Stimulants
In today's world, 75% of people function on some type of stimulants, whether it be caffeine, cocoa, or sugar-based products. The ability to adapt to stimulant use varies greatly from person to person. Some may use heavy stimulants all their lives and show no side effects. Others have varying symptoms and health conditions that may result in chronic conditions, and often the person is not aware that the problems that are experiencing are due to stimulant use. These symptoms and conditions are many and varied. Problems may not show up until the age beyond 60.
Stimulants give one “energy,” and mental focus, but at a metabolic cost over time. It’s like getting a loan from a bank. One feels rich for a while, but it has to be paid back eventually, with interest. Some people can go through life using stimulants and have no seeming ill effects. Others develop varying health issues as a result.
Baby boomers who used stimulants throughout their lives are finding health conditions are developing in their 60’s and 70’s. This may be the interest coming due on stimulant energy loan use.
As people’s lives get busier and more demanding, they reach for more stimulants. Notice how chocolate is seeming everywhere these days in drink and food. Unfortunately, several factors are contributing to increased stimulant use, particularly low nutrient, fast food, and more recently, viral infections. Both of these result in fatigue. When one has to rush to work or take care of family demands and energy is lagging, there is not much choice but to reach for a stimulant.
Taking a fasting vacation at Yellowstone Peaks will allow your body to repair the effects of stimulant use. Fasting without stimulants allows the body to “reboot” to a normal biochemistry, resulting in a more efficient metabolism, and higher energy levels.
The following are to be ideally avoided for any detox program and are not allowed on a fast:
White Sugar -sucrose - in any form, food or drinks.
Coffee
Tea
Energy Drinks
Energy Supplements containing guarana or ephedra
Energy Bars
Gummies
Soda – Soft drinks
Tobacco – inhaled or chewed
Vaping
Cocoa
Chocolate
Certain medications – e.g., Adderall
Drugs – e.g., amphetamines
Certain supplements
Protein drinks
All of these stimulants are drugs, and they contain inorganic chemicals not used by the body to create new cells and tissue, but they affect metabolism (except for sugar. It stimulates in a different way). These chemicals (prime example being caffeine) don’t become part of the body as food does, and they require constant metabolic processing to remove them. The ability to process out stimulant chemicals is a big determinant of overall health, and this varies from person to person.
Once stimulants have their intended metabolic effect, the leftovers are chemicals that must be eliminated. If your body does not have efficient metabolic activity to eliminate the effects of stimulants, disease patterns may develop that are of direct result of their use.
Patients who use stimulants will have a letdown as they go through the fasting process. Some days they may not be able to get out of bed and have little mental focus and may feel depressed. These are normal and temporary states as the body detoxes and regroups it’s endocrine forces, particularly the adrenal glands. This is where rest is vital on a fast. Resting when fasting equals detoxification, rejuvenation and healing.
A goal of good health can be high functioning mentally and physically without any of the above stimulants. This is not possible for all people due to demands of life. Reaching such a state may require several fasts, followed by lifestyle changes, and depends on the overall health and age of the patient, and daily work and life demands.
What are common symptoms of stimulant use? More common ones are overall acidity, which results in many and varied joint conditions and muscle tension with joint restriction, many heart issues particularly arrhythmias, and hyperactivity, including restless leg syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome, or large belly, blood pressure and blood sugar issues are also a partial result of stimulant use. In athletes, muscle soreness after workouts, joint inflexibility, and longer recovery time are common with stimulant use. Immune deficiency and susceptibility to infection also results from their use.
Dr. Carp has seen severe symptoms of both osteo and rheumatoid arthritis disappear after fasting to eliminate the effects of caffeine in the body.
If stimulants are necessary after a fast, they should be used sparingly and at a minimum. Reverting to stimulants after a fast may cause a reappearance of a health issue.
If you are experiencing physical or mental symptoms, and your doctor has not analyzed your stimulant intake and ability to process it, then a key factor in your health assessment is being missed.
Dr. Carp will analyze your metabolism through various tests and determine what organs and systems are being impacted, then monitor progress throughout the fast as the organs recover.
All stimulating foods and drinks used by a patient and will be kinesiologically tested by Dr. Carp to determine metabolic impact.
It may not be possible for some persons to go through life without using stimulants due to work and lifestyle demands, but reducing or eliminating them can improve health, if they are a factor in causing a specific health issue.
The best diet in the world will not improve health totally if there is ongoing stimulant use.