There are different kinds of fasting:

• Fasting mimicking, when you body thinks you are fasting but you get to eat very specific foods

• Intermittent fasting, also known as time restricted eating

• Fasting  - eating/drinking nothing but water or restricting to one or very few foods (e.g. juice fasts)

The Fasting Mimicking Diet 

"The ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet is the first and only meal program that has gone through clinical trials at the University of Southern California and been patented for its anti-aging effects!  This 5-day meal program provides scientifically researched micro- and macro-nutrients in precise quantities and combinations that nourish you, but are not recognized as food by your body! The ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet is your secret to fasting – with real and delicious food. Join the health trend of fasting without going hungry!" - ProLon website

It is a completely plant based regimen that is very simple to use and usually well tolerated. There are some people who should not use it however, they include those with diabetes, those with overly active metabolisms especially due to certain illnesses and those who cannot tolerate a restrictive caloric intake. We can help guide you in deciding if it would be appropriate and safe for you. For most people it not only save but definitely rejuvenating!

The 5 day kit includes everything you will eat for those days. You should not eat anything else than what is in each days' box. You should stay well hydrated, ideally with non-caffeinated, non-sugary beverages - meaning water and herbal tea (which is provided). If you cannot go without your coffee, you may have plain black coffee.

Kits retail at $250 for the full 5 days and are available directly from MIMI. If you purchase 3 or more at once they are discounted to $225 per kit. Online ordering information coming soon!

For information direct from ProLon, the manufacturer of the FMD (developed by Dr. Valter Longo Director of USC's Longevity Institute) click here

Intermittent fasting 

An eating plan that switches between fasting and eating on a regular schedule. Research shows that intermittent fasting is a way to manage your weight and prevent — or even reverse — some forms of disease.

Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Mark Mattson has studied intermittent fasting for 25 years. He says our bodies have evolved to be able to go without food for many hours, or even several days or longer. In prehistoric times, before humans learned to farm, they were hunters and gatherers who evolved to survive — and thrive — for long periods without eating. They had to: It took a lot of time and energy to hunt game and gather nuts and berries.

How does intermittent fasting work? 

There are several different ways to do intermittent fasting, but they are all based on choosing regular time periods to eat and fast. For instance, you might try eating only during an eight-hour period each day and fast for the remainder. Or you might choose to eat only one meal a day two days a week. There are many different intermittent fasting schedules.

Mattson says that after hours without food, the body exhausts its sugar stores and starts burning fat. He refers to this as metabolic switching.

“Intermittent fasting contrasts with the normal eating pattern for most Americans, who eat throughout their waking hours,” Mattson says. “If someone is eating three meals a day, plus snacks, and they’re not exercising, then every time they eat, they’re running on those calories and not burning their fat stores.”

Intermittent fasting works by prolonging the period when your body has burned through the calories consumed during your last meal and begins burning fat.

Intermittent Fasting Benefits

Research shows that the intermittent fasting periods do more than burn fat. Mattson explains, “When changes occur with this metabolic switch, it affects the body and brain.”

One of Mattson’s studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed data about a range of health benefits associated with the practice. These include a longer life, a leaner body and a sharper mind.

“Many things happen during intermittent fasting that can protect organs against chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, age-related neurodegenerative disorders, even inflammatory bowel disease and many cancers,” he says.

Here are some intermittent fasting benefits research has revealed so far:

• Thinking and memory. Studies discovered that intermittent fasting boosts working memory in animals and verbal memory in adult humans.

• Heart health. Intermittent fasting improved blood pressure and resting heart rates as well as other heart-related measurements.

• Physical performance. Young men who fasted for 16 hours showed fat loss while maintaining muscle mass. Mice who were fed on alternate days showed better endurance in running.

• Type 2 diabetes and obesity. In animal studies, intermittent fasting prevented obesity. And, in six brief studies, obese adult humans lost weight through intermittent fasting. People with type 2 diabetes may benefit: Most of the available research shows that intermittent fasting can help people lose body weight and lower their levels of fasting glucose, fasting insulin and leptin while reducing insulin resistance, decreasing levels of leptin and increasing levels of adiponectin. Certain studies found that some patients practicing intermittent fasting with supervision by their doctors were able to reverse their need for insulin therapy.

• Tissue health. In animals, intermittent fasting reduced tissue damage in surgery and improved results.

Is intermittent fasting safe?

Some people try intermitting fasting for weight management, and others use the method to address chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, high cholesterol or arthritis. But intermittent fasting isn’t for everyone.

Before you try intermittent fasting (or any diet), you should check in with your care practitioner first. Some people should steer clear of trying intermittent fasting:

• Children and teens under age 18.

• Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

• People with type 1 diabetes who take insulin. While an increasing number of clinical trials have shown that intermittent fasting is safe in people with type 2 diabetes, there have been no studies in people with type I diabetes. Mattson explains, “Because those with type I diabetes take insulin, there is a concern that an intermittent fasting eating pattern may result in unsafe levels of hypoglycemia during the fasting period.”

• Those with a history of eating disorders.

People not in these categories who can do intermittent fasting safely can continue the regimen indefinitely. 

Keep in mind that intermittent fasting may have different effects on different people. Talk to your doctor if you start experiencing symptoms after you start intermittent fasting.

(excerpts from: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/intermittent-fasting-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work)

What is biohacking?

/bīōhak/ verb - taking control of a complex system (specifically your own biology) in order to achieve a desired outcome, creating a healthier, happier you.

Biohacking is a very popular term these days. It ranges from describing supplements to wearable technologies to many other devices. At MIMI we biohack with ourselves and our patients' everyday. From nutrigenomics and Peptide Therapy to PEMF and photobiomodulation - we are your biohacking friends and experts. Want to learn more, let us know we love to talk about what we do!

What is nutrigenomics?

/n(y)o͞otrijēnōmiks/ noun - the scientific study of the interaction of nutrition and genes, especially with regard to the prevention or treatment of disease. Using nutrition and dietary supplements to effect gene expression

Peptide therapy uses short pieces of proteins, or chains of amino acids, to facilitate healing and tissue rejuvenation. Over 7,000 naturally-occurring peptides have been identified in our bodies. They typically act as messengers that communicate with your cells and other molecules directing them in what to do.

Peptide therapy is a newly emerging science, with far-reaching health and rejuvenation actions for our physical and mental function. The targeted use of peptides has the potential to optimize cell chemistry and gene expression to restore health and homeostasis. Peptides can be used in the treatment of injuries,  help prevent aging/illness, and enhance performance.

Peptide therapy is highly specific, well-tolerated and safe.  There are now well over 80 US FDA-approved peptide medications, with many more being evaluated in clinical trials, and hundreds more in pre-clinical development.  Most peptide therapies are administered via injection, but they can also come as topical creams, nasal sprays, and oral tablets/capsules. The form used is dependent on what is being treated.

Is peptide therapy right for you?

What can Peptide Therapy potentially help with? 

Peptides may be used to increase the output of growth hormone and in treating conditions such as obesity, osteoporosis, loss of muscle mass and various inflammatory conditions including chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and autoimmune diseases.  Certain peptides are being used specifically for neurocognitive improvement, especially after traumatic brain injury and stroke, and for anxiety and PTSD. There are peptides that can cause an increase in melanin which darkens the skin and mimics a sun tan, and others that can improve sex drive and erectile function.

Interested in peptide therapy? Give us a call and we will be happy to get you scheduled for a consult.