Anshu Bahanda: This is Anshu Bahanda on Wellness Curated. Thanks for joining me on this podcast. My mission is to empower you with health and wellness so that you can then go and empower others.
Hello, Dr Doja. How are you?
Dr Doja Purkit: Hello. Hello. Namaste.
AB: Namaste. I hope you’re having a good day today.
DP: Yes, I had a good day. I was working till two o’clock.
AB: So as you know, the whole world is going crazy at the moment about intermittent fasting. Now down the generations, a lot of cultures have had detoxing, they’ve had fasting, but intermittent fasting is now becoming a household name. So I thought let’s talk to an expert and find out about this. So Dr Doja is an expert in detox rejuvenation. He’s a consultant at the Hale Clinic in London. The Hale Clinic is one of the most respected, complementary, and alternative therapy or medicine clinics here. Dr Doja conducts retreats in Kerala and London and he’s worked in stroke rehabilitation as well at the Hammersmith Hospital. He’s had 20 years of experience in this field. So welcome Dr Doja. Thank you for your time. Do you want to tell us a little bit about why is it important to detox the body?
DP: The most important thing is a detox. The body regularly needs to clean, and it can clean itself, but sometimes due to our lifestyle, pollution and eating food (habits), there’s no possibility to detox itself. That needs to come (from us) to create action to detox.
AB: What is the main reason for detox?
DP: Basically, a lot of food, undigested food is in the body. And that creates a toxin. This (toxin) can be created by undigested food. It can be created by pollution. It could be created by the chemical changes in the body that creates toxicity. This toxicity remains on the organs and cellular level. These cells need to be cleaned, only then the cells are able to breathe. It’s like if the house if it’s not cleaned properly, it’s very difficult to live in the house. And all the viruses, bacteria, and fungi, grow and then create problems in the bodies. So, that particular detox is very important to maintain and restore our health and well-being.
AB: Okay and does detox always lead to weight loss?
DP: Yes. 90% of the time detox leads to weight loss. Basically what happens is that undigested food, their dumping on your body and this goes into your fat cells. And when you detox, then this fat cell and undigested dumping from the body clean and drop. The moment it drops, you start to lose weight. Our body has three portions of detoxification. The first layer is the layer of your skin, your muscles, and your fat. This layer, of fat accumulated with toxins, when you detox, 90% of the time the fat starts to release energy and then you lose weight. That’s the first thing. 10% of the time, when the fat goes to your deeper level, that’s where the chronic problem comes in. Like if it goes to your nervous system, if it goes to your bone marrow, or into a deeper level. So, the first layer is the skin, the muscle, and the fat. The second layer is the nerves and the third layer, if it goes to the third layer in your bone marrow, then it is not able to detox and reduce weight.
AB: Then you’re not able to detox and lose weight?
DP: Then you are not able to lose weight if it goes to the deeper level because the body feels insecure. When you try to detox at a deeper level, insecurity comes in, and you might (feel like you’ll) collapse, you might feel dizziness, and a lot of healing crisis comes in.
AB: Okay
DP: So, 10% of the time, the body is unable to lose weight, but 90% of the time, the body loses weight.
AB: Okay, and Dr Doja, I know you’ve been doing the detox thing now for 20 years or so. What are the things you have managed to heal through detox?
DP: I think with detox, all the digestive problems. Any kind of digestive problems— acidity, flatulence, gas problems, any kind of gastric problems, or any kind of stomach disorder, can get fine by the detox. There is high blood pressure, and then the control of glucose metabolism, like if you have type two diabetes, that can be also controlled by the detox. So even with depression, we have done quite a lot (for it) with the detox.
AB: Oh, you’ve helped people who’ve had depression?
DP: Depression, you are unable to express and when you (undergo) detox, something’s created to create a focus in your mind. When the mind is focused, it can create order in your mind, body and energy. So, that’s where depression also gets affected and put any problem. The main purpose of the detox is the elimination of the food coming into the system and then nourishing the body. It is very good for the nervous system. Anything your body is not getting nourished with can be healed by detoxification.
AB: So you’re saying it’s basically undigested food which becomes a toxin?
