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A Five Day Water Fast: Fasting For a Purpose

Fasting For a Purpose: A Five Day Water Fast

You have decided to embark on your first five-day water fast! Congratulations! You may be experiencing many fears surrounding this. These fears are mainly because of all the unknowns. How will l feel? What can I expect each day? My best advice is to set your healing intentions and write them down. Focus on them, and truly believe that this is going to help you on your journey to feeling amazing!

‘Start the practice of self-control with some penance; begin with fasting.’ – Mahavira

In this piece, we are going to focus primarily on the positive changes occurring in your body each of the five days, and we will mention some of the symptoms you may experience, so you know what you are feeling is expected. This will hopefully help to motivate you and keep you going throughout the five days! Keep in mind that everyone experiences different symptoms.

If a full-on water fast seems too intimidating for you, we have another option to help you ease into fasting. It's called The Fasting Mimicking Diet. With this option, you are provided with the right amount of food to mimic fasting, and you still get many of the health benefits associated with fasting.

Join my FB group: Fasting for a Purpose. You can expect to receive an abundance of knowledge and support. It is a great place to share your journey with hundreds of other people who are also embarking on either a water fast or the Fasting Mimicking Diet, just like you! Have faith, stay strong, and read on!

What to expect on day one of a water fast:

Positive changes are occurring in the body on day one, even if you feel really hungry and irritable. Hang on through this, the body is slowly adjusting to these changes. The body is already switching its energy from digesting to healing. You are resting your digestion, and this is a good thing!

On day one of a five-day water fast, you may experience:

  • Significant white or yellowness in the tongue (I’ve even seen black with some people). This is a normal reaction to detoxing. The tongue changes can occur on any day during these (5) days, and the colors can change as well.
  • Your body will start to make more ketones. If you converted yourself to ketosis prior to the fast, you should be pretty fat adapted. Therefore, ketones may even rise faster for you on that first day!
  • Rashes are normal as well. Expect these anomalies and don’t be intimidated by them.

*Always check in with your doctor before stopping any medication. Some medications may still be needed, such as diabetic, and thyroid medications. These are okay to continue to take while fasting. With may find you need to take less of some medications. Always consult with your Doctor before changing doses or stopping a medication.

*Please note: very neurotoxic people (Lyme disease, heavy metals, autoimmune conditions, cancer etc.) may need a coach throughout this process-these people may not feel better during the fast and would benefit from following my multi-therapeutic approach, with a coach.

What to expect on day two of your water fast:

“Everyone can perform magic, everyone can reach his goals, if he is able to think, if he is able to wait, if he is able to fast.” – Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

relaxation

Here are 5 amazing things that start to happen on day 2 of your fast:

  1. Cellular Autophagy: The body is getting rid of the ‘bad stuff', specifically white blood cells that have been around for too long.
  2. Rise in stem cells: your body creates new white blood cells and gets rid of bad proteins in the muscle, stem cells replace those tissues. Muscle fibers heal and adapt much faster.
  3. Reset DNA: We all have certain bad genes that are turned on. Fasting turns these off the most (obesity genes, allergy etc.).
  4. Reset microbiome: There is a change in cravings, and a change of the ratio of good/bad bacteria, to help with losing weight and keeping it off.
  5. Rests the Gastrointestinal Tract. Struggling with digestive issues? Resting digestion will give it the time it needs to begin healing.

On day two of a five-day water fast, you may experience:

  • More hunger and irritability-there are physiological reasons for irritability: your glucose will be lower, and you are not yet fat adapted.
  • You may experience a lack of brain functioning and increased brain fog. Your brain loves ketones, but ketones are not high enough yet. They will continue to rise throughout the fast, and you will feel better, give it time.
  • You may start lacking energy, especially if you are not used to fasting, or are not in a ketogenic state.

Hold tight! Day three is often when most people begin to feel better, as they are now making more ketones and able to start utilizing them as well.

What to expect on day three of your water fast:

Here are some things going on in your body during day three!

  • Your ketones will continue to rise on day 3. Your brain loves ketones! Ketones fix the brain. This is why we use them for seizures, neurodegenerative conditions, dementia, and Parkinson's. Ketones help to downregulate cellular inflammation, heal the gut, and also reset the DNA.
  • Hormone optimization: You start to get a growth hormone spike on day 3. On day 5 you will get the highest spike of growth hormone, but the hormones will begin to spike today. On day 3 you get more sensitive to all your hormones, and you may begin to feel better!
  • You should start overcoming headaches, weakness, and shakiness! Woohoo! It’s about time!
  • The body raises up the stem cells and knocks down the overreaction of autoimmunity.
  • You may have unexplained pains, meaning healing is occurring. For example, if you have an old knee injury, you may experience pain sensations in that knee. The body is ‘retracing' or going back through old injuries and trauma and healing.
  • You may have increased energy and creativity: Remember, your body is no longer focusing on digesting food. It can shift the focus to other areas, and direct its energy on healing. This can give you a whole new level of clarity that you have not yet experienced.
  • Hormonal changes may occur, as the microbiome re-sets. Big changes are happening!

