Believe Big Podcast

97-Dr. Antonio Jimenez - The Spiritual and Physical Benefits of Fasting

• Ivelisse Page & Dr. Antonio Jimenez • Season 3 • Episode 97

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In this episode of the Believe Big podcast, host Ivelisse Page welcomes Dr. Antonio Jimenez—affectionately known as Dr. Tony—renowned integrative oncology pioneer and founder of the Hope4Cancer Treatment Centers. Together, they explore a transformative approach to healing: fasting, and its powerful role in both physical wellness and spiritual renewal.

Dr. Tony unpacks the science behind fasting’s impact on cancer treatment, including how it activates 

  • autophagy and mitophagy, 
  • boosts stem cell regeneration, and 
  • supports the body's ability to repair and restore. 

But this conversation goes beyond biology. Dr. Tony and Ivelisse dive deep into the spiritual discipline of fasting, revealing how it can become a sacred rhythm that cultivates gratitude, sharpens focus, deepens our faith, and unlocks emotional resilience in the hardest seasons. With heartfelt stories and practical takeaways, this episode offers guidance for anyone seeking to approach their health—and their spiritual walk—with intentionality and hope.

Whether you’re a patient, caregiver, or simply curious about holistic approaches to healing, this episode offers life-giving insight into how aligning body and spirit can ignite a more vibrant path forward.

Learn more about Dr. Antonio Jimenez 

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Ivelisse Page:

Hi, I am Ivelisse Page and thanks for listening to the Believe Big podcast, the show where we take deep dive into your healing with health experts, integrative practitioners, biblical faith leaders, and cancer thrivers from around the globe. Welcome to today's episode on the Believe Big podcast. My name is Ivelisse Page and I am thankful to spend this time with you. Today on the Believe Big podcast, we are honored to welcome a true pioneer in integrative oncology Dr. Antonio Jimenez, known to many as Dr. Tony. He is the founder and chief medical officer of the world renowned Hope For Cancer Treatment Centers with locations in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. For over 25 years, Dr. Tony has dedicated his life to researching and implementing non-toxic integrative strategies to treat cancer, chronic infections, and immune disorders. Dr. Tony is one of the most trusted voices in the world of integrative cancer therapy today. His seven key principles of cancer therapy, the basis for his comprehensive integrative protocols are discussed in detail in his highly acclaimed book, Hope for Cancer, Seven Principles to Remove Fear and Empower Your Healing Journey. Dr. Jimenez is one of the seven physicians worldwide certified to treat patients with a Gonzalez protocol. He's known as an avid educator who has shared his wisdom with large audiences in dozens of countries across the world through various media, including his free Dr. Tony's Integrative Healing webinar series, which has featured his wisdom every month for the past four years. Today, we're diving into a powerful topic with him fasting, the physical and the spiritual benefits, and exploring how this ancient practice can support healing deep in faith and optimize the body's innate ability to restore itself. Welcome to the podcast, Dr. Tony.

Dr. Tony Jimenez:

Oh, thank you. Thank you for that kind introduction, and I'm happy to be with your Believe Big community. It's so, so important now more than ever because having been working in this oncology field for over 30 years, actually we are now in 2025 seeing younger patients with cancer, more aggressive cancers, and patients that were in remission having recurrences or relapse. So today, not manana, as we say in Mexico, today is a time that we have to be proactive and start, you know, doing a form of integrative oncology, integrative health, actually. Holistic wellness and we'll talk more about that. But I just wanna encourage everyone listening and viewing this, that really be proactive because we really have to take control of our health.

Ivelisse Page:

Yes, absolutely. And we're so thankful for you to be here sharing about your specialty with integrative oncology. But before we get into fasting I always ask our guests what their favorite health tip is. Do you have one that you can share with our audience today?