DP: Yes, which produces a toxin.
AB: Also the other toxins that we consume?
DP: Like from the pollution you consume the toxin, and then you also consume the chemical in the food or hormonal changes of the hormones. When the cell starts to function, the cell starts producing a by-product of chemicals. Some of the chemicals are easy to detoxicate, and some of the chemicals are not easy to detoxicate. That’s why we need an action plan to detoxicate the body, to make the cells feel free to breathe and be able to communicate with the cellular communication. If you have been living for 100 years, and if you’re not detoxing, this toxin goes up and up and up, and without losing your age, antiaging has started. Suddenly you see a 40-year-old man or 40-year-old lady look 90 years old, with too much of toxins. You go to someone’s house, (and there’s) a lot of dirt in the house, and a newly built house looks like a 100-year-old house. Toxins are important to detoxify regulation.
AB: And Dr Doja, how long is an ideal detox? And is it dangerous if people just do it for too long?
DP: Too long is dangerous. Anything extreme is dangerous.
AB: Right?
DP: As long as you’re not doing a detox in extreme, then it’s okay. And when detox becomes extreme, it’s dangerous. Anything in life, if you(do it in) extreme, it is dangerous. The idea is seven to ten days. Otherwise once a week. A lot of my clients, do it once a week. So, one week, three days a week or seven to ten days is ideal. And if you do a slightly advanced level, it can be done in 21 days. And it can be done because our cell changes every 40 days. Cell changes and memory changes, so that is the time to detox. Every 40 days. Either you can do a three days or ten days detox, then give it six weeks away from the thing. Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that helps with detoxification. And that pattern you can do it one day a week.
AB: So we’ll just come to intermittent fasting because that’s the thing that everyone is asking a lot of questions about it.
DP: Okay.
AB: So why don’t you tell us what is your view on A, fasting and B, on intermittent fasting?
DP: So fasting I’m doing it for several chronic cases and antiaging cases. Some of the cases I have seen in my family died at the age of 40. Those people who are doing the detox for the last 20 years, they’re now 95, 97. But, most of the males and females died between 40. Most of them are family, and they died in their 40s, men or ladies, they died.
AB: And why was that?
DP: Possibly because their cells are unable to prolong. The cell possibly produces more toxification, but they don’t detox regularly. They don’t have an awareness earlier and they’re doing nothing regularly. (If) one day per week they do a detox, then even at 95- 97, they’re running smoothly because they do the detox regularly which helps them to live for long; the longevity comes in.
AB: So you’re saying once a week you should do a fast or detox of some sort for longevity?
DP: Yes.
AB: But then what kind of fasting are you recommending? Are you recommending intermittent fasting? Are you recommending fasting? And what is the difference?
DP: There is this fasting, which is called mono fasting. Just eating (a) single food.
AB: Okay?
DP: Like if you have grape juice, just have grape juice for breakfast, lunch, dinner. You have just a cooked apple for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Otherwise, you do (it like) the breakfast is the one food which is a cooked apple. Lunch is a steamed vegetable, Dinner is khichdi. Khichdi is one of the traditional, authentic, and holy ways of fasting.
AB: Will you explain what khichdi is for the people here who are not Indian?
DP: Khichdi basically, is a combination of rice and lentil. Rice, has a carbohydrate, the lentil has protein and also it has fat. And that combination when you cook them, and it’s produced as a portion of normal food. That food we (can) give it to the children as well, when the child has started to eat. It is the top food you create (khichdi) and can eat it at dinnertime and that will give you a lot of detoxification. It has been used for 5000 years in India. Detoxification can happen just by eating the Khichdi. It is basically lentils cooked.
AB: So you’re saying there are two ways that you could fast?
DP: Yes.
AB: You could either fast by eating simple foods at every meal.
DP: Yes, like children. First, the child starts eating the same sort of food, but it’s easily digestible food.
AB: Okay. Or you could do a mono-food fast?
DP: Yes, mono-food fast.
AB: Which is just one thing throughout the day?
DP: Yes, one food throughout the day.
AB: Okay, and then what about intermittent fasting now?