You may feel colder than usual. Why are you cold? It’s normal to be cold! Hormone levels may go down, but the cells become more sensitive to your hormones. Fasting lowers T3 thyroid hormone, (innate intelligence playing out here) to spare your muscle. So we feel cold! The body knows exactly what it is doing. Although T3 lowers, the body is more sensitive to smaller amounts of hormone. Its able to utilize the hormones available.

  • Autophagy is in high gear! Bad cells are being destroyed.
  • Hormone optimization: You start to get a growth hormone rise on day 3 of the fast.
  • On day 3 you get more sensitive to all your hormones, and you begin to feel better.

Words of advice on those tracking ketones:

Don’t use urine ketone strips for accurate ketone measurements. Remember, your body is now using your ketones, so they won’t show in the urine. Ketones circulating in the blood may climb up at first, and then lower some as you are actually utilizing them in your body. Breath ketones are better because it shows the oxidized ketones or ketones you are actually using. You may notice ketones in your urine in the beginning, but remember your brain starts using them, so you don’t want to keep seeing them in your urine as you progress through the fast.

Your glucose to ketone ratio should be at a 1:1 ratio (millimoles per liter-can convert online) today. Tumors started shrinking massively with a 1:1 glucose to ketone ratio. This ratio also helps to achieve higher levels of autophagy. Sometimes ketones will register high, and glucose will be lower. Stress can raise glucose, but you should see a trending down of glucose and rise of ketones.

As for glucose, according to keto researcher Prof. Thomas Seyfried, the “target zone” is when glucose numbers are in the 60s with ketones 3.0 mmol/L or more. Hitting the target zone is telling towards the destruction of bad cells. If these numbers are showing up, the body is cleansing those bad cells in just fashion.

What to expect on day four of your water fast:

  • Continued autophagy and new stem cell growth.
  • The continued drop in glucose and rise in ketones.
  • Continued hormone optimization.
  • Increased levels of energy and better brain functioning.
  • An overall sense of well-being.
  • Decreased cravings, hunger, and irritability.
  • Cortisol increases glucose. Some ways to combat this? Don’t overtrain, increase your intentional prayer/meditation, or focus towards healing.

What are some signs you may need to break the fast sooner?

  • Tongue turns back to pink? Time to stop.
  • Hunger returns? Time to stop.
  • If you stop losing weight for 1-2 days? Time to stop.
  • When breath stops stinking and detox reactions are gone? Time to stop.
  • Fatigue that lasts beyond a single day? Time to stop.

Innate intelligence knows when to tell you to stop!

What’s going on with my sleep?

sleep loss during water fast

Sleep disturbances are common for the first few days. Hunger pangs can keep you up, and all the changes taking place can be disruptive to your circadian rhythm and sleep cycle. However, this should subside. Are you still having difficulty with sleep on day 4? Sleep is one of the things we look at for a diagnosis of neurotoxic illness. If your sleep is still disrupted on day 4, I recommended working with a practitioner to dig deeper. Disrupted sleep is also a sign your body is releasing toxins. So hang in there!

Remember, with every subsequent fast you get better, and feel better faster. Your sleep may not be good on this one, but the next it will be better. Just like pains will come and go as the body is getting better, so will sleep.

What to expect on day five of your water fast:

Yay! You made it to Day 5. Give yourself a big hug. Hopefully, you are feeling amazing at this point!

What to Expect for Day 5:

  • Stem cell production in high gear today (on day 6 when you feed the stem cells, the body will heal and create new white blood cells!)
  • Ketones may begin to drop, glucose may slightly raise
  • Massive growth hormone rise (goes up every day, but the highest surge is on day 5), and puts you in a fat burning mode for the next 36 hours to replace the glucose.

Break the Fast Safely!

Before you jump at the chance to throw a weeks’ worth of nutrition down your throat, remember that you’ve just been in extensive, quiet healing: the digestive tract is still in rest mode. A gentle transition is a key to getting best results from the fast and avoiding undermining efforts. My next piece will focus on how to safely break a fast, and what foods to introduce after fasting. In the meantime, check out my Fasting For a Purpose Facebook page and watch my videos to learn more about how to carefully break a fast!

