Hello, Doctor,
I am currently on day #15 on a pure water fast. On day #9 and also today, I have struggled with this bothersome symptom of breathing. It is taking more work than normal for me to breathe. It went away after some hours on day #9, but now it is back. Any idea of what is causing it. I have no history of such things. I'm drinking plenty of water (about 4 1/2 liters a day) and I am getting proper rest every day.

#2-- my blood pressure today in my left arm was 102/73 and my right arm was 95/71. It is slowly dropping the more I continue with the fast. I've heard that was normal. I've also heard that if you go long enough that it will re-stabilize and become normal 120/80 or thereabout. I would like your opinion on that also. I've been told that 80/60 is when it is time to definitely quit the fast. Do you concur with that also?

Thanks so much for being available to help us 'fasters' out with these questions which can cause some mental (and physical) discomfort sometimes.
All the best to you,

Don

Hi Don, good to hear from you again.

Have you been doing elimination activities (cycles) during this fast?

You should get yourself a "peak flow meter" (Asthmatics use this to grade the intensity of their disease) so that we can distinguish between air flow and oxygen exchange. A pulse oximeter may also give us some excellent information. It is rather important to know whether the breathing problems are more related to breathing in or to breathing out.

Please don't drink more water than what your thirst dictates.

Blood pressure is supposed ALWAYS to be higher on the right side. That is because the aorta curves via the right to the left so the right side gets blood before the left. If it is really reversed like in your case, I would investigate for a narrowing in an artery unless you have dextrocardia (an inverted heart anatomy). But please make sure these are measured at the same time and then switch machines to see if the finding is persistent.

Blood pressure as a rule drops during fasting. This is likely because the blood is "more pure" and therefore needs less pressure behind it to feed the tissues. But the opposite can also hold: That released toxins partly paralyze blood vessel wall muscles, causing the pressure to drop. That's why elimination cycles are so important during the fast. I have often measured 80/60 here in people who remain highly energetic. So the clinical picture is much more important than the measurement.

Please keep us posted.

André

Thanks for your astute reply. For me, the eliminative exercises are better for me if I am doing a short water fast. But after day 6 or 7, I just don't have the energy to do them; it also doesn't feel wise and my intuition doesn't support me in doing them at this point now. It feels like it causes more enervation and takes away from the detox rather than supporting it. But fortunately my kidneys (my main eliminative organ of cellular waste) are doing a heck of a good job of filtering out the wastes and toxins. I urinate easily over 20 times a day and see plenty of sediment in my urine every-time. So, I don't feel that i am holding onto toxins more than I should.
Thanks for re-confirming that blood pressure readings (as well as any readings) are superseded by one's own inner feeling and 'whole' situation.

OK I have only supervised about 10 000 people fasting so the experience might be wrong but I have not seen a single incident where elimination activities made things worse; since we started doing them people just don't get elimination symptoms any more.

I do not understand how eliminating the toxins from your body would "take away from the detox rather than support it".

The kidneys, dear don, can only eliminate hydrophylic toxins. These do NOT represent a problem, not while eating nor while fasting, unless you are in kidney failure. It is the hydrophobic chemicals that we are concerned about and that likely cause your symptoms. These cannot be eliminated by the kidneys any more than what you can dissolve butter in cold water. And it is typically hydrophobic (lipophylic) chemicals that "paralyze" the blood vessel muscles to cause a drop in blood pressure.

André

That's one of the paradoxical games that the Supreme Creator likes to play on us humans-- to have many different opinions come from people who are all professionals in their field, with a lot of personal experience to go with it; but yet some of their opinions are diametrically opposed.
Dr. Jennings, Tilden, and 'Shelton especially' (who recommended that one stay in bed during the whole duration of the water fast) have all supervised thousands of water fasts, and have spent their lives tearing this subject apart, have agreed that one should rest during a water fast (with no exercise, or at least very minimal).
And if these names are too old school and seem not to consider the current toxic nature of things, then Dr. Alan Goldhamer at True North Health is another seasoned professional who also agrees that exercise isn't optimal during a fast because it causes enervation since it takes energy away from the detoxification process and thus slows it down.. Who knows... I don't like to get lost in the world of intellect. I do what I do based on inner feeling for the most part, while at the same time seek external help when needed and then discern if it applies to me or not.
I'm just glad that you were able to give me feedback when I was asking for it... That's the most important thing to me in this situation.

I'm actually having this problem as well. I do have asthma, but throat is not swollen. I feel as if something is putting pressure on my chest so it won't expand.

When we look at Nature, or Creation, animals who are well fed tends to rest. It is the hungry ones that need to find food. Thus we are designed to be more active in the first few days, even weeks, of a fast. Once we get into chronic hunger (such as a drought or other cause of famine), THEN we need rest. But please note that there are a few reports of fatalities in the passive fasting clinics, none so far in our active one.

But the wonder remains: We are all different and we keep on changing. Very often two OPPOSITE treatments both work, even if it is only because we expect it to work (the placebo effect). My entry into the Hoogland health Blog for the 25th of this month will explain it a bit more.

Dear Renee, if you have problems breathing IN, the problem is not asthma. Asthma is characterized by problems breathing OUT: It affects the airways inside the chest, which are compressed (thus narrowed more) when you breath out.

Problems breathing IN signals an obstruction or narrowing outside of the chest cavity: These are "sucked close" when you breathe in. But they are "blown open" when you breathe out..

Wish I could properly examine you...

André

Thanks, Doctor. Yes, I do have trouble breathing in, not out. When I complain to my GP, she just tells me it's asthma. For some reason unknown to me, it's always worse when I am fasting or jogging.

Just to contribute .. well, I am on day 30 ? of a 42 day water fast and... for the longest time now, breathing IN has also plagued me.. It is such an effort.. from the moment I sit up in bed to .. well all the day long really. I try to adjust posture.. Sitting ultra-straight up, but .. it's a struggle. Anyway. Looking forward to concluding the fast on 2 june. Thank you!

Thank you for your input. I am only on day 4 of an "air fast" although I have cheated and drank almost one litre of water in this time.. and NO problem breathing or exercising.

Renee, please ask your doctor to consider a lung function test to distinguish restrictive from obstructive, and intra-thoracic from extra-thoracic problems. Asthmatics typically suffer from "air trapping", that is, the air gets INTO the lungs easily but cannot get OUT properly.

During fasting you release toxins. These MAY make your mucous membranes (tongue, throat) swell up and contribute to your symptoms. Regular cycles of detoxification concentrating on STEAMING often helps de-congest these areas.

But Peneleapai, I NEVER decide on the duration of a fast beforehand.. lest that cause me to neglect the biofeedback from my internal organs. I do admire your resolve and what you have achieved so far but remember if you do no damage this time round, you can always fast again. And please, in any long fast, remember that you need to eliminate the toxins that are released.

André