Healing from Long Covid with water fasting

ARTICLE SECTIONS:

  • Introduction
  • Background
  • Case A
    • Pre-fast
    • The fast
    • Post-fast
  • Case B
    • Pre-fast
    • The fast
    • Post-fast
  • Discussion
  • Conclusions

Introduction

The term ‘Long Covid’ (also known as post-acute Covid-19 syndrome) describes the chronic symptoms which linger or develop at least a month after having first contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Since late 2020, I have been approached by a slow but steady stream of clients who have been unable to shake off Long Covid. There are several reasons for this. Since the beginning of the pandemic, many doctors have been too overwhelmed treating acute Covid to have the extra time to manage patients’ subsequent symptoms. Beyond this, medical science is simply stumped about how to deal with Long Covid: a problem which also applies to so many other chronic illnesses. Given that the individual symptoms of Long Covid usually vary quite widely, it seems to me that the typical approach of Western medicine in targeting an illness with a single drug or (set of drugs) is doomed to failure.

Water fasting avoids this whole problem by boosting the entire immune system, so that the body can return to full health under its own steam. In fact, this approach has proven to be highly effective, with an extended water fast having fully healed 75% of the clients I’ve worked with so far.

The aim of this article is to provide two case reports which illustrate how this process typically takes place. I also hope it inspires anyone suffering from Long Covid to do the same, and use an extended water fast to empower the body to make a full recovery.

Background

The scale of Long Covid is only beginning to be appreciated. The Office of National Statistics (UK) estimates that 22.1% of all people continue to experience symptoms five weeks after first contracting the virus.[i] Of those hospitalised, various surveys estimate that 50% to 80% continue to experience symptoms three months after the onset of Covid-19.[ii] Even less well understood are the psychological ramifications of Covid. A recent study in the Lancet estimates that 33.6% of those with a previous Covid infection went on to develop or have a relapse of a psychological or neurological condition in the following six months.[iii] In terms of total figures, approximately 1.1 million people are currently estimated to suffer from Long Covid in the UK alone: that is, 1.7% of the entire population (April, 2021). [iv] In a country the size of the US, this would translate into nearly 6 million people.

Clearly, Long Covid is a huge problem which isn’t going to go away any time soon. Many people are suffering silently, with no idea how they can return to normal life. As illustrated by the two cases below, an extended water fast is effective in healing Long Covid regardless of how long the symptoms have persisted. Case A concerns a client who had contracted Covid just over a month before we met, whereas Case B concerns a client who had been suffering from Long Covid for nearly a year.

Case A

Pre-fast:

Client A, a 38-year-old female, contracted Covid-19 in December 2020: one month prior to the fast. During the acute phase of her illness, symptoms presented for 11 days and included:
Persistent rattling cough, dyspnoea (esp. tightness in the chest), hypoxia (resting blood oxygen saturation 93%), fever (38.5+C/101.5+F), elevated BP (153/90), headache, nausea, diarrhea.

After her initial recovery, Client A continued to experience:
Dyspnoea, hypoxia and elevated BP upon movement, chronic exhaustion, thickened blood, fatty liver.

Client A’s health had not been ideal before contracting Covid, and she had been diagnosed with high insulin levels (fasting mlU/I: 25) and 50% body-fat content. Given the severity of her Covid symptoms (both acute and post-acute) and the time elapsed since first contracting Covid, as well as her prior health issues and the need to address pre-diabetes, we decided the best course of action would be to undertake a 21-day water fast with possible periods of dry fasting inserted into the 21 days. (Please see the ‘Discussion’ section below for an explanation regarding why periods of dry fasting were considered.)

The fast:

This was Client A’s first zero-calorie fast. However, her prior history with alternative day fasting (ADF) provided both an element of psychological security as well as physical experience in activating a strong degree of ketosis. This permitted a smooth start to the fast, with only a minimal loss of energy and no detox symptoms over the first 3 days.

Day 4 of the fast: Client A’s Covid symptoms returned, including:
Cough, tightness in the chest, elevated BP and anxiety.

This was accompanied by more general detox symptoms, including:
Elevated heartrate and a lower back ache.

