequent. Thank you for the PSA and article!
Hi all, I’m a volunteer and patient advocate working with the only patient advocacy organization for herpes in the US, Herpes Cure Advocacy.
I wanted to post to share: It is 100% normal to not want this infection. It is your experience and your right to advocate for your own health.
It is okay to ask questions like:
🔬 Why isn’t there a cure or more effective treatments?
📢 Why is clinical care confusing and why are medical providers not better informed?
🩻What are (known or suspected) serious health impacts of having herpes?
💪🏼What can be done to advance Herpes cure, treatment and prevention efforts?
I know many want to accept themselves and their diagnosis. But I wanted to share you can accept it, love yourself, and advocate for change at the same time.
“Never Doubt That A Small Group Of Thoughtful Committed Citizens Can Change The World: Indeed It’S The Only Thing That Ever Has.” - Margaret Mead
not sure if at all related but i tested positive for HSV-1 during a fast. Haven’t been retested since but several of my partners have and they were negative. definitely makes me think there’s some sort of connection there to fasting and increased antibody counts or something