Positive Health Online

Abstract

BEER and colleagues, Modellabteilung fuer Naturheilkunde, Klinik Blankenstein, Hattingen, Germany, wellbeer@cityweb.de, investigated the possible benefits of naturopathic treatment, and specifically a fasting therapy, on intestinal and general immune status .

Background

Some naturopaths have found that the immune system of patients who have undergone naturopathic treatments, particularly fasting, seems to become more 'stabilized' after such treatments. The immune status of and the status of microorganisms that inhabit the intestines reflect a person's immune system as a whole . In this study, the researchers decided to investigate the effects of a course of hospital-based naturopathy, including fasting, on patients with a range of common ailments, including their intestinal immune status .

Methodology

Subjects were 55 patients suffering from various medical conditions. 56% had conditions affecting the bones, joints, muscles and/ or connective tissue . The patients were assigned to receive either a 3-week standardized diet of high-quality nutritious food or they underwent a 3-week juice-modified fasting therapy . Intestinal immune status was assessed from measurements of levels of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in the patients' faeces . Lowered immune function was represented by an sIgA level below 0.5mg/g . Patients also assessed their own medical condition in terms of quality of life on a standardized scale.

Results

In both study groups, the sIgA level in the faeces increased over the course of the hospital programme. 3 months after the treatment, faecal sIgA levels remained higher at between 0.78 and 0.89 mg/g, significantly higher than levels before the start of the study. The greatest effects were seen in the patients who underwent the fasting therapy . A modest improvement in the patients' medical conditions was also detected post-treatment, but this appeared to be unrelated to any changes in sIgA levels.

Conclusion

The authors concluded that the 3-week in-hospital naturopathic therapy used in this study, particularly the fasting therapy, led to significant improvement in intestinal immune status which lasted beyond the in-hospital period. By extrapolation/association, this improvement was probably beneficial to the general immune status and the general health of the patients.

References

Beer AM et al. (Progression of intestinal secretory immunoglobulin A and the condition of the patients during naturopathic therapy and fasting therapy.) Forschende Komplementaermedizin und Klassische Naturheilkunde 8 (6): 346-53. Dec 2001.

Comment

Please also see a Research Update in Issue 76 (May '02) where 10-day water fasting was beneficial for cardiac patients.