I’m just curious if anyone does fasting and if so, how does that affect their neuropathy? (by fasting, I mean just water, or coffee or tea, really no calories to speak of).
I do a fair amount of intermittent fasting, 16 hour fasts (basically just skipping breakfast) and a few 24 hour fasts. Those aren’t very difficult at all for me now, but I haven’t gone any longer.
If I had some idea that it might be helpful, I’d try a longer fast in a heartbeat. It wouldn’t hurt me to lose a few pounds also!
I have not tried fasting with this pain.With the amount of drugs I am taking it would just send me into oblivion.
I think a long fast with lemon in pure spring water might reset the body.
But just a guess
Considering you’re really not supposed to take meds on a completely empty stomach I’m not so sure fasting for any serious length of time us a good idea.
I think Ziggy is mostly doing topical.If she is all topical ,more importantly,if I was all topical,I would give it a try.
That is true–I am glad to say I am not taking any oral medications at all now.
Some medications do better on an empty stomach, many it really doesn’t matter, some are irritating to an empty stomach. There are tricks you can use to get around that, I’ll know more when I get the book on fasting that I’ve ordered.
This week I think I’ll do a 24 hour fast just before Thanksgiving, and possibly right after.
Wishing you a good fast .Try and meditate,if you want.
Hi ziggy,
I like your question, and think it is very pertinent in the sense food, or lack of influences pain.
One research paper is very informative especially if you follow their reference links.
Diet ( fasting is inclusive) has a considerable effect on inflammation and pain, and most neurologists don’t broach the subject.
I’m sure we’d be interested in your experience
I’ve been doing Alternate Day Fasting for a couple of months now, and it may be coincidental, but I do feel pretty good at the moment!
I have ATN with compression. I cut out all carbs and sugars 6 days a week (I do eat fruit though). So far, so good. Four weeks down - I do notice a bit of a difference. I think I remember reading that ketones are good for inflammation as well as higher fat foods (nuts).
Great to hear some good feedback about fasting! This really motivates me. Mostly my diet is low carb/high fat, but lately I haven’t been so good (makes fasting much easier).
Jules, I’m curious how you work that–do you fast dinner to dinner?
Had a bit of alcohol today and I’m really paying for it! ouch.
My wife reads Jason fung. Neurologist. We both have hashimoto thyroid and inflammation issues. The short version from fung is that fasting allows the body to rest and reset.
I stop eating between 3 and 5pm. In bed by 9. Sleep and diet are always in play. One sip of beer and tooth/atn pain ramps up. Imaging shows no compression. Mind numbing that the diagnostic picture is so vague, so the fall back is a general approach to better health care. But, must say my motivation falters.
Oooh I’m a big fan of Dr. Jason Fung! (believe he is nephrologist, not neurologist) I’ve been following his blog for quite a while. Just ordered The Complete Guide to Fasting, and it is excellent (he gets better at writing all the time).
It is hard to stay motivated when we try so hard, and still have issues…
ziggy, thanks for the clarification. I can get way too sloppy of late, as I think others can relate. I do kid my wife that our attraction to certain life styles is akin to religion. An act of faith that becomes belief. Trial and error is my preference but eventually, that gives way to apathy until I whip up enough whatever to get into action mode.
Disclaimer: all I know abt fasting is in this thread and a five minute internet search.
That said, apparently for most of my life I’ve done daily intermittent fasting. I typically eat during the mid six hours of my eight hour work day. This naturally gives me a fast of some 16 hours, drinking diet Mt Dew and/or coffee excluded. I drink a min of 4 liters of liquids a day.
This has done nothing for my weight, as you can see by my smiley round face. But I react VERY strongly to meds. I get ATN pain control on 200mg gabapentin.
Could fasting play a part in this?
Azurelle, you are basically already fasting! You’ve probably done a 24 hr. fast without even realizing it.
But as Dr. Fung would point out, unfortunately the artificial sweeteners are negating the effects of fasting. Artificial sweeteners raise insulin levels a lot (one of the primary effects we are looking for is very low insulin levels). Insulin is the primary fat storage hormone and it keeps the body from accessing stored fat for energy and raising ketones. They also disturb the gut microbiome quite a bit. If you could drop the artificial sweeteners, and substitute water, or just a bit of heavy cream in your coffee, you’d be doing great.
No idea how that would effect pain medication dosage, but it is fantastic that you can get such good results from a low dosage of gabapentin!
Tomorrow I feast! Then fast…
Ziggy, where is the info about artificial sweeteners raising insulin levels coming from? Everything I’ve ever found about sweeteners indicate that the major problem with them appears to be that people are replacing the calories “saved” by using calorie free sweeteners with other calories – like ordering a diet pop with your fast food burger and fries instead of ordering a diet pop and a salad with dressing on the side. If sweeteners really did raise insulin levels diabetics wouldn’t be able to tolerate them at all.
I would think these type of food choices would negate fasting as well, it doesn’t do much good to fast and “reset” your system only to load it up with junk and empty calories to break the fast. I tend to doubt sweeteners have much to do with poor choices.
Remember back in the 1970s when everyone who drank TAB was going to die of cancer? That never happened. So I tend to think blaming weight gain and/or insulin levels on sweeteners rather than basic food decisions falls into the same category.
There is plenty of negative reports of the effects of artificial sweeteners, and no doubt some positives, but certain types of artificial sweeteners do alter insulin levels and probably are best avoided, not withstanding what some of these products are broken down to. If it is a man made sweetener- avoid, we’re too clever by half
Excellent! Thank you for the links, I don’t know why I couldn’t find “the other side of the story” from solid sources. I haven’t read them yet but will be doing so directly.
Thank you aiculsamoth, for the excellent links. The research is still in it’s infancy, but disturbing.
I had a big wake-up call on New Year’s day, when my dog ate 3/4 of a pack of sugar-free gum containing xylitol. (I chew gum a lot for my ATN). Luckily I discovered it about 1 1/2 hours later and we were able to get him to vomit it out. The vet said it induces a huge insulin reaction, which causes severe hypoglycemia, and that one stick of gum could kill him. It was dicey for a while, but he made it through without any long-term organ damage.
Now I’m very much aware that that is a species-specific reaction, but it really made me think twice about all the chemicals that we use and the effects on our bodies that we may or may not know about.