By dietary standards, fasting means to abstain from all substances except pure water in a total and complete environment of rest. There are variations of fasting, including juice fasting which is abstinence from all food and drink except water and fresh fruit and vegetable juices. Another modified variation of fasting includes small amounts of solid food, usually raw fruits and vegetables as well as steamed vegetables.
Fasting enhances the body’s normal detoxification process of eliminating toxins from the body through the colon, liver, kidneys and skin. During fasting, as no food enters the body, the body turns to its fat reserves for energy. Fasting helps triggers a natural healing process within the body. During fasting, since no food is entering the digestive system, the body’s energy is diverted away from the digestive system towards the immune system and metabolism. The health benefits of fasting are endless, but it is not always an easy process.
As with any detoxification of the body, fasting can conjure up a lot of emotions for its participants. It can often times be difficult as the body does go through withdrawals, therefore forcing the person fasting to focus on the actual hunger of the body as well as the pain, whether mental or physical, that accompanies some detox programs (the mind tends to trick us into thinking that the program we are participating in is more difficult than it is). It can be hard to stay motivated during fasting, but once you start to focus on the transformation the body is going through it can be a much easier process. This is due to the body itself, as once it is in fasting mode it becomes accustomed to going without food for a few days.Ways to stay motivated while fasting.
Ways to stay motivated while fasting
There are certain ways to stay motivated while fasting, but one of the most important leading up to the fast is to remember to gear up mentally and spiritually for the fast. Specify a specific time frame for the fast – set a specific goal and stick to it. Make up your mind before you even start the fast that you are going to finish the fast; that you are strong enough to endure the “pain” of the fast and mentally prepared to focus on the process. Anticipate your weaknesses beforehand and begin to think of how to deal with them. In the days leading up to the fast, cut back on the food that you eat. Eating lightly shrinks the stomach, and will reduce the annoying hunger pains felt during the first few days of the fast.
Another important aspect of preparing for a fast is to have a focus. This focus can be spiritual if it needs be, or it can be as simple as setting intentions for what you hope the fast accomplishes. Having a focus will keep you motivated in the fast and also function as a reminder for why you started the fast in the first place.
Are you interested in fasting? Would you like to try fasting? If you answered yes to either of these questions, we encourage you to fill out the enquiry form. Here at Santosa Detox and Wellness Center, we offer a wide variety of health and wellness programs including tailored detox and fasting programs. Our staff is fully knowledgeable and the environment of our detox and wellness center is a nurturing yet supportive one. Our aim is to help you accomplish your detox and wellness goals and set you on a path to rejuvenated health awareness. We look forward to welcoming you to Santosa Detox and Wellness Center.
Fasting is known to be one of the oldest therapies in medicine and many renowned physicians throughout history, and many of the oldest healing systems known to men, have recommended fasting as an integral method of healing and prevention. Hippocrates for instance believed that fasting enabled the body to heal itself. But what really is fasting, what is the benefit and how does it help prevent or fight cancer? All of this we’ll cover in this article.
What is fasting?
From definition, fasting is the willing abstinence or reduction from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast or dry fasting is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period. Other fasts may be partially restrictive, limiting only particular foods or substances, or be intermittent.
What is the difference between fasting and calorie restriction?
Before continuing, let’s also define calorie restriction versus fasting and explore the history around these two practices. Calorie restriction (CR) means limiting the consumption of food, without resulting in malnutrition, to less than what an organism would eat if given free access. Fasting on the other hand is voluntarily not eating any food for varying lengths of time. Fasting has been used as a therapy for many different conditions as well as a part of spiritual/religious practices throughout history.
What is the evidence?
There has been over 100 years of research looking at the role of CR in relation to the possibility of prolonging life. While most of this research has been on animals, a modest amount of information on the effects on humans has accumulated that indicate a protective effect against secondary aging. Specifically, risk factors for atherosclerosis and diabetes are markedly reduced in humans following CR, along with inflammatory markers, like C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF).
We will be diving into the research specifically on the topics of calorie restriction, fasting and cancer further below. We’ll start by taking a look at the physiological mechanisms being studied and then move on to explore some interesting human studies.
The physiological mechanisms
Adaptation to starvation requires an organism to divert energy into multiple protective systems to minimize the damage that would reduce fitness. It is thought that these systems can also prolong life and decrease cancer risk. According to a review by Drs. Longo and Fontana of the University of Southern California, CR without malnutrition is the most potent and reproducible physiological intervention for increasing lifespan and protecting against cancer in mammals. CR reduces the levels of a number of anabolic hormones, growth factors and inflammatory cytokines, reduces oxidative stress and cell proliferation, enhances autophagy (cell destruction) and several DNA repair processes. An interesting observation that Dr. Longo makes is that CR was only successful at lowering IGF-1 when the protein intake was also restricted.