Dr. Tony Jimenez:

You know, I was giving a clue that you were going to ask me this question, so I thought about it and I could put it this way, and I wrote some notes about this, is slow down and breathe deeply and often. Slow down and breathe deeply and often. So the question is why? First, we know that it lowers stress instantly, which that it impacts your immune system, your digestion, your sleep, your mood, your recovery, all these things, and it connects you to the present moment and to your body, because nowadays, you know, it's go, go, go, go, go. And and this brings us into a sympathetic dominant, which is the fight or flight, the tigers chasing us. And if you are going through that cancer healing journey, this is not a good state of healing because stress hormone is elevated, immune system is off. Hormones are off. Emotionally, you're off. Spiritually, you're out of balance. So it's so important to slow down. And I wrote something here and I think it was a spiritual download and I said there's a kind of healing that comes only when we stop and start noticing God in the quiet, beauty in the ordinary. And we take that breath as a gift, right? And so, and if we go a little further in the spiritual aspect of it, I believe that taking that breath and stopping is a form of prayer. And the breath of life is sacred. It says in Genesis 2:7, when you slow down and breathe, it's like saying, God I'm here. I'm here for you. So. So important to inhale grace and exhale anxiety. And you know, this world nowadays, whether it's a social media or so many stresses, the anxiety is a big thing, right? And I know that it happens to all of us at some point in our life, in our daily walk in this earthly world.

Ivelisse Page:

Yes. You know, you're so right and that's something that doesn't cost any money and Right. You can do it anywhere, wherever you are. And one of the things that I've learned the last two years, I'm doing a spiritual direction course, and with Soul Shepherding, and they're teaching about breath prayers, which it's so easy to do deep breathing, but breathing in a portion of scripture and releasing the second half, or breathing in, Jesus, I need you. And releasing all of the anxieties of the day and just that simple practice of not only deep breathing, but also incorporating scripture or positive affirmations can really help to get your mind activated as well, and to release the stress that we carry that we don't know. And you know, I always say the monks had it right too. They have something called statio, which, they arrive early to appointments, to meetings because it allows you to be in that present moment, like you were talking about, to take that time to get there ahead so that you can breathe and you can be present without rushing from one thing to the next. So that's another aspect I've been trying to do better at, is to arrive early and to be able to breathe. So thank you. That's a fantastic tip to share with our audience today. And fasting, we hear it all the time. It's everywhere. Intermittent fasting, fasting before protocols, before treatments to make them more effective. And so I wanted to ask you, as one of the experts in this is. Let's, I'm gonna ask you a few questions about the physical benefits of fasting, but one aspect that a lot of people in our audience don't hear about is the spiritual aspects of fasting. So we'll get into that next. So to start us off, what role does fasting play in improving the biological terrain? You know, that supports our healing from cancer and other chronic diseases.

Dr. Tony Jimenez:

Yes, and this is important because the biological terrain is, I think it's everything, right? We're born with a healthy terrain, and as we go through life and we get a little older and we're exposed to toxins, that terrain becomes toxic. And this is why I always say that cancer is truly. An opportunistic disease, as are many other health challenges. So when we're fasting on a physical level, biologically, what we're doing is simply, let's remember three things. One is autophagy, so that means that damage cells are able to kill themselves. And that's called program, program cell death. Right? Program cell. That's what happens every second of every day. The challenge is when those damaged cells do not apoptosis, which is the medical word, apoptosis, they don't apoptosis. They can't repair themselves, and then they go rogue, and that's what a cancer cell is. So when we're fasting, we're increasing the body's ability to apoptosis, to kill itself autophagy. The second aspect, which is related is mitophagy and that's related to the mitochondria. We might think simply that the mitochondria is the energy pack of the cell producing A P T, the energy of the cell. For example, the heart is rich in mitochondria. Thousands of mitochondrias in the heart, maybe hundreds of thousands. The brain, each of the vital organs, the liver, the lung, the brain, the kidneys full of mitochondria. Of course the muscles. So when we are fasting, we again, are able to apoptosis those mitochondrias that are damaged or dysfunctional for many reasons, right? Nutritional deficiencies, toxicity, pathogens, parasites, negative thoughts. I was quoted as saying years ago, A negative thought can kill you faster than a bad germ, right? So that's so important. So we have autophagy. We have mitophagy. And another very important that forms that trifecta that I talked about. The three points is stem cell production. And so when we're fasting, our body is regenerating stem cell production, and these are healthy stem cell that help repair, regenerate, and restore tissues. And in doing that, we're going to have a healthier immune system. Our endocrine or hormone system is going to be more optimal. So then the question is, how long should we fast? Right? And I guess I'm asking your questions. I'm not sure.

