David's Healing with Fasting

from David Koehler

I am so happy to see this site and I want to share my fasting experience.

In 1995, I developed a really annoying skin rash on the back of each hand. The itching was so intense it would sometimes keep me up at night. I went to a dermatologist who said, "We don't know what causes it; we don't know how to treat it. Here's some cortisone cream".

Not content with that, I found a book on the relationship between nutrition and health. One line in the book caught my attention: a rash could be the result of a liver imbalance and that would be aggravated by refined sugar. I loved cake and pie and ice cream but I found I could eliminate refined sugar from my diet. In two weeks, much to my amazement and relief, the rash was gone.

Still, if I ate anything with refined sugar, the rash came back. In 2007, I was tired of saying no all the time to offers of dessert, so I indulged. Not only did the rash come back, but my left arm was red and swollen up to the elbow.

I knew the only remedy conventional medical doctors had was drugs, so I decide to fast. While my family members weren't supportive, they didn't try to stop me either, thank goodness. My water-only fast lasted 19 days and, at the end of that time, the symptoms had all but disappeared.

Still, I had to be careful about refined sugar.

In 2010, I was feeling out of sorts, tired by early afternoon. Again, I decided to fast, but this time I drank a cup of freshly prepared carrot juice every day. This fast lasted 28 days. At the end of that time, my digestion system had returned to normal, I had energy all day, and my resting pulse, which had been around 100, had dropped to around 60. I was overjoyed.

And, I can now eat sugary treats with no ill effects.

For me, while it was difficult to break the fast, equally as difficult was the boredom I experienced while fasting. I used to fantasize about creating a health center where people would go to fast under medical supervision where other services would be available like colonic irrigation, massage, warm-tub baths, hypnosis, dry skin brushing, and places for meditation.

I have recently been reading about intermittent fasting. As I write this, my wife and I are coming off a two-day water-only fast. I am happy that this website is available because I needed to review how best to break a fast. [Editor's Note: that page is Guidelines for Breaking a Fast]

My faith in the body's ability to heal itself has only been confirmed by my fasting experience.

David Koehler

Response from AllAboutFasting:

Hi David!

What a wonderful testimonial for the healing capacities of fasting and our bodies! You've also learned the art of listening to your body personally. Love your story and am so glad you shared it with me.

I think others will really appreciate your story, not just in general healing terms, but also as it pertains to sugar in particular.

As to the boredom you felt during your 28 day fast, I'd like to point you to the Water Fasting Tips page as it offers some suggestions for the extra time we have during a fast.

Wishing you ongoing health and happiness.

Blessings,

Katie

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