References:

  1. Noboru, M. & Masaaki, K.(2011). Autophagy: Renovation of Cells and Tissues. Cell, Volume 147, Issue 4, 11 November 2011, Pages 728-741. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2011.10.026

  2. Chia-Wei C,  Gregor B.A., & Laura P. et al. Prolonged Fasting reduces IGF-1/PKA to promote hematopoietic stem cell-based regeneration and reverse immunosuppression. Cell Stem Cell. 2014 Jun 5; 14(6): 810–823.
    doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2014.04.014

  3. Trayhurn, P., Thomas, M. & Duncan J.S. et al. (1995). Effects of fasting and refeeding on ob gene expression in white adipose tissue of lean and obese (ob/ob) mice. Science Direct. Volume 368, Issue 3, 24 July 1995, Pages 488-490. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/0014-5793(95)00719-P

  4. Kohl, K.D., Amaya, J. & Passement, C.A. et al. (2014). Unique and shared responses of the gut microbiota to prolonged fasting: a comparative study across five classes of vertebrate hosts. FEMS Microbiology Ecology. Volume 90, Issue 3. December 2014, Pages 883-894. https://doi.org/10.1111/1574-6941.12442.

  5. Halberg N., Henriksen M. &  Söderhamn N et al. (2005). Effect of intermittent fasting and refeeding on insulin action in healthy men.  J Appl Physiol (1985). 2005 Dec;99(6):2128-36. Epub 2005 Jul 28. DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00683.2005

Sautéed Daikon with Miso Glaze

Sautéed Daikon with Miso Glaze

Sauteed Daikon

  • 1 daikon radish, sliced into ¼” coins
  • 1 bunch kale, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
  • 4 Tbsp. coconut oil
  • Freshly ground pepper

  Miso Glaze

  • 2 Tbsp. chickpea miso
  • 2 Tbsp. water
  1. To make glaze, mix equal parts Miso and water in a bowl and set aside.
  2. On medium heat, liquefy coconut oil in stainless steel pan.
  3. Sauté Daikon coins until soft and golden on each side. Once done, place in bowl with Miso Glaze and stir to coat thoroughly. Set aside.
  4. In same pan, sauté kale, adding more coconut oil if needed.  Once softened, arrange kale on serving dish and top with glazed daikon coins. Top with garnish and freshly ground pepper.

Liver and Caramelized Onions

liver-and-onions
Liver and Onions
  • 1 lb. grass-fed beef liver
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. rosemary
  • 1 tsp. sage
  • 1 tsp. thyme
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. sea salt (or to taste)
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  1. Place liver in glass dish and top with olive oil, salt, garlic and all herbs. Set aside to marinate.
  2. Saute onion over low heat in olive oil for about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the onions to avoid burning!
  3. While onions finish caramelizing, place marinated liver in cast iron pan and saute until browned on both sides and cooked through.
  4. Place liver on plate and top with caramelized onions.
  5. Enjoy with your favorite vegetables!

R5: Dr. Pompa’s Wife’s Perspective – Reestablishing Methylation

R5: Dr. Daniel Pompa’s Wife’s Perspective

Reestablishing Methylation: Why Hormone Replacement Could Have Led Her to Cancer & How Stress Can Make You a LunaticAfter the release of my husband’s last article (R5 – Reestablishing Methylation ), it became apparent that more information is desperately needed on the topic of hormones and why they become so dysregulated. Also, how woman who under stress can become raging lunatics (or something similar, according to their husband and kids, mine included) and why many more seek prescription medication or hormone replacement therapy. It is for this reason that he asked me to write about my experience(s) as they relate to hormones and potentially reach even more women (and the men who love them) with information that not only will save their life potentially, but also enable them to be lived with more than 3.5 weeks of the month.

When my husband began understanding the role neurotoxins play in hormonal health, it became quite apparent there was much more to study and the level of research that he became involved in has led him to the understanding he applies each day as he coaches others back to health who have done “everything else.” It is impossible to not consider this path when desiring optimal, as well as preventative, health but unfortunately, I have yet to see anyone who has claimed a “bizarre and unexplainable” condition be restored without this consideration.

When I took the Urine Toxic Metals test, which revealed a lead level off the charts (and to this day, the 3rd highest he ever saw), I began to understand why it was so imperative that I address the source, which came to me initially in utero from my mom. I began by safely removing the 5 amalgam fillings (as they contain 50% mercury) that were in my teeth so that I could begin to use a true heavy metal detox agent, which is what my husband teaches, as the ONLY safe and effective way to remove heavy metals (neurotoxins). NO ONE SHOULD CHELATE WITH EVEN ONE SILVER FILLING IN THEIR MOUTH.)

Understanding the role hormones were playing enabled me to also understand why my mom had developed breast cancer in her early 50’s. Why 10 years later, after a lumpectomy and radiation, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Uterine Cancer and within 2 years of that diagnosis she died; despite every hopeful effort, including a more natural approach at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

As I began to understand the role lead played on hormones, I knew I had work to do. I had not stopped to consider what lead did to a brain and never knew I had reason to. I always thought those exposed were, in some way, so obviously affected that I couldn’t possibly have cause for concern. But as I thought further, there were undeniable concerns that I needed to consider. I grew up in the same home as my mom with lead pipes and sat in gas lines in the 70’s that I enjoyed the smell of. Over time, other things also came to mind like the green crib I chewed on and liked the taste of as a toddler and even the soil I would taste from the garden as I dug up potatoes. I also remembered having difficulty learning even though I was always really smart, as long as I didn’t have to read to learn it. I would have to read and reread school assignments and it seemed as if my inability to absorb information was more due to my lack of interest rather than my level of intelligence. I now knew that was not the truth. As liberated as I began to feel, I also became more concerned.