High protein intake, or a positive nitrogen balance, was associated with increased IGF-1. This is an important point as many cancer patients are told to increase their protein intake during treatment; this recommendation may need to be re-examined.
There are several concerns with CR. One is that it requires weeks, or even months, to be effective at creating the metabolic changes described above. Another concern is that it generally results in chronic weight loss. At least a 15% weight loss is expected with moderate (20%) CR. This could be desirable for people who are overweight, but for those at a healthy weight or those that are already at a marginal weight, this could result in becoming underweight and malnourished.
Another option then for CR could be intermittent CR or intermittent fasting, which may actually be more protective and less concern for weight loss. It may result in greater decreases in fat storage, IGF-1, and cell proliferation, while increasing insulin sensitivity and adiponectin levels. These results come from the earliest studies of spontaneous mammary tumor models on rodents, which compared fasting on alternate days versus fasting for 2-3 day periods each week.
Both approaches reduce tumor incidence by 40-80% compared to ad lib feeding in a number of models, but the effects were most evident using alternate-day intermittent fasting.
There are three metabolic stages during food deprivation or fasting. The first phase can last for 10 or more hours and uses up glycogen stores for energy. Once glycogen stores have been depleted, the body turns to glycerol and free fatty acids released from adipose tissue. These nutrients create ketones, which the body and brain can then use for energy. This phase can last for several weeks, depending on the size and health of the person.
Unlike CR, fasting induces changes associated with cellular protection to actually protect against weight loss initially and increases protection from oxidative stress. Fasting results in a more significant drop in insulin levels, as well as an increase in insulin sensitivity in a shorter amount of time compared to CR.
Given that insulin levels play a role in cancer risk, these differences are potentially clinically important.
Furthermore, it is theorized that cancer cells do not respond to the protective signals generated by fasting, thus leaving them vulnerable to both the immune system and cancer treatment. This process is known as differential stress resistance (DSR). Short-term starvation (STS), fasting for 48 hours, causes a rapid switch of cells to a protected mode, which is capable of protecting mammalian cells and mice from various toxins, including chemotherapy.
Research Studies
The first scientific paper reporting that CR inhibited the growth of tumors transplanted into mice was published by Carlo Moreschi in 1909. Since then, a large body of work has established that CR reduces the progression of tumors in various animal models. Additional research in both rodents and monkeys have shown that when CR was started by 12 months of age, lifespan was increased and incidence of spontaneous cancers was reduced by 50%. Although most cancer cells do seem to be sensitive to CR, there are some cells that carry mutations that make them resistant to CR. This suggests that the efficacy of CR may be limited to certain cancers. Human studies have to date been limited; however, there are some interesting outcomes related to cancer risk reduction and reducing treatment-related side effects.
Risk Reduction and Tumor Regression
In 2014, Longo and his colleagues demonstrated that fasting caused “old” immune cells to die in mice, which were replaced by stem cells as soon as the subjects recommenced eating. They concluded that a 3-day fast could help regenerate a strong immune system. They also demonstrated that a 48-hour fast in mice slowed the growth and spread of five out of the eight cancers studied. They showed that the combination of fasting cycles with chemotherapy was more effective than chemotherapy alone in all cancers studied. As these were all animal studies, and it is unknown if humans would have the same benefit; however, several active clinical trials are studying the effect of calorie restriction or fasting on cancer.
A 2007 study showed that alternate-day fasting, in which one day calories stayed at 400 for women and 600 for men, and the other day was unregulated, reduced blood levels of glucose, insulin and IGF-1 with a long-term risk reduction of chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Two calorie restriction studies, one that included women at moderately increased risk of breast cancer and the other that included newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer patients showed a decrease in serum markers (IGF, stearoyl-CoA desaturase, fatty acid desaturase, and aldolase C), possibly related to cancer risk and prognosis.
A recent study analyzed data from the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living study and found that breast cancer survivors who didn’t eat for at least 13 hours overnight had a 36% reduction in the risk of recurrence and were 21% less likely to experience breast cancer related mortality. The proposed mechanism for this finding is thought to be related to better glycemic control resulting in protection against carcinogenesis. Each 2-hour increase in nightly fasting was linked to progressively lower hemoglobin A1C levels. This research is particularly interesting because it is a dietary strategy that most people could implement.
