does fasting help?

about 8 months ago I was suffering with a lot of symptoms like diarreha and vomitting. ( I was diagnosed over 10 years ago with ulcerative colitus.)  My doc thought he had better have a look so a colonscopy was scheduled.  I did the required "cleaning out" before and had the colonoscopy.  I started feeling better after this and quit taking all medication and I was good until this month.  My question is this, have any of you ever had an improvement in your condition after a colonscopy?  I am wondering if I shouldn't fast for a few days and clean myself out? 

Last fall I was going day and night waiting for the GI appointment. Always blood and sometimes just blood. Really wasn't sleeping much. I switched to a low residue. Felt a bit better so I tried a clear liquid diet. I definitely got better. No nocturnal blood only BMs. I went back on low residue and then the colonoscopy prep. I got better yet. I wouldn't have gotten anything out of Canasa or Asacol if I hadn't improved. Couldn't retain the suppositories and pills would never have dissolved. Had trouble as it was with asacol coming out intact for the first month. I have weight to lose and lost 5 whole lbs in a 8 month flare though.

Passing stuff just made inflammation way worse. I definitely got better from the colonscopy and prep.

I do find that not eating gives me longer breaks from the bathroom maybe the next day or so but then the straining will get worse, and the cramping too because its almost like my body needs something to pass.  Otherwise its just turing my colon inside out with all the straining

For me, it is as Quincy says. If I don't eat, I guess one could say, I feel "Better" because I have nothing inside me to pass. It's not curing me or helping my condition but it will yield less trips to the toilet which is sometimes enough to make me feel like I've accomplished something. When I was really sick, I barely ever ate, I was super skinny (wish I was skinny now) but I was also very sick and anemic.

Bowel rest can help sometimes. See if it works again but this time dont stop taking your meds just because you feel better. They help keep you in remission. Keeping your inflammation down with meds lessens your risk of developing cancer!

Fasting is an ancient time-tested "cure all" and I recommend it whole heartedly. But you can't half-ass it, that's the thing. The research on the topic of fasting suggests that only a total abstinence from all caloric intake will give the large intestine a chance to rest, free from the massive energy expenditure needed to constantly be digesting food.

It's very difficult, I won't lie, but, if you're serious about getting better, I commend your decision to dig your heels in and make it happen. The hunger disappears within 24-48 hours, and green tea does wonders for appetite up until that point, when ketogenesis is achieved. After that, it's just a matter of the boredom of what to do around meal time!

No bones about it, fasting represents the most immediate and direct route to full remission -- which, once achieved, can be as permanent as our preventative self-care allows it to be.

The tissues of the colon heal much faster than, say, the tissues of the skin, so the question of how long to fast is really tied to this recovery rate. Depending on the area of your ulceration, L-Glutamine enemas may be able to help the healing along.

Your idea to start the fast with the colon cleansing of the endoscopy is pretty well-reasoned, I think. Keeping in mind that, whatever is in the process of being digested when you start the fast will, all at once, stop and be held in the colon, potentially putrefying, over the extent of the ordeal, as you cease all digestion. So, starting with a "clean slate" might be the best thing, although some researchers, like Fuhrman, recommend a few days of prebiotic foods, like bananas, to ramp up to the fast with, as they will have a probiotic effect during the fasting period.

Having achieved remission a few times this way, my main advice is to BE CAREFUL BREAKING THE FAST! Diving into a full steak dinner after 14 days without food would destroy you! You'll want to ease gradually back into eating, with 2 or 3 days of juice or very gentle smoothies, as you get your digestive organs back up and running again slowly...

This book is a good introduction, although much of the research he cites is from the 90s. New research in IF, or intermittent fasting, is available through google scholar.

Joel Fuhrman, M.D. Fasting and Eating for Health: A Medical Doctor's Program for Conquering Disease

Full PDF:

bookzz.org/dl/974581/739fdb

Post Edited (Inward Flame) : 10/3/2015 2:48:58 PM (GMT-6)

Fasting as a cure is totally ridiculous. It is a huge disservice to the chronically ill to suggest it as such. As far as "full remission" goes I guess the definition of full remission is open to interpretation. Even Inward Flame confesses that they have used fasting to achieve UC remission numerous times, meaning that it is ALWAYS relatively short lived. To me that is not "full remission".

Don't forget a hundred years or more ago "blood letting" was the cure for many diseases. It actually killed a lot of people instead.

My take on fasting: Yes it might allow your colon to heal because there isn't any food to make the colon work harder however, your body is not getting the nutrients it needs to heal. When I was in the hospital - a few years back, they gave me a liquid diet and that allowed my colon to heal because it wasn't trying to process complex foods. So I guess it depends on how long you're are fasting. A day or two shouldn't cause any harm but beyond that I wouldn't recommend it. Remember your body needs the nutrients to keep going as well as to heal, it just all depends on what you put in your body while it's trying to recouporate.

I've also earen barely anything while flaring and that didn't improve my symptoms. I lost 20 pounds in a very short timeframe. Scary stuff. I cannot see myself recommending anyone fast while flaring...