DP: And the most important thing is that, (the) one through a day, when you do it, you are not allowed to eat more than two handfuls at a time.
AB: Okay.
DP: Basically, the idea of fasting is to create an intermittent, to stop eating, and to create a pressure on the digestive organs and (seeing) how much the digestive organs can hold the pressure from the food.
AB: Okay.
DP: Only hold two handfuls in your hand. If you have bigger hands, you can have bigger (portions). Like children have small hands, they can eat a smaller (portion), and with bigger hands, you can eat bigger. According to the size of your hand, the same amount of food you’re allowed to eat during the mono fasting.
AB: Okay, so now you’re saying mono fasting or fasting like a child (eating simple food). Those are the two things you’d recommend for once a week.
DP: Yes
AB: What about intermittent fasting now?
DP: Intermittent fasting, basically, you can stop eating before four hours, eight or 16 hours a day. Starting from 08:00 after dinner until lunchtime at home. Then if you want to do this for 16 hours, you can’t do it (exactly) for 16 hours. Just go to sleep around 10:00 o’clock, wake up, skip breakfast, and (directly) have lunch. It’s the ideal eating pattern. (ensure) At least you are not giving the breakfast (a chance) to give too much pressure on the stomach, then the stomach can digest. And eat within 500 calories.
AB: And how do you recognize the 500 calories?
DP: A simple way to do this is to have just two handfuls of the food.
AB: That’s how you break the intermittent fast?
DP: Yes.
AB: And during the fasting, what do you recommend? Water.
DP: During fasting, have between eight to twelve glasses of water. Eight is the minimum and twelve glasses you have to drink when you do intermittent fasting.
AB: Anything else you recommend during the intermittent fast?
DP: During intermittent fasting, we always say that if you feel any kind of dizziness, try to have some orange juice and (if there’s) pain on the right-hand side of your rib cage, then try to have the fenugreek tea or dandelion tea. And if you get really dizzy, then you have to mix a little bit of apple, carrots and a little cucumber, and make them into a juice and then drink that.
AB: A little bit of juice?
DP: Yes, a little bit of juice, like half a glass. That will improve you. Because otherwise what happens without it, your stomach produces concentrated hydrochloric acid. You’re not eating if you’re skipping breakfast. So, that acid damages your articulation area. You have to use/eat a certain food, like cucumbers is one of the things which help not to produce any kind of damage to your articulation area like a knee joint, elbow joint, or neck joint. They (people) do intermittent fasting, and later they say oh, my knee is paining, my elbows’ paining, and my neck is paining, after doing intermittent fasting. That’s why we always say to have a little bit of cucumber juice to balance it out.
AB: Okay, so you’re saying that your fast is with food and an intermittent fast is normally just water, but you can take, depending on your conditions, as you’ve explained, you need to have a bit of juice or some herbal tea. But that’s only if you have certain conditions happening. Otherwise just water.
DP: Just water.
AB: Okay, thank you. And what do you say are the benefits of fasting and intermittent fasting?
DP: Fasting is the most important thing. Fasting regulates your digestive system, which is working 24 hours, the same as your heart’s pumping blood for 24 hours. The digestion is also working 24 hours. But the natural process of a human being is that, when you try to heal yourself when you get sick, you stop eating. All appetite goes down. After 24, 36 or 48 hours our appetite starts to get back. And when you do the fasting, it’s the same way, you’re not eating anything, you’re suppressing the appetite. And then our body starts to release those hormones and those chemicals that help to repair the cells. That’s the first thing. We call it cellular regeneration. It regenerates the cells, new cells, that improve your digestive function— fasting does that. Also because it’s 24 hours, it’s working 365 days, our circulatory system or the hormonal system, those systems get a chance to stop being pressurized by that food. Food, whenever it goes, immediately all information goes there (to the digestive system) to digest, eliminate, and absorb (food). That’s why those areas don’t have to work. As a result, your circulation improves, your lymphatic system improves, your immunity improves, you start functioning better, then you have more clarity, you’re more focused and more centralized and then all the immunity function starts. All your hormonal issues start to function normally.
AB: Right.