Ivelisse Page:

I was just gonna ask you that.

Dr. Tony Jimenez:

Okay. So when we when we fast, let's say for eight hours. And that's when the body turns to glycogen reserves, these are glucose is stored as glycogen, mainly in the liver. So a fast of about eight hours, it turns to that glycogen reserve to enable the liver and the muscles to release that glycogen and get energy. But the point, the most important part of fasting is when we're over 12 hours. When we're over a 12 hour, that's when the body starts burning excess fat reserves and forms ketones. And then this is the body's way to use these ketones instead of glucose to produce energy. So we think, wow, I'm fasting. Am I going to have less energy? On the contrary, you're gonna have energy that is more useful, you're gonna burn fats and you're going to increase muscle tone as well. So it's kind of a lot of things happening at the same time. But for example, in my situation, I eat with an eight hour window, right? I have my first meal at about 10, 10:30 AM and then my last meal about six, 6:30 PM And so I'm intermittently fasting every day from let's say, 7:00 PM. To 10:00 AM and that's what, that's 15 hours. So when you get to 12, between 12 and 16 hours of fasting, it's brilliant. It's amazing how the body is recovering, repairing and regenerating, and seven, eight of those hours you're sleeping anyway. So it's a way that we can all, you know, achieve this. And I might say that fasting in a cancer patient or someone has a an acute, you know disease process that they're going to have time. We have to be very careful and you should not do these fast unless your medical provider, you know, is guiding you and you're walking through this with him or her. And so if that is your situation, you know, we could fast from other things. We could fast from tv, we could fast from social media, we could fast from our spouses. No, that's just kidding. But you know, there's other ways that we could fast to get these physical and mental health benefits. So we're also supporting detoxification pathways. Right. Detoxification pathways, which is the skin purging, the kidneys, the bowels, negative thoughts because that's when the spiritual aspect of fasting comes into play. And I wrote something here that I want to make sure I mention that. It's when we fast, we need self-control. And we need discipline, right? And when we do this especially in, in, in chronic disease, in cancer patients wonderful things happen. But I must say, be careful, you know, be medically guided. Getting medical guidance is specifically if you are going through, you know, an acute phase because we don't want to deplete nutrients either, right? So for example, in our stage four cancer patients or patients that are very compromised we're very careful with recommendations to fast, with respect to food. But as I said, right, there's many other ways that we can fast as well.

Ivelisse Page:

Yeah, and you know, and I think it's like you said it exactly right, that if you're listening to this and you are a cancer patient, that is something that you have to make sure you're doing alongside of your medical practitioner that's helping you because yeah, you wanna make sure that you're doing it at the right times that is gonna be best for your body. For someone who's not in a cancering process and may just have a chronic illness, what are your recommendations as far as fasting besides the eating window? Do you recommend, you know, some of, some people are doing those three day water fasts or things like that to once a month? Or what are your recommendations for others?