The next test I ran on myself (Genova Diagnostics’ 24 Hour Hormone Test) and it was revealed that I had too much bad estrogen vs. good estrogen and that my methylation was so low that I could not get rid of toxic estrogen. This cannot be revealed from a standard blood test. Unfortunately, the doctors always told my mom that her blood estrogen levels were normal and in fact, they were. If she had taken this test, she would have learned her true hormonal reality and the root cause of her problem. She would then been able to avoid early death, not to mention the years of hormonal imbalances that caused other problems in her life.

I was heading in the same direction as my mom with the symptoms of hormone dysregulation including PMS. I was quick to anger, with no threshold for even small stressors. Although, knowing me and my life, you may think I have reason to be stressed and so let me qualify that I am referring to earlier in my married life. I was also intolerant some days but not others and during predictable times of the month, being more challenging on the members of the family as well as a vehement rejection of their accusations. Every aspect of learning about health has taken both my husband and myself on our own journey.

I couldn’t have imagined how much more there was to learn as we already have at this time in our lives prioritized our health; consuming only whole grains, eating raw dairy, avoiding processed sugars and buying almost exclusively organic produce. But there were a few things that further told my story and as I thought deeper, I realized that many of my issues/symptoms were not only presenting in childhood, but also as a new mother.

I was a vegan (consuming no meat or dairy) for a spell and during my first 2 pregnancies (Daniel and Izik), a vegetarian for about 4 years and for a period of time after. I nursed 4 months into my pregnancy with Izik and began to feel weird. I had an incessant tapping on my head that was right on the top and was absolutely maddening! I would tell my husband I felt as if I was a spectator within my own body, which was the only description I could give to him and I felt like a total crazy woman even saying it. I would go through the motions of my day but I was so distracted and frustrated with my own bizarre preoccupations that I had no joy during a time in my life when I should have had nothing but.

Danny would humor me, and over time became concerned enough. He and I would go to Barnes & Noble before becoming computer savvy and he would try to look up symptoms to find explanations for what I was feeling. It was evident that my symptoms were in some way related to my hormones, but ruling things out was the way we began to isolate some of the causes.

We learned that my symptoms were related to a lack of methylation, as well as being exacerbated by a vegan/vegetarian diet, even a healthy one, but we didn’t yet know why. It was an Easter Sunday and Danny’s dad made an amazing dinner and he suggested I try some of the roast. I remember not caring one way or another as my test buds were not any longer interested in eating meat, but from what some of my husband’s research was leading him to and uncovering, B Vitamin deficiencies are far more rampant with Vegetarian/Vegan diets. I suppose I could say that between my husband’s research and my desperation to feel better, I opted to taste the roast. It was the first time in MONTHS that my symptoms subsided! I couldn’t believe it! I ate steak every day (2x/day) for the next week and I remember that was the end of those crazy and unsettling symptoms. I also justified my decision to add meat as a mainstay of my diet because I learned that the reasons I was avoiding eating it were not actually issues to keep it from being consumed as part of a healthy diet, which cannot be attained any other way. It isn’t actually the meat itself that is the problem, but what man has done to the meat. There are ways to consume meat in which the practices of raising and slaughtering are done humanely and biblically (please check out Beyond Organic ). God gave us meat to eat. As time went on, I also learned from my husband’s research that the cholesterol that many fear is actually protective and keeps cellular function balanced. Fats and cholesterol stabilize the cell membrane and if the cell membrane becomes unstable, cellular function and detox of the cell become hindered. Once the membrane is affected, you become more susceptible to neurotoxic conditions (and therefore, hormonal imbalances) because the fatty layer on the outside (cell membrane) is where the receptors to the hormone are. As a matter of fact, it is cholesterol and saturated fat that stabilize the hormone receptor and, therefore, have a dramatic effect on your hormone health.

Danny also later learned that methyl groups are needed to get rid of bad estrogen as well as adapt to stress. I think being a mom of 2 young children qualifies. Between my childhood, restricted diet and stress, I qualified as easily suffering from having some toxicity issues to undo.

Obviously I am on this journey for as long as it takes and will stay the course understanding that it is a commitment well beyond a forecasted period of time. That may be one of the most difficult questions to answer when asked: How long until my body will be restored? No one truly knows. There is an average length of time of course, but there are variables that are impossible not to consider such as the ability of someone’s detox pathways to facilitate the process rather than hinder it and even genetic variability.

