Visit Your Doctor Prior to Fasting

Believe it or not, as doctors, we actually struggled a bit with this one. We happen to believe that you don’t necessarily need to “medicalize” every healthy act there is and in general terms, fasting is actually a safe, natural experience.

However, as each individual is unique and carries their own set of personal risks into the fasting experience its important to review your decision with your physician. Have some base-line health metrics performed – weight, percent body fat, lipid profile, fasting glucose, and blood pressure. Depending on what you and your doctor decide, you may want to check your thyroid hormone levels, kidney function, and liver function as well. The information will not only help to clarify if fasting is a risky endeavor you but it will be of use when and if you decide to review the changes you make in your metrics over time. The information will help inform YOU as you watch your health change for the better, but will also help YOUR DOCTOR as your health shifts and changes in beneficial ways, perhaps improving or even eliminating once troublesome health concerns. Lastly, if you are on medication(s), a discussion with your physician about your interest in fasting is absolutely mandatory. There are no safe exceptions to this.

If your physician recommends you NOT engage in fasting for reasons other than the contraindications we’ve outlined on this site, ask them to explain their concerns to you. If you really want to try fasting, ask your physician if it’s possible for you to work together to overcome your present obstacles and safely readdress fasting as a method for improving your health in the future.