Day 5: these symptoms disappeared.

Day 7 (which we had originally identified as the likely first dry fasting period): Client A expressed that she was uncomfortable with the idea. We decided to pursue a water-only fast.

Day 9: Client A’s Covid symptoms returned again, but less intensely than on Day 4. She also experienced low energy levels and was feeling depressed.

Day 10: Client A’s Covid symptoms disappeared, but her urine had turned darkish and brown, likely due to increased levels of cleansing and possible dehydration. We increased hydration.

Day 11: Client A experienced nausea and weakness. Because of the need to continue her job, we decided to temporarily follow a low-calorie juicing protocol (250 kcal/day) in order to decrease the rate of cleansing, thereby managing detox symptoms.

Day 15: all detox symptoms had disappeared, and Client A returned to a water-only fast.

Day 17: Client A ended the fast earlier than planned because of an unexpected business trip.

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Post-fast:

From Day 10 of her fast, Client A experienced no further Covid symptoms. She also remained symptom-free through the weeklong refeeding period, after which we finished our work together. Two months later, I contacted her to discuss the final results. She reported that:

‘I am doing very well and my post Covid symptoms are gone… After the fast my insulin went down to 12 (mlU/I), my blood was normal, my cough was gone and my suffocation (sic.) disappeared. My energy went up and I’m actually feeling better than before Covid.’

Case B

Pre-fast:

Client B, a 28 year-old male, contracted Covid-19 in March 2020: 11 months prior to the fast. During the acute phase of his illness, symptoms presented for 2-4 weeks, and included:
Extreme fatigue (getting out of bed a challenge), brain fog, sore throat, anxiety and depression, chest pain, dyspnoea (esp. tightness in the chest)

Although the fatigue, brain fog and sore throat all disappeared within four weeks, the other symptoms had continued intermittently for the following 11 months. Despite repeated visits to his doctor, he was told that there was ‘nothing wrong’.

Before contracting Covid-19, Client B had been completely healthy and fit. Given his previous good state of health and the length of time he had been suffering from Long Covid, as well as the fact that Client B already had some experience in water fasting (a 10-day fast), we decided the best course of action would be to undertake a 28-day water-only fast with periods of dry fasting inserted into the 28 days. (Please see the ‘Discussion’ section below for an explanation regarding why periods of dry fasting were applied.)

The fast:

Days 1-5: the fast began smoothly, with no detox symptoms

Day 6: Client B’s acute Covid symptoms returned: tightness in the chest and low energy. These symptoms continued to present intermittently through Days 7 and 8.

Day 9: all the Covid symptoms of Days 6-8 cleared.

Day 10: Client B undertook his first period of dry fasting (36 hours).

Days 15-16: Client B undertook a second period of dry fasting (60 hours). Towards the end of the first 24 hours his Covid symptoms returned, including tightness in the lungs and a sore throat, the quality of which was closely reminiscent of that experienced during the acute phase of his illness. Around the 48-hour mark, the tightness in his lungs worsened.

Day 17: the symptoms which had appeared during the dry fast (Days 15-16) disappeared.

Days 22-25: Client B undertook a third period of dry fasting (84 hours). His Covid symptoms reappeared intermittently throughout this dry fast from approximately the 36-hour mark.

Days 26-28: The remainder of the fast passed smoothly.

Post-fast:

On Day 2 of refeeding, Client B reported a feeling of inflammation inside the chest which lasted 48 hours. After this point, he remained completely symptom-free through his 10-day refeeding period, after which we finished our work together. Two months later, I contacted Client B to discuss the final results of his 28-day fast. He reported that:

‘The only time I ever feel chest symptoms is when I do vigorous exercise and I’m pushing myself to the limit while running. Even when I do, it’s minor. Nothing compared to what it once was and mild enough that I don’t really think much about it. I also didn’t realize how much Covid had affected me mentally. It’s like I’m back to my old way of thinking without the depression/anxiety.’

