Fasting For 3 Days Regenerates the Entire Immune System

By Heather Callaghan

Research finds that fasting "flipped a regenerative switch" leading to new blood and  new immune system creation - in just 72 hours

Results from a recent study fall into the category of "remarkable," as it was described.

Researchers from University of Southern California were looking for extra immune help for chemotherapy patients, and found an answer for everyone. For chemo patients, the elderly, the chronically ill, even those with auto immune diseases.

Longer fasts use up the body's glucose stores, but they also breakdown and rebuild the white blood cells - literally rebuilding a new immune system.

It gives the 'OK' for stem cells to go ahead and begin proliferating and rebuild the entire system. 

And the good news is that the body got rid of the parts of the system that might be damaged or old, the inefficient parts, during the fasting. 

Now, if you start with a system heavily damaged by chemotherapy or ageing, fasting cycles can generate, literally, a new immune system.

In trials humans were asked to regularly fast for between two and four days over a six-month period. 

Scientists found that prolonged fasting also reduced the enzyme PKA, which is linked to ageing and a hormone which increases cancer risk and tumour growth.

We could not predict that prolonged fasting would have such a remarkable effect in promoting stem cell-based regeneration of the hematopoietic system. 

When you starve, the system tries to save energy, and one of the things it can do to save energy is to recycle a lot of the immune cells that are not needed, especially those that may be damaged. 

What we started noticing in both our human work and animal work is that the white blood cell count goes down with prolonged fasting. Then when you re-feed, the blood cells come back. So we started thinking, well, where does it come from?

They realize that chemotherapy causes "significant collateral damage" to the immune system. That's when they discovered that fasting for just 72 hours could protect cancer patients from the toxic effects of chemotherapy.

Now they wish to check fasting's effects on other organ systems and physiology - not just the immune system.

One criticism I have with the presentation of the information was the constant use of the word "starvation." I have never thought of interchanging those words because fasting often has intent behind it - sometimes spiritual, health conscious or both. It is associated with regeneration, not a breakdown.

Picture the difference between someone who intends to do a fast for 10 days (or however long they are intuitively led to) and someone who is going hungry for 10 days or purposely starving themselves - sometimes associated with the negative mental aspects of anorexia. Or someone who "starves" themselves to fit into a dress or take a misleading before/after shoot to promote a diet pill. Starvation is associated with the
effects of muscle catabolism. There's a difference!

Here are some press releases showcasing other fasting medical breakthroughs:

• Study finds routine periodic fasting is good for your health, and your heart
• Fasting found to reduce cardiac risk factors, such as triglycerides, weight, and blood sugar levels
• Fasting weakens cancer in mice
• New study finds that short fasting cycles can work as well as chemotherapy, and the 2 combined greatly improve survival
• Fasting makes brain tumors more vulnerable to radiation therapy
• A new study from USC researchers is the first to show that controlled fasting improves the effectiveness of radiation therapy in cancer treatments, extending life expectancy in mice with aggressive brain tumors.

Please, please, do consult with your preferred health practitioner for guidance of if and how to do a fast that's right for you.

Here is the ultimate book I've found on fasting - Fasting to Freedom, by Ron Lagerquist & Tom McGregor. It was encouraging and motivational with safety helps. It included helpful information for hypoglycemics and diabetics. Note: the book is from a Christian perspective. It also warns against ever doing a water fast - most of us are too toxic and would go into a harmful healing crisis. It's about juicing with mostly vegetables to maintain nutrients during a fast. Anyone, especially diabetics/hypoglycemics might also enjoy using a Nutribullet which maintains even more nutrients/fiber/seeds of the plan and isn't so messy (I'm happy with mine).

PS - A naturopath shared another secret way to kick the red and white blood cell rebuilding into high gear...

Can you guess what it is?

Give Blood.

Heather Callaghan is a natural health blogger and food freedom activist. You can see her work at NaturalBlaze.com and ActivistPost.com. Like at Facebook.