DP: Intermittent fasting does, more or less, a similar thing, it does everything. And added to that, because you’re kind of not having food, your insulin production goes down, the entire body which stores the energy, in the fat and insulin sugar levels, they start to go out.
AB: Okay.
DP: As a result of that, you start to lose weight.
AB: Okay, and how often would you recommend each of these? Like how much would you recommend intermittent fasting and how much would you recommend fasting? Because I know people doing intermittent as a lifestyle.
DP: Either they can do it one day a week, or they can do seven to ten days. Within every three months, because every three to four months the season changes.
AB: We’re talking about fasting here, Dr Doja or intermittent fasting? I’m talking about them almost separately.
DP: Okay, now I’m talking about fasting.
AB: Okay, fine.
DP: You can do it one day a week. Then whoever is a beginner, they can do it one day a week with mono fasting. If you’re not a beginner, if you’re on an advanced level, then you can do the three days a week. If you really want to do fasting to clear yourself, do the ten-days fasting.
AB: At a go?
DP: Yes, at a go. And then that is when we start eating a little sensibly, like for breakfast, two for lunch and a combination, the Khichdi, for dinner. Otherwise, with the Khichdi fasting, breakfast is rice and bread, lunch is the Khichdi, and dinner is the Khichdi. Then if you feel a lack of energy during the fasting, add a certain amount of ghee on top. One teaspoon of the ghee on the top, to help you give energy. You’re not going to feel any dizziness and you’re not going to feel a lack of energy.
AB: That doesn’t make you put on weight? The Ghee?
DP: If you put one teaspoon during the fasting, it doesn’t make you put on weight but that balances your energy. That will help you do things. During the day, that will be ideal, don’t do it at night. Do it only at lunchtime, you can add your Ghee. Or intermittent fasting, you can start with 4 hours— one day a week, and then you can start with 8 hours— two days a week. Then again, you can start with intermittent fasting for three days.
AB: So, when you’re saying 4 hours, you’re saying stay hungry 4 hours after waking up?
DP: Yes, after waking up.
AB: So then it becomes almost like after 16 hours or something like that.
DP: Yes, like you wake up at 8 o’clock and if you eat at 12 o’clock, that means your 16 hours more or less is done.
AB: Okay.
DP: Because sleeping does the most important thing, which is purifying the blood and improving your cellular coordination. It repairs all the cells. That’s why if you sleep better then you fast better. We always say, during the preparation for fasting for a few days, you will sleep at least 4 hours without breaking up. Then you do the fasting, you’ll get a maximum benefit out of it. And if you’re not sleeping well, and you try to do fasting or intermittent fasting, you don’t get the maximum benefit out of it.
AB: Right.
DP: Because you have a number of things that you have left over in your mind. If you try to do it the first thing, you don’t get the maximum benefit. Pre-preparation for fasting or intermittent fasting should be done for two, or three days. In the 48 hours, you (should) sleep at least 4 hours undisturbed. You are intact. You are on the same platform, your mind and your body are ready to detox either by intermittent or by fasting. That always does the thing. And the most important thing in intermittent fasting or fasting is to not be concerned about losing weight. The biggest concern is to make your body feel a sense of well-being. When you feel a sense of well-being, a small amount of weight is not a concern. The most important thing is to feel yourself, and have a sense of well-being. Like how you used to feel when you were a child. Full of energy, running up and down without any disturbance. That has to get (you) the maximum benefit, either by intermittent fasting, or fasting. Intermittent fasting is not different from fasting, but it’s another way of doing it. It is easier for the model lives to do intermittent fasting that’ll later help you in regular fasting.
AB: Oh, I see, okay. But tell me how even intermittent fasting, a lot of people do it as a lifestyle, they do it every day. What is your view on that?