Discussion

In my experience, Client A presents a typical example of how water fasting can heal post-acute Covid symptoms. In such cases, the fast usually calls forth one or more healing crises, in which the original symptoms of acute Covid return for 12-48 hours. When multiple healing crises occur during the fast, they are usually separated by a period of between several days and about a week. The first crisis is often but not necessarily the most intense. Client A’s healing crises on Days 4 and 9 fit this pattern well. (Given the time required to enter deeper ketosis and strengthen a response from the immune system, it is unlikely for the body to elicit a healing crisis before Day 4.) In my experience, it is also possible for a water fast to heal Long Covid without the client experiencing any healing crisis at all. Simply, the Covid symptoms never return post-fast, and energy levels return to normal through the course of refeeding.

The decision to include periods of dry fasting as part of both Client A and B’s fasting protocol was driven by my experience supervising fasts to heal from illness caused by other viruses, such as HSV (herpes). In such cases, a clear correlation exists between the periods of dry fasting and the onset of healing crises, thus suggesting that dry fasting accelerates and strengthens the healing process.

Client B illustrates a typical example of this. The appearance of Covid symptoms on Days 6-8 of the water fast meant that we put off Client B’s first dry fast (originally planned for the end of the first week of fasting) until Day 10. Given the proximity of the end of the first healing crisis and the beginning of this first dry fast, as well as the fact that the dry fast was planned and executed for only 36 hours, it came as no surprise that this dry fast passed uneventfully without a healing crisis. However, it should be noted that Client B’s two further healing crises did coincide with periods of dry fasting. In both cases, his acute Covid symptoms presented between 24 and 36 hours after the beginning of each dry fast. This also correlates with the period when the benefits of dry fasting are usually first felt.

It is worth mentioning Client B’s symptoms of inflammation on Day 2 of the refeeding process. It is hard to ascertain whether this constituted another healing crisis or whether it occurred as a consequence of refeeding. Certainly, the healing after a 28-day fast continues for a week or two after the actual end of the fast, and it is possible that Client B’s immune system elicited a further healing crisis at this point. The timing of this would also match the pattern of earlier healing crises, in this case occurring approximately 7 days since the previous event (Days 23-25). It is also possible, however, that the specific symptom concerned – inflammation – presented simply as part of a body-wide inflammation which frequently accompanies the early stages of refeeding after any extended fast (due to the influx of nutrients and electrolytes).

In addition to the physical aspects of the fast, both Clients A and B experienced a change to their emotional states. For example, Client A’s healing crises elicited feelings of anxiety and depression in addition to physical symptoms. Client B noted how, since the end of his fast, he no longer felt ‘depressed/anxious’. These observations implicitly support recent data (cited aboveiii) according to which Covid impacts on both emotional and neurological as well as physical health.

Despite the success of these two cases, an extended water fast (with or without periods of dry fasting) does not always guarantee a full healing. Partial improvement is also possible. This tends to occur especially in those whose health is already compromised by underlying health conditions, or in older people whose immune system has weakened with age. Partial improvement can also occur if the fast is not long enough to address all the issues. In such cases, it may be necessary to undertake a subsequent fast to continue progress.

As with any other fast intended to address a health issue, several factors should determine the length of the fast, as well as whether periods of dry fasting should be considered. These include the age and prior health history of the client, any prior experience in water fasting, the period elapsed since originally contracting Covid, the severity of current symptoms and the length of time since current symptoms have presented.

Conclusions

As the world gradually comes to grip with acute Covid, the plight of literally millions suffering from Long Covid is likely to become a growing issue – as well as a continuing strain on health systems everywhere. Because of the typically multisystemic nature of this illness, the usually targeted therapies of standard Western medicine are unlikely to be fully effective. In contrast, zero-calorie water fasting offers the necessary boost to the entire immune system in order to effect systematic long-term healing, regardless of individual symptomatology.


[i] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/adhocs/12788updatedestimatesoftheprevalenceoflongcovidsymptoms

[ii] Komaroff, A. The tragedy of Long Covid. Harvard Health Blog, Harvard Medical School. 2020 Oct 15. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-tragedy-of-the-post-covid-long-haulers-2020101521173

[iii] Tacquet, M; Geddes, J; Husain, M; Luciano, S; Harrison, P. 6-month neurological and psychiatric outcomes in 236 379 survivors of COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records. The Lancet. 2021 May 1; Vol 8, 5: 416-427

[iv] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/prevalenceofongoingsymptomsfollowingcoronaviruscovid19infectionintheuk/1april2021

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28 responses to “Healing from Long Covid with water fasting”

  1. Hi Tallis, I’ve had Long Covid for 18 months now. I’m slowly getting better but since reading about water fasting and it’s amazing benefits I’ve decided to give it a try.
    I’ve completed 24 hours so far.

