Fasting has a long and twisted history, driven variously by religion, misogyny, self-loathing, and twin quests for purity and transcendence.
Oh and by the way, it's also one of the most powerful therapies ever discovered for halting, reversing, and preventing some of the most widespread and deadly diseases around.
Today's guest, Steve Hendricks, is at least three things: a tenacious reporter, a brilliant and hilarious writer, and a truly good dude. He brings all those qualities to bear in his new book, The Oldest Cure in the World: Adventures in the Art and Science of Fasting.
I almost postponed the interview because it was taking me way longer to read the book than I had allotted. Unlike most non-fiction books about health, this one was a literary gem, with fantastic lines scattered like laugh-bombs throughout its pages.
The first thing I realized was that Steve is a stickler for actual facts. In the first few pages, he managed to debunk several of my long-held beliefs. First, Hippocrates never said, “Let food by thy medicine, and medicine be thy food,” or at least if he did, no one was around to record it.
Second, most of the august figures of history to whom we attribute beliefs about the power of fasting never expressed those beliefs (Pythagoras, I'm looking at you; apparently, you weren't even into triangles).
And third, fasting in the ancient world and late antiquity was largely relegated to women and girls, to rid them of those pesky “moist and warm” humors that led to uncontrollable lust from both sexes.
The book follows two parallel tracks. One is a history of fasting from ancient times to the present day. It looks at the heroes and villains (sometimes the same person), including Jerome (the fella who translated the Bible into Latin), Catherine of Siena (who as a child got her friends to play a frolicking game of “whip each other with knotted ropes to drive out the Devil”), and Sylvester Graham, whose cracker ensures his immortality and who wrote his way into literary history with his description of orgasm, of which he soundly disapproved, as “the convulsive paroxysms attending venereal indulgence.”
This track introduces us to the present-day inheritors of fasting for health, including Alan Goldhamer, DC, of True North Health Center, and the folks at Buchinger Wilhelmi in Germany.
The second track is Steve's personal experiences of fasting, which he's done for many years to address a collection of physical and mental health issues.
I'm fasting today, thanks to the inspiration that Steve and his book provided.
(Oh yeah: Please consult with your healthcare professional before doing anything that a guest or I ever talk about on this podcast.)
What's especially joyful about this book is Steve's insistence on getting the science right. He argues against unsupported claims no matter where they come from: vegans, keto promoters, Valter Longo, you name it. He doesn't overstate the power of fasting, noting that hype is one of the enemies of widespread acceptance by the scientific community.
And he presents a sympathetic and balanced picture of all the actors, expressing disapproval where warranted and graceful generosity where possible.
In short, this book should absolutely become a bestseller, and the seed crystal of a new appreciation of fasting, with a clear eye on its potential, its dangers, and its limitations.
Enjoy!
Links
The Oldest Cure in the World
SteveHendricks.org
True North Health Center
Buchinger Wilhelmi Natural Spa
Dr Howie Jacobson
This podcast is a labor of love and a way to give back to the world that has given me so much. That's why there aren't any sponsors (except me :).
My day job is helping leaders and their teams master their mindsets to remove all obstacles to heart-centered high performance.
Here are three gigs that I do:
1. Executive and Senior Leadership Mentoring and Facilitation
I work with high performing executive teams in organizations — and executive teams that need to become high performing. My focus is mindset mastery, because it’s our mindsets that either support high performance or get in the way.
At this level, everyone’s got the skills and experience to excel and contribute at the highest level. What holds people back is mindset stuff: specifically the triggers that get them out of creative engagement and into fight-or-flight defensiveness.
My practice is all about teaching people to respond differently to those triggers by updating old maps — essentially removing the glitches that the triggers grab onto.
2. Executive Coaching: Quick Wins for High Performance
I work with individual executives and leaders, one on one. The program is called Quick Wins for High Performance, and what we do is, we work strategically on one or two areas that are holding you back and keeping you from performing at your best.
We reverse engineer the presenting problems — too much work and not enough time, underperforming employees and teams, maddening organizational inefficiencies, etc — and identify and rewire the suboptimal mindsets that are behind those problems.
