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The Fast: Only if You Must
There are on the market a great many books on the subject of fasting. None
of them seem to mention the phenomenon that the food allergy/addiction
patient will encounter: withdrawal reactions. Naturally, their authors believe
in the health-giving properties of a fast and go on to extol the virtues of
a ‘good clean-out’: purification is the ritual word often used. I think a great
many readers of these tracts must be severely disappointed and feel misled
when they feel bad on a fast – and make no mistake, it is possible to feel
dreadful.
Because of the food addictive effect I described in Chapter 7,
individuals beginning a fast may experience very unpleasant withdrawal
symptoms. Without an understanding of this phenomenon, the response
becomes confusing. In many cases, I feel sure, the difficulties may lead to a
premature abandonment of the attempt, whereas of course the worse the
symptoms due to a fast the more significant the cure – and only persistence
brings this.
Moreover, I have seen very little stress laid on the length of time
needed for an effective fast. To read some enthusiastic proponents you
would imagine that all the benefits are to be had starting the first day, yet this
is rarely so. Many even speak of a three-day fast. All this misguided advice is
missing the point: it takes about four days to be sure the bowel has cleared,
and to fast for a shorter period means you are not free of all foods. So you
cannot truly tell your response to a fast without persisting at least this many
days. Patients with a stubborn bowel may need to allow even longer.
Wasted opportunity
The other common mistake which appalls me because of the wasted
opportunity – caused again by a failure to understand the mechanism of