    I’m just wondering what drinks you usually say people can have (Ive read you can have black coffee but unsure if that is ok for a fast dealing with a chronic illness)
    I’ve been drinking salted water, herbal tea and sparkling water.

    Also.. would you recommend any supplements while doing this? Like magnesium and electrolytes?

    Thank you!

    1. Tallis Barker, D.Phil. Avatar
      Tallis Barker, D.Phil.

      Hi Jemma,
      Thanks for writing. Glad you’re slowly getting over Long Covid. I’ve now worked with 40-50 clients all suffering from it, and extended water fasting is by far the most powerful way back towards full health! About drinks: there are even some quite well known ‘experts’ who recommend drinking black coffee. However, not only does this elevate metabolic rate – when you need exactly the opposite to facilitate healing – but it also raises the body’s acidic load, making it harder to clear toxins and thereby exacerbating detox symptoms. It’s a big mistake. In general, the closer you stay to pure water the better (although uncaffeinated herbal teas are mostly fine too).
      Hope this helps,
      Tallis

  2. Have you helped anyone who developed reflux caused by damage to the vagal nerve? I was very healthy before. I’ve seen several experts and I definitely have vagal nerve damage, kind of like a neuropathy. They want me to take gabapentin but I’ve refused for nearly a year, and been suffering terribly.

    Also, I have never fasted before. I am a distance runner. I have somehow managed to continue running most weeks, except when I catch covid again — it causes exercise intolerance for several weeks. I really don’t want to lose my strength, muscular conditioning, etc. Would intermittent fasting with exercise have a similar effect? A shorter fast?

    Also i can’t imagine living without the antacids — and at the same time — I have only gotten much worse while taking them. I’m disabled in many respects. It’s been unbelievable. Like i can barely eat anything, horrible insomnia from meds trying to treat alternating constipation (caused by reflux meds), reflux, bloating. Also sleeping straight up for over a year. Wearing a neck collar while sleeping. Can’t have sex with my husband bc I can’t lay flat. We have modified but it’s just not the same so we have given up. It’s completely heartbreaking. My very good life has been taken from me.

    Do you think you could help specifically with this condition?

    1. Tallis Barker, D.Phil. Avatar
      Tallis Barker, D.Phil.

      Hi Tina,
      Thanks for sharing. I’m sorry things are so rough for you at the moment :-(.
      For me, the issue is really the damaged vagal nerve rather than the reflux – which should resolve by itself once the underlying cause – that is, the parasympathetic nervous system – is healed. Fasting does impact on both acid reflux as an issue in itself as well as neurological symptoms.
      I do think it would be worth setting up a consultation to discuss possible pathways ahead. Extended water fasting is one of the most powerful modalities to elicit deep healing to the vagus nerve and the parasympathetic nervous system in general, and, at least without knowing further details, I don’t see why you shouldn’t benefit too!
      If you’d like to set up a consultation, there’s a contact form at the bottom of the coaching page here:
      https://waterfasting.org/online-coaching-and-consultations-for-water-fasting/

      All the best,
      Tallis

  3. I have so enjoyed reading your articles. Thank you for all you do. Who would you say should NOT fast? I read you said we would have to wean off medications to do any water fast. What about hypoglycemics? And how do we prepare for a fast?

