抄録
We evaluated the effects of fasting on symptoms in 15 fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) patients and 6 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients over 10 days in an open, non-randomized, controlled study. The results revealed significantly greater improvement (p＜0.05) in the visual analogue scale (VAS) of pain in the 13 out of 15 FMS patients who completed the fasting versus the 6 RA patients in the10 days duration.
Both groups reduced in body weight with a significant average loss of 5 kg (p＜0.01) respectively. The appearance of Ketone bodies in urine did not seem to affect the level of pain reduction. Obviously, the VAS score of the RA group showed a different pattern in the10days duration compared to the FMS group.
The RA group showed a relatively “straight line pattern”. That is within the10 days, relatively insignificant fluctuation in the VAS was observed within the entire group. On the other hand, almost every one in the FMS group showed a “fluctuated line pattern” of aggravation, and after that the VAS score rapidly decreased. As a marked decrease in the VAS score occurred when starvation appeared, it suggested the sensation of starvation played an important role in the disappearance of bodily pains with the FMS group.
It is therefore concluded that fasting therapy has a beneficial effect on FMS symptoms, as compared to the insignificant effect on RA symptoms, at least in a short period such as 10 days.
