Fasting 2019

Scuba,

Good Luck! I hope everything goes as you are planning! I am cheering you on!

Your spleen typically holds reserve WBC's and releases them when an infection is encountered. A sudden increase in WBC's is usually in response to an infection.

Stem cells take a bout 4 days to ramp up production of wbc's before showing up in the blood stream.

Thanks - Today is day 2.

No hunger at all, but that's normal for me in the morning. I have a slight headache, but nothing like the first time I did this. I need to drink more water with some salt.

My ketone level is just now starting to increase! That makes sense why I have a bit of a headache as my glucose levels have dropped and my ketone machinery is not ramped up completely. By this afternoon I should be fine - running on ketones with my energy at full speed.

Tomorrow is the big day - that is when (probably overnight), autophagy kicks in and gene action up-regulates cell repair and old white blood cell breakdown. Autophagy primes the body's stem cells for action. That is my main goal - to encourage stem cell division (which includes any leukemic stem cells) so the sprycel I continue to take destroys them. There is evidence that fasting (3 days minimum) alone will disrupt Lymphoid leukemia cancers (ALL), but not myloid line (AML) - so fasting alone is insufficient for CML. Coupling sprycel with fasting, however, is my theory and may work. All guessing based on what we have learned so far.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5300768/

https://www.lungcancerfoundation.org/2014/06/fasting-for-three-days-rene...

Regenerating the immune system, however, is a key goal so that continued attack on residual CML is increased. And the other health benefits.

It helps we are in Lent - no alcohol even when the fast is over. I do not look forward to that.

Good luck Scuba - really hoping you decide to go for TFR.

Day 3 begins. So far the experience is as predicted. No hunger. I am in full ketosis and autophagy is almost certainly underway. Although I haven't tested, my white cell count should be dropping (normal lowering) as protein parts are scavenged.

This is the day when stem cells become sensitized in great numbers for division. Any food I eat should trigger replication. This is the goal of course. I continue to take 20 mg sprycel and next week I go for a PCR test.

The lack of hunger is amazing and I am very alert. Part of our evolution. It is clear to me that intermittent fasting is a normal part of living. Our bodies know what to do.

Yes, WBC's decrease in number during a fast. Your body overproduces wbc's to what we call "normal" range between ~ 4,000 - 11,000 per microliter of blood. Fasting leads to a draw down of the older less viable cells for their parts (protein), but plenty of wbc's remain for immune function - in fact, what remains are in a better position to fight disease.

The recycled wbc proteins are used in combination with fat (glycerol) obtained from your "fat" to make the minimal amount of sugar (glucose) your body always has to have (about 70 ng/ml) circulating at all times which is about 4 grams (for a 70 kg person). Imagine the amount of sugar via carbs you eat every day. A lot more than 4 grams. What this means is that carbs are intended truly for one purpose - to get you fat. Insulin drives carbs to fat tissue when carbs are ingested. That is really what insulin is for - to make you fat so you can survive famine. During feast times hundreds of years ago (i.e. maple syrup running up the tree, fruits forming, lots of carbs are plentiful) carbs are available only for a short time. Your body craves them when available and eat all you can to fatten up. Then when carbs are gone - fruit has fallen, leaves are no more, only fat in the form of nuts are available. The body's insulin drops and fat is released to provide energy. White blood cells (of which you have pounds of them) become a store of protein to provide the raw ingredients with glycerol to make a few grams of sugar to keep red blood cells working and other small needs. Cycle of feast and famine.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2636990/

All I am doing with this fast is putting my body through this cycle so all of my biochemical machinery is maintained. I had no headaches this time around - no so-called keto flu. With knowledge, I understand what my body is going through and how to minimize the discomfort. We really are designed to go without food - and when food is plenty - to eat and eat and eat. The problem in our culture today (primarily west) is that we have carbs available all of the time. So our fat burning machinery goes dormant. The first time you do what I did - your fat burning chemistry has to activate - that takes 24-36 hours - hence the headaches and fatigue. I went through that the first time I did this - not this time!

Now that my wbc's are reduced - signals are sent to the bone marrow to the stem cells to replicate and get busy. Once I start to eat, that will trigger white blood cell creation in large numbers to restore WBC's to normal levels which will take a few days. It is during this time of stem cell activation that the 'hiding' leukemic stem cells come out to divide and get killed by sprycel thereby reducing my residual LSC population. Hopefully this reduces to such an extent that when I try stopping sprycel, my CML is functionally destroyed. I'll never know if this works - even if I have successful treatment free remission. It's just my working theory. And - losing a few pounds of body fat in the process is o.k. too.

Won't continue past day 3 - no need. Start off with an orange (get some potassium) to 'break' the fast and some almonds. Wait several hours until later in the day and resume eating mostly plant fats (avacado), veggies and some Japanese Natto. By dinner, some chicken. The next day back to normal (low carb), meat, eggs, etc.,  but with no alcohol during Lent. That is what I miss. I don't miss carbs. I miss scotch and wine. All in all - a fair experience. Easy to do - just will power. The purpose of the orange (has sugars in it) is to kick the blood immune system to regenerate and get stem cells dividing. The increase in insulin will cause that to happen. And I have Sprycel waiting for the LSC's.

Hi Scuba!  I tried a 3 day water fast about a month ago.  On day 3, I didn't have the energy to raise my hands over my head to wash my hair and was extremely out of breath.  I've done many fasts over the years.  This is the first time this happened to me.  This was the first water fast I've tried since my diagnosis.  Do you think it was because of CML or Sprycel or something else.  Two weeks ago I tried a liver cleanse that I bought online.

https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/liver-cleanse-kit.html?gclid=CjwKCAi...

I had a terrible allergic reaction to this!  My hands and ears were super swollen and my whole body was puffy and itching like crazy.  I had to go to urgent care to get a shot of cortisone and rx for prednisone.  I emailed Dr Kantarjian and he was VERY upset with me!  Waste of money, why did I do this?, etc.   I try so hard to clean out my system and feel like I'm getting a fresh start and I can't tolerate any of it.  Any suggestions on how to make it through a water fast and still be able to function?  Thanks!