    1. Tallis Barker, D.Phil. Avatar
      Tallis Barker, D.Phil.

      Hi again Julie,
      I can’t really comment here, because it depends on the specific case – and I don’t want to make a blanket statement which could cause harm if misapplied. Medications certainly complicate fasting, but there’s always a solution!
      Tallis

  4. Hi, I am a long COVID sufferer for almost 2 years now and I’m doing a water fast at the moment. Id love to hire you and guide me through the fast but I’m at rock bottom with 0 and losing everything. My issues are mainly anxiety ( can’t go outside) shortness of breathe and POTS. I started my fast and after day 1 of just water my heart rate goes to 160 standing up. I continued for 4 more days to see if it will go away but it was going worse and I was feeling like I was gonna faint. I broke the fast with celery juice and another juice of watermelon. My heart smarts still is going up when I stand and im not sure if I should continue bevause it really does not feel right. I’ve done a water fast and many juice / bone broth fasts in the passed , easily.
    I hope you can shed some light on this issue so I can continue and get my life back!

    1. Tallis Barker, D.Phil. Avatar
      Tallis Barker, D.Phil.

      Hi Mike,
      Sorry for the delay in responding. I hope you’ll finding that water fasting heals your long Covid – among my clients I’ve had over a 75% success rate in it significantly improving or totally healing the condition. I’m sorry you’ve had trouble with POTS. You definitely want to avoid 160 bpm. Simple detox can bring resting heart rate up to 100+ bpm at times, and this is totally normal. To understand what is happening in your case, I’m afraid it really would require coaching so that we can follow all the possible contingencies. The main thing in all cases is to do whatever you have to, in order to avoid sustained high heart rates. Hopefully that might mean just standing up much, much slower.
      All the best,
      Tallis

      1. Hey Tallis
        Hope you are well.
        I’ve had long covid since March 2020. I’ve tried many many treatments including 3 separate 72 hour fasts. I have not improved at all, in fact I have worsened over time. Also, I was reinfected in July and have worsened since then even more. I am seriously considering a long term fast as I can’t live with these symptoms anymore. It’s been 2.5 yrs. I have read thru your site and if I do go ahead with the fast there is a good possibly I will choose to work with you. When you say you have had over 75% success rate, (as I read in one of your comments) I would like to know how many people with long covid you have supported total. Mostly bc I would like to know how many long haulers have found success using long term fasting (not bc I question your coaching ability at all as I feel confident you would be great). Doing a long term fast is intense and difficult and I would only move forward if there is an excellent chance it will significantly improve and or heal my condition. Also I would be concerned as I only weight 119 pounds now. I’m not sure how long that weight could sustain as fast. Look forward to hearing from you

        Thanks
        Alyson

        1. Tallis Barker, D.Phil. Avatar
          Tallis Barker, D.Phil.

          Hi Alyson,

          Thanks for writing, and sorry that things have been so rough since you contracted Long Covid. Since writing this article (and thus having worked with more people suffering from Long Covid), I’d say that the overall success rate is actually higher than 75%: more like 80%-90%. It really is extremely effective! So far, I’ve worked with about 20 people, and, almost without exception, fasting brings full healing or at least significant improvement, depending on the length of the fast. For someone who is underweight, we might consider a series of shorter fasts rather than a single ‘knock-out blow’, but I can’t be more specific than that without talking about the details of your case. In general, though, the longer the fast, the better.

          If you would like to work together, please send the contact form found on the bottom of the coaching page here:
          https://waterfasting.org/online-coaching-and-consultations-for-water-fasting/

          All the best,
          Tallis

          1. Thank you so much for your response. I am going to consult with my fasting doctor and then will reach out if I would like to move forward with the consult. I really appreciate your help

            1. Tallis Barker, D.Phil. Avatar
              Tallis Barker, D.Phil.

              You’re welcome 🙂

  5. This all sounds intruging but how do you manage a water fast when you are on medications to manage your LC symptons? I had a mild infection in Janurary and I developed a pericardial effusion. It is slowly healing but I still have to be on beta blockers to keep my HR down & indomethican for pain. Other symptons include brain fog, slight pins and needles in hands, fatiuge. I’d really like to try it but worried I’d feel ill from the meds with nothing in my stomach.

