pam on Nostr: Some Sunday reads : I've been curious on the benefits of fasting and the impact on ...

Some Sunday reads :

I've been curious on the benefits of fasting and the impact on your body and hormone balances.

1. Autophagy is an interesting concept of fasting that benefits the body by eating up your junk cell/old cell and promote new cell growth.

Sugar, dairy and caffeine can block autophagy, hence might be best to just maintain hydration and electrolytes during this fasting period. Nobody really knows the time required for autophagy to kick in, but most suggest >12 hrs , the longer the better.

2. Fasting for women might be slightly different based on menstrual cycle. For example :

Day 1 - Day 10 :
Rise of Estrogen. Fast like a Queen, prolong fasting works best here.

Day 11 - Day 15
Fertile period - ovulation starts at day 14. Estrogen peaks and slows down, progesterone increases. The recommended fasting period I’ve seen here is <15 hours a day

Day 16 - Day 19
This is the rise of progesterone. Some say fast as you please but I’d be wary as if your progesterone is low, you can trigger a higher chance of being insulin resistance.

Day 20 - period
Peak progesterone and rapid decline. This is your no fast zone.


3. Balancing hormones do wonders.

Estrogen improve your skin smoothness. Too much estrogen leads to cysts, fibrosis, cancer cells, weight gain etc.

Progesterone is also called your calming hormone. Pregnancy emotions are due to higher estrogen. PMS - pre menstrual syndrome happens on your week before menstruation as progesterone is on rapid decline.

Progesterone also crave sugar which is why we crave chocolate etc during this phase but risky as it it goes below estrogen, it can trigger insulin resistance. Food that are best here are your Omega 3 rich food and good fats.

4. As I was reading on autophagy and hormones, here’s one on releasing happy hormones :

Endorphin - Exercise everyday to release endorphins. Other than the well-being benefits, it gives from a "high" from the workouts and feeling relaxed and an optimist.

Dopamine - Cross off some items of your to-do list. If you are paralysed on a particular job, do something else - you will get a sense of accomplishment and also have satisfaction and motivation.

Seratonin - Do something nice for someone. The act of giving boosts Seratonin which is a hormone that influences learning, memory, happiness, sleep, sexual behavior, hunger. Not enough of it leads to depression, anxiety, mania etc.

Oxytocin - hug someone today. Or head to Nostr conference and hug everyone irl. The touch releases oxytocin which can reduce stress and anxiety.


5. Insulin resistance, estrogen dominance are all interesting read and can help you prevent a lot of unnecessary issues.

6. Men produce estrogen and progesterone as well, and women produce testosterone. The ratio of each is diff between men and women.

7. Then there is something on mTor and activating testosterone in men through high impact exercise. I don’t know enough but I read that it’s day and night compared to autophagy and while both are good, it has to be done at diff times for best impact


I am not a doctor, these are through online reads and videos and summarised, but I have always been curious on ways to hack health. Feel free to share your input if you have more info.