Fasting Naturally for the Restoration of Health - Thesis Example

Fasting Naturally for the Restoration of Health Fasting Naturally for the Restoration of Health Introduction While manymay believe that the concept of fasting is a relatively new health phenomenon, the idea of cleansing the body has been around since ancient times. As the body ages, various impurities and poisons build up in the tissues over time, causing our overall health to diminish. Occasionally this diminishing effect is hardly noticeable, yet others are certainly felt in numerous ways. It is important to discover ways to cleanse the body from time to time in an effort to improve our own health and vitality. For this reason, many have turned to fasting as a way to provide a needed boost to the body’s immune system and overall mechanism of naturally cleansing itself. As a result, the idea of fasting has certain become a modern day health regime for millions around the world, yet its benefits (and potential dangers) are often misunderstood. It is important to fully understand the concept of fasting, its various benefits to the human body, and the potential pitfalls that even healthy individuals must look out for. The objective of this paper, then, is to examine fasting and its history, in addition to the Hygienic System and the allopathic approach, in an effort to better grasp the importance of assisting the human body in naturally resorting its health. Fasting Defined The concept of fasting can perhaps best be understood by looking at the English word ‘breakfast’. Literally, this typical first meal of the day comes from the reality that a person it breaking the fast. Fast, then, means the voluntary ceasing of eating food for a specific period of time. For most people in the world, fasting only occurs during prolonged period of sleeping, but many fast for other reasons as well. Some will fast for medical reasons, others for religious purposes. Shelton (1995) explains the origin of the word fast as coming from the old English form of the word fasten. This is explained to mean, “to make fast, observe, be strict” (Shelton, 1995). Shelton’s view was that fasting involve an individuals desire “to abstain from food for a shorter or longer period for whatever purpose one may have in view” (1995). Later, he expounded on this definition by adding that, “Fasting means total abstinence from all food for a definite period of time” (Shelton, 2009). In so defining, he also added the emphasis that fasting involves partial, not total, abstinence from food. Other scholars have agreed with these various definitions, including Mosley and Spencer who wrote that fasting is the “voluntary abstaining from eating food” (2013). History of Fasting While the Christian and Islamic faiths, among others, certainly implore their respective followers to fast in certain circumstances, the reality is that the history of fasting actually far predates the monotheistic religious era. In fact, Shelton and Oswald point out that “Fasting is as ancient as life itself and has been practiced by nearly [every] civilization” (1983). Shelton reflected further on the historicity of fasting be explaining: At the dawn of human history, the ‘Ancient Mysteries’, a secret worship or so-called ‘wisdom religion’ - a religion that flourished for thousands of years in Egypt, Greece, India, Persia, Babylon, Thrace, Scandinavia, and among the Goth and Celts - required a long probationary period of fasting and prayer before the candidates for various degrees could advance. In the mithriac of Persia, a prolonged period of fifty days of fasting was required. The Druids among the Celts were also required to undergo a prolonged fast. These ‘mysteries’ in various nations had much in common and were all derived originally from the Egyptians. Fasting was common to all of the them. (Shelton, 1996) As explained here, fasting has long been seen as a way to express one devotion to a task or a deity, which may explain its modern day relevance in religious circles as adherents to a given faith through the ages have express their obedience and devotion to a higher power. The history of fasting, however, goes far beyond religiosity, as can been seen reflected in the lives of the ancient Egyptians. They viewed fasting as a way to rid their bodies of various diseases, such as syphilis, and they further advocated fasting three days each month in order to stay young (Oswald & Shelton, 1983). The Greeks has also utilized fasting throughout history as a form of therapy and way of cleansing the soul. Socrates and Plato themselves stressed the value of food, and the need to periodically withhold such pleasures from our daily lives. Hippocrates also prescribed fasting as a necessary regime for the Greek people (Oswald & Shelton, 1983). More recently, the Jewish accounts of fasting can be seen as being religious in nature and necessary for followers of God. This is personified in the person of Moses, who wrote extensively about the virtues of fasting, and who himself once fasted for forth days and forty nights, as did Jesus later on in life (Shelton, 1996). The Philosophy and Principles of the Hygienic System Fasting has long been considered a means of cleansing the body, restoring health, and curing various diseases that may affect the body. Part of this notion can be seen reflected in the philosophy and principles of the Hygienic System. This concept is well described in the following excerpt: The Hygienic System maintains the somewhat unique principle that the first condition of successful restoration of health is a philosophical comprehension by the sick person of the cause of his suffering. It is essential that the sick man learn to distinguish between causes and effects to prevent