2026-04-29
The body has more than one immune system.
I'm not going to speculate about how many, but it's way more than one, depending on how you differentiate individual reactions or groups of reactions from systems.
The "second" immune system implements ketosis as an alternate way of powering itself - instead of using carbohydrates, it uses stored fat. Well, that's the (very) simplified explanation anyway.
It's a good way to "lose weight" - but "weight" here needs to be qualified ...
Fat is also where the body will stash toxins that it can't for whatever reason immediately excrete. Overweight people may have a lot of toxins trapped temporarily but safely in their fat but as that fat is used for energy, in my understanding the toxins come back into circulation ... and will cause problems such as aches and pains until the body can excrete them, so "fast slowly" is good advice!
As I went through all that around 25 years ago I'm now as thin as a lath and can fast as I want - but not for more than a day or so as I run out of fat reserves! (but even that has been effective at restoring my asthmatic breathing).
So is it an art, or is it a science? For sure, it's likely uncomfortable for many, especially for the seriously overweight for whom I would imagine the flood of toxins released could be pretty serious. They need advice and guidance for sure.
When I was a little boy with chicken pox, measles and other childhood inconveniences, standard parental practice was to tuck us up in bed, withdraw food, and supply fluids on demand (flush away the toxins!) until we recovered. I now suggest that those illnesses were actually the body initiating a childhood auto-detox, and a similar regime will likely serve as a model for us as adults to invoke and manage a detox today. Rest will reduce the body's demand for energy, and permit a short food fast to do its work without over-stressing us.
A succession of shorter fasts would seem preferable to fewer but longer, and may minimise inconvenience and discomfort. We should listen to what our body is telling us.
Just my uninformed suggestion.
But anyway, you don't need my thoughts when you can read the book!