The work is all about updating your mental maps so your actions and responses are always appropriate, proportionate, and strategic.
3. High Stakes Conversations for Fast Growing Small Business Teams
I help small business teams have high stakes conversations with skill, humor, and grace. When people feel safe, they can do their best, most creative, most collaborative work.
So that's what I do. If you'd like any of those results, drop me a line and tell me about yourself.
You CAN Change Other People!
Well, that's what Peter Bregman and I claim in our provocative book of that title.
What we really mean is, you can bring out the best in the people around you. If you think you're powerless to help people change, it's because you've been going about it the wrong way.
Discover our straightforward, replicable process here: You Can Change Other People.
Music
The Plant Yourself Podcast theme music, “Dance of Peace (Sabali Don),” is generously provided by Will Ridenour, a kora player from North Carolina who has trained with top Senegalese musicians.
It can be found on his first CD, titled Will Ridenour.
You can learn about Will, listen to more tracks, and buy music on his website, WillRidenour.com.
Gratitudes
Thanks to Plant Yourself podcast patrons – Kim Harrison – Lynn McLellan – Brittany Porter – Dominic Marro – Barbara Whitney – Tammy Black – Amy Good – Amanda Hatherly – Mary Jane Wheeler – Ellen Kennelly – Melissa Cobb – Rachel Behrens – Tina Scharf – Tina Ahern – Jen Vilkinofsky – David Byczek – Michele X – Elspeth Feldman – Leah Stolar – Allan Kristensen – Colleen Peck – Michele Landry – Jozina – Sara Durkacs – Kelly Cameron – Janet Selby – Claire Adams – Tom Fronczak – Jeannette Benham – Gila Lacerte – David Donohue – Blair Seibert – Doron Avizov – Gio and Carolyn Argentati – Jodi Friesner – Mischa Rosen – Michael Worobiec – AvIvA Lael – Alicia Lemus – Val Linnemann – Nick Harper – Bandana Chawla – Molly Levine – The Inscrutable Harry R – Susan Laverty the Panda Vegan – Craig Covic – Adam Scharf – Karen Bury – Heather Morgan – Nigel Davies – Marian Blum – Teresa Kopel – Julian Watkins – Brid O'Connell – Shannon Herschman – Linda Ayotte – Holm Hedegaard – Isa Tousignant – Connie Haneline – Erin Greer – Alicia Davis – Heather O'Connor – Carollynne Jensen – Sheri Orlekoski of Plant Powered for Health – Karen Smith – Scott Mirani – Karen and Joe Crabtree – Kirby Burton – Theresa Carrell – Kevin Macaulay – Elizabeth Rothschild – Ann Jesse – Sheryl Dwyer – Jenny Hazelton – Peter W Evans – Dennis Bird – Darby Kelly – Lori Fanney – Linnea Lundquist – Emily Iaconelli – Levi Wallach – Rosamonde McAtee – Dan Pokorney – Stephen Leinin – Patty DeMartino – Mike and Donna Kartz – Deanne Bishop – Bilberry Elf – Marjorie Lewis – Tricia Adams – Nancy Sheldon – Lindsey Bashore – Gunn Marit Hagen – Tracey Gulledge – Lara Hedin – Meg from Mamasezz – Stacey Stokes – Ben Savage – Michael K – David Hughes -Coni Rodgers – Claire England – Sally Robertson – Parham Ganchi – Amy Dailey – Brian Tourville – Mark Jeffrey Johnson – Josie Dempsey – Caryn Schmitt – Pamela Hayden – Emily Perryman – Allison Corbett – Richard Stone – Lauren Vaught of Edible Musings – Erin Hastey – Sean Owens – Sagar Naik – Erika Piedra – Danielle Roberts – Michael Leuchten – Sarah Johnson – Katharine Floyd – Meryl Fury – for your generous support of the podcast.
Disclosure
This post may contain amazon affiliate links. I may receive compensation from your actions on such links. It don't cost you a dime, tho.
I just found your podcast for the first time today. Awesome discussion with Steve Hendricks on his book about fasting. Thank you so much!