Protection from treatment-related side-effects
Fasting may also protect patients against the harmful side effects of chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Fasting for up to five days, followed by a normal diet prior to treatment may reduce side effects from treatment, without causing chronic weight loss or interfering with the therapeutic effect of treatment. Older cancer patients, who voluntarily underwent short-term fasting before and/or after chemotherapy reported fewer side effects. A small study reported a reduction in fatigue, weakness, and gastrointestinal side effects, compared to receiving chemotherapy without fasting.
Recent study results
In a large cohort study of 2000 participants, fasting (350 kcal/day) was shown to be safe and actually beneficial to their chronic disease (rheumatic diseases, chronic pain syndrome, hypertension, metabolic syndrome). The biggest concern with calorie restriction and fasting as it relates to cancer is weight loss. As discussed above, weight loss is actually less of a concern with short-term fasting than it is with long-term calorie restriction. For people who are overweight, this can be a positive side effect; however, for cancer patients who are already underweight or struggling to maintain their weight, additional weight loss may be detrimental and be a contraindication to fasting or CR. It is also worth mentioning that side effects, such as headache, light-headedness, nausea, or weakness, can occur when fasting longer than several days. Side effects, such as anemia or amenorrhea, can occur with fasting lasting several weeks. The longer the fast, the more important it is to take care in re-feeding. This phase needs to be gradual and incremental in order to prevent severe problems–or even death–coming off of a prolonged fast.
What is Our Recommendation?
Comparing the research between CR and fasting, fasting seems to provide more dramatic results and protection of healthy cells, without the risk of weight loss or immune suppression. Both CR and fasting are the subject of ongoing research, and definitive conclusions await the results of those studies. As mentioned above, it may not be appropriate for everyone, particularly those who are underweight or very ill, and should never be attempted without the supervision of qualified practitioners. For general cancer prevention, it may be beneficial to add intermittent or short-term fasts in combination with a plant-based cancer prevention diet.
Here are some take-home tips from our literature review:
1. In general, follow an anti-inflammatory diet with lots of colorful fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, herbs and spices. 2. Low to moderate carbohydrate intake with low glycemic starches 3. Healthy fats at every meal, including good sources of Omega-3’s 4. Moderate protein intake of 3-4 ounces per meal from a combination of animal and plant proteins 5. Lengthen the time between dinner and breakfast to allow for a longer overnight fast, with the goal of 13 or more hours, for example dinner by 6:00 pm and breakfast after 7:00 am. 6. Short-term water fasts of 1-3 days to possibly help re-generate the immune system and increase cellular protection against oxidative stress. Working with a healthcare provider, you can determine how often it may be appropriate for you to engage in a fast. 7. If you are a cancer patient, water fasting 2-3 days prior to treatment and up to one day following treatment to optimize the efficacy of treatment and reduce treatment-related side effects may be considered, but only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner.
References:
Longo VD, Fontana L. Calorie restriction and cancer prevention: metabolic and molecular mechanisms. Trends in pharmacological sciences 2010;31:89-98.
Full fast is a full cleanse program specially designed to enable maximum results. You will have no food / no juice but only drink water with cleanses drinks and nutrition supplements. Participants of this program will be subjected to the most powerful, yet natural, body detoxification processes. This program is suitable for those who have detoxification experience and are determined to go deeper for cleanse. A thorough pre-cleanse is also important for the full fast.
Juice fast is a cleanse program to nourish and detoxify the body by drinking fresh fruits and vegetable juice. The key is to hydrate and nourish your cells with the correct vitamins, enzymes, minerals and antioxidants. Guests participating in the Juice Fast Program have higher energy levels allowing them to take advantage of the various activities available at Santosa Detox & Wellness Center.
Raw food fast brings together nutritional science and holistic therapies. This program is recommended for guests looking for a long lasting and sustainable post program experience. With a balanced and nutritionally delicious set raw food menu in addition to the regular fasting supplements and a complete program of daily therapies, including regular cleansing sessions, this program is designed to optimize the detoxification process in every way. A raw food diet has shown to increase energy levels, which is great for taking part in many of Santosa’s activities.
Chances are that you have heard or tried Fasting before. Whether that is a Juice Fast, a Full Fast, Raw Fast, a Water Fast or a Dry Fast – there are heaps of choices – and what often comes with having many choices, is often much confusion as to which one would be best suited to you and your specific needs and abilities.
