# Temporary Near-Cure After Fast



## WithYourSigh (Nov 25, 2012)

Years ago, shortly after the onset of my DP, I found that fasting alleviated my symptoms to a certain degree but was never able to complete a full day of fast. I have recently experimented with this strategy and water fasted for 24 hours. During the three days following the fast, I experienced a general reduction in all symptoms, particularly the total elimination of brain fog, to such a degree that I was unsure whether I had become minimally depersonalized or virtually not at all (!). At the end of the third day following the fast, brain fog reappeared. A day afterwards, that is today, I am experiencing brain fog and DR to an intense degree that is untypical of the current overall state of my disorder.

I am curious whether any of the members is familiar with the DP-related brain mechanism and could offer an explanation for my recent improvement and/or deterioration. It should be noted that my symptoms are affected on a daily basis by the consumption of any kind of cooked food. Also, I have become unusually pale since I fasted. Although I would like to experiment with fasting once again to determine whether it only provides temporary relief and is not effective long-term, I am unforutnately underweight as it is and am usually not available for such an experiment.


----------



## seven (Oct 3, 2015)

Interesting theard. I had very smilair results from fasting - it doesnt cure me but noticably lifts dpdr and brain fog. I have few theories about that but i am not 100% sure about them.

I even stopped eating some foods because i found they make my dp/fog worse. Seems like we have smilair symptoms.


----------



## Phantasm (Jul 16, 2017)

I'd be careful about fasting if you are underweight. You don't want to become anemic or anything so make sure you are getting your minerals!

I think there is something to be said about fasting. The digestive system is such a big part of well-being and suffers under times of stress. If nothing else, fasting gives it a break. I read about this recently and something that's much more achievable and less drastic is to have regular short fasts by not eating after a certain time of day. I often don't eat after 6pm and won't eat again until the following morning. It might just be because I'm not eating certain foods that make me feel fuzzy, but either way I feel clearer for doing it.


----------



## WithYourSigh (Nov 25, 2012)

seven said:


> Interesting theard. I had very smilair results from fasting - it doesnt cure me but noticably lifts dpdr and brain fog. I have few theories about that but i am not 100% sure about them.
> 
> I even stopped eating some foods because i found they make my dp/fog worse. Seems like we have smilair symptoms.


It definitely seems that some DP sufferers experience a clear connection between food consumption and the severity of symptoms. It may not be the most common form of DP, but it is not unheard of. I am curious as to the mechanism behind that.

I used to think I reacted badly to all foods until I noticed raw food affected me differently than cooked food. It seems the digestion of cooked food requires more energy than raw food, and fatigue equals more DP for me. Within the cooked food category, high-fat food =- animal foods, oil, nuts, seeds -- causes more fatigue than low-fat food. Personally, partially due to the disorder, I eat a low-fat vegan diet, and it benefited me greatly. You should consider that.



Autonomic Space Monkey said:


> There was one Recover Story on here, in which the guy reported that he recovered totally after doing a 7 day water fast (had a look but can't find it). I feel slightly better generally speaking when doing 1, 2, or 3 day fasts, but it never gets rid of my DP. If you feel significantly better when you fast, then you should look into Gut Dysbiosis as a possible cause of your DP. I heard of one woman who reported a 90% reduction in her DR after having several Fecal Microbiota Transplants. I wouldn't recommend anything as extreme as that, but experimenting with high quality probiotics might be an idea.


It's funny you should say that, as I was skeptic regarding the results of my little experiment since I once read on the board as well about a person fasting for a week and suffering greatly without any noticeable improvement ultimately. I would try to find that post. I happened to read extensively about probiotics a few days ago, and it seemed that since I follow a whole-food, plant-based diet, which is ideal for the gut microflora, probiotics would be of little benefit to me. Having said that, since I have few other options left, I may try that in the near future just for my check list.



Phantasm said:


> I'd be careful about fasting if you are underweight. You don't want to become anemic or anything so make sure you are getting your minerals!
> 
> I think there is something to be said about fasting. The digestive system is such a big part of well-being and suffers under times of stress. If nothing else, fasting gives it a break. I read about this recently and something that's much more achievable and less drastic is to have regular short fasts by not eating after a certain time of day. I often don't eat after 6pm and won't eat again until the following morning. It might just be because I'm not eating certain foods that make me feel fuzzy, but either way I feel clearer for doing it.


I really can't afford losing even one more gram. With me, I experience deteriation after consuming the first cooked food each and every day. Afterwards, more cookd food does not affect me significantly. It is as if once my brain handled that first attack and deterioration, it is resistant to food until the next day, so it's all or nothing, but thanks for suggesting that. We are all helped by different things.


----------



## Phantasm (Jul 16, 2017)

WithYourSigh said:


> It definitely seems that some DP sufferers experience a clear connection between food consumption and the severity of symptoms. It may not be the most common form of DP, but it is not unheard of. I am curious as to the mechanism behind that.
> 
> I used to think I reacted badly to all foods until I noticed raw food affected me differently than cooked food. It seems the digestion of cooked food requires more energy than raw food, and fatigue equals more DP for me. Within the cooked food category, high-fat food =- animal foods, oil, nuts, seeds -- causes more fatigue than low-fat food. Personally, partially due to the disorder, I eat a low-fat vegan diet, and it benefited me greatly. You should consider that.
> 
> ...