I have been diligently working for 5 years and while I cannot tell you when I will fully feel I am finished with detox, I can tell you that what I have done so far, under my husband’s direction and guidance, has worked! Each test I have taken, both the Urine Toxic Metals from Doctor’s Data, as well as the 24 Hour Hormone Panel from Genova Diagnostics have improved each time. I no longer do the exact specified cycle of detox (days off in between) even though I do still do at least 4 days on-cycle where as when I was more regimented (early on in the process), I did better doing a week on and a week off as well as 3 hour intervals as opposed to 4 which is standard. I am now able to recognize when it is time to begin and that is when I start. It can be weeks to a few months, and there have been a few times I went even longer and even thought perhaps I was finished, but my husband always says until 9 months to a year can pass without symptoms, there is still work to do. He also reminds me it can take up to 15 years to remove lead. The good news is that my body is working for me now as a concentration gradient becomes set in motion over time and facilities that detox process even more.

I hope you find some hope and encouragement in my story. If you care about your body and its ability to work for you rather than against you, pay attention to these issues and consider the possibilities as well as the consequences. While there is much to find when you begin researching, remember that there is no better resource to trust in other than the ones who have learned what they share because they have been through the pain because they lacked understanding at one time and it drove them to deeper places and that is where the answers were found. For us, it has been through knowing we were not able, but He is. When we remember this, we surrender and embrace our challenges and trust God. That is the place to be, where hope lies.

*The products that Merily and Dr. Pompa utilize on a day-to-day basis to support methylation, detoxification, cellular healing and cellular energy are contained in the Systemic Formulas CORE package. These products are only sold through Health Care Practitioners. Please call our office at 888-600-0642 or go here to learn more.

*The products that Merily and Dr. Pompa utilize on a day-to-day basis to support methylation, detoxification, cellular healing and cellular energy are contained in the Systemic Formulas CORE package. These products are only sold through Health Care Practitioners. Please call our office at 888-600-0642 or go here to learn more.

Please visit the following links to read all of Dr. Pompa's articles on the 5R's of PompaCore Cellular Detox and Healing:

R1:
Remove the Source

R2:
Regenerate the Cell Membrane

R3:
Restore Cellular Energy

R4:
Reducing Cellular Inflammation

R5:
Reestablishing Methylation

Fasting and Thyroid Conditions: Is it Possible?

Fasting and Thyroid Conditions: Is it Possible?

There are two things I know when it comes to achieving and maintaining good health: fasting is second to none, and having a healthy thyroid function is a must! Can fasting and thyroid conditions coincide?

Fasting and thyroid conditions can be compatible, if done correctly. The thyroid is a small, but extremely important gland in the human body. The National Institute of Health (Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases division) describes the thyroid as “a 2-inch-long, butterfly-shaped gland weighing less than 1 ounce. Located in the front of the neck below the larynx, or voice box, it has two lobes, one on either side of the windpipe. The thyroid is one of the glands that make up the endocrine system. The glands of the endocrine system produce and store hormones and release them into the bloodstream. The hormones then travel through the body and direct the activity of the body’s cells.” Can we fast with thyroid conditions? Let's take a closer look. 

Thyroid conditions can have a tremendous impact on a person’s health and are on the rise: Autoimmune thyroid affects millions, and oftentimes goes undiagnosed. According to the National Cancer Institute, there were 53,990 estimated new cases of thyroid cancer in 2018, with rates for new cases rising on average 3.1% each year over the last 10 years. Death rates have been rising as well, 0.7% each year over 2006-2015.1

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases, other thyroid conditions are problematic as well: approximately 4.6 percent of the U.S. population ages 12 and over has an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)2, and 1 person out of 100 in the U.S. have an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)3. 

When thyroid function is negatively impacted, it has ramifications for every system of the body. That makes thyroid conditions one of the most misdiagnosed conditions in the United States. This is where fasting comes into play. We often hear that we can't fast with a thyroid condition. However, fasting and thyroid health can work extremely well.  

The Power of Fasting and Thyroid Health

When it comes to battling many of today’s health issues, the entire premise of modern medicine is incorrect. In the past, diseases like cholera and smallpox could be treated with medicines like penicillin and other antibiotics, but times have changed. Yellow fever has been replaced by heart disease, Type II Diabetes, thyroid issues and other diseases that are more dietary in nature. In other words, instead of looking for the latest drug, the best form of treatment is to fix cellular dysfunction and incorporate ancient healing strategies such as fasting.

While modern medicine hasn’t embraced fasting as a viable health option (yet), the practice has been around since the beginning of time. Fasting is known to rejuvenate and revitalize the body. Even animals will fast when they are stressed, ill or feel unease. The refusal to eat is a form of self-preservation to remove waste products and promote healing of the body. Fasting and thyroid health go hand in hand: fasting makes us more responsive to our hormones, thus improving thyroid function. 