    1. Tallis Barker, D.Phil. Avatar
      Tallis Barker, D.Phil.

      Hi Jay,
      Thanks for sharing. Most but not all meds usually need to be gradually reduced or eliminated altogether when water fasting, and this process should take place either before or during the fast. For a clinically complicated case like yours, I would always recommend working with a fasting expert like myself in conjunction with your doctor, in order to get the balance right. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution here, but that isn’t to suggest that you can’t use water fasting to heal from Long Covid!
      All the best,
      Tallis

  6. Hi Tallis,

    I’ve enjoyed your site since I found it in early 2020. In the months since, it’s inspired me to undertake many water fasts ranging from 36-72 hours. One immediate effect was that my hangovers are much lighter these days! My skin also tends to look better after a fast.

    Speaking of hangovers, I caught COVID at the start of this year and, two weeks the last acute day of feeling crappy, I still feel weak and have some stubborn light symptoms, such as coughing and congestion. I’ve also noticed that my sugar cravings and general desire to eat is much stronger (I was previously eating in a roughly 4-hour window each day with no issue, and I normally have a very active lifestyle).

    I’m thinking that maybe candida may be a factor here, perhaps getting out of balance as a result of my compromised immune system and irregular, comfort food-heavy diet while sick. I feel very similar to how I did about 3.5 years ago, when a nasty bug left me in a malaise for months after recovering, which I attributed to a candida overgrowth. Similar cravings, energy issues and digestive problems.

    I’ve just begun a new water fast today. Do you think that water fasting will help get my internal candida population back in check, and how long do you recommend I fast for?

    Cheers,
    Daz

    1. Tallis Barker, D.Phil. Avatar
      Tallis Barker, D.Phil.

      Hi Daz,
      Thanks for sharing. What you describe about Covid increasing sugar cravings and the general desire to eat is also something shared with other viruses. Some pathogens seem to knock out appetite while others do the opposite. Of course, it’s also very possible that candida is being aggravated as well, through the general upset to the gut biome during illness (because all illness does begin in the gut!).
      Without knowing more background, it’s hard to know exactly how long you should fast for – because there are two variables here: Covid and candida. It’s likely, though, that you should be thinking about at least 14-21 days.
      All the best,
      Tallis

      1. Just to circle back and give my experience, I ended up doing a roughly 60-hour fast shortly after this message. It was my most difficult fast yet, and my symptoms came back on the first night, but within two days of refeeding I was feeling 100% again. Thanks Tallis, water fasting is a valuable tool!

        1. Tallis Barker, D.Phil. Avatar
          Tallis Barker, D.Phil.

          Thanks for the feedback Daz – glad you’re feeling 100% again 🙂
          Tallis

  7. Hi Tallis,

    Thanks for all your insights into fasting and the benefits of trusting the systems available to each and every one of us, regardless of our affluence.

    This is a very interesting topic and I expect more people will access this page in due course. It made me wonder if you had started seeing more people contacting you about “vacx” (misspelled on purpose) related injuries and if fasting was helpful to these people. It may be a good follow-up to this article to present a Patient A & B account if this may help many that suffer from the cure rather than the illness.

    I’m a 43 year old male, and somewhat over weight, on day 4 of my first water fast lasting longer than 24 hours! I have completed many cycles of 24 hour fasts (which included liquids such as coffee and tea!), and wanted to improve my immune system in preparation for getting my first shot.
    I started feeling lower energy and lower back pain around the kidneys today and now understand that more preparation leading into a longer fast is warranted (after reading many of your previous articles). I may break my fast and bank the experience, complete another 3-5 day fast in a week or two and then try 10 days if that went well.

    I list my personal circumstances as I don’t want you or others to think I’m just trying to stir the hornets nest here, but I’ve been waking up at 2am the last two mornings and enjoying the wonderful insights found on your website.

    Thanks for your efforts in helping many to trust their bodies rather than always taking the quick fix to rectify a problem.

    As a Christian believer, these truths align strongly with my belief in God and appreciate more fully how amazing God’s design of the human body truly is. Your knowledge have certainly added something special to my life and I am looking to increase my journey on this topic.

    Blessings in the name of Jesus.
    Marius Smith

    1. Tallis Barker, D.Phil. Avatar
      Tallis Barker, D.Phil.

      Hi Marius,

      Thanks for sharing. Yes, the human body is truly a miracle – the more I learn about it through coaching as well as through medical study, the more I appreciate this! And yes, trusting our bodies is so so important in empowering us to gain faith in our ability to heal, and hopefully also towards having a little more faith in life itself!

