I only did it because I was suffering. I had serious eczema break out all over my body due to my very hectic, unhealthy emotional and physical lifestyle. I worked long hours, ate at all hours, had a destructive relationship with a guy that I couldn't seem to get out of. I had swollen welts all over my body, itchy, red and painful. I was desperate. When the doctors at the hospital told me they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me except seeing a slightly higher than normal protein level in my blood, I embarked on my journey to cure myself.
I went to alternative medicine and learned about traditional herb medicine, fasting, a raw vegan diet, colon cleansing and innerwork. Within days of fasting and colon cleansing, my welts turned from bright red to light pink and eventually brown and started healing. I learned that the red welts and swelling were actually toxins in my body that had no where else to go but through my skin. My colon was blocked and filthy, intestines filled with mucus and my body was producing toxins faster than what my liver and colon can process and expel. Fasting allowed my body to focus on detoxing instead of digesting. I started seeing a Traditional Medicine Physician and the herbs prescribed to me helped absorb and cleanse the toxins from my intestines and colon. As my symptoms subsided, my Traditional Medicine Physician started tweaking my herb concoction to target healing my gut. I brewed medicine each day for 2 months.
During this time, I started a food / mood diary and documented everything I ate and how I felt. I followed a raw vegan diet for nine months because my Traditional Medicine Physician basically told me to stay away from almost all proteins, night shade vegetables, dairy and flour. Proteins and sugars caused my skin to itch like crazy and welt up. I monitored my protein intake. I started with only being able to eat one egg per day. If I ate more proteins than what my body could handle, I would start seeing the red welts raise on my forearm or behind my knees within 30 mins of consuming. It was the weirdest thing. As my gut healed, I was able to add more proteins back into my diet. I studied and understood the big connection between food and our digestion, absorption and detoxification. I meditated, did yoga, felt great each morning. I was the clearest-headed I had ever been.
I have since kept up my fasting practices as a tune-up routine to stay healthy. I know when I am slipping but I won't ever slip far. I learned to recognize when I am emotional eating and when I am really eating to nourish my body. When my skin starts to break out and I start to feel gassy all the time and frequently fatigued, I know it's time to recognize the emotions I'm avoiding, face up, deal with it, cleanse and make an effort to feel and make smarter choices, both emotionally and physically.
If you are interested to know how I practice my fast these days with a 3 year old in tow, here are some ingredients and tips I use to get me through my cleanse.
P.S. Here's a Almond Coconut Milk Recipe I used during my fast to ease cravings.
UPDATED: This happened in 2007. I am currently well and maintaining a healthful diet.