Okay, this is a big one. How can we avoid the harsh detox symptoms when water fasting?
Well first of all, what are some of the symptoms that we are speaking about?
The detox symptoms can be expressed in many different ways. Coughing, rashes, low energy, headaches, dizziness, sore throats, joint pain, abdominal pain, temporary hair loss, puffiness around the eyes, and much, much more.
So what’s causing the detox symptoms in the first place?
Well, that’s a good question and there are many different answers.
There isn’t one single answer for why something happens, everyone is unique and everyone’s fasting experiences are unique.
With that being said, I can throw a couple of ideas your way for possibly why you may be experiencing what you’re experiencing.
Headaches are super common, period, if you’re a coffee drinker and you’ve ever gone without having your morning coffee or your daily coffee, you probably have noticed some withdrawal symptoms, which include headaches.
Just like any drug, when our body starts going through withdrawal, we tend to experience a variety of unpleasantries.
When you’re fasting, you’re not putting anything in your body, that means that the sugar that we are unknowingly addicted to and the caffeine, is being purged and the result would be headaches.
Temporary hair loss.
This is one of those things that happens enough for me to speak about, but is less common.
People get really freaked out when they start losing extra hair, and rightfully so. While this didn’t happen to me, it happens to some people.
I’ve been trying to pinpoint exactly why this happens and here’s where I’ve landed so far.
The liver, which is your main elimination organ, becomes low-functioning. When you fast, you are releasing a large amount of toxins into your system that were previously being protected by your fat cells.
If the liver is not functioning at a level that can handle all of the toxins being released, you may find new issues popping up in other places. It compromises the lymphatic system and directly affects the nurturing of the hair follicle.
One good way to combat this is to utilize the liver and gallbladder flush that I promote, click here to check out the video.
One more fairly common detox symptom would be rashes on the skin, pimples or anything in that realm. This actually goes back to what I mentioned previously about the liver being low-functioning.
One of the other elimination organs we have is the skin. If the liver is not equipped to eliminate toxins, the body will utilize the skin as a last resort.
This results in pimples, rashes and all sorts of swelling on the skin. Your first reaction is going to be to run to the doctor and get some cortisol.
I would strongly advise against that. I have seen this happen time and time again and while the direction is different for each individual, the result has been the same if left completely alone, which is the skin returns to normal and oftentimes returns in better condition than it was previously.
If it’s itchy, you can moisturize it with something like coconut oil, but other than that I would not put any kind of medication on it, as it may have a negative effect.
Also, ending your fast when you see something like this pop up, may just prolong the time it takes for your body to finish healing, so it’s advised to continue fasting for optimum results.
At the end of the day, there are many detox symptoms, there’s always going to be something unique popping up. I encourage you all to keep an open mind as we are looking to relearn the body and change our perspective on what symptoms are. One last tip for limiting detox symptoms would be to choose a fasting method that allows for a slower detox. Such methods include intermittent fasting and alternate day fasting. Feel free to ask follow-up questions and create a dialogue here in the blog or head over to the Forum section and post a question.
Please share if you found value here and think someone could benefit or would enjoy this read
. -Thank You
Chris is a health and wellness coach who has helped hundreds of people become diabetes-free after achieving health himself. He is the Creator of A Healthy Alternative.
Chris is a health and wellness coach who has helped hundreds of people become diabetes-free after achieving health himself with water fasting as the fundamental practice. He is the Creator of A Healthy Alternative.
…join our YT community of
89.7k+ active subscribers.
…and don’t forget to click on “Visit Group” to Join the AHA Facebook Family of 46,184 active members.
3 minute read Table of Contents A Healthy Alternative reveals five keys to losing a tremendous amount of
2 minute read Table of Contents John was chubby as a kid but kept an active lifestyle. He
3 minute read Table of Contents Water fasting is a premiere natural therapy that is part of the human
Be First in Line to Receive New Content on Fasting and Wellness along with Updates about Future Events and Members’ Transformations (#AHATransform!) by Signing Up with Our FREE Weekly Newsletter!
Are you Struggling with your fasts? Do you Lack support? Taking you from Beginner to Expert Fasting. Join the AHA Fasting Academy.
