What is Fasting?
The Miriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary defines fasting as to abstain from food or to eat sparingly or abstain from some foods. The practice of fasting goes back as far as we have written history. Fasting is practiced by many religions and is also practiced by many proponents of preventive medicine.
Fasting done correctly is the total elimination of food for a number of hours or days. Only water is taken in the body which allows the body to restore itself to optimal health.
You may hear people refer to “juice” fasts, where the only food taken in is fruit and vegetable juices but that is not a true fast. In fact the “Juice Fasts” should be called juice feasts as most proponents of juicing will take in nearly the same amount of calories as they would whole food during their regular nutrition schedule. No food is taken in during a true fast.
There are a significant number of people that practice “Natural Hygiene” where one of the major components is fasting done to cleanse the system of toxins and restore the body to health. Most fasting proponents will fast for short periods at least 2 times annually.
Scientists estimate that approximately 30% of your caloric intake is used in the digestion process. According to fasting experts when food is eliminated major beneficial changes take place in the body.
Once the initial stores of sugar contained in the liver are used up the body will use stored fat as fuel. The toxins that are contained in the fat are released as the fat is burned for fuel. No new toxins are being put into the body which allows the body to cleanse itself.
The fat levels are also reduced in the body and the bloodstream which will allow the blood to flow better because it will be “thinner”. Since the blood flows better and is thinner it is able to better oxygenate the body tissues. Improved oxygenation of tissues along with less energy needed to digest new food during the fast is used by the body to regenerate cells, eliminate toxins and improve cell growth.
Many people will go through what is called a “Healing Crisis” during the first day or so during a fast. During this healing crisis people report symptoms similar to the flu or a bad cold. This is the body’s way of telling you that it is getting rid of the toxins that have built up. These symptoms usually subside and get less with each subsequent fast.
Usually during a fast or just after the fast a person may notice a decrease in pain or possibly a total elimination of pain. After fasting many people say they feel better than they ever have.
A true fast where only water is used in place of food may not be suitable for everyone, especially those that eat a diet of mostly processed food. A juice fast may be best for these people. Water can cause a very strong detoxifying effect, which may be too uncomfortable for some people.
Short term fasts (1-2 days) can usually be done by the individual without any outside assistance. Longer term fasts which would be any fast longer than 3 days should only be undertaken with the advice and assistance of an experienced fasting supervisor.
Long term fasts which may last 30 days or longer are often used in the treatment of chronic disease. Long term fasts are often repeated several times with periods of healthy nutrition and exercise in between fasts. I have heard of fasts lasting as long as 300 days.
During the fast other therapies may also be use which help aid in the elimination of waste from your body. The use of exercise, colonics, sunlight, meditation, yoga stretching, tai chi, and Pilates as well as making sure the body gets plenty of rest are ways to assists the detoxification process.
Fasting has been reported to be effective in treating high blood pressure, headaches, allergies, arthritis and other inflammatory conditions, psychological problems, obesity, high cholesterol, lethargy, and general malaise.
Some studies in Scandanavia have shown that fasting can be effective in the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Fasting done properly is a low cost and effective therapy for a wide range of health related problems. Long fasts should only be undertaken with the aid of an experienced fasting supervisor.
Fasting supervisors may be physicians or health care professionals. You will find D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathy), ND (Doctor of Naturopathy), D.C (Doctor of Chiropractic) and Nutritionists among the many healthcare professionals that provide fasting supervision.
Should you decide to try fasting you should attempt to find a supervisor that has had training and experience in the administration of fasts. It is usually best to find someone who has actually been through fasting. Most proponents of fasting have indeed been through fasts and do them regularly
Disclaimer: Nothing in this article should be regarded as Medical Advice. This is provided for educational and informational purposes only. If you are ill or need medical advice see a licensed healthcare professional ASAP.
For more information:
* American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (800) 206-7610
* International Association of Professional Natural Hygienists (305) 454-2220
* Northwest Naturopathic Clinic (503) 224-8083
* Revor Salloum, ND (604) 763-5445
References:
1. Burton Goldberg Group: Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. Future Medicine Publishing, Puyallup, WA; 1994.
2. Inglis B & West R: The Alternative Health Guide. Alfred A. Knopf, NY, NY; 1983.
3. Kastner MA: Alternative Healing: The Complete A to Z Guide to Over 160 Different Alternative Therapies. Halcyon Publishing, La Mesa, CA; 1993.
