The Science Of Fasting And How To Use It For Your Health

Episode 714 1h 9m

Overview

Fasting is a powerful tool for longevity. Not only does it switch on our anti-aging genes, but it also activates the immune system, repairing damaged DNA and clearing away injured cells. Fasting also promotes metabolic flexibility, mental clarity, and sustainable energy levels.

Today on The Doctor’s Farmacy, I talk with Cynthia Thurlow about how fasting works, how to identify the type of fasting that is best for you, and special considerations for women interested in fasting. Food has an amazing ability to heal, but the timing of when we eat or abstain from eating can also have really amazing impacts on our health.

Cynthia and I break down the different types of fasting and which one she thinks offers most people the biggest bang for their buck. We discuss the unique challenges women face with intermittent fasting and how to customize an approach based on different life stages, from your childbearing years through menopause. We also talk about the constellation of symptoms women experience as a result of hormonal changes that occur in perimenopause and menopause, and what women should focus on when it comes to diet, exercise, and fasting during this time.

Cynthia also shares her thoughts on bioidentical hormone therapy and how to know if it’s right for you. Cynthia talks about her personal experience with fasting and how—in addition to removing gluten from her diet—it helped her heal from an autoimmune disease. She also shares how she keeps her hormones balanced, maintains her body composition, and prioritizes self-care and sleep. We also dive into Cynthia’s go to-supplements for muscle and brain health, the importance of adequate protein consumption, and so much more. I hope you’ll tune in.

Sponsors

This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, Cozy Earth, Pendulum, and Sunlighten. The Doctor’s Farmacy podcast works with a select group of sponsors to allow for ongoing production and allow it to be zero-cost to anyone who wishes to listen to and watch the podcast.

Topics Covered

  • Types of fasting practices and which one is best for you

    (5:44)

  • Two things everyone can do to dramatically improve their health

    (11:53)

  • How to start fasting and when you should not fast

    (22:45)

  • The mechanisms of fasting

    (28:25:00)

  • Who should not fast

    (33:04:00)

  • Cynthia’s journey to healing her autoimmune disease

    (37:11:00)

  • Balancing a fasting practice with muscle maintenance

    (39:55:00)

  • Post-menopausal women and hormone therapy

    (43:17:00)

  • Improving your sleep

    (1:00:40)

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Host & Guests

Transcript

Automatically generated. Please forgive any typos or errors in the following transcript. It was generated by a third party and has not been subsequently reviewed by our team.

Introduction: Coming up on this episode of The Doctor's Farmacy.

Cynthia Thurlow: Many people come to fasting out of a curiosity to change body composition or lose weight. But I always say there's so much more to fasting that maybe perhaps people are less aware of that I think is far more powerful and certainly more impactful.

Dr. Mark Hyman: Welcome to The Doctor's Farmacy. I'm Dr. Mark Hyman. That's Farmacy with an F, a place for conversations that matter. And if you've heard the buzz about fasting, intermittent fasting, time restricted eating, fasting mimicking diets, the 5:2 diet, you name it, we're going to learn all about that today. Because it's a very important topic given the state of our poor metabolic..

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Ep. 714 - The Science Of Fasting And How To Use It For Your Health