48 Comments
Hi Chris, I started water fasting and on the 6th day i noticied jaundice in my eyes so I decided to stop. Before the fast I had stomach pain below the sternum like a lump in my stomach and I fasted because I wanted to reset my gut and to no longer have stomach pain. Do you think I have gallstones? Is that why I have stomach pain and having jaundice?
It’s hard to say what exactly you may be dealing with. We do have therapies for gallstones. We also have therapies and supplements for a low-functioning liver. You could combine both and get a greater outcome because they overlap. It’s not the first time I’ve heard something like this. And I believe even my brother Jon dealt with something similar. We believe in a holistic approach, so my advice will be more effective than trying to spot treat.
I’m going to recommend the liver and gallbladder flush. You can learn how to perform it by joining our Academy ahawellnessacademy.com get the (aha fasting system), or if you want, you can purchase the book the amazing liver and gallbladder flush by Andreas Moritz. I would also recommend that you utilize two very powerful supplements. One is called clean slate, and the other one is called restore. You can find them by following this link
https://therootbrands.com/AHealthyAlternative Make sure to use the link to sign up first of all, they will connect you to us, and you will be invited to our private community. And secondly, it’s an invitation-only community, so you must have a referral link to join and purchase.
I am on day 7 of a 21 day water and herbal tea fast for religious reasons and I’m really having a hard time. I’m either exhausted during the day or in do much pain at night I can’t sleep. It honestly reminds me of the flu. What I’m the world, is there anything I should be doing? I’m taking a salt and potassium supplement but honestly I feel like garbage.
I know this comment will be too late to help you because I’m sure you’re well. Pass, your fast now. However, for future reference or others who might see this, my recommendation to help mitigate this type of detox symptom is by properly preparing for the fast. We teach this in every program we have, as well as on the YouTube channel. Remember that prep for a fast start with proper hydration. If you think hydration means drinking water, I recommend using one of our many outlets to learn more. Hydration means hydrating the cells, and drinking water doesn’t always do the job. There are also several other things you could do to help mitigate detox symptoms prior to a fast. My recommendation would be to check out our AHAwellnessAcademy.com and grab the AHA fasting system or join one of our challenges which will teach you how to properly prep. If you search on YouTube, you can also find videos we talk about prepping.
Hi there,
Out of curiosity, have you ever seen anyone get rashes during re-feeding after long water fasts (5-plus days)? I got a mild one on my stomach during re-feeding this time (not after first two re-feed meals but after the 3rd), which hasn’t happened before. And I have some skin itchiness on stomach and behind legs. Thanks!
Yes, It happens. It will go away with time.
Hi every time I try to fast about 24 hours into it I get chills, body aches, especially in my ears. Last night I even got a mild tickly cough. I know I didn’t catch anything because I haven’t been anywhere! I cant find much on the web about why this is happening. Last time I tried to fast I felt like I developed a UTI.
I’m Doing a herbal detox and have rash all over my body. How long will this last ?
I’ve seen that type of thing last anywhere from a week to a month or more.
I find that fresh aloe vera gel just picked and wiped on helps the detox rash more than anything else I’ve tried.
Naga.why 4 mths
Hi, thank you for your useful article. My name is Nga from Vietnam.
I just gone through 4 day fasting from 28 Mar evening to 1 April evening. 2.5 days were ok. But at 1pm at day 3, my hands experienced some itchy dots. At 4, I started to feel so tired hence I decided to drink some electrolyzed waters like salty water and 2 magie B6 tablets in the evening. In the morning of day 4 when I waken up, my hands was red, super swollen, itchy and painful, my legs sufferd too. I kept going to work. In the afternoon of day 4 (3pm), I went to the hospital for some blood test and went home after that. That night I started eating again after 4 day fast.
Day 5, in the morning I came to the hospital for getting blood and urine test result, when the doctors saw my hand even more swollen than yesterday, they ask to keep me hospitalized as they didn’t found any causes yet, my blood and urine test results are good. I am hospitalized for 2 days until now and I think doctors had given to me some sort of cortisol and drugs to minimize the allergy symptoms, my hands and legs are a little bit less swollen and itchy.