Today, the philosophy on eating is the polar opposite of the ancient practice of fasting: We are now in a constantly fed state. We have gone from an average of eating three meals a (day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner) to eating five to six meals a day: breakfast, a snack, lunch, snack, dinner, and another snack. This change in eating habits has had a detrimental effect on our health. 

Fasting and Thyroid Conditions: Fixing the Thyroid

I’m always asked, “Can these thyroid conditions be reversed?” Absolutely. Get rid of the cause and the body reverses them. Contrary to popular belief, the doctor doesn’t do it, the body does. When you get rid of the causes through my multi-therapeutic approach (including fasting), the body can do amazing things. 

Here’s a common scenario for many thyroid patients: you’re taking the thyroid medication that your doctor prescribes, and your blood work looks normal. However, you’re still losing your hair, your skin is still dry, and you have no energy. You’ve even gained 20 pounds. You’re doing everything the doctor suggested, but it’s not working. Why? We haven’t gotten to the exact cause of the thyroid condition.

Most doctors simply address thyroid conditions without an understanding of the cell’s ability to receive the messages needed to function properly. This is where fasting and thyroid health fit together. Fasting makes the body more responsive to the hormones we are producing. Therefore we start to feel better. 

Fasting and Thyroid Health: Check Your Hormones

There are three important hormones that are key to thyroid health: TSH, T3, and T4. These hormone levels can appear normal when checked, but they hold the key to potential thyroid conditions. All of these can be altered for the better through the art of fasting:

  1.     T4 doesn’t convert to the active hormone T3. T4 hormone must be converted to T3 active hormone. If this conversion does not take place or is shunted into another direction (as in times of stress), then the message to the cell will never get through.  ONLY active T3 can be used in the cell.
  2.     Active T3 can’t be used in the cell because its receptors on the cell are blunted. An important point that I teach is that hormone problems are not necessarily problems with hormones themselves, but rather the receptor to the hormone. This is similar to Type II Diabetes, where the diabetic has plenty of insulin but the receptors to the insulin are blunted and unable to “hear” the message in order to allow the glucose in the cell.  Therefore, the glucose cannot get into the cell to produce energy. A similar situation occurs with the thyroid and T3.
  3.     You could potentially have an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto’s.  It is estimated that 80% of thyroid conditions are an autoimmune related condition known as hashimotos. What people may not realize is that most thyroid conditions are autoimmune related. Most of these conditions also go undiagnosed, because most doctors do not run the correct blood work to check for autoimmune hypothyroid. Many are hesitant to check because the treatment is the same, whether you are hypothyroid or autoimmune hypothyroid.

All of these potential reasons for thyroid dysfunction can be helped through fasting.

Fasting and Thyroid Conditions: Decrease Inflammation

Fasting is the quickest way to decrease cellular inflammation, because it allows the body to direct all of its energy towards healing. I say this with confidence because it has changed my life and made a greater impact on improving my cellular health than any other strategy.

In one study conducted on laboratory mice, researchers note that nuclear T3 levels are maintained at relatively normal levels in the pituitary of the fasted animal and fractional T3 receptor occupancy may actually increase.4

Another study comparing the levels of thyroid levels between impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance found that fasting subjects had higher levels of F3, while those who were glucose impaired had lower levels of F3. Researchers concluded that the difference in thyroid hormone levels may play an important role in the different pathological mechanisms of IFG and IGT.5

As a person gets accustomed to fasting, the body gets more and more efficient with every subsequent fast. Fasting on a consistent basis can help reduce or even eliminate many of the ailments in today’s society: cells become more efficient at utilizing fat, which burns cleaner than glucose. The body becomes more responsive to hormones. Brain fog dissipates, weight loss is easier, and most hormonal problems may be eliminated, and that includes thyroid conditions. 

Fasting and Thyroid Health: Will going too “low carb” affect my ability to make adequate thyroid hormone?

This is where I will introduce my concept of “Diet Variation”.

Our ancestors varied their diet based upon what was available. Insulin carries many roles in its relation to other hormones, especially regarding the hormone convergence. Hormone convergence means hormones need to be converted from one form to another for active use. One of the best examples of this conversion is thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone T3 is the active form of the hormone that helps our body (cells) use fat for energy.  Active Free T3 has many other functions as well, such as the overall health of our skin and hair, and even daily energy. Therefore, if your cells don’t get enough of the message, you will not feel well or burn fat efficiently. T4 is the inactive form that must be converted to the active T3. If the conversion is hindered in any way, the lack of T3 will affect how you feel and use fat as energy.

Fasting and Thyroid Health: Vary the Diet!

Insulin is needed for this conversion to take place. Therefore, if insulin is low too long the lack of active T3 can become a problem. Those on a low carb diet for long periods can develop very low insulin. This impacts not only fat loss and muscle loss but can affect other hormones as well. People that already have hormone challenges are even more sensitive to this potential problem, and respond the best to the what I refer to as “monthly diet variation.”