Dr. Tony Jimenez:

Yeah, it's always individualized and personalized. We're blessed at Hope For Cancer, that we have a nutritionist on board. And so whether it's for our wellness program, we also have a wellness center in our Cancun facility. So, whether it's for wellness, whether it's cancer patients or other autoimmune disease patients, it's really individualized. I'm not evading the question, but the general recommendation is that we have to figure out, you have to figure out what works for you. And today, interestingly enough, right? It's good Friday. Yes. And the Catholics, they can consider fasting today till Sunday, resurrection day. And then start with water and tea and see how you do, add some electrolytes or minerals or little sea salt to your water. And be careful and follow your body, right. Don't push it too much because that stress on the body can not always is beneficial. With respect to cancer patients, I don't like prolonged fast in general. The shorter, fast can be very beneficial, but always individualizing listening to your body and then taking it a step at a time.

Ivelisse Page:

Yeah. What are some of the key physical markers, like in blood sugar or inflammation levels that you see improve with consistent fasting practices?

Dr. Tony Jimenez:

Yes, that's true. It's we know that cancer let's make it simplified, four factors in cancer. All cancers are inflammatory conditions. They're low oxygen conditions, they are acidic conditions and low temperature. So when we're looking at inflammatory parameters like C reactive protein and something called sed rate, or we could get a little bit more complex and do interleukin 6(IL-6), but C reactive protein and sed rate are two basic fundamental inflammatory markers that we should all h ave periodically, and if you're in the cancer healing journey, more often than not. And so we see that in fasting, these inflammatory markers decrease, which is what we want to see. And also sometimes we've seen cancer markers. For example, in colon cancer, which you're very familiar with there's that CEA marker carcinoembryonic antigen. There's another marker that cross reacts with colon cancer. It's not typically considered a colon cancer marker as the CA 19-9 and that's typically for pancreatic cancer. But we have seen in many of our colon cancer patients that we monitor, the CA 19-9, so we could see shifts in those markers as well. That is beautiful. And when you're fasting, consider, you know, walking a little bit, doing oxygen the breathing that we talked about first. So this is going to increase that second factor in cancer with low oxygen. We want to increase oxygen stores and then we become less acidic when we're fasting, right? And hopefully then if we are careful and maybe integrate near infrared sauna. We could increase temperature also because eight out of 10 cancer patients have low temperature. If we consider 98.6 Fahrenheit or 37 degrees Celsius being the normal body temperature. We have patients that are a degree, and a half, two, sometimes even three degrees lower, and this favors a cancer situation or further metastasis or progression of the disease.

Ivelisse Page:

Yes. And what is the average number you know, that you want someone CRP to be or the sedimentation rate to be? Yes. What is like a good number to shoot for?

Dr. Tony Jimenez:

Yeah. It depends on the lab. They have different normal ranges, but typically a zero to five. And if we do the high sensitivity C-reactive protein, H-S-C-R-P, that could be zero to one. So ideally and optimally I prefer one or below. Right.

Ivelisse Page:

Okay. Yes. Okay. That's great. So the spiritual benefits of fasting, you know, you've traveled to over 70 countries learning about healing. How have you seen the spiritual part of fasting practiced across different cultures and traditions?

Dr. Tony Jimenez:

