Dry Fasting

The qigong master that I have been seeing for the last few months has recommended that I go on a ten day dry fast. That’s ten days without food or water. At first glance it sounds insane as it is documented that people tend to die from dehydration after 3-5 days without water, however there are many cases of people surviving a 10-14 day dry fast when not exposed to harsh elements of an outdoor survival situation.

I understand the concept of dry fasting. The lack of food depletes glucose storage and the lack of water increases detox and forces the body into a ketogenic state sooner as the body needs to digest fats to help replenish water stores. It is said that a ten day dry fast is equivalent to a 30 day water fast. I can’t afford to lose too much body weight, so a ten day dry fast sounds like the better option. I still have my doubts, but I have decided to try it and to see how far I get. My qigong master is adamant that this will cure me of my cancer. He quoted numerous examples of past cancer patients he treated all with great results apparently. Well I’ll believe that when I see my next CT scans, but I have decided to give it a go as this may be the only chance to do so while I am still in relatively good health. The risks however include the decimation of my ‘relatively good health’.

A body that is going through a dry fast will dehydrate slowly and the whole body will drastically slow down resulting in a minimal need for water. The body’s water level can however fall dangerously low and this may result in organ failure, even death.

Dry fast completely cleanses the excretory system and removes metabolic waste and toxins from the body. During a dry fast, the body’s digestive system does not need to function as it is not receiving any nourishment. With the reduced workload, the immune system is able to function better too.

While some people dry fast for as many as 10 or 14 days, it is usually recommended to try this fast for just three to five days. (I decided to try for the whole 10 days as I may not get another chance.)

While dry fasting, you should not perform any strenuous activities. This includes sex. Sunlight exposure should also be minimized. Light activity is recommended as this can help the body to detox. Rest or meditate when feeling weak.

Imagining yourself eating a full meal and going through the motions of eating and swallowing can alleviate the feelings of hunger and thirst. Ideally you should try to eat 3 or more virtual meals a day. (I have a good imagination, so intend to pig out.)

My biggest fear is that my qigong master could be right. If my little mutants start to commit suicide (apoptosis) on mass, as result of the dry fast conditions, I will be in trouble. I have somewhere between 1.5 and 2 kilograms of tumour mass. If the cancer cells die too quickly, the resulting toxic shock could be too much for the kidneys to handle.

I will start on the dry fast next week, once the current round of chemo drugs leave my body. I’ll write up a day by day account of this experiment and will follow up with a CEA blood test and possibly a new CT scan, so stay tuned…

I should add that this is way out of my comfort zone, and not something I would even contemplate under normal circumstances, but having pretty much failed both first and second line chemo in just 5 months, my treatment options are dwindling. A lot of anecdotal evidence exists for potential cures after extended fasts so I figure its worth the risk. I also love a good challenge, and this should be as good as it gets.