Abilities? Well, not every human being is the same and thus, not every Fasting Diet is working or applicable to everyone the same way. There is no one-for-all solution. If you for instance should have a medical condition, or currently undergo pregnancy, chances are that one Diet is better achievable than the other.
In this article, we’ll talk about Dry Fasting and Water Fasting respectively, and the benefits and drawbacks they each come with. With this knowledge in hand, you should be able to make a qualified decision on which option would suit you better in your current state.
Water Fast, also called Wet Fast, is a type of fasting in which the practitioner consumes water only and no food whatsoever.
Fasting allows the body take time to heal from all of the toxins and pollutants in the food and environment.
Scientific research has proven how the brain literally grows and you become more intelligent when you fast. On top of that, recent studies at the University of California Berkeley stated that 3 day water fasts reset your immune system by activating the stem cells and enables you to perform at the optimum level. Water fasting has been linked with a variety of health benefits in human and animal studies.
Here are a few health benefits of water fasting:
It may help lower your blood pressure
It may improve your Insulin and Leptin sensitivity
It may lower the risk of several chronic diseases
People with risk factors for certain diseases could benefit from short-term fasting.
What is Dry Fasting?
There are two kinds of dry fasts; hard and soft. With a hard dry fast, it isn’t allowed to have any water touch the body, i.e. no washing dishes, no taking baths or showers, no brushing teeth, etc. With a softer dry fast, it is allowed for the body to come in contact with water. When you go on a dry fast, the pours of your skin develop a greater capacity to absorb water through the skin and in a good clean environment it will readily absorb moisture from the air.
There is significantly more research on water fasting and intermittent fasting, thus the research on dry fasting is quite scarce. Many of the believed benefits of dry fasting come from Dr. Filonov’s research and his book. One of the biggest benefits of dry fasting to take away from this appears to be how quickly it works.
Other benefits may include:Other benefits may include:
Gut health (after the fast, it is important to help reestablish the microbiome)
Flushing of toxins
NOTE: Dry fasting should NOT be carried out hastily, or if you are a beginner!
Water Fast
Dry Fast
Food
No
No
Water
Yes
No. Don’t let any water come in contact with the body through the skin or mucous membranes. Yes, that’s right; there will be no showers, no swimming, no brushing teeth while dry fasting.
Period of time
More than 52 hours
You might be surprised to learn that therapeutic dry fasts last as long as five, seven, nine or even eleven days are not unheard of.The longest period that is known is 18 days!
Mechanisms
Water aplenty helps your body flush toxins out at a rapid rate. Additionally, because this is a zero-food fast, you’re not putting any toxins back in while you cleanse. This frees your body to use 100 percent of its metabolic energy in cleansing. Because your digestive system is given a near-complete rest, extra energy will also go to healing functions.
During a dry fast, the body survives on so-called endogenous or metabolic water, produced internally as a result of metabolizing fat tissue. Unlike any exogenous water, this metabolic water is of superb quality, produced by the hard work of our own cells. It literally erases any negative information imprint which the body had before the fast, allowing cells to experience a kind of a rebirth taking in any available water from the air and supplying it to healthy cells. Besides water, the body during a dry fast absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide and nitrogen to manufacture its own amino acids. Since there is no water to flush out the endogenous toxins, these are eliminated by means of a unique mechanism, dormant during less rigorous modes of fasting: Each cell, in effect, becomes the furnace that burns up its own waste.
Results
Our digestive system works without any rest, day and night. A water fast will give much needed rest to the entire digestive system to repair and heal itself.The body has a natural mechanism to throw out toxins from the body during the healing process. These toxins are mostly thrown out through the digestive system and right into the intestines. At this time, one gets a thick white coating on the tongue. The coating may remain even after scrapping the tongue. This is a sign that the toxins are being eliminated.A large colon cleansing is advised by the doctors during this time to speed up the removal of toxins, which are accumulated in the large intestine. The health and vitality improves. You’ll feel more energetic after the fast. When you start fasting, the body triggers the pituitary gland to release the HGH (human growth hormone). This hormonal surge causes your body to use more fat for energy, instead of breaking down muscle. Long term fasting is known to alleviate many conditions like eczema and other skin problems, migraine, sinusitis, chronic body aches, asthma, allergies, arthritis, etc. Fasting can reverse the aging process and boost up immunity. It gives a clearer skin and better sleep. It clears the mind and helps you to feel light and energetic. You’ll likely feel a certain increase in energy. For many, there’s a spiritual angle as well, as they realize how little we really need to survive.Fasting is a time for intense cleansing at physical and mental level.