That's a good question because for example, I was looking at a book called Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough, which I recommend for anyone is The Nine Biblical Fasts. And they talk about the Discipline Fast. It's freeing yourself and others from addictions to sin, like pornography, unhealthy thoughts and so forth. There's the Paul Fast and that that's to bring clearer perspective and insight in critical decision making. And this is interesting because in two weeks I'm going to follow the steps of Paul. I'm going to Turkey and Greece, so I'll think about this Paul Fast and there's the Daniel Fast and there's many other biblical fasts. But if we look at different faiths and denominations we know that every faith, whether it is the Jewish faith, you know, even Buddhist and all the different faiths, the Muslim fasting is in embedded in their faith. So, and why is that? Is because fasting redirects your focus from the earthly, to the Godly, to the creator, right? And you gain, you gain like a spiritual clarity of thought, spiritual clarity of thought. And what does this mean? This means that, wow, now I could hear the voice of God, clearer, right? I had a, I have a story. We had a patient, he was originally from Brazil, lived now in the LA, California area, and he's in our Tijuana treatment center. And the assigned doctor said, Dr. Tony, this patient wants to talk to you. And I said, oh, let me see the chart. And he said, no, he doesn't want to talk to you about anything medical. And I'm like, okay. So I went to his room and he starts crying as soon as I walk in and he says, thank you, Dr. Tony. I'm like, what happened? He said, well, I thought my heavenly father doesn't, didn't love me anymore, that he had abandoned me. And I asked him, why is this? And he says, well, I've kind of been doing a lot of bad stuff. And he started to name all the bad stuff he is been doing. And then he said, here, at this treatment center, I heard God speak to me and he said four words. And those four words were, son, I love you. And that for him maybe this is not about fasting, but it's a powerful story when we have that clarity that clear mind and we're fasting and then we're, we could hear God's voice clearly, right? Yes. And for this patient that made all the difference for him, he actually told me, you know what, doctor Tony, it doesn't matter what happens to the cancer anymore. Because now I know that my heavenly father hasn't abandoned me because he loves me, he forgives me, and I am created in his image. And so thankfully he did do well with the cancer and became cancer free, NED. So that's another aspect, right? When we are fasting and we're in that spiritual wellness that the can see, we're in a high vibratory state. The resonance, the frequency when we're in this fasting and we're, when we're close to our spiritual self and our creator, the cancer's like, oh, you know, this is light. I'm dark. I can't coexist in this environment. So great things happen. But I did make a list of four spiritual benefits of fasting, and number one is it deepens the spiritual connection. So I'm saying these as highlights for all your viewers. Believe Big, right? So one is it deepens your spiritual connection. Two is it cultivates patience and self-control. How many times in your life and in your healing, which I believe now it's been what, 17 years?

Ivelisse Page:

15, right? Yes. Yeah. Yes.

Dr. Tony Jimenez:

Of being cancer free and having to have that patience and self-control, whether it's to fast or get on the, you know, continue your good nutrition program, and I commend you, and I'm so proud of you because you continue to be proactive and to take care of yourself in all aspects of that. And number three of the spiritual benefits of fasting, it promotes gratitude. And again, that word mindfulness, right? When we're taking that breath, we're having that spiritual connection. So, it gives us like a hunger and a thirst that goes beyond the physical and goes to that deeper sense of gratitude, that deeper sense of peace, and to go to the ultimate source of love, which is the Lord our God our creator. And if you look at a chart of energy and on my on going, let's say from right to left on the right, we have shame, which is the lowest frequency emotion. And as we go from right to left, we're going to the ultimate highest frequency, which is love, which is God. And so, and that can only hap not only, but you know, in mindfulness and that breath and that slowing down. And then number four for the spiritual benefits of fasting is it encourages reflection and clarity. Because I see that a lot patients don't really understand or people don't understand, like, why did I have this cancer? Why does this happen? Or why me God. So during this fasting and the spiritual benefit of encouraging reflection, unity with our creator and clarity that God did not give you this cancer, because, believe it or not, I have had patients tell me that when they asked their oncologist, Hey, doc, why did I get diagnosed with this cancer? I have a loving spouse. My kids are wonderful. I love my work. I eat good, I exercise, and the oncologist has told some of my patients, God gave it to you. And I'm like, oh, really? That's the furthest thing from the truth, right? So, so those are my four big topics or benefits of spiritual fa the spiritual fasting aspect.

Ivelisse Page:

So what do you tell patients that have their oncologists or others have said that God gave you this cancer, you know, what is your advice to them or what is your insight as a man of faith as to why this cancering process was occurring? If they're eating well and you know, they have a loving family and all the things that they mentioned to you.