      To answer your question, I haven’t had any clients approach me with vax-related injuries. Last year I did have several clients suffering from acute and Long Covid, but this trend seems to have diminished over the last few months.

      All the best,
      Tallis

      1. Hi Tallis,

        Thanks for letting me know. It is good to know that this has not become a trend. It is useful insight. I suspect that if there are those that did suffer injury, that the approach would remain valid by not keeping on poisoning our bodies and taking up fasting to ensure the body is afforded the best opportunity to heal itself and allow us to focus on the more important question of purpose, which is heavily tied to our spiritual side.

        Thanks for the good work you do and supporting many along this journey of self exploration and health. Certainly a niche in today’s society.

        Kindest regards and blessings!
        Marius

        1. Tallis Barker, D.Phil. Avatar
          Tallis Barker, D.Phil.

          That’s right, Marius. The way I see it is that fasting will heal whatever damage might be done, regardless of the source. It’s important to know, though, there’s been an awful lot of misinformation and fear-mongering on both sides of the argument!
          Tallis

  8. Seems extremely extreme, and possibly suicidal, especially for the length of time being conducted 21 days for patient A and 28 days for patient B, both with a short period of dry fast.

    https://www.verywellfit.com/is-water-fasting-safe-4588873
    While up to 40 days is possible according to this article, normal water fasts last 24 to 72 hrs. Anything past that is extremely extreme.

    1. Tallis Barker, D.Phil. Avatar
      Tallis Barker, D.Phil.

      Hi Para59r,

      Thanks for writing. I agree with you. 21- and 28-days are ‘extremely extreme’. The question is ‘extremely extreme’ relative to what? Extended fasting is definitely extremely extreme relative to everyday eating habits – and the emotional hang-ups which come with giving up the pleasure of food. But compared to the physical capabilities of the human body, it isn’t extreme in the slightest. Most people are perfectly capable of undertaking even a 40-60 day water fast (although I personally don’t recommend anything over 40 days).

      In order to heal from chronic health issues, sometimes it really is necessary to do ‘extremely extreme’ things when standard Western medicine has no answers.

      For people suffering from Long Covid, it can be worth giving up the pleasure and comfort of food in order to heal from symptoms which can otherwise last many months. The article you gave the link to approaches fasting mostly from the perspective of weight loss, not health issues. In this respect I also agree with a lot of its content: I too do not usually recommend extended fasts for weight loss. Short fasts combined with diet and exercise is usually a much more successful approach.

      All the best,
      Tallis

      1. I was a lucky lotto winner who had a “rare” autoimmune reaction to the J & J Vax taken on 3/11/21. One shot changed the entire trajectory of my entire life and future. After 12 months of minimal help or improvement, I found myself up at 2am one morning feeling the need to write my own obituary. I wanted the world to know my death was caused from the vax and not blood clot, stroke, blood pressure, or heart attack from personal health choices. That was the moment of desperation to try a water fast in order to help kill off the spike proteins causing all my pain and symptoms that started 5 days after injection. 7 days fasting and 45% improvement. I’m going to try 14 days now and see hope where there was none. para59r may call long term fasting extreme, however for many, it’s a life saver…literally. There are some people who shouldn’t fast, however for the rest, there is medical and scientific proof it works on a cellular level. It’s a no brainer.

        1. Tallis Barker, D.Phil. Avatar
          Tallis Barker, D.Phil.

          Hi Toni,
          Sorry you’ve had such a difficult time recently… Whatever the specific reaction taking place in your body to cause your symptoms, an extended water fast is almost certainly the best thing to heal it. I’ve seen this time and again with regard to both Covid and ‘autoimmune’ reactions in general. Best of luck to you through the remainder of your fast!
          All the best,
          Tallis

  9. Good article, Tallis. Both A and B persons deserve my deepest respect!

    1. Tallis Barker, D.Phil. Avatar
      Tallis Barker, D.Phil.

      Hi Adriana,
      Yes, and I hope their example can serve for others too!
      Tallis

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