4. Sifton DW: The PDR Family Guide to Natural Medicines and Healing Therapies. Three Rivers Press, NY, NY; 1999.
5. Woodham A & Peters D: Encyclopedia of Healing Therapies, 1st ed. Dorling Kindersley, NY, NY; 19
Jerry Goodwin has been certified as a Medical Technologist since 1977. He is also certified as a Personal Trainer, Cardiovascular Trainer and Medical exer-therapist. He is a Veteran of the US Navy having served during the Viet Nam era. Jerry also served in the Army National Guard in Ohio, Texas, Kansas and Georgia as a field medic with Infantry, Armored Cavalry, Artillery and Mechanized Infantry Units. He has earned several medals including the Army Commendation Medal. Jerry is the editor of Body Mind and Goals Ezine and the owner of BMG Services Fitness and Nutrition at http://www.bmgfitness.com
Tags: Alternative medicine, high blood pressure, miriam webster, Health Medical Pharma, 454-2220* Northwest Naturopathic ClinicFiled under: Fasting
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Thanks for informing me about this book “The Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine”. It sounds like a great read and lots of good information.
A great a good book I read and can recommend along the same lines to this topic is called “The Biblical Guide to Alternative Medicine” by Dr. Michael Jacobson. He covers the various alternative medical approaches available today.
The link is:
Thanks again,
Erik Loebl
Happy birthday Dave. I remember Scripting news when it looked like that, as I was a Frontier developer at the time. Checking Scripting news every day was one of my early web habits.
Thanks for getting me started on the development of web based applications – with Usertalk. Still got the book, Frontier The Definitive Guide by Matt Neuburg. A great book that I notice is still sitting on my techy book-shelf right now.
All the best,
Jim
And yet… there is a fascination with them that permitted a popular TV show to be based on one. Mathematicians are scary. Can everything be reduced to mathematical formula? And common denominators for all human behavior and endeavor found through studious reduction?
Is all human behavior dictated by the genetic code (which must be reducible to mathematical equation)? What do we then make of heroes and heroism? Where is individualism in all this?
He said… possibly introducing yet another tangent.:)
Good video. I’m 26 years old and have high blood pressure. I need to eat better and exercise. BUT, I also need to relieve my stress or I’m done for.
In re to font, fount, front, etc (and more than slightly OT):
The American language, mostly an enlarged set of its principal precursor…the English language…is a dynamically growing language which for better or worse is constantly evolving. Words which may have held a single principal meaning or preferred pronunciation a Century ago have diferent meanings today. A brief summary of the problem this presents to lexicographers can be found in the definition of “irregardless” in the Eleventh Edition of the i>Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary which publisher I consider to be the most authorative source for the contemporary American language.
In my middle years I was very resistant to even subtle changes in what was at the time the “accepted” definition (or pronunciation) of words. In recent decades I've grown more tolerant in accepting these changes…abrupt or nuanced…which leads to the irony: an accepted definition 0r pronunciation reigns supreme, until a [...]
Thanks for sharing the pictorial overview of Tai Chi. I believe if more individuals understood the underlying reasons (health and wellness) for facilitating this ancient martial art, more would be willing to practice it. I'm wondering if there isn't a way to get Tai Chi into public school systems as a form of physical fitness — could you imagine the good it would do for our youth and the future lives of these kids?
Tener una madre que se inventa leyes te hace pasar la mañana en la cola del paro para que te echen de la mesa en 0,9 segundos. Gracias mamá.
And tonight….TAI CHI!!!! –
Fibroids are also common in women who suffer from inflammatory conditions. By reducing the inflammation within the body, at times the size of fibroids can be shrunk. Food containing natural anti-inflammatory properties such as hops, oats, cumin and rosemary are particularly effective on this score. Fibroids are normally not life threatening. It is not a dangerous [...]
Body Mind Spirit Challenge Day 5
…i agree with you. Option 2 is definitely the best in italy.
I will support you on this cleaing diet. Then somebody is starting to interpeter as italians do, the food that might be included in fruit and vegetable…the secret is just to understand that fruit and vegetable are part of everything. Take the steak. You get it from cows. And cows eat grass. So when you eat a steak you eat some vegetables too….
Thank sara for becoming aitalian day after day…
With love
frank
Dumb screen name. First the japs got everything they deserved. They started it. We finished it. Im glad we are the main polluters. As a matter of fact im going to go drive around in my big pickup truck now and put as much co2 in the air as possible. With any luck ill melt the ice caps raise the ocean and put the faroe islands under water. This way ill be helping the pilot whales by giving them a new food source. Mercury pcb and ddt laced faroe islander meat.
i am yours forever goddess you have total control over me im all yours you can have my soul, body mind anything you want i belone to you forever thankyou i love you your my goddess what you command im on my knees for you awayding command
DR's Love Update Healthy Love Relationships – One of The Major Components of a … #love #relationships
They are not the first ones to make a machine/generator that produces free energy or consumes less energy then it produces. The problem is that the government won't release this stuff in public because our society works with money, free energy means no more money (for the ones selling electricity and oil). think good about that.
WOW! what a great job you guys did! Loved it. everybody in the commercial look so happy and so professional. loved Mysty’s voice, excellent choice of scenes and camera work. though my experience at Body Mind College was far MORE beyond those text lines.
The Power of Many: Values for Success in Business and in Life – by Meg Whitman et al. – Three Rivers Press.
