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Why would I do this?? I had read for many years about folks who had fasted for 20 – 30 or more days and completely gotten rid of symptoms of several illnesses. It is something I would like to do but it is very difficult to do this and work. In the past, longer fasts I have done, 5 days and 8 days, were done at home and not working. Many people who have done longer fasts have done it while continuing daily activities such as work and school. Dr. Joel Furhman, who is often seen on PBS and has written several books on a nutrient rich diet, is a family physician who went to school with Dr. Oz. They both went to Perlman Medical School in Pennsylvania. Dr. Furhman has won awards for teaching cardiologists about nutrition. He has written books that proposed a vegetarian, low fat, low salt diet which has been hard to get the average person to do. He was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis many years ago and he fasted for approx 30 days which led to healing his body from this. He was in his 20s at the time. He was able to fast and continue to go to school daily. So this 11 day fast was my first attempt at doing an extended fast and continuing to work! The next blog post in this series will discuss how this went!!  (as always do not try fasting without the help of a practitioner who knows how to help you do it correctly!!)

Dr. Joel Fuhrman, who appears frequently on PBS and has written several books on a nutrient-rich diet, is a family physician who went to school with Dr. Oz. They both went to Perelman Medical School in Pennsylvania. Dr. Fuhrman has won awards for teaching cardiologists about nutrition. He has written books that proposed a vegetarian, low-fat, low-salt diet which can be hard to get the average person to do. 

Dr. Fuhrman was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis many years ago and he fasted for approximately 30 days, which led to healing his body from this autoimmune disorder. He was in his 20s. He could fast and continue to go to school daily. 

I was inspired by his story and his ability to fast for such an extended period while continuing with his daily obligations. Also, because we share the same autoimmune issue, RA, I hoped to improve my inflammation and decrease the amount of daily pain I have. 

The 11 day-long fast I undertook in the past was my first attempt at doing an extended fast while continuing to work each day. The next blog post in this series will discuss my fasting successes and failures. As always, do not fast without the help of a practitioner who knows how to help you do it correctly! These blogs are my personal experiences, and although I am a medical practitioner, are not a substitute for medical advice.

 

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