DP: No, every day is not advisable. Because, if you do it for four months, every day, if you clean too much toxin, there’s no toxin left. It’s like even with the floor. If you clean every day what happens? The floor wears out. Same thing with the body as well, if you are fasting for a long time. If you wake up in the morning, you’re not feeling fresh. If you look at your tongue, it is not looking pink in colour, it looks white and there’s a lot of dirt on the tongue, it means we need a longer time for intermittent fasting or fasting. Otherwise, if your eyes are continuously watering. An important thing we always say, traditionally or in modern medicine, is to always listen to your body, and listen to your mind. And one of the most important ways to listen to your body and listen to your mind is if you started to doubt. When your mind is doubting, I am not well, I’m putting on weight, my eyes are not bright, I have enough energy, but I can’t wake up and rest if you start doubting your life like I’m eating too much of the food, then the body has come to do the intermittent fasting or detoxification to restore it. Either you can do it in 21 days, or you can do 40 days, depending on how much you need it. If everything relapses, don’t go more than four months either fasting or on intermittent fasting.
AB: Okay, and you’re saying then you should take a break of a few months before going back to it.
DP: Yes, give it a break for three months and again introduce it.
AB: Okay, and what happens if someone doesn’t take a break? If they carry on, you’re just saying that all their nutrients will be lost?
DP: In the long run, I’ve seen the cases if they do the fasting, especially intermittent fasting for the long run, even if the body is clean, they still continue, it’s a kind of anorexia, kind of creative bulimia, that sort of thing comes in.
AB: Oh goodness!
DP: I have cases where people were doing this for so long, they are doing it for six months and then they started to feel depressed. A lot of depression comes in.
AB: Oh goodness.
DP: But you are at the age, like in athletics, the athlete exercises all the time. They always come in with an injury, there’s a muscle pull, my legs are getting thin, I am getting a headache again, not sleeping, and everything comes back. If your body bounces back, particularly with joint pain, you feel depressed.
AB: All right, so that means you’ve overdone it. Joint pain and depression.
DP: One of the best ways to know that they’re depressed is that they’re not able to look at the sky.
AB: What? Okay, I haven’t heard that.
DP: They always look down. People who are depressed, they’re not able to look at the sky. They could look at the sky in the past. But depressive people are not able to look at the sky.
AB: That is wow. Okay, and my last question is what supplements do you recommend for fasting or intermittent fasting?
DP: In fasting or intermittent fasting, as I said, the main purpose is the elimination of food and the elimination of toxins. And then in the system, in a lot of cases what happens when we do the fasting, it started to de-stress, the body needs to come down. And the body that started losing this toxin, started feeling insecure. As a result of insecurity, they said they were going to be losing all the nutrients or any kind of nourishing food. Nourishing herbs help the body to rejuvenate and to promote fasting. And there is one which India has done for many centuries, and is called the Chyawanprash. It has 40 herbs and 40 nutrients and is known as a tonic. It’s a very good tonic and a very good antioxidant. But for those who are not used to taking Chyawanprash, as it is not easy to take Chyawanprash, any sort of antioxidant would be ideal.
AB: Okay.
DP: You practice fasting or detoxification, and the body loses a lot of toxins, which results in the need for an antioxidant that can absorb the toxin at the same time. A good quality antioxidant will be ideal for fasting time. And then the second thing is the herbs, which will stimulate the liver, and it will stimulate the hormonal area, which is dandelion. These are the herbs.
AB: What did you say after dandelion?
DP: Fenugreek. So, Dandelion, and fenugreek, these herbs are ideal for detoxification.
AB: Okay.
DP: They can stimulate your liver function. The liver is one of the main organs, that’s where the fatty liver comes from. In a lot of cases, we’ve been saying for several years, after detoxification for one year, if they do mono fasting for a year, they might never have a fatty liver.
AB: Mono fasting for a year you mean once a week?
DP: Yes, Once a week. If they don’t have a fatty liver, they can get the fats out. Because one of the biggest problems of the human body healing is that healing doesn’t come overnight. Because (our) human (body) is built up of trillions of cells. A car is built of two cells, three cells, and ten cells, or a maximum of 20 cells. But a human is built of trillions of cells, and for each cell to heal, clean, and detoxify, it takes time. That is one of the reasons for fatty liver, at least for a year, they have to do it. The ones that help are like that tea, detoxing tea which I make. It is very good for detoxification in the long run. It also has underlying fenugreek and black pepper, which are the main herbs in the detoxing tea. You can use any tea which will help you to detox, and for liver cleansing, you can use it. And then for the mind, you have to use Brahmi is very good for the mind, it calms down the mind.