Inflammation cannot exist without water. Microorganisms need water to survive. Dry fasting is a highly effective tool to address acute health issues and degenerative conditions. Such a fast stimulates the immune system, activates the body’s anti-inflammatory mechanisms, purifies the blood and clears the blood vessels, as well as cleanses the GI tract and renews its mucosal lining. Dry fasting also eliminates parasites and promotes regeneration of healthy tissues. And this isn’t even a complete list of benefits. Every cell of the body literally cleans itself. Only the strongest and healthiest of cells survive in such extreme conditions, while cysts and benign tumors dissolve as a result of autolysis, a process by which the body sacrifices its sickest cells for its own survival.
Doubts
When there is sudden lack of food intake, you may feel weakness, dizziness, nausea, etc., which is quite normal. There may also be a drop in blood pressure and slight headaches. One need not get frightened with these reactions. You should take rest or lie down and do the colon cleansing to get rid of toxins that causes such symptoms.
Unlike other types/styles of fasting, dry fasting has not been studied to the same extent, so is lacking in supportive evidence of its efficacy to physical health. Some of the symptoms/effects reported include extreme weakness and lethargy, sensitivity to light and sound, dizziness, and feelings of depletion.
Evidence
All known religious faiths in the world have encouraged the practice of fasting. Ancient philosophers like Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Pythagoras did with water fasting. Fasting is a time of introspection and emotional cleansing.
This is the type of fast that was practiced by Moses for 40 days, Ezra, the Nation of Israel, the Apostle Paul and Jesus Christ. The Orthodox Church’s absolute fast begins Saturday night and ends Sunday morning. In Chinese history are examples of men (masters) living from the pure energy of Chi, and not from the energy of food or water.
Recommendations
A three-day or more water fast can be taken up by those who are well versed with the one-day fast. Longer (3-21 day) wet fasts are recommended for its various health benefits. The fasting should be done under the professional supervision. If you have a serious illness, consult your physician first, before you attempt fasting. Those with certain contraindications like tuberculosis and other deficiency diseases should not take up long term fasts. Also pregnant women should avoid long term fasts.
You really should detoxify your body and gain experience of the fasting process before attempting such an extreme fast as dry fasting.
Now, what is the better choice? Which Fasting Diet is the right one for you? Learning from this article, for beginners it is often advisable to begin with a Water Fast before even attempting a Dry Fast. If you find yourself having physical conditions, illnesses or undergo pregnancy, the best is to consult with your doctor or physician before endeavoring down the route of Fasting.
For more information regarding Fasting and its overall health benefits, please give us a call, make a booking, or simply fill out the form below if you should have a general enquiry!
Full fast is a full cleanse program specially designed to enable maximum results. You will have no food / no juice but only drink water with cleanses drinks and nutrition supplements. Participants of this program will be subjected to the most powerful, yet natural, body detoxification processes. This program is suitable for those who have detoxification experience and are determined to go deeper for cleanse. A thorough pre-cleanse is also important for the full fast.
Juice fast is a cleanse program to nourish and detoxify the body by drinking fresh fruits and vegetable juice. The key is to hydrate and nourish your cells with the correct vitamins, enzymes, minerals and antioxidants. Guests participating in the Juice Fast Program have higher energy levels allowing them to take advantage of the various activities available at Santosa Detox & Wellness Center.
Raw food fast brings together nutritional science and holistic therapies. This program is recommended for guests looking for a long lasting and sustainable post program experience. With a balanced and nutritionally delicious set raw food menu in addition to the regular fasting supplements and a complete program of daily therapies, including regular cleansing sessions, this program is designed to optimize the detoxification process in every way. A raw food diet has shown to increase energy levels, which is great for taking part in many of Santosa’s activities.
You may have heard of the term Detox before, and since you’re reading these lines, you may even actively look to take up Detoxing for yourself. With that, you are most definitely not alone! But, why Detoxing? What is the reason why Detoxing has become such a popular term and what does it actually stand for? This is what this article will focus on in this edition, together with a few tips, and guidelines, terms and suggestions about Detoxing. Ready to get started? Read on!
During our daily lives, we are becoming increasingly exposed to a number of chemicals in our food supply, the air we breathe, and through many common items we are using daily, including cosmetics and household cleaning products. In short, what you may have found to be quite harmless, as the human body is built to learn to adapt, is in fact quite harmful to you, and ultimately also your digestive system.
