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Benefit of Fasting – Less is More
My dear friend, do you know the secret to a healthier and longer life? No .. not botox.
It's simpler and cheaper than that - something called fasting.
It is interesting to note that while fasting has only been seen as religious ritual, scientific studies have also provided assurance of the benefit of fasting -- that depriving yourself from food will actually help the body.
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Dr. Ray Walford, a famous UCLA researcher said, “Undernutrition is thus far the only method we know of that consistently retards the aging process .."
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Aesculapius of ancient Greece once said, “Instead of using medicine, fast”. Christ was said to have fasted for 40 days in meditation while Moslems all over the world are required to fast for 30 days each year during the holy month of Ramadan. We have been advised that when we are sick, it is best to eat so that we’ll be able to keep up the strength. Actually, nothing is further than the truth. If a sick person actually fast, more energy will be available to help combat sickness because the body is relieved from the labor of digesting foods.
The energy required for digesting food is so great, we have been advised to avoid swimming after eating or else we'll have cramps in the water. Another example is during festivals like Thanksgiving where people eat like there's no tomorrow. After a huge amount of food, do you feel energized or tired? If you eat heavily before sleep you will also wake up feeling tired. The reason is simple. Digesting food requires tremendous energy.
When you fast the freed energy can then be directed towards the elimination of toxic in the body. Unfortunately only animals and babies retain their natural instinct when sick and refuse food.
Research on Benefit of Fasting / Food Deprivation
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Dr. Ray Walford, a famous UCLA researcher said, “Undernutrition is thus far the only method we know of that consistently retards the aging process and extends the maximum life span of warm blooded animals. These studies are undoubtedly applicable to human because it works in every species studied so far.” The studies have also concluded that restricting food to the body will improve the immune system and slow down the body’s physiological deterioration.
Fasting principally is a method of giving the digestive system a day off so that the process of healing can take place.
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Naturopaths recommend fasting for a day in a month, even for healthy people. Moslems are advised to fast twice a week in conjunction to obligatory 30 days fasting period in a year. Medical studies after medical studies have shown that to surest way to increase the life span is by cutting down the amount of food eaten.
A study at Cornell University by Dr. Clive McCay is an example. He took laboratory rats and cut the rat’s food intake by half. It doubled their life span. Another study at the University of Texas involving three groups of rats is also interesting to note. One group eats as much as it wants, a second has its food intake cut by more than half, and the third eats as much as it wants but it’s protein intake was cut in half. A fascinating thing happened. After more than 2 years, only 13 % of the rats in the first group are still alive. Of the second group which has its food intake cut by more than half, 97 % are still alive. The third group sees only half remaining.
The message is simple. Eat less. Live longer. Take care of your stomach and it will take care of you.
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The Technique
Because many religions in the world promote fasting, the technique varies. Certain religion permits only the consumption of vegetable during the fasting period. Some only permits drinking but prohibit food. Islam forbids eating, drinking and sexual intercourse from the dawn until sunset on the fasting day. So it is very hard to write about an acceptable fasting way, so we’ll only talk about the naturopath way of fasting here:
For cleansing 3 days is the minimum period. The type varies from the strictest, where one only drink water when desired, to the moderate, where one drinks fresh fruit or vegetable juice. A popular form of fasting is called the Schroth cure, and reputed to be good for rheumatic onditions. It’s a three days fast that alternate the dry days (where you eat mainly dry foods) with liquid days (where you drink but not eat).
Before attempting to fast, please seek for more information. Ask your doctor or friends who are known to fast regularly for advise and make sure fast is taken under supervision. It is not recommended for the very elderly, babies or pregnant ladies.
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