AB: So would you recommend Brahmi tea form or tablet form?
DP: Either the tea, you can have your one cup or the tablet form you can take two capsules.
AB: Okay
DP: These are the few herbs which can help you in the long run to stimulate and promote.
AB: So you’re saying have something like a Chyawanprash or an antioxidant?
DP: Yes
AB: Have a herb to help your liver, like fenugreek or dandelion.
DP: Or you can have both, dandelion and fenugreeks together.
AB: Okay or Brahmi
DP: Yes, Brahmi.
AB: Was there anything else?
DP: Complex, which also helps your digestive system to break down energy. Also cumin and cinnamon.
AB: Okay. Cumin and cinnamon also in the food, in the cooking?
DP: In the cooking or otherwise you can make tea.
AB: Okay?
DP: Because if you have a little bit of flabbiness feeling or a bloatation feeling, then you can use the cumin and cinnamon, which is very good. And one of the things I always recommend during this fasting, because fasting is important to have elimination, and the best elimination is one of the Indian herbs called Triphala. One hour before you sleep you can take two tablets, it’s very good for cleansing. And also for circulation, any herb, to improve circulation, is very good. And the best way to improve it if you want to do it yourself is to rub your knuckles, all the knuckles, 30 times each.
AB: So rub each one (knuckles) 30 times?
DP: Yes, each one 30 times.
AB: Okay.
DP: In circular movements 30 times.
AB: Okay.
DP: And that will help you to improve your circulation. Sometimes, what happens is that our body temperature increases, so this will also help you to maintain the body temperature if you have a tendency to have a fever. You can use this to regulate your circulatory system. If you can’t do it because your hands are paining so it’s difficult to do it, you can soak your hand in some tea for ten minutes, and if that’s also difficult, you can just take some Vitamin E.
AB: Okay
DP: Circulation is important. For fasting and intermittent fasting, there are three things that are important. One is the elimination, the bowel movement has to be clean. The second is circulation, it has to be done to rotate, centralize and focus. Otherwise, if you’re fasting but you have a hundred thoughts, you won’t be able to achieve what you’re trying to achieve. For the mind, you can do some sort of meditation. Either you do the TM (Transcendental Meditation), you can do sound meditation, or simply concentrate on your breathing. Meditation will help your mind. Otherwise, you’re doing everything, fasting and intermittent fasting, but you’re unable to connect with your body. You need a connection that will create order in your mind, body and your energy, it has to be in order. Then the energy can look around (to see) where it needs to go. And if your mind is not connected (to your body and energy), you won’t be able to accelerate, like in a car. It’s like when you’re driving a car but you’re not using the gears, so you won’t be able to drive the car.
AB: So you’re saying (practice) mind-body balance through meditation?
DP: Yes, (practising) mind-body balance through meditation will get them maximum benefit out of fasting and intermittent fasting.
AB: So, Dr Doja, thank you for that very valuable information. I’m going to start asking you some of the questions.
DP: Yes, please.
AB: So the first one, in fact, is very relevant. How does one break an intermittent fast? What should one eat?
DP: Most of the (people practising) intermittent fasting has done the research, but they haven’t done enough research. Whatever research they have done, is common sense. But basically, when you’re not eating, you’re producing a lot of acids. Any food (items) that are anti-acid, those kinds of food will help you break the intermittent fasting.
AB: Okay, so what do you recommend?
DP: For anti-acid, I can say cooked apple is an ideal thing.
AB: Okay,
DP: Cooked apple or cucumber juice. Cucumber and carrot juice, mix them together, then have a small amount like half a glass.
AB: Okay. What about like, some people who recommend dates? That’s quite a big one, to break the fast. What is your opinion on that?