I think it's something to do with certain food molecules crossing the blood-brain barrier, which can come about from long term stress and a decline in the guts ability to process food properly. Sometimes it cant extract the nutrients it needs so you may need to be careful about becoming malnourished. You might be intolerant to certain foods. Bread makes me fuzzy headed, and I take L-glutamine to help protect my gut. I mentioned anemia because a pale complexion can be a sign and I think I read that vegans are more susceptible, so you might want to get that checked out.


----------



## WithYourSigh (Nov 25, 2012)

Phantasm said:


> I think it's something to do with certain food molecules crossing the blood-brain barrier, which can come about from long term stress and a decline in the guts ability to process food properly. Sometimes it cant extract the nutrients it needs so you may need to be careful about becoming malnourished. You might be intolerant to certain foods. Bread makes me fuzzy headed, and I take L-glutamine to help protect my gut. I mentioned anemia because a pale complexion can be a sign and I think I read that vegans are more susceptible, so you might want to get that checked out.


The connection you described between long-term stress and the blood-brain barrier seems intriguing; Is it possible you could refer me to a source that discusses this? Gluten is the one component of my diet I have yet to eliminate even temporarily, which I would like to do in the future. Gladly, my complexion has improved over the past several days, and I am well now.



Autonomic Space Monkey said:


> Another thing to consider would be food intollerances, as I've heard of some people who's DP was caused/exacerbated by gluten intollerance. Maybe that could be a reason you feel better when not eating.
> 
> There was another guy from india on here who recovered after using probiotics & liquid dygestive enzyme. http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/54622-my-recovery-after-5-years-of-severe-dpd-and-drdigestiongut-related/#entry375497


I read the post discussing a fast-induced recovery to which you referred earlier and was encouraged to learn that some sufferers were helped by this method. I would definitely like to try and fast for a similiar durationt, only I must gain weight before, which is unfortunately problematic. This last post to which you referred is unbelievable, although the connection to gut health in this case seems quite clear. It seems I missed some interesting and important posts during the past two, three away from the board. Is there anything else?


----------



## ToTo (Oct 6, 2015)

http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/25306-try-this/


----------



## WithYourSigh (Nov 25, 2012)

Autonomic Space Monkey said:


> This was an interesting read, & might be of some help to you; http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/v21/n6/full/mp201650a.html?foxtrotcallback=true


Seems like a fascinating read. Thanks.



ToTo said:


> http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/25306-try-this/


Thank you, ToTo.


----------



## ToTo (Oct 6, 2015)

Thank you, ToTo.[/quote]

You're welcome, any time.


----------



## Broken (Jan 1, 2017)

There are obviously many things that happen to the body during fasting, so not saying this is what helped. But I read CB1 receptors upregulate and so does anandamide. So basically, to test the theory take some paracetamol and eat a shit tonne of dark chocolate.. see if it helps lol


----------



## WithYourSigh (Nov 25, 2012)

Broken said:


> There are obviously many things that happen to the body during fasting, so not saying this is what helped. But I read CB1 receptors upregulate and so does anandamide. So basically, to test the theory take some paracetamol and eat a shit tonne of dark chocolate.. see if it helps lol


Lol, that's some interesting information. Unfortunately, I react to all kinds of caffeine-containing foods with immense anxiety. I would have to test the theory with an actual water fast.


----------



## Pondererer (May 18, 2016)

Sorry if ths was already mentioned but, you could always just try intermittent fasting. Which is just fasting x amount of hours every day. You still eat normal amounts of food, just restrcited hours.


----------



## WithYourSigh (Nov 25, 2012)

Pondererer said:


> Sorry if ths was already mentioned but, you could always just try intermittent fasting. Which is just fasting x amount of hours every day. You still eat normal amounts of food, just restrcited hours.


Since I am underweight and prolonged fasting requires more availability than I have at the moment, I am considering experimenting first with intermittent fasting in the form of a 24-hour fast once every few days. I would like to test whether my recent experience could be recreated and whether the effect perhaps increases or decreases with every additional fast. I believe restricting food consumption to specific hours during the day will not be as effective for me, since I used to starve myself due to the effect of cooked food on my DP and never achieved an improvement as powerful as the one I have recently had.


----------



## Phantasm (Jul 16, 2017)

I mentioned that bread (gluten) affects my mental clarity. Gluten is a common problem for many and I would suggest you try cutting that out your diet for while first, as you mentioned you haven't tried that yet. You may not need to fast if it is a particular thing that's causing the problem. It's worth trying, and safer than fasting when you are underweight. Either way it might be a good idea to get tested for food allergies.


----------



## WithYourSigh (Nov 25, 2012)

Phantasm said:


> I mentioned that bread (gluten) affects my mental clarity. Gluten is a common problem for many and I would suggest you try cutting that out your diet for while first, as you mentioned you haven't tried that yet. You may not need to fast if it is a particular thing that's causing the problem. It's worth trying, and safer than fasting when you are underweight. Either way it might be a good idea to get tested for food allergies.


Most of the grain products in my diet are made of spelt, a low-gluten grain which I heard could be included in the diet of those who are gluten intolerant, but there are still some wheat products. I need to see how I can replace them temporarily, but I do plan on eliminating wheat soon for some time. Even if it has an effect, my subjective feeling is that I need the fasting itself, the total abstinence from food. Did you eliminate gluten completely? I haven't actually been tested for food allergies except for celiac, which was negative.


----------