The side effects of being exposed to such chemicals day in and day out, is that these chemicals build up in our system and ultimately end up stall our weight loss efforts. While many other factors often contribute further to that, researchers find that environmental toxins play a crucial role in being overweight or obese.
Detoxifying your body
Since an increasing number of people are realizing that they are gaining weight, either due to the harmful side-effects of the above-mentioned chemicals, or due to stress in their respective everyday life; or simply because they’re not getting enough daily exercise, and build enough healthy routines into their lives, the eyes have now turned to detoxification and gearing down more than ever before. This is also why more and more Detox diets are getting media attention, and that’s also why an increasing number of people are looking for sustainable and surefire ways to detoxify their bodies.
Quick note: For those not sure what the definition of Detox really stretches over, we may, at this point, for clearance sake, quickly mention that according to the Cambridge Dictionary, Detox is a process or period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances; detoxification.
Detoxing, the right way
Since Detoxing has won back popularity in a landslide, partly thanks to the attention from the media, celebrities and other public figures, but perhaps mainly because people started to remember that it simply is the best way to ‘reset’ their digestive system, the internet together with the trend, seems to be overly filled with Health-Guru’s that appear to have ‘invented’ one Detox-diet better and more promising than the other – and that’s where you need to be careful, if Detoxing in a healthy way, is what you’re looking to achieve.
There are simply all too many 3-day, 5-day or 7-day plans to choose from, but not all of them will actually help you really lose weight in a healthy way, without putting your health at stake, if at all. Fact is, to slim down, you need to choose a Detox that is both healthy and specifically designed for weight loss, if that is your goal with Detoxing.
At Santosa Detox and Wellness Center in Phuket, we only hire and employ certified professionals as to prevent these common misinterpretations of Detoxing. This, we do as a way to not halt or hinder the motivation of those who are really keen on losing toxins and weight, and to prevent that guests are jeopardizing their health.
Ways of Detoxing at the Santosa Detox and Wellness Center
During a retreat at the Santosa Detox and Wellness Center, you in fact have several choices of Fasting programs for weight loss at your disposal. The most efficient way of rapidly losing weight, and thereby changing your lifestyle, is to join our Full Fast or Juice Fast programs. Following one of these programs not only help you Detox while staying at our center, but it can moreover be applied afterwards as well, as you’ll learn exactly how these programs are carried out to life even after your stay.
Did you know: The skin actually acts like a second kidney. Sweat glands permeate the skin’s 11,000 square feet of surface area (which includes skin surface, sweat glands, and ducts).
What you may want to consider before choosing one our detox programs is how much weight you actually need, or want to lose. Although a detox-diet is highly boosting your weight-loss, the desired results also increasingly depend on the original weight you have to begin with. If your BMI for instance is very high, usually you can lose 0,5 to 1 kg, depending on whether you are a gentleman or a lady, respectively. If you however are normal weighted to begin with, there naturally also isn’t that much to lose, so don’t expect wonder-cures as these Health-Gurus preach about, as that is not guaranteed. It still very much depends on your digestive system, your motivation, effort and ability to wind down and willingness to participate in one of our programs.
Note: Our organs and tissues are actually constantly in a state of detoxification by itself too— getting rid of unwanted substances produced by the body or from our environment. The liver, kidney, lungs, skin, and gastrointestinal system are designed to remove toxins that accumulate in the body naturally. But following a detox diet full of natural foods can enhance the body’s ability to cleanse.
No matter which of our Detox programs you choose however, a 5-7 days period weight loss retreat is enough to kick off a healthy new life style, learn how to eat healthily, how to treat the body and how to maintain the weight.
Quick tip: During a detoxification, drinking 2 liters of pure, filtered water daily is sufficient for diuresis (increased or excessive production of urine) and thereby initiate the removal of toxins.
Besides helping you eliminate the wrong foods that can contribute to weight gain, choosing the right detox program can give your liver and overall health a much needed boost, eliminating those excess toxins that often puts the digestion in slow-motion.
Sneak-peek from the program: To boost weight-loss, we encourage our guests to do Sauna with adjoining ice baths to sweat out toxins naturally.
So, how do you choose the best detox diet that is healthy and not harmful? If you’re having difficulty in choosing the right detox diet to boost your weight-loss or to get rid of toxins, feel free to get in touch with us for a free consultation to make the most qualified and most healthy choice based on your individual goal and physical state.
To get in touch with us, please refer to our Contact page.