Dr. Tony Jimenez:

Yes. First of all, I have to take that idea out of their brain because, you know, the doctors with the white coats and all the degrees in their wall, you know, they're, sometimes you patients believe them, every single word. So the first thing is to first assure them that God is all loving, all good. And he will never do that. And disease and cancer is not of God, right? Secondly is that we have to dig deep into what is, what are the potential reasons. It's not bad luck, it's not genetic. Two, only 2.5 to 5% of all cancers are truly genetic in nature. So when the oncologist asks you or asks you, well, did your father, your mother, your uncle, your sister, your aunt have cancer? And you say, yes. Then they tell you that's why you had it. But if you say no, they scratch your head and that's when things crazy things comes out like, oh, it's bad luck. Because now they figured it's not genetic and so it's bad luck or God gave it to you. Or I have patients say, you did something to deserve it. Right. So it's not about that. So to answer your question, and it's the topic of my first book, Hope For Cancer, that you mentioned, Seven Key Principles to Remove Fear and Empower Your Healing. And all you have to do is open it. And on the top here are the seven key principles. And so we have to dig deep into this. One of them is emotional and spiritual, and that's my third book coming out later this year is Emotions in Cancer. And we have a program called BEST Program, BEST, which stands for Behavioral, Emotional and Spiritual Transformation. And so we have to go deep, and look at the emotional, the traumas, the conflicts, because like, like the question, right? We have patients that are NFL cheerleaders, they're fit, they're healthy, they're happy, great relationships, and then breast cancer, right? So then we have to look at emotional component and it's even biblical. It could be even three generations from the person. And so is it from coming from traumas and conflict, we see a lot of sexual abuse in patients with breast cancer, for example. A lot of territorial conflicts in the family with respect to bladder cancer. So it depends where the cancer is located. And then we track. And they do chronology of conflicts and trauma in life. And the beauty is when the person becomes aware of this, then the letting go process is so amazingly powerful and cancer doesn't have a reason to be. And I've seen, I mean, I couldn't believe it unless, you know, only when I see it because they didn't teach this to us in medical school when tumors can go away like that. And I have hundreds of examples that I've seen throughout the years of when we let go of that unresolved traumatic shock experience that we did not have a solution to that are still there. But when we let go of that. It's amazing what could happen. It's almost like miraculous. And I always say buried feelings, never die. So I encourage everyone listening to this Believe Big podcast and others that you've done to really do an introspective analysis and be objective, right? Without any bias. Start writing down in a notepad, not on your computer, an iPad or tablet. Stuff in life, we all are carrying stuff, right? And we need to remove that. Forgive, let it go and heal. And that's when the true healing even takes like a quantum leap instead of healing slowly we could take quantum leaps in our healing and it's so, it's so gratifying to see that the patients that do this work. They reap the benefits. So you have a tough guy from Montana or Wyoming or Texas where I live, or Colorado, where you live and you know, you come in Hope For Cancer with cowboy boots and a hat and say, oh, this is not for me. Give yourself that benefit of the doubt. Explore the emotional correlation with cancer because it's always there.

Believe Big:

We hope you're enjoying today's episode with Dr. Tony Jimenez. This spring Believe Big is on a mission to bring hope where it's needed most, and with your help that hope can truly bloom. Imagine hearing the words, your child has cancer. For Jason and Melissa Jacobi, that nightmare became a reality when their 2-year-old son Luca was diagnosed with leukemia. It's a moment no family should have to face alone. And because of supporters like you, they didn't. Thanks to your generosity, Believe Big was able to stand beside the Jacobis providing financial support, vital education, and access to integrative therapies that brought light into their darkest days. This season, you can help Hope Bloom again. Your gift today becomes a lifeline to families facing cancer, bringing relief, healing, and strength when they need it most. To give simply text BELIEVEBIG(no spaces) to 5 3 5 5 5 on your smartphone. That's BELIEVEBIG to 5 3 5 5 5. Thank you for Believing Big and helping families like Luca's find hope again.