Feasting for one week a month (as described below) not only helps the conversion of T4 to T3, but other hormones like estrogen and testosterone as well. The week before a woman's period is what we have discovered is the best time to drive the insulin up to assist in the many hormonal needs that take place at that time.

Think about how smart the body is. That is the time that most women would say they get the cravings for carbs and sugar. Simply listen to your body, but reach for the healthy carbs like fruits, sweet potatoes, yams, ancient grains, ground vegetables, etc. Men this has been a proven strategy for you as well just from a variation strategy to remind your body it has plenty and not starving, and from the variation of the increased carbs or protein drives a pathway called mTor which is an anabolic pathway for growth. This pathway is referred to by the low calorie, low protein and plant-based diet enthusiasts as a destructive pathway that can lead to premature aging and disease, however, clinically we find that short-term stimulation of this pathway from high carbs, protein or calories can have a healing effect and improve the hormones and metabolism.  

Diet Variation: 3-2-2 (great for anyone struggling with thyroid conditions)

Each week:

Pick 3 days of Intermittent fasting days:

Although it may sound complicated, intermittent fasting is actually a very simple concept. It’s eating in a 4-6, maybe 8 hour window. Maybe you start with a 10 hour window. I personally have been at it so long, I love to go at least 18-24 hours. Therefore, my eating window is typically 4 hours. However, I don’t recommend beginning with a long fast right away. You have to work up to that efficiency in the cells, which is why we I created this program. Be patient and work your way up. As you get more fat adapted, you will burn more fat for energy, and you will be able to fast for longer periods. The idea is to do a short daily fast, only eating during certain hours of the day.

Pick 2 days of famine: 

Famine means just water for 24 hours

Pick 2 days of feasting:

Do not limit your intake of food or water, eat throughout the day.

**Tips to remember:

  • We want to see glucose dropping, and ketones rising, even when varying and cycling the diet!  
  • As we see that happening, then increase fast days per week.
  • Don’t forget about the feast days, which are just as important.
  • Wait until you are in ketosis to start the feast famine cycle.
  • If you are coming off the water fast, you don’t have to wait, go right into feast famine cycle.
  • Monitor glucose levels! Autophagy will still keep going, as long as glucose isn’t rising. You have to look at the glucose.

Diet Variation: Monthly 

7 carb loading days/month:

Listen to your body: Do the carb day when needed.

  • Add in 1 carb loaded week, where ever you have the most moodiness and carb cravings. For females, this is typically the week of menstruation.
  • Remember, low carb for a long time keeps insulin low. However, chronically low insulin (especially for those who are hormonally challenged) will start to slow down the conversion of some hormones.
  • T4 hormone (the non-active thyroid hormone) has to convert to the active form of T3, which is the kind that has to go into the cell receptors in the mitochondria and talks to the receptors.
  • This conversion requires insulin.
  • Really healthy people can get their insulin down to 2 and below, and can still make that conversion. However, for those with hormone conversion trouble already, when the insulin gets too low will start to slow down this conversion, and not make the active form.

We need insulin to make many hormone conversions.

Once a month adding in these carbs (through diet variation), we magically start converting our hormones and feeling better! This applies to the rest of the month. This is imperative for those people with thyroid conditions. Fasting and diet variation are both great ways to increase your thyroid health, in conjunction with my multi-therapeutic approach to healing.

Reference:

1. Cancer Stat Facts: Thyroid Cancer. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/thyro.html

2. Hypothyroidism (Underactive Thyroid). https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/endocrine-diseases/hypothyroidism

3. Hyperthyroidism (Overactive Thyroid). https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/endocrine-diseases/hyperthyroidism

4. Comparative Study Of Pituitary-Thyroid Hormone Economy In Fasting And Hypothyroid Rats.  1985 Feb;75(2):679-88.

5. Different Levels Of Thyroid Hormones Between Impaired Fasting Glucose And Impaired Glucose Tolerance: Free T3 Affects The Prevalence Of Impaired Fasting Glucose And Impaired Glucose Tolerance In Opposite Ways.  2014 Jun;80(6):890-8. doi: 10.1111/cen.12384. Epub 2014 Jan 16.

3 Weight Loss Myths Affecting Teens and Adults

by Olivia Pompa (Dr. Pompa's Daughter)

A recent article in USA Today stated that one third of adolescents are severely overweight or obese. I decided I would interview and discuss this epidemic with my father, whom you all know as Dr. Pompa. I have had many conversations with other teens and adults that are struggling in this area and have found that they believe many weight loss ideas that I have heard my father refer to as “weight loss myths.” I have been in a good position to watch my dad take hundreds of pounds off of people who were unable to lose weight, and most I would say believed many of the same myths. I try to explain what I have learned from him, but most of the time they won’t listen to me. I hope this interview helps everyone see what I know will help them not only lose the weight they are struggling to lose, but will keep them from one of the many diseases that the USA Today article spoke of as a result of being overweight.