DP: Your body needs a certain amount of energy, so you can break it with dates because that will give you energy. The body is starving for some energy and it knows the energy is coming. Like when children are crying, you give them chocolate, so it’s kind of the same thing. Because, if the child is crying, give the child a chocolate and they’ll be happy. You give a piece of sugary thing. (Just like that) the dates will help in telling the body that (some) energy is coming in and not to be afraid of it. So, you can do it with the dates, but I will recommend some sort of anti-acid thing or drink. That will be an ideal way to break your intermittent fasting. Because your stomach produces concentrated hydrochloric acid, and this acid has (to be) balanced. Energy can be rectified later, after you have your energy (dose) or have something bitter. Anything bitter or alkaline.
AB: Anything bitter or alkaline one should take?
DP: Yes, you either have olives, they are high in alkalinity.
AB: Okay.
DP: That’s why they are most important in all the dieting like we are talking about intermittent fastings. 20 years ago, they called it the Mediterranean diet, which is (with) olives.
AB: Yes.
DP: Because one of the major things, ingredients, is the olives. Olives make the blood alkaline. So, any food with alkaline.
AB: And the next question is, what do you recommend reducing hot flashes and what should menopausal women avoid eating? Now, I know that’s a huge topic, so give us a quick summary.
DP: It’s not a huge topic, it’s a natural process. If you make it huge, it is huge, if you don’t, it’s not. It’s a natural transformation that every woman has to go through up to a certain age. It’s a natural process that one has to go through. And the most important thing I have noticed when a woman goes through menopause is that the cell increases the heat and that has to be balanced. And what’s the antidote for those hot flashes? There are two things highly recommended. One is cinnamon tea. You can make it with one inch of cinnamon, put it in hot water, leave it for two minutes, and then strain that water.
AB: Okay. That’s very useful, Dr Doja. Thank you.
DP: Also the rose water. One teaspoon of rose water, half a cup of water and then drink.
AB: Half a cup of warm water or room temperature?
DP: Room temperature water.
AB: Okay
DP: Room temperature water and one teaspoon of rose water. But it should be alcohol-free rose water, which is Iranian or Persian. It should be good quality rose water without any alcohol in it. Alcohol will make it dry. That’s the one you should drink. That’s the one (that will help) to regulate your temperature and reduce the hot flashes. If you go out to public places, you can put the rosewater in a spray bottle, and spray it on your face.
AB: And how many times a day would you recommend drinking these?
DP: These you can have a once-a-day. Whenever you feel your symptom coming, you can have it, or even three, four, five or six times a day. You can have it just to break down the pattern.
AB: Okay.
DP: If you have it two to three times, it should clear out (the symptoms).
AB: Okay. One more question, Dr Doja, you know the supplements you recommended for fasting and intermittent fasting? Can you take those for a long period? They don’t have side effects, do they?
DP: No, they don’t have a side effect. People can take them for a long time because they are rejuvenating herbs and you can fit them into your lifestyle, you can take it. Herbs don’t have side effects. It’s like nourishing herbs and nourishing food, which are very good. Now, three foods are very nourishing, which are papaya and red apples, which are very good for the nourishment of the body.
AB: Papaya and red apples?
DP: Yes, Red apple and even pineapple.
AB: And pineapple. Oh, interesting. Okay.
DP: I have seen in my ten days of the detoxification program or rejuvenation program, I gave them one glass of pineapple juice or one glass of papaya juice every day, without any antioxidants or any vitamins, and within five days their faces started to glow up, like (they are) ten years younger. Just drink the pineapple or papaya juice in the morning.
AB: Yes. Okay. When I did my detox with you, you recommended eating papaya.
DP: As I said with dates, to take them to break down the fasting, you can do that even with papaya, as it is very good to eat as breakfast, to break the fast.
AB: I see. Okay.
DP: Papaya has Pepsin (a digestive enzyme) and it also regulates your liver function. The liver is one of the organs that has a command over everything in the mind-body, only the heart has a job of pumping the blood, but the liver has a job to command over your mind, command over your body, command every cell.
AB: Okay.
DP: The papaya is a very good fruit, nourishing food for the liver.
AB: Okay. Also Dr Doja, what do you recommend for reflux?
DP: Yeah, the reflux is the same thing as the cooked apple, like the children. A lot of children, when they (just) started eating, they eat baked apples. Take two apples, chop them, and boil them for five minutes or (put them) in an oven for five minutes and then bake it. So, baked apples will be very good for that (reflux). And also, there is a homoeopathic remedy called the Nux Vomica, which is very good.