You’ve probably heard the above terms being mentioned before. They’re being mentioned in the news, you read them repeatedly online, or see them being talked about on TV. Even renowned health and lifestyle magazines have dedicated whole sections on these topics alone, and it is a trend that is likely here to stay. But what really does Fasting, Detoxing and Juicing stand for respectively? Is it only another trend being over-marketed and overhyped, or is it in fact a sincere recipe for a healthier, more agile and nutritious lifestyle? These questions, we’ll be providing answers to in this, hopefully informative, article brought to you by the Santosa Detox & Wellness Center in Phuket, Thailand.
Without further ado, let’s begin with the first of the 3 terms; Fasting.
What is Fasting?
The definition of Fasting is the voluntary abstinence (or reduction) from some or all foods, drinks, or both, for a certain period of time.
An absolute fast, or dry fasting, normally is defined as an abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period. Other fasts may be partially restrictive, limiting only particular foods or substances, or be intermittent.
A person is assumed to be fasting once 8–12 hours have elapsed since the last meal. Metabolic changes of the fasting state begin after absorption of a meal (typically 3–5 hours after eating).
Fasting has been shown to have many health benefits, from increased weight loss to better brain function.
Here are just some of the benefits to take away with you from this article:
Fasting is known to be:
Helping you regulate your blood sugar control
Helping you fight off inflammations as to promote better health
Helping you enhance hearth health by improving blood pressure and Cholesterol levels
Boosting your brain function and preventing neurodegenerative disorders
Aiding with weight loss by limiting calorie intake and boosting Metabolism
Increasing growth hormone secretion (vital for growth and muscle strength)
Delaying aging and extending longevity
Believed to aid in Cancer prevention and increasing the effectiveness of Chemotherapy
There are many different types of fasts, making it easy for even a beginner to find a method that fits your lifestyle. At the Santosa Detox & Wellness Center you’ll among others find the Full Fast Program, Juice Fast Program and the Raw Fast Program,which you can read about by clicking on the individual topics.
Despite the long list of possible health benefits associated with fasting, it may not be right for everyone. If you for example suffer from diabetes or low blood sugar, fasting can lead to spikes and crashes in your blood sugar levels, which could be potentially dangerous. However, with your stay at the Santosa Detox & Wellness Center you’ll be monitored and checked thoroughly before, during and after your stay, so there’s no risk for you to suffer imbalances with your health.
What is Juicing?
In short, Juicing is described as the process of extracting juice from plant tissues such as fruit or vegetables. There are many methods of Juicing, although it may seem quite straightforward.
From squeezing fruit by hand to wide-scale extraction with industrial equipment, Juicing is generally the preferred method of consuming large amounts of fruit or vegetables quickly and is often completed with a household appliance called a Juicer, which may be as simple as a cone upon which fruit and vegetables are being mashed, or as sophisticated as a variable-speed, motor-driven device, which is widely accessible in retail.
Juicing is often practiced for dietary reasons or as a form of alternative medicine. Becoming first popular in the early 1970s, interest in juicing has since increased drastically.
A Juice fast, as it is being offered by the Santosa Detox & Wellness Center, is a cleanse program with the aim to nourish and detoxify the body consuming fresh fruits and vegetable juice. The key is to hydrate and nourish cells with the correct amounts of vitamins, enzymes, minerals, and antioxidants.
Juicing has been shown to have many health benefits, from increasing nutrient absorption to help detoxifying your body.
Here are just some of the benefits to take away with you from this article:
Juicing is known to be:
Allowing for more nutrient absorption
Allowing you to consume a wider range of vegetables
Feeding good bacteria to the gut
Aiding you with fighting Cancer
Helping lower too high Cholesterol levels
Helping to detoxify our bodies
Lowering blood sugar levels
Helping you get a better skin
Improving athletic performance
Sounds interesting? Make sure to check out the Juice Fast Retreat Program of the Santosa Detox & Wellness Center.
What is Detoxing?
Detoxing is generally being acknowledged as a short-term dietary intervention designed to eliminate toxins from your body. A detox diet typically involves a period of fasting, followed by a strict diet of fruit, vegetables, fruit juices, and water. Sometimes a detox also includes herbs, teas, supplements, and colon cleanses or enemas, but that varies largely on the treatment method in use.
Detox therapies are most commonly recommended because of potential earlier exposure to toxic chemicals in the environment, or your diet. These include pollutants, synthetic chemicals, heavy metals, and other harmful compounds.
These diets are also claimed to help with various health problems, including obesity, digestive issues, autoimmune diseases, inflammation, allergies, bloating, and chronic fatigue.
