The Benefits of Fasting & Healing

What is Fasting?

Fasting is an exceptionally ancient, and powerful, approach to healing many disease conditions. It allows the body to rest, detoxify, and to heal. During fasting the body moves into the same kind of detoxification cycle that it normally enters during sleep. It uses its energy during a fast, not for digesting food, but for cleansing the body of accumulated toxins and healing any parts of it that are ill. As a fast progresses the body consumes everything that it can that is not essential to bodily functioning. This includes bacteria, viruses, funghi, parasites, fibroid tumors, heavy metals, cholesterol, waste products in the blood; any build up around the joints, and stored fat. Historical records indicate that human beings are evolutionarily designed to fast. It is an incredibly safe approach to healing and the body knows how to do it very well.

The Benefits of Fasting & Healing

Fasting has been found to help a number of disease conditions, often permanently. There have been a number of intriguing clinical trials and studies treating numerous disease conditions with fasting. Here are some of those findings:

• • In one clinical trial of hypertension and fasting, 174 people with hypertension were pre-fasted for 2-3 days by eating only fruits and vegetables. They then participated in 10-11 day water only fast, followed by a 6-7 day post fast in which they ate only a low-fat, low- sodium vegan diet. Initial blood pressure in the participants was either in excess of 140 millimeters of mercury (mm HG) systolic or 90 diastolic or both.90% of the participants achieved blood pressure less than 140/90 by the end of the trial. The higher their initial blood pressure the more their readings dropped. The average drop for all participants was 37/13.Those with stage-three hypertension (over 180/110) had an average reduction of 60/17. All those taking blood pressure medication prior to fasting were able to discontinue it. Fasting has been shown in a number of trials like this one to be one of the most effective methods for lowering blood pressure and normalising cardiovascular function. Blood pressure tends to remain low in all those using fasting for cardiovascular disease once fasting is completed.

• • Fasting is exceptionally beneficial in chronic cardiovascular disease and congestive heart failure, reducing triglycerides, atheromas, total cholesterol, and increasing HDL levels.

• • Fasting has been found effective in the treatment of type I and type II diabetes often reversing the condition permanently. Because of its long-term effects on metabolism, fat stores in the body, leptin, and disease conditions associated with obesity, fasting has been found to be one of the most effective treatments for obesity.

• • A number of studies have found that fasting is beneficial in Epilepsy, reducing the length, number, and severity of seizures. Fasting is especially effective for helping alleviate or cure childhood epilepsy.

• • In a 1988 trial of 88 people with acute Pancreatitis, fasting was found better than any other medical intervention. Neither nasogastric suction nor cimetidine was found to produce as beneficial effects as those from fasting. Symptoms were relieved irrespective of the etiology of the disease.

• • A number of studies have found that fasting is effective for treating both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Fasting induces significant anti-inflammatory actions in the body and researchers found decreased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, arthralgia, pain, stiffness, and need for medication.

• • Autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rosacea, chronic urticaria, and acute glomerulonephritis, have all responded well to fasting.

• • Fasting has been shown to significantly help severe toxic contamination. Clinical trials have found that people poisoned with PCB experienced “dramatic” relief after 7-10 day fasts.

• • Poor immune function improves during fasting. Studies have found that there is increased macrophage activity, increased cell-mediated immunity, decreased complement factors, decreased antigen-antibody complexes, increased immunoglobulin levels, increased neutrophil bactericidal activity, depressed lymphocyte blastogenesis, heightened monocyte killing and bactericidal function, and enhanced natural killer cell activity.

• • The historically claim that fasting increases life span is beginning to garner some support in research literature. Regularly repeated 4-day fasting has been found to increase the life span in normal and immune- compromised mice.

• • Although the use of fasting in the treatment of cancer is controversial, there is some emerging data SHOWING that fasting helps prevent cancer. Intermittent fasting (2 days weekly) has shown an inhibitory effect on the development of liver cancer in rats.

• • Fasting has been shown to significantly help severe heavy metal contamination. Clinical trials have found that people poisoned with heavy metals experienced “dramatic” relief after 7-10 day fasts.

• • Poor immune function improves during fasting.
    
    
  • Other diseases that have responded well to fasting are: