Fantastic, I recommend a Dr. Jones retreat to anyone eligible and who wants to dramatically improve their health and get serious about it, including an improvement in their waistline.
My husband and I attended a 3 day "Intro to Fasting" retreat with Dr. Ariel Jones. I learned so much about fasting, much more than I could have on any of those online forums (they really are repeating some misinformation there.)
A three day fasting retreat is a week, because the equally crucial parts of the fasting is preparation and BREAKING the fast (hence the word breakfast! It does not mean the morning meal full of sugar!) We were given strict instructions of what to eat and not eat before the fast, and even more important instructions for after the fast, for which she was present for the first few days and we had directions to take home. One only has to look into Re-Feeding Syndrome and realize how crucial it is you have an experienced fasting literate doctor at your side helping you re introduce foods safely and slowly, with follow up with the doctor afterwards. I cannot say this enough - It matters how you break your fast, with what foods, and how slowly, so yes BREAK FAST really is the most important meal. Just so happens we break fast after sleeping every day usually in the morning.
On the first day, we were welcomed warmly into a lovely home Dr Jones secured for the group. On the green juice days that sandwiched the fasting days, we enjoyed amazing nutrition from K+I juices which were organic and not diluted, just pure. On fast days we were treated to yoga by an absolutely lovely and charming lady named Cedar Sorensen, we were shown how to do enemas daily to get bile moving and remove toxins that can cause nausea (which NOBODY discusses in the forums!), daily meditation, daily meet ups for group discussions about our revelations and share what we are going through, demonstrations on how to make sprouts and raw probiotic sauerkraut with explanations about their importance and benefits, and some optional services were available if we wanted buy those (acupuncture by Dr Jones herself, massage by Kim, colonics by The Healthy Colon - shout out to Tammy!). Another amazing thing was having a special interactive discussion and exercise facilitated by a wonderful lady name Julia who had us dig deep and ask ourselves some big questions, discover some revelations and become aware of obstacles to our own happiness in life. At night we had some time to watch some lectures as a group about fasting, and have some group chats, otherwise the week was packed! We were not sitting bored on our phones that's for sure.
Dr. Jones monitored us with blood testing before and after, daily check up of vitals. She shared amazing knowledge about fasting, autophagy, the healing benefits and was there to discuss any questions we had about the most personal things. She counselled us through all things physical and emotional.
On the second last day, went to the grocery store together to buy items we would need for a special healing concoction we would be having during the reintroduction phase and taught us how to make it so we could do it at home. That night, she took us around the backyard, neighbourhood, and local park to teach us about the local plant medicines. our last night it was especially lovely as we caught the sunset in a beautiful park that was also a Garry Oak sanctuary.
The last day we had a touching closing ceremony and said our goodbyes, healthier, lighter, and amazed at our mental strength, and very grateful for the knowledge, experience and Dr. Jones' genuine desire to help us live our best and healthiest lives. I have come out it having all the benefits promised and surprised myself with my mental toughness. I have also reset my cravings and appetite, something I always struggled with. I don't think I can put into words how much I've... EVOLVED with this retreated. It's just taken me to another level. All from one week.
Dr Jones even continued to help me in particular after wards as I had some special circumstances, an extremely kind and generous person. Dr. Jones is smart, caring, knowledgeable about many areas of health, and passionate about what she does. We highly recommend her to anyone wanting to get into the world of fasting in a safe and supervised setting, especially if you're on medication or have other health concerns.
As opposed to going on yet another indulgent trip full of booze, wine, shopping, and who knows what else you get into, why not go on a trip where you actually come back healthier, stronger, lighter and proud of yourself? read more