I am keeping search on the internet these days but today is too lucky I found your article. From my understanding after reading your article, I am suffeering a kind of harch symptoms when the body release toxins when long fast. Your advice is let it be as the body will recover itself. And I understand that if my body is releasing toxins, what I make the doctors do now is putting more toxins in my body because cortisol is not good and drugs are not good. I haven’t let the body finishes toxins release process itself and even worst, I put more toxins, ruin my effort during 4 days water fast. Do I understand right? I feel regret and confused now? Please let me know your thought and opinion about my situation. What should I do now and for the next try in the future, what should I do to face with these harch syndrome of water fast?
Thank you so so much for your help. Wishing you all the best.
Nga from Vietnam.
Yes, you are correct. You simply having harsh detox symptoms. Going to the hospital and getting the medication likely made it worse. Having the electrolyte drink and eating also irritated the system. You should have just left it alone. I understand you didn’t know any better. Please feel free to reach out or schedule a consultation. We can help you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOcqWz1Bkjs&ab_channel=AHealthyAlternative
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df56JvVIyg8&ab_channel=AHealthyAlternative
I was doing shamanic dieta in Peru, which required 5-7 days of fasting. First couple times, no problem. Then last time I thought I caught bed bugs. It was Peru and I was sleeping on an old mat in a hut. I came home and the itching continued. I did the whole bed bug process. Because of Covid I am doing this practice at home this year. Obviously this is the problem. Thanks for this post. I feel better knowing this is just part of the detox process!
Oh wow interesting experince. You’re very welcome.
I’m surprised no one has brought up lower back pain. This seems to be common but no answers just speculation like it’s toxins in your lower intestine. I was 2.5 hrs short of 3day fast because of the lower back discomfort. What are your ideas on why this occurs. Dehydration is the only thing that seemed plausible.
A couple of years lower back pain on a fast was actually a pretty popular topic. what we observed is that often times it was related to the detoxification of organs in that area. Almost all the time it was not related to the spine or anything of that nature. Your idea about hydration being an issue is plausible. Whenever you start the process of detoxing if you aren’t well hydrated it is going to stress various organs the kidney being one of the prominent Organs affected.
I just finished a 5 day Hard dry fast and transitioned into a water fast, and my eczema cleared up, no dry skin or the painful red rash that I was accustom to, also I had very bad dandruff and that cleared up. My hair feels soft and healthy too. My issue seems to be when I started my water fast, I feel like my urine output is not close to the input. I wonder if it’s because my body is replenishing the water reserve from not receiving it for 5 days. Have anyone else had this experience.
You are hydrating!! That’s excellent! Nothing to worry about.
I have a bump in the middle of my leg, around it itches. It hurts and pain increases when i stand for long . It only started after one day of water fasting, that is the day before yesterday is when it appeared out of the blue. Could it be a symptom or its something else…?
A Irritating bump forming is very common.try to leave it alone as much as you can. The body is simply releasing a concentration of contaminants in that area. If it itches too bad, you could try putting coconut oil on it to soothe it a little bit.
Amazing, so many would have quit. Your skin will be restored and feel great
Update for my rash skin, itchy, red, and painful. I did 1 month of water fasting. It was tough with that rash skin but for me I survived after 2 weeks of pain. My skin of my whole body was peeled. I’ve never seen that before, but I’m happy I did it for 1 month and endured all those symptoms. The most difficult was to drink water after 2 weeks. I felt so nauseous everytime even if I don’t drink. Well, that’s my story if I could help someone with the same path. Thank you. Btw, I’m going for 4 months of water fasting now, after 3 weeks of refeeding. Good luck everyone !
4 months of water fasting could be harmful. I learnt one should not go beyond 40days
Four months straight? Well it can be done you just need to understand what you’re doing. I had a couple of ppl do 3 and 4 months of fasting.
Hi. I’m on day 44 of water fasting and have had skin rash on legs,arms, chest and back. Like hives. So itchy. I’m continuing as a result. Did you rash heal up after refeeding? ….