That is Too Much Fat

I continually hear people say “that has too much fat,” or worse yet, “I can eat this because it’s low fat or fat-free.” I hear my dad tell his patients all the time that these low-fat products are the worst and will actually cause them to gain weight. He is always telling his patients “fat doesn’t make you fat; it’s the inability to burn it.” In the video, he speaks of this as being a hormone issue. Most people in America are not efficient fat burners due to hormones, and this is the real problem, not how much fat you eat. I have learned that eating more good fats can help you become a more efficient fat burner. Good fats help the hormones involved with weight loss and bad fats will hinder those same hormones. So it’s not the amount of fat that matters, it’s the type. In my dad’s book the Cellular Healing Diet (click here to check it out) he lists all the good fats and even tells you what oils to cook with not to make a good fat become bad. I hope everyone reading really understands this, because it seems like people agree with me, but they still end up reading labels for fat amounts or reaching for the fat free stuff. All of my dad’s patients eat high fat with his Cellular Healing Diet and lose weight like crazy.

Cellular Healing Diet

The Cellular Healing Diet eliminates all grains and sugar until the hormones are corrected. My dad explains that eating too many grains and sugars is one of the main culprits in weight gain and the only way to fix the hormones and become a better fat burner. Therefore, get rid of the grains and not the fat and you will see the results for yourself.

The second myth I have had very little if any success convincing people of is that calorie restriction does not work for weight loss. I believe restricting calories for weight loss is the biggest myth of all. Everyone I speak to believes it’s what you need to do if you want to lose weight. I see it all the time, especially with other girls. I have to admit that the girls do say they lose weight, but my dad explains that most of the weight loss is muscle and the muscle loss will lower your metabolism. He says that girls can lose 5 to 10 pounds, but the weight loss stops, and to lose any more you will need to cut calories further. This is very unhealthy and ultimately leads to failure on the diet as well as making it harder to lose weight on future diets. You should never have to stop yourself from eating more; you should always be able to eat until you are full. As you become a more efficient fat burner, you simply eat less because you are full much faster. Fixing the hormones involved in fat burning is the key to not being hungry all the time and not giving in to the cravings, which eventually cause you to break your “diet.” The bottom line is that calorie restriction for weight loss can work to lose a little “weight,” but in the end it doesn’t fix the real cause (the hormones), which leads to long-term frustration and failure.

Exercise the Cherry on the Top

The last myth (that I plan on shooting a separate video about) is exercising your fat away. All exercise can be beneficial, but when it comes to weight loss, it’s not the lack of exercise that is causing the obesity epidemic in this country. People are making it sound like lazy kids who are not exercising enough are why one third of American adolescents are severely over weight and obese. Even I can look around and see overweight kids exercising and playing sports, and yet still struggling with a weight problem. My dad is a big believer in exercise, but he calls it the “cherry on the top” when it comes to weight loss. What he means is that most of it is diet, but the right type of exercise can help.

Most of the exercise people do for weight loss actually makes matters worse. The endurance type of aerobic exercise that most people do for weight loss affects the hormones needed to lose weight in a bad way. This causes muscle loss and a drop in metabolism, which will make it more difficult to lose weight. On my next video, I am going to show you how to “burst train,” which only takes 10 minutes 3 times a week for the best results. This type of exercise affects those weight loss hormones for the better and causes you to become a fat burner for almost 2 days. So look for my next video; you will love it and it’s easy to do.

PompaCore Cellular Detox

Finally, I asked my dad the main causes of the epidemic of weight gain and obesity. He reiterated the need for good fats to help fix the hormones as well as the overuse of grains and sugar; however he also spoke of a cause that will surprise most people. He believes toxins are causing many of the weight problems we see today, especially in regards to something “called weight loss resistance.” He says weight loss resistance is “the inability to lose weight despite what you eat or how much you exercise.” Toxins are in so many of the things we use every day, like makeup, lotions, perfumes, and other personal care products. They are causing hormone problems, which lead to weight loss resistance. The toxin he spoke of in the video, which is in most of these products, is called BPA. It can alter our hormones and cause not only weight problems, but many other hormone-related problems, including cancer. “PompaCore Cellular Detox” is something my dad teaches that helps with removing the toxins from our bodies, but avoiding these toxins is also very important for health and weight loss.

Diet Soda and Weight Loss

One last point that I think is really important: If you are drinking diet soda with the hopes of losing or not gaining weight, think again. My dad says that diet soda contains artificial sweeteners, which are very toxic and directly affect the hormones for weight loss. Sorry, but it’s sort of a bonus myth that drinking diet soda is better for weight loss or your health. Stay tuned; I think I also need to do a video where I am going to show you what personal care products I use to avoid these fat-causing toxins.

I hope this helps you uncover the weight loss myths and discover the truth.

Sincerely,

Olivia Pompa (with a little help from my dad)

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