Detox diets are claimed to:
Rest your organs by fasting
Stimulate your liver to get rid of toxins
Promote toxin elimination through feces, urine, and sweat
Improve blood circulations
Provide your body with healthy nutrients
No matter how healthy you think your diet or lifestyle may be, external factors still require us to give the body a chance to recharge and dispel anything that may be holding us back from experiencing superior health and long lasting vitality. Detoxification frees vital cellular and organ activities to help you with functioning productively and efficiently throughout each day. The systems involved in detoxification include: Cardiovascular System, Digestive System, Lymph System, Skin, Urinary System, Respiratory System. It’s very important to support and help all these channel open up and work properly during detoxification. At the Santosa Detox & Wellness Center in Phuket, one of our main goals is to help you achieve detox result with sufficient support.
If Detoxing should have triggered your interest, please refer to these Detox Programs offered by the Santosa Detox & Wellness Center in Phuket, Thailand.
Maybe you’ve heard of the benefits of Detox, but no idea where to start?
Constantly feeling fatigued, having frequent migraines, skin issues? Do you bloat up after meals, crave for sugar/caffeine, feeling emotionally unstable? Or do you perhaps pick up a cold easily? If you have one of these signs, it’s practically your body calling out for a Detox to reboot.
At the Santosa Detox & Wellness Center near Kata Beach in Phuket, we offer various detox & wellness retreats from 3 to 21 days all year round.
Our programs cover Detox, Yoga & Wellness, Healthy Vegan and Emotion cleanse. From body to mind to soul, you can always find the one program that fits your needs.
Our dedicated team will work with you at your own pace to help you discover where you are standing physically and emotionally, offering the best advice along the way to truly make you toxin and stress-free.
Detox, Fasting, Juice, Raw foods, Colon cleansing, Yoga and Fitness classes, a Vegan restaurant – that’s just some of the many opportunities that await you at the Santosa Detox & Wellness Center in Phuket!
For prices, enquiries, accommodation bookings and more, please get in touch with us.
At Santosa, guests can use their free time to relax and disconnect from the stresses of the outside world by joining our free classes, taking a swim or a relaxing ice bath after a sauna.
Santosa Spa is truly an extension of our ethics; to take you on a sensual and luxurious journey. Our treatments nurture and support the connection between body, mind and spirit.
Shirodara & Ayurvedic - Thai Herbal Compress - Hot Stone - Cupping Therapy - Infrared Dome Sauna - Ion Cleanse Foot Bath - Epsom Salt Foot SPA and Foot Scrub
Adaptation to starvation requires an organism to divert energy into multiple protective systems to minimize the damage that would reduce fitness. It is thought that these systems can also prolong life and decrease cancer risk. According to a review by Drs. Longo and Fontana of the University of Southern California, CR without malnutrition is the most potent and reproducible physiological intervention for increasing lifespan and protecting against cancer in mammals. CR reduces the levels of a number of anabolic hormones, growth factors and inflammatory cytokines, reduces oxidative stress and cell proliferation, enhances autophagy (cell destruction) and several DNA repair processes.
In 2014, Longo and his colleagues demonstrated that fasting caused “old” immune cells to die in mice, which were replaced by stem cells as soon as the subjects recommenced eating. They concluded that a 3-day fast could help regenerate a strong immune system. They also demonstrated that a 48-hour fast in mice slowed the growth and spread of five out of the eight cancers studied. They showed that the combination of fasting cycles with chemotherapy was more effective than chemotherapy alone in all cancers studied. As these were all animal studies, and it is unknown if humans would have the same benefit; however, several active clinical trials are studying the effect of calorie restriction or fasting on cancer.
During a retreat at the Santosa Detox and Wellness Center, you in fact have several choices of Fasting programs for weight loss at your disposal. The most efficient way of rapidly losing weight, and thereby changing your lifestyle, is to join our 
The definition of Fasting is the voluntary abstinence (or reduction) from some or all foods, drinks, or both, for a certain period of time.
In short, Juicing is described as the process of extracting juice from plant tissues such as fruit or vegetables. There are many methods of Juicing, although it may seem quite straightforward.
Detoxing is generally being acknowledged as a short-term dietary intervention designed to eliminate toxins from your body. A detox diet typically involves a period of fasting, followed by a strict diet of fruit, vegetables, fruit juices, and water. Sometimes a detox also includes herbs, teas, supplements, and colon cleanses or enemas, but that varies largely on the treatment method in use.
