Thomas’ 8 Day Juice Fast Experience!

My good friend Thomas was kind enough to allow me to do a blog post on his juice fast experience. I became friends with him a few years ago when we “met” online through a Topical Steroid Withdrawal forum. We’ve kept in contact ever since and have encouraged one another through the healing process over the years. I actually got the chance to meet him in person this past summer, and it was such a joy! We got a chance to hang out, eat ripe mangos (freshly picked that day might I add!) and cook some yummy vegan curry together! He was the first person I officially met from the online world and I look forward to hanging out with him in the future again! He has been working diligently and consistently in healing his skin, and I’m so proud of his success. I love that he’s not one to shy away from experimenting with different healing methods and I truly commend his efforts. It can take a bit of willpower to do a fast, but he jumps in full on and always keeps his focus on ways that he can help his skin repair, this is what drives him to stay dedicated. This is the same mentality that I recommend to those who reach out to me needing coaching support…to always remember that it’s not a sprint but a marathon, but all of the great things that you do for your body will add up as they are all cumulative. You have to take responsibility for your health, and not make it a quick fix, but a lifestyle…just incorporating healthier foods, making sure you sleep well, stay stress-free and get enough exercise…they all go together to aid in healing. 

Juicing can help the skin as it allows the body to receive a concentrated amount of nutrients that are super easy to digest (because it is juiced, so no fiber is intact) which allows the body to spend less energy on digesting food, and more energy on healing the illness. Raw fruits and veggies are packed with enzymes (no cooking is involved), dense nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and tons of oxygen for the cells. I highly recommend if not doing a juice fast every once in awhile, at least incorporating a green juice into your daily meals. I like to have my green drink as the last thing that I consume at night as it gives me a great dose of anti-inflammatory nutrients for healing at night, and it gives me great eliminations in the morning (yea, I know TMI haha). I don’t have a juicer, but I just blend it with my high speed blender. If I wanted it like a juiced consistency then I could just put the liquid through a strainer. I switch it up, but my go-to green drink is usually kale, cilantro & parsley (great for heavy metal detox), spinach, romaine, ginger, apple for sweetness, a squirt of lime or lemon (vitamin c helps you absorb the nutrients better), celery and cucumber.

Various green drinks I’ve made in the past. Make sure to switch it up and keep it interesting!

Click “continue reading” below to see photos chronicling his healing crisis in his skin, and a day by day account of the fast, plus a little Q & A I did with him. Let me know in the comments below if you’d be interested in doing a fast like this, or if you have before and what are your thoughts! Thanks again Thomas for sharing your experience!

Day 1- I started the night before with a green juice consisting of kale, parsley, cilantro, dandelion, apple, celery, cucumber, ginger, and turmeric. I had two more of these the following day and one giant juice that night. Hunger only struck during the late afternoon but it subsided quickly. Feeling good

Day 2- I only had one juice today at dinner time. No feelings of hunger during the morning and day, only in the late afternoon. Feeling good, no symptoms. For the rest of my fast, I only consumed water, fresh juice, and coconut water. Supplements I took include probiotics, blue-green algae, milk thistle, and digestive enzymes at night.

Day 3- Now this is where the symptoms started showing. I woke up with red patches on my face and neck. I had redness around my eyes and dry skin on my face. Energy wise I felt fine. I wasn’t tired or sluggish. My bowel movements became less.

Day 4- Similar to day 3. By this time in my fast, I had lost 10 pounds, but I wasn’t too worried because I still looked the same and only my stomach had gone down. I had multiple liquidy bowel movements this day.

Day 5- The worst day so far.  The night before my arms got really itchy before I went to bed, keeping me up for an hour. When I finally did fall asleep, I was awoken by extremely itchy arms. I shed a ton of skin that night. The next day my arms were very inflamed. I could not fully extend them as the skin was too thin and felt uncomfortable. I gained two pounds so I’m guessing that weight fluctuates during fasting. Less bowel movement than the previous day.

Day 6- Just as bad as day 5. Had a hard time sleeping. Itchy, oozing arms kept me up at night. Had a good bowel movement during the latter part of the day. The skin around my mouth was tight, cracked and yellow. I’m guessing it was ooze. The skin around my eyes was very dry.

Day 7- This time my neck was very itchy the night before, partly due to me picking at it but I couldn’t help it. Arms continued to ooze and burn at night. I used some bentonite clay to help subside the itch. Weight has stabilized. I had two pimples on the left side of my face. It was still uncomfortable to fully extend my arms. I had a liquid bowel movement in the morning.

Day 8- I broke my fast this day with some grapes, and later on, I had some mango and papaya. This was the final night my arms burned and oozed. Five nights in a row. That’s the worst my skin has ever been.

Afterthoughts: Wow this really works! I never shed so much skin in my life. Once I gain some weight back I’m going to try a water fast. My skin is still dry, scaly and inflamed but I’m hoping it gets better soon.

Above is a photo of a Food Detox Pyramid. This can show you how you can experience deep cleansing just with how you eat. The higher up the pyramid the deeper the cleansing and detox symptoms or healing crisis symptoms you can feel. 

1.) How old are you, how long have you been using topical steroids for, and how far into TSW are you?

I am 24 years old. My first application of topical steroids was at three months of age. I used on and off from three months to age five. Then I used on and off from age 11 to 19 and at age 20 (my final time using was a triamcinolone injection). I have been topical steroid free for over three and a half years now.

2.) What made you want to do this juice fast? 

It was a last minute thing I had randomly decided to do. Over the past few months I have been adding ways of how I can live a healthier lifestyle, and since I had never fasted before, I thought I would give it a try. I originally planned to do a three-day juice fast, but on the second day, I decided I wanted to go longer, maybe about a week. I wanted to take it one day at a time. For the next 8 days, I drank only water, fresh vegetable juice, and coconut water.

3.) How did you feel (emotionally and physically) when the healing crisis symptoms came on?

Physically I didn’t feel too bad. My worst detox symptoms came on about day 5 so for most of the fast, I felt pretty decent. Emotionally it wasn’t so great. I became more withdrawn (I’m already an introvert) from friends and family, and all I wanted to do was stay in my room and play video games. I was still able to work but I rather had not been there.

4.) How is your skin doing after the fast? 

It’s almost three weeks since I broke my fast and my skin is still recovering, more specifically my arms. They had it the worst during my fast. For the latter part of my fast and two weeks afterward, I could not extend my arms out because the skin was so thin that it felt uncomfortable to do so and would cause the skin the crack and ooze. My face and my neck have actually been better. People have been telling me I have this glow.

5.) What is your typical diet like and how has that helped your healing journey?

I eat a whole foods plant-based diet to speed up my healing journey. When the body is fed easily digestible foods, it has more energy to put toward healing damage cells, tissue, and organs.

6.) Any tips to recommend to those looking to do a juice fast?

I recommend a juice fast for anyone who feels sick, tired, or sluggish. Reset your digestion and feel way better afterward!

7.) Any advice or natural healing tips for eczema sufferers that you’d like to share? 

Just live a certain lifestyle and your body can do amazing things! Eat healthily, take supplements, get rest, fresh air and sunshine, and your body will greatly thank you for it!