Ivelisse Page:

Yes, I agree a hundred percent. And proof of what you said, you know, because 15 years ago I did have stage four colon cancer and I realized that it, during that season that there are a lot of spiritual and emotional roots to disease. And in that case, for me it was unforgiveness that I had and even to God himself, you know, for losing my father and other things that had happened in my past. But, even following my health and organic foods and PEMF mats and all the things that I had done over the last, gosh, 13 years, up to two years ago when I had gotten endometrial cancer. Thankfully it was stage one A, I realized that there was a big piece missing and I was putting so much importance into my physical health that I was not really focusing on that emotional side and went to burnout, was burying things that had hurt me, some betrayals in my life and other things that I didn't realize that all those things caused my cortisol level to rise, caused my insulin levels to rise, which allowed cancer to have an opportunity to grow once again. And this last time I really dug deep into that emotional side and like that mapping that you're talking about. And it is just incredible to discover things like you're saying during this fasting time. Time of quiet, solitude for God to speak in and say. It's time to release that layer of the onion that you've held onto and let's peel the next one And he's a gentle God, so it's not like you have to do it all at one time, but I know that was a huge factor in my healing and why I do think so differently today to make sure that not only my physical health good, but my emotional and my spiritual health is in good shape too. So that we can walk in that freedom, we can walk in that release and renewal each day that, that the Lord has given us. So Dr. Tony, thank you so much for all of these nuggets of wisdom that you shared today. And I wanted to ask you, when does your emotional healing book come out?

Dr. Tony Jimenez:

That comes out in November of 2025 this year. So, yeah, look out for that. And maybe I could close because I wanna give everyone a few tips for fasting. Yes. And yes, I would love that one is plan your fast. And first of all, this fast is for you. It's not something, you know, you have to tell everyone on social media or Facebook. This is your time and this is your opportunity to, to promote healing and wellness. So plan your fast. Consider your schedule, right? Consider your schedule. Tell only the people that you must, like I mentioned. Wean yourself, if you're a coffee drinker, start weaning yourself of caffeine. I believe caffeine is something that we should all consider stopping. Interestingly, I was born in Columbia, South America. And I don't like coffee. I don't like the taste of coffee. I don't like the smell of coffee. Contrary to my wife, she does still have like half a cup in the morning. But wean yourself off caffeine because again the caffeine gives brings you to that sympathetic dominant cortisol high, you know, state. And then the next is disconnect yourself from distraction. Even if it's a food fast or you know you are doing a water fast, disconnect yourself from distraction. I was blessed two, three weeks ago to take a trip with my family to the Dominican Republic and I said, you know, I got into the hotel room and I put my phone in the safe. And I didn't take it out till we were going to the airport on our way back home. So disconnect yourself from distraction. Be aware of your emotions. So this is a time during fast to reflect and have the clarity and see these emotions come out so you could release them, let them go as you're talking about, right? And get enough rest. Don't push the body too much, right? Your body will tell you and get enough rest and keep yourself physically active. As I mentioned before, short walks or if it's longer walks for you, it's very individual and personalized. And then lastly the tips for fasting. Again, as we started, be still and focus on God.

Ivelisse Page:

I love it. Thank you Dr. Tony so much. And maybe in the fall, once your book comes out on emotional healing, that you could come on and share your wisdom about that topic as well. But thank you for taking time. I know you're super busy and I know that this POS podcast is gonna be a great encouragement to all those who listen.

Dr. Tony Jimenez:

Thank you for having me, and I look forward to being back when the Emotions in Cancer book comes out, blessing everyone. Keep up. Remember, cancer is not a death word. It's an opportunity to stop, be still, get closer to God and heal and what better example than you and Believe Big. Thank you so much.

Ivelisse Page:

If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support our podcast, please subscribe and share it with others. Be sure to visit believebig.org to access the show notes and discover our bonus content. Thanks again and keep Believing Big!