Naga.why 4 mths
Hi. I’m on day 44 of water fasting and have had skin rash on legs,arms, chest and back. Like hives. So itchy. I’m continuing as a result. Did you rash heal up after refeeding? ….
Hello there -I just stumbled across your post when I googled skin detox symptoms while fasting. My question is very similar to others as far as skin rash, however the worst of mine is on the palm of my right hand, and only in a certain area.it never goes beyond its border -half way down my palm and just along the bottoms of my fingers. I have NEVER had exzema in my life, AND I’m. Massage therapist so this is really not ok. I’ve been eating keto 2.5 years but only started fasting about 8 months ago and that’s when I developed this rash. We went swimming once in the summer in a man made lake. W chlorine in it and it completely went away for several days but eventually came back. In those early months I only did IF, and just the last couple of months have tried EF, and ADF. I’ve never heard of UT, but I could try it?????. Thanks for any input. OH! And I’ve also noticed N increase in allergies since fasting. Years ago I had allergy related asthma and would have to use a nebulizer every day. I hadn’t had to do that for years and now, since fasting, I’ve had to start using it again just try using the least amount possible . Correlation? ? thanks again
Fasting tends to highlight areas or systems of the body that need work. I wonder if the reason you have an area on your hand that’s flaring up because is because of a product you use or have previously used during your therapy sessions. I know a lot of the health and beauty products are toxic. Our fundamental understanding of disease is flawed so when you mentioned your allergic reactions coming but we have to keep in mind that those are symptoms, not causes. The nebulizer masks symptoms it does not heal anything. Symptoms are the body’s outward expression of what it’s dealing with. It’s like if when your check engine light for your car turned on instead of going to the mechanic and have it looked at and repaired, we just removed the check engine light. I’m not surprised that you’re having flare-ups. Judging from your message it sounds like your area of focus should be on supporting the healing your body is initiating with dietary changes, increase water consumption, and they’re certainly are herbs the cause take the place of your medication which would be very beneficial. You may email me for a more comprehensive break down of I believe you can support your system or I also offer consultations 20 or 40 mins should suffice. https://ahealthyalternative.org/consultations/ Talk to you soon.
Thank you for this post. I was looking for an answer, because my skin was so itchy, red, and it’s annoying because I feel good after 3 days but everytime I got those symptoms and I stop. I attempted 4 times and it’s the same thing my skin is itchy, red, sometimes painful because I just want to scratch lol so I stop ! This time I’m going to attempt again and put some coconut oil, be brave and go thru this again because I need it. I’ll update soon so maybe my experience could help another person like me.
Is it normal to feel like a tightness in your throat. The best the best way I can describe it as if I have worked out my throat if is literally like the muscles are sore not like a sore throat from a cold would feel. I’m starting on day four of water fasting.
I wouldnt say its Normal per-say but it wouldnt be something I’m concerned with if it’s due to fasting.
Hey Camerom,
I’m glad I found your dialogue with Chris James. I’m also on Day 4 of my fast and feeling the same symptoms. Wondering how it panned out for you? My throat kinda feels like there’s some swelling. My breathing hasn’t really changed but it’s a bit nerve wrecking.
Hi Chris,
I got a mild rash on my chest after doing a two day water fast, during a longer streak of ketogenic dieting (6 months in now). Im back to the ketogenic diet and the rash appears to stay. Any thoughts on the combination of waterfasting and ketogenic diets? I cant seem to find much info on this online… Thanks!
Well to not overcomplicate things the rash youre experiencing is a direct result of the body detoxifying. Basically its releasing toxins through the skin often times along the lymph system. Best thing you can do to Aid in getting rid of the rash is to continue to support the body’s natural systems drinking the recommended gallon of water per day and eating high water content foods. The rashes can get pretty bad I’ve seen the worst the worst of it. Send me and email @ ahealthyalternative2016@gmail.com I might have something that will aid you.
Not sure if you still check this. Currently on day 5 of my WF (out of 30). I felt fine until yesterday (leg cramps) got worried so today I tried water with the pink Himalayan salt.now I have a headache (cramps are gone)…. Anyway to combat the headaches??
