[istultus]

Can I ask what led you to doing this?

(And regardless - you usually aren't hungry during an extended water fast either - you do get physiological "pings" during your normal meal times. However, I would assume that if you're depriving yourself of water the body naturally overrides everything with signals for thirst)

[lambdaba]

I have MS, where autoimmune processes deteriorate the conductive coating on the nerves (myelin), and fasting is known for greatly boosting myelin repair. In fact, the most effective currently known remyelination treatment is a fasting mimetic (metformin) alongside an antihistamine (clemastine). It also regenerates the immune system, with obvious benefits for optimal functioning.

[istultus]

I'm sorry to hear about your MS - I can understand seeking whatever treatment might help, Did you do a pre/post MRI to compare the effect? (or whatever, CSF markers, OCT, what have you) How did you decide on the type and length of the fast? Have you tried water fasts beforehand? How long did you find a positive effect? Is the fast something that you plan on doing on continual schedule?

[lambdaba]

My MRIs are great because of all the "alternative" practices I did over the years, and it's not a new diagnosis either, usually at this stage people have a sizable amount of lesions. My last brain MRI came almost entirely clear, remarked upon by the doctor, with no signs of brain atrophy, which is almost unheard of at this point especially for someone not on a conventional immunosuppressant

I did do water fasts, dry fasts are simply more effective for the same time spend.

I do plan, not there yet because right now I'm focusing on building up exercise capacity and i'm also on high dose vitamin D for which it's recommended do drink lots of fluids, so I cut it out for a while and wait for my D levels to go down and when the weather permits I'll go at it again, probably on a whim which I find easier than setting a date beforehand.

[istultus]

How long ago was the MS diagnosed? What other alternative practices have you done? Any of them for an appreciable time with consistent good results (or inversely bad results when stopping)?

May your good health continue!

[lambdaba]

Thank you,

15 years ago

- "paleo" diet with the usual elimination trifecta of gluten, sugar & dairy, quit alcohol & nicotine <= this is where I was convinced it was the way when in the space of a week or so a lot of my more evident symptoms faded away

- later keto

- much later (6 years ago) carnivore diet

- more recently megadose vitamin D (~2y with breaks)

- even more recently psilocybin (full doses)

- a lot of supplementation over the years which took a long time to figure out because the space is so vast and so hard to read, at least it was back in the early '10s. Nowadays B vitamin megadoses, fish oil, some newer research findings like n-acetylglucosamine, still have a lot to explore in the peptide area for neurogenesis and myelin repair, also mineral balancing, iron management (I'm male so phlebotomy), a few popular and totally mainstream supplements researched for MS like alpha-lipoic acid

That's about it in the most condensed manner. The entire history would be about 30x the size as my supplement drawer proves, though I already threw out a lot

Things I failed at and hurt me: stress management, sleep. Doing much better nowadays but these should probably be #1.