Waterfasting.org: Articles and Coaching for Water Fasts

Dr. Tallis Barker, D.Phil., Nat.Dip., holistic consultant

CHOOSING THE RIGHT FAST

The water fast is beautiful in its simplicity. You drink water and only water for the duration of the fast. No food. No juices. No calories. Simply water, allowing the miraculous metabolism of your body to cleanse, detoxify, heal on the deepest physical and spiritual level. It’s something we as human organisms are designed to do. It’s something we need to do in order to maximize health through our lives.

Each length of fast offers its own specific benefits, as described in the articles below:

36
hours

water
fast

Read more

3
days

water
fast

Read more

7-10
days

water
fast

Read more

14-40
days

extended healing fasts

Read more
DISCOVER WATER FAST COACHING

As hinted above, water fasts of different duration serve different purposes, both physically and spiritually. Each length of fast also requires its own kind of preparation beforehand, as well as transitioning back to normal eating afterwards. In choosing which fast is right for you, I encourage you to keep these factors in mind. And if you need someone to talk to, I’m here to help!

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22 responses to “CHOOSING THE RIGHT FAST”

  1. Chris Avatar
    Chris

    I am a cancer patient (phase 3 colorectal). I had surgery in January of 2023 and completed chemotherapy in April of 2023. I now suffer from peripheral neuropathy as a result. What would you recommend in terms of dry vs water fasting for healing first the potential lingering cancer cells, and secondly in terms of addressing the neuropathy? Thank you.

    Reply
    1. Dr. Tallis Barker, D.Phil., Nat.Dip. Avatar
      Dr. Tallis Barker, D.Phil., Nat.Dip.

      Hi Chris,
      Thanks for writing, and apologies for the slow response – I’m in the middle of moving house! I’m sorry to hear about the lingering negative side effects of chemotherapy. Unfortunately, this does often occur. I’ve worked with numerous clients who have healed from both cancer and peripheral neuropathy, and by far the most powerful way to do recover from both issues is a combination of both dry and water fasting. In terms of getting any more specific than this, we’d need to look more deeply at your health journey by scheduling a consultation.
      Hope this helps,
      Tallis

      Reply
  2. Joshua Avatar
    Joshua

    How long would you recommend I water fast to help with Asthma and a histamine intolerance?

    Reply
    1. Dr. Tallis Barker, D.Phil., Nat.Dip. Avatar
      Dr. Tallis Barker, D.Phil., Nat.Dip.

      Hi Joshua,
      Thanks for writing. I’m afraid it’s never as easy as plugging your symptoms into an equation in order to determine the ‘correct’ length of a fast. There are a multitude of other factors to take into consideration, including age, severity of symptoms, how long you’ve suffered from them, other physical symptoms which may be smouldering away in the background – and that’s even before we get to emotional stress factors. These are all things I’d want to discuss in a consultation, in order to understand the situation more closely. What I can tell you here, based on simply asthma and histamine intolerance, is that you’d need to be thinking about weeks and not days of fasting in order to make significant progress. 3 weeks / 21 days is probably a great place to start, but it’s hard to say anything more definite than this given the basic facts!
      Hope this helps,
      Tallis

      Reply
  3. Liz E Avatar
    Liz E

    Hi Tallis, though I know everyone is different, what is the general fasting duration for someone with ulcerative colitis who is not in a flare? Thank you for all you do 🙂

    Reply
    1. Dr. Tallis Barker, D.Phil., Nat.Dip. Avatar
      Dr. Tallis Barker, D.Phil., Nat.Dip.

      Hi Liz,
      Thanks for writing. Unfortunately there’s no ‘standard’ duration to heal ulcerative colitis. It boils down to the severity of the condition, the strength of your immune system, as well as any other health issues which might draw the energy of the fast away from focussing solely on the UC. What I can tell you is that even in the best of circumstances you’d need to be looking at a bare minimum of 14 days.
      By the way, whether or not you’re in a flare won’t make much difference to the necessary length of fast.
      Hope this helps,
      Tallis

      Reply
  4. Diane Avatar
    Diane

    Would doing a coffee enema during a water fast lessen the fasting effects? After day 3 I usually feel “toxic” and ill and after a coffee enema feel better to continue the fast if only for a couple more days.

    Reply
    1. Dr. Tallis Barker, D.Phil., Nat.Dip. Avatar
      Dr. Tallis Barker, D.Phil., Nat.Dip.

      Hi Diane,
      Thanks for writing. The coffee in a coffee enema serves to allow the liver to dilate the bile ducts, thereby facilitating the flow of toxins from the liver. If, during the fast, your liver is sluggish, then a coffee enema can help. However, if the toxic feeling is being caused by a build-up of toxicity in the colon, the coffee element of a coffee enema serves no useful function – and in fact can cause a lot of liver distress with cramping. In this case, a simple water enema is better, and will not lead to unpleasant side effects.
      Hope this helps,
      Tallis

      Reply
  5. Helene Avatar
    Helene

    Hello,

    What length of fasting would you advise for me knowing that I have long covid since 2,5 years? Since getting ill, I did four 3-5 days water fasts amongst which two were super helpful and I could get rid of 3 symptoms. The two other times I didn’t feel any difference. I usually feel awful at day 5, wonderful at day 3, and really fatigued since day 4. Should I stick to 3 days fasts or push through the fatigue and go longer? I wouldn’t do it unsupervised over a week.