Have you tried essential oils? I recently started using and suggesting them as one of our members actually reported some great benefits from using them.
Is throwing up a detox symptom? I tried an 8 day water fast, but found myself nauseous and vomiting on day 7 so I ended the fast. I did drink some black coffee a day or two before I got sick, just wanted to taste something different for a change. It took me a couple of days to feel better and I did a refeed with watermelon, broth, fruit, and steamed veggies. I am now doing a 5 day fast with a two day refeed, but want to eventually go longer. Just worried about going 7 days since I was fine until that day.
Yes it happens quite often I think I’ll do a video soon. Try again dont be scared
Thank you so much. I have really learned a lot from you and others.
Hello Chris! From all the detox symptoms I’m experiencing only rashes, but the itching so bad ? It’s on my arms, on my back and even between breast. Coconut oil is not helping ? Is there anything else that I can use just to avoid itching?
Btw, many thanks to you for creating such an amazing community where people which strugeling with their weight and deseises can find support and understanding ?
Hi there I’m happy to hear that you are dedicated to the process and didn’t give up before at least looking for some additional help. And you are quite welcome. I created these platforms to help people and it’s my joy. Okay so as far as the rash goes, I’m sure there is some herb you could stew and used topically, unfortunately I have not yet got around to studying the herbs. With that being said I know of one method that can help you but I have to be honest with you I don’t even want to tell you because it’s a very taboo therapy. Just know that I thoroughly research everything that I suggest to other people as well as trying it personally so I’m not just throwing some crazy idea out there when I say this but urine therapy would probably help you. It’s the act of using urine to heal or treat. It correlates with that idea that you could pee on a jellyfish sting urine is great to use topically. If you’ve never heard of it I would highly suggest you research what it is as I won’t be going into it on this website or in my group for quite a while some key words to look for would be plasma ultrafiltrate which is the same as the NBA otic fluid which is the same as the urine. And I would suggest researching sources that actually promote urine therapy versus medical mainstream sources that have no real information about it. A simple treatment would be to rub fresh urine on the areas that are most itchy let it sit for 20-30 minutes and then wash it off. Good luck hope this helps
I’m not sure if the Urine therapy worked for Annie BUT I pretty much get the same symptoms whenever I am on a 3 day fast or doing Keto.
By the end of the 1st day and 100% by the 2nd day, I totally have a rash on my chest close to my armpits and pubic area. I am thinking it’s the parts where I have the most heat produced?
When I am on Keto, even without fasting, the symptoms are the same but as time goes on, the rash spreads to my back and stomach. The itch gets so bad and it results in scarring and brown spots when I finally eat carbs again.
So I am on my 2nd day of my fast, I am shooting for 3.
Not sure how quick the Urine therapy will kick in, but I will try it tomorrow morning.
I have read that morning urine is the best to use.
I will be back to see if it worked for my last fasting day, or at least reduced the itching and burning.
One of my close friends just went through this. The bumps were everywhere EVERYWHERE her face broke out like crazy and the bumps were popping. UT helped for sure. This is just one of those things you have to go through. I dont know a way around it.
Thanks! So the UT did help a bit, but I did start eating normal again too. The rash is still there but not as unbearable as it was.
Before I read about the urine therapy here this is what would work for me when I had the rash:
– I would take a super hot shower or pat a hot towel on the rash. It would make it stop itching for a few hours.
– I would rub oatmeal on it
– I drank fish oil supplements
All these helped to calm the rash for a few hours, but nothing was long term.
I did a three day fast (honestly I didn’t think I would make it) but I prayed a lot and that helped me through it. I started at 331.8 and now I am 318.4. Yesterday I broke my fast with fruits and vegetables and to be honest, I had some popcorn too…. weird because I don’t normally eat it. I plan to do another 3 days starting today. Your videos and blogs are helpful and informative. I wish I had known about this year’s ago. Thank you?
You know what, I actually hear that fairly often. People say that they were able to fast longer than they thought possible. The reality is that fasting is a very natural part of our lives but we’ve been educated to believe otherwise. It’s amazing finding out what you’re truly capable of. I’m really happy that you had a successful fast and that you’re planning to continue that trend. ?