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ABOUT DR. ALAN GOLDHAMER
Dr. Alan Goldhamer is a doctor of chiropractic and the founder of TrueNorth Health Center in Santa Rosa, California. Since 1984, he has supervised more than 25,000 fasting patients and published 24 papers in peer-reviewed journals. He is the author of The Pleasure Trap and co-author of Can Fasting Save Your Life? He will be presenting new research on extending health span at the NHA Annual Conference, June 25 to 28, 2026.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE
• What water fasting is and how it differs from intermittent or modified fasting
• Which conditions respond best to medically supervised water fasting
• The real risks of fasting and how they are managed in a clinical setting
• Why the refeeding phase after a fast is just as important as the fast itself
• Who should not fast – and how TrueNorth determines candidacy
• How salt, oil, and sugar override the brain’s satiety system
• How to access TrueNorth coaching without traveling to the facility
• The Navigator Study and what 3,000 patients tracked over a lifetime will reveal
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EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
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What Are the Benefits of Water Fasting?
According to Dr. Goldhamer, the conditions that respond most consistently to water fasting are those caused by dietary excess, specifically, the chronic overconsumption of salt, oil, and sugar. These three ingredients are not food. They are hyper-concentrated components of food that override the brain’s dopamine system, causing people to systematically eat more than they need.
The result over time is visceral fat – a metabolically active tissue that behaves like a tumor, releasing inflammatory compounds and driving a cascade of disease. Water fasting interrupts this cycle at the source.
The conditions with the strongest evidence base at TrueNorth include:
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Obesity and metabolic disease
- Type 2 diabetes
- Autoimmune conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, ankylosing spondylitis, asthma, eczema, and psoriasis
- Certain forms of cancer, particularly lymphoma, with published case series now including 10-year cancer-free follow-up data
Dr. Goldhamer is careful to note that fasting is not a cure. It is a management strategy and it only works when combined with sustained dietary and lifestyle change after the fast ends.
Is Water Fasting Safe?
This is the question Dr. Goldhamer has spent 42 years answering with data. The short answer: yes, when done under appropriate medical supervision and proper protocols are followed.
TrueNorth uses a three-part framework for every fasting patient:
- Candidacy assessment: detailed medical history, physical examination, and lab work to determine who is and is not appropriate for fasting
- Monitoring during the fast: patients are checked twice daily to catch and address potential complications, particularly dehydration
- Controlled refeeding: how you come off a fast matters as much as the fast itself. Inappropriate refeeding can cause edema, refeeding syndrome, and in serious cases, life-threatening complications
TrueNorth has published the first extensive fasting safety study on prolonged medically supervised water fasting, providing the peer-reviewed evidence base that most critics of fasting do not acknowledge.
Who Is Not a Good Candidate for Water Fasting?
Not everyone should fast. Dr. Goldhamer identifies several contraindications:
- People with depletion conditions or nutritional deficiencies
- Individuals with conditions that do not typically respond to fasting
- Anyone with significant irrational fear of fasting or its symptoms, since psychological resistance interferes with the process
- People unable to access medically supervised care for extended fasts
For fasts longer than 24 hours, Dr. Goldhamer recommends against doing them at home without medical oversight – particularly for people who have not fasted before. Short supervised fasts or modified fasting protocols can sometimes be done remotely with TrueNorth coaching and a supportive local physician.
How to Access TrueNorth Health Center
TrueNorth Health Center is located in Santa Rosa, California and has 85 patient rooms for residential fasting programs. For those who cannot travel, TrueNorth doctors are available for remote health coaching. Patients complete an online medical history review and can access a free initial conversation to assess candidacy.
Remote coaching does not include prescriptions or formal diagnosis but can provide guidance, education, and in some cases, remote fasting support in coordination with a local physician.
Learn more at: https://www.truenorthhealth.com
Join the NHA True North Community
If water fasting and plant-based living are part of your health journey, the NHA True North Community is built for you. It is a dedicated space for people interested in water fasting and healthy plant-based living to connect, learn, and support each other.
Join Dr. Goldhamer at the NHA Conference
Dr. Goldhamer will be presenting brand-new research on extending health span at the NHA Annual Conference, June 25 to 28, 2026. This will be the first time this research has been publicly presented… it is not available anywhere else.
Learn more and register: https://checkout.healthscience.org/2026-nha-conference
Books Mentioned in This Episode
The Pleasure Trap by Dr. Alan Goldhamer and Dr. Douglas Lisle
Can Fasting Save Your Life? by Dr. Alan Goldhamer and Dr. Tasha Myers
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LINKS AND RESOURCES
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NHA Annual Conference (June 25 to 28, 2026)
Follow Dr. Esser on Socials: @esserhealth
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ABOUT NHA TODAY
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NHA Today is the official podcast of the National Health Association, one of the oldest health science organizations in the world, founded in the 1940s. Hosted by Dr. Stephan Esser, MD, a fourth-generation plant-based eater and grandson of NHA co-founder Dr. William L. Esser, the show delivers science-based, practical conversations to help you live your most vital life. New episodes every week.
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