    Thank you

    Reply
    1. Dr. Tallis Barker, D.Phil., Nat.Dip. Avatar
      Dr. Tallis Barker, D.Phil., Nat.Dip.

      Hi Helene,
      Thanks for writing. What you describe fits the experience of many people: that after a couple of short-ish fasts, you reach a glass ceiling in terms of further improvements. I suspect you’ll need to go at least 7 days (if not significantly further) in order to heal more deeply. In order to be able to recommend a length more precisely, we’d need to go much further into your case history.
      Hope this helps,
      Tallis

      Reply
  6. Geri Petrova Avatar
    Geri Petrova

    Dear Dr. Barker,

    What about water fasting in underweight patients?
    I have a large ovarian cyst (around 12 cm in diameter), BMI (18) – through all of my life (36 years) and a little bit of anemic (stop consume meat the last year).
    And what do you think about using distilled water during a water fast?
    Thank you!

    Reply
    1. Dr. Tallis Barker, D.Phil., Nat.Dip. Avatar
      Dr. Tallis Barker, D.Phil., Nat.Dip.

      Hi Geri,
      Thanks for writing. It’s always important to be extremely cautious about fasting when underweight. When low weight is a chronic problem, illness and gut issues very often underlie the problem. In this case, it would be important to strike a balance between fasting long enough to start addressing these issues while not overtaxing the body through excessively drawing down fat reserves. Hopefully, this type of fasting protocol will lead to a partial improvement of the issue underlying the low weight, which then leads to a higher baseline weight, which will then lead to the ability to fast for incrementally longer periods, in which more significant healing can take place. I wouldn’t recommend fasting without expert coaching here, because you really do need to be very careful!
      Hope this helps,
      Tallis

      Reply
  7. mlnott Avatar
    mlnott

    Hello, I have a question regarding water fasting. Is it dangerous to do a 7-10 water fast if you are anaemic (low blood iron). Can fasting actually help with anemia? Thank you.

    Reply
    1. Tallis Barker, D.Phil., Nat.Dip. Avatar
      Tallis Barker, D.Phil., Nat.Dip.

      Hi Minott,
      Thanks for writing. There is certainly a potential danger in doing a 7-10 day water fast if you are severely anaemic. On the other hand, over the longer term water fasting is also likely to help your body regulate the absorption and assimilation of iron at healthier levels. So the devil really is in the detail here! When working with a client, I would want to identify the history, cause and severity of the anaemia. Based on this, we could identify the appropriate length of an initial fast and develop a subsequent fasting protocol.
      Hope this helps,
      Tallis

      Reply
  8. Tom Avatar
    Tom

    Do you also coach dry fasts

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

      Hi Tom,
      Yes, I coach dry fasts as well as extended water fasts which include periods of shorter dry fasting. There’s a time and a place for everything!
      All the best,
      Tallis

      Reply
  9. jeffroth9@gmail.com Avatar
    jeffroth9@gmail.com

    How long can a person fast off everything, including water?

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

      Hi Jeff,
      I’m afraid I’m not sure what you mean here. If you mean how long can a person fast without any intake of solids and liquids (ie dry fasting), then it’s a whole lot longer than the urban myth that we all die after 3 days! I’ve dry-fasted myself for 5 days, coached up to 9-days of dry fasting (which does require special preparation and protocol), and I think the longest dry fasts have been over 14 days when conducted in a clinic. I’d definitely recommend that someone become acclimatised to water fasting before attempting dry fasts of over 2-3 days because of the significantly stronger detox.
      All the best,
      Tallis

      Reply
  10. Andriy Avatar
    Andriy

    Hi.
    There is a non cancerous cyst on my vocal fold from overuse. Is it possible to get rid of it by fasting? If so, how long would be needed to achieve it. Thanks.

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

      Hi Andriy,
      Thanks for writing. Yes, fasting can definitely heal (autophagise) cysts, and I see this frequently among my clients. However, it’s very difficult to predict how long it would take through fasting. It’s going to depend on your underlying toxic load, the strength of your immune system, as well as all the other issues your body may want to target before getting around to the cyst. It could take anywhere from 7-40 days, which I know isn’t going to help you plan very well. Sorry about that, but it’s the honest answer!
      All the best,
      Tallis

      Reply
  11. Kristin Avatar
    Kristin

    Which fast is best to heal alcoholic liver disease?

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

      Hi Kristin,
      Do you mean what length of fast? As with any chronic condition, it depends on multiple factors: the severity of the case, the other stress factors contributing to your overall toxic load, the strength of your immune system… Without knowing more information about these factors, I’d probably be thinking in the region of 21+ days, which I’ve seen either heal the issue or at least make a significant improvement.
      Hope this helps,
      Tallis

      Reply

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Waterfasting.org: Articles and Coaching for Water Fasts

DR. TALLIS BARKER, D.PHIL., HOLISTIC CONSULTANT

I’ve been water fasting as part of a healthy lifestyle and path of self-discovery for many years now – and I’ve helped countless others do the same. I hope the various programs and online support, as well as the articles and videos offered on this website, deepen your own journey into water fasting.

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