AB: Okay. For reflux?
DP: Yes, for reflux. Because the stomach, every part of the organs, and the body, have compensation areas. So, for stomach reflux, compensation is in two areas, one is— both sides of the jaw and (second) the neck. That will help you with the pressure because with the reflux the pressure comes in. People have been taking anti-acids for years and years, but by just doing this massage, and having the cooked apple for breakfast, the reflux will completely disappear. I have seen this in several cases of reflux.
AB: Oh, I see. Okay.
DP: There’s a saying, in England particularly— You can’t be a successful executive without reflux.
AB: Oh, goodness. Okay.
DP: Every executive in this country, I’m talking about England in particular, all have stomach reflux. They always take things gently, so when they come to me, I don’t give them anything, just tell them to have a cooked apple, and massage your jaw and the back of your neck, and within three months (stomach reflux) it will disappear.
AB: Okay, Dr Doja, we only have time for two quick questions. So I’m going to ask you very quickly. One is, any herbs that you recommend for increasing circulation because you spoke about the massage, but you didn’t talk about the herbs.
DP: So you can have one of the Indian herbs called Arjuna. They’re very good. And Hawthorn is an English herb that they can use.
AB: What was the English herb?
DP: Yes, Hawthorn.
AB: Okay, lovely, thank you. And can you do intermittent fasting if you have a thyroid problem?
DP: I think you can do it. But if you have a thyroid problem because your gland will start malfunctioning, you can start with 2 hours (of fasting), then next week with 4 hours, and then you keep increasing (the duration) like that. See how your body can adjust to fasting, another way to listen to your body to know how much you can start with. So you start with the minimum, like with 2 hours of intermittent fasting. For everything and any kind of problem, we can use fasting. Any elimination, if there’s anything you want to heal, fasting and detoxification is the ideal way to restore your health. It’s the body’s healing mechanism. It helps the body to maintain the process of going, otherwise the process (might) stop.
AB: Okay.
DP: I once saw a man, who used to work in Japan. And for 50 years he didn’t do any kind of fasting or any exercises. What happened is that he ended up getting Alzheimer’s.
AB: Right.
DP: And for 50 years he never did any fasting, any exercises. What happened in the end? He got Alzheimer’s.
AB: Oh goodness.
DP: You haven’t done anything. You could have done it for 1 hour or 2 hours. But, because you stop your healing process, the body lost the mechanism. Like if you don’t drive your car for two weeks. Several people have broken down cars during the lockdown because they didn’t drive. Same way, the body loses its healing pattern if you don’t detox or regularly care of the system. Detoxification and fasting for the body are natural. If you don’t clean your house, if you don’t drive the car, if you don’t look after (yourself), it will create an injury.
AB: Okay, I’m going to ask you one last question before going and that is, I’ve had several people ask this. Can you break one, an intermittent fast with lemon juice and water? And can you have that first thing in the morning? Because you know a lot of people are having it. Does it cause acid?
DP: I am not one of the followers of the lemon juice.
AB: I know.
DP: Because what happened actually changed my mind. Last 20 years I used to say not to have lemon juice. A lot of my clients, particularly the Asian countries, all were saying that my grandfather had it, my father has it, my mother has it, and everyone started fasting with hot water. I said look, for your father and grandfather in those days, they didn’t have any stress, they don’t have any anxieties. Every morning, we are bombarded with anxiety and stress. How do you cope with this acid if it’s not going to be detoxified? It’s not possible.
AB: Right
DP: But the only (time) possibly you can have it is when you’re able to take a holiday, put your feet up, have no stress, nothing. Then you can have it.
AB: Right. Okay. So you’re saying only have it in times of no stress?
DP: Yes, no stress.
AB: Thank you, Dr Doja. That was very informative. And just to let everyone know, Dr Doja did a detox on me, where he healed my frozen shoulder that nobody could sort out. And Dr Doja sorted it out. So I’m very grateful to him and thank you for your time today.
DP: Thank you.
AB: Very useful information. Take care. Thank you.
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