Don’t be fooled by calories from veg juice. Calories from 1 CUP of fruit, veg, or a combination of both can range from 70 to 130 calories, averaging 100 PER CUP. Celery is the ONLY food known to create a “negative calorie” effect [check snopes(dot)com & enter celery]. Also, if you’re not cleansing your liver properly with either a coffee enema or saltwater flush daily, you’re doing your juice fast a disservice. I hope this helps those still interested in trying juice fasting =)
Maybe if you write a thesis on how LEDs consume less energy and TVs MUST be tuned to ch. 3 they will understand.
Hi Neil,
I'm also still looking for a good reference about XUL. I bought O'Reilly's “Programming Firefox Building Rich Internet Applications with XUL” but it is still difficult to start and build a project just because I can't find what I need in the API-doc. On the other hand “JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, Fifth Edition” is THE reference and is a valuable resource to learn the langage.
Pierre
Eyewitness Pocket Map and Guide: Lisbon (DK Eyewitness Pocket Map & Guide) – Dorling Kindersley.
I reversed my diabetes and high cholesterol naturally without drugs, I show on my page especially the rave diet vid I have on my page if you click my name on the left, You will see cancer,diabetic and heart disease patients reversing their disease with natural diet, it shows that by cleansing the body of toxins with a all vegetable diet you body will heal itsef, I love the testimonials given by real patients on my page that confess to healing themselves even when facing terminal disease
SUCH a beautiful song. Miriam Webster is such a gifted songwriter. This song and ‘More Than’ are my favourites from Faithful.
Deeper Meditation and Altered States are guaranteed with these products All of our products have been scientifically generated for absolute accuracy of each frequency.They are extensively tested for safety and reliability.. Using brainwave technology it was found that certain combinations of alpha,theta and delta harmonics caused beneficial changes in brain activity and changes in consciousness You will find more information about each individual product by clicking on each button to the left.You will also find extensive testimonials for each individual product. Please feel free to read them all before buying your product brainwavesDoes it Work? The simple answer is yes it does. These products are designed to work directly on the brainwave activity itself using a technique called frequency following. These products do NOT contain music or subliminal messages. Overwhelming scientific evidence suggests that accurate brainwave entrainment is not effective when embedded in music or…
“MADE ME GLAD” written by Miriam Webster © 2001 Miriam Webster / Hillsong Publishing (Album: BLESSED Hillsong Live Worship)
well, she's been doing juice fasting & water fasting, & you can't really exert yourself too much on those ^.^
miriam webster sings it. It is exactly the same version as this. God bless you!!!
This no tai chi
part of the reason for the media attention about the masjid in new york is to reaffirm the LIE which is the official story of 911
I am former executive with a national group insurance company who has held positions in Underwriting, Marketing and Product Management. I have firsthand knowledge of Commercial HMO, Medicare HMO, small group (50-200 employees) and large group (200+), including multi-site national accounts. Here’s what I believe is needed in any “reform” legislation.
1. Tax health insurance premiums paid by employers as any other compensation. The current exemption was a reaction to Federal Government wage and price controls and did not evolve in a free market. The current tax treatment masks the true cost health insurance leading to distorted behavior at the consumer level.
2. Mandate that every resident of the US be covered by a health insurance plan whether employer provided, through a union or individually purchased. The controversies over “pre-existing conditions” and individual underwriting are resolved if everyone, from birth, has coverage. There are no “free riders.” The political process can decide at what level of poverty premiums should be subsidized by taxpayers.
3. Establish a minimum benefits plan. The Devil will truly be in these details, but without a minimum plan the issue of the underinsured will remain. Except for the poorest among us the plan should call for cost sharing for all but preventive care and the treatment of chronic disease. The focus should be on protection against catastrophic expenses, the kind that bankrupt families, rather than day to day expenses. The degree of personal responsibility (that is, how much you must pay yourself) could be established as a function of family income much as today’s medical expense deduction is.
4. Establish premiums using a “community rating by class” methodology (CRC). This provides for some recognition that medical expenses, in fact, vary by age, sex and geographic local. In addition, at the individual insured level, allow for “good health” discounts from the CRC premiums for those who meet certain standards shown to be consistent with lowered medical costs such as not smoking, maintaining an appropriate weight and following preventive care regimens.
5. Provide for risk adjustment pools among participating insurers. This protects any single insurer from attracting more than the “normal” number of catastrophic cases. Participating insurance companies would pay into this “re-insurance” pool which would be required to be self supporting (no government subsidy).
6. Abolish all State mandated benefits. There must be a single, national plan available to all. With the other provisions listed this will ensure that insurance is portable, freeing American labor to move to better opportunities without fear of losing insurance.
7. There is no need for a “Public Option” if these rules are implemented, but if we must have one it must be self supporting (no government subsidy) and adhere to the same rules as private plans. Furthermore, any fee schedule “negotiated” by a Federal plan must be available to any participating insurance company as well.
It’s a conspiracy to discredit alternative medicine! Don’t believe the hype!