him from wasting time, energy, and the potentials of recovery and, perhaps, irreparably injuring his health even more to prevent him from killing himself, trying to suppress effects by measures that do not remove or correct their antecedents. (Shelton, 1941) It is important, therefore, to realize the importance of properly implementing a fasting regime in order to maximize the health benefits that will be realized as a result. In addition, the Hygienic System teaches the importance of properly adhering to the maintenance of one’s body in order to ensure that fasting does not actually cause more damage than may have already been manifested. The Allopathic Approach The allopathic approach to fasting offers a stark alternative to the Hygienic System explained by Shelton. While the Hygienic System focuses on preserving the health of the body by incorporating natural remedies in an effort to eliminate actual causes of a given disease, the allopathic approach looks at natural remedies as a way to get rid of the various symptoms that are manifested by the disease itself. Shelton also discusses this approach to fasting, as he writes: It is impossible to reconcile the theories and practices of the antagonistic systems of medicine. If the large, heroic doses of poisons of Allopathy have any reason or truth on their side, then the highly attenuated and diluted doses of Homeopathy are worse than a fraud and delusion. If Hoemopathy succeeds as well as or better than Allopathy, this success would prove that the damaging and dangerous poisons of Allopathy are unnecessary and should be abandoned. If the theory of health, disease, and cure that we are advocating in these pages is correct, there is no value in either of these systems and they are both attributing cures to their respective remedies that were accomplished by the unaided powers of the body. Both schools are deluded. (1941) As this section alludes to, the allopathic approach is certainly useful in specific circumstances and when properly incorporated into a body’s natural way of dealing with and flushing out various diseases and poisons that creep into everyone from time to time. Benefits of Fasting Naturally, fasting has numerous benefits that have been realized throughout time, or humans would not subject to such voluntary periods of hunger. Some benefits are physical, while others are emotional or spiritual in scope. Fasting, for example, is certainly helpful in weight loss when done properly. Shelton (2009) notes that, “Hygienists are realists. Nothing can circumvent the fact that the quickest, surest, safest way to lose weight is by fasting, and these unrest way of maintaining the proper weight level is by refusing to return to the wrong eating habits”. Throughout the years, medical professionals have touted the benefits of maintaining a normal weight, given a person’s bone structure and gender. Fasting is a healthy way of working towards this important goal. With diabetes affecting more and more people globally during the modern age, it is also helpful to note that fasting can help in this area as well. Fasting actually works to alleviate much of the pressure off the pancreas for a time, giving it a much needed rest. As we know, the pancreas is the primary organ responsible for regulating the insulin level within the blood stream, so a healthier function pancreas will lead to a decrease in diabetes related afflictions (Hitman, 2012). Limiting the blood glucose levels in the body, which fasting can help to accomplish, serves to lower a person’s risk of obesity, hear disease, and other cognitive failures (Mosley & Spencer, 2009). Fasting can also benefit the heart. It has been noted that, “Today we are forced to recognize the fact that instead of fasting weakening the heart, it results in strengthening this wonderful organ” (Shelton, 2009). This can be stated based primarily on three factors. Fasting gives the heart an opportunity to rest, improves blood flow to and from the heart, and decreases the body’s releases on harmful stimulants that are not good for the heart (Shelton, 2009). It can been seen, then, that fasting does not make the body weaker as many would be lead to believe. Instead, fasting provides many of the body’s vital functions an opportunity to get some much needed rest, resulting in a strengthened level of functionality as a result of the practice. The risk of various forms of cancer can also be minimized through the practice of fasting. Fasting has been found to reduce levels of IGF-1 in the body, which has been attributed to the development of certain types of cancer. Studies have also shown that depriving the body of food, even for short periods of time, forces our body to slow down. The process results in the body actually repairing and regenerating itself, which helps it to ward of various types of foreign agents that may become lodged in the body (Mosley & Spencer, 2013). Fasting can also lead to enhancing various functions of the brain. Researchers have recently uncovered evidence that fasting once or twice a week may serve as a useful mechanism to protect the brain from developing Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, among others (Hamilton, 2013). This leads us to one other benefit for fasting worth noting. As we strive to live longer and healthier lives, it is useful to be reminded that fasting can certainly help the body on its course to longevity. Mosley and Spencer (2013) noted that: The first evidence of long-term benefits of calorie restriction were found just over 80 years ago, when nutritionists working with rats at Cornell University in the U.S. discovered that if you severely restrict the amount they eat, they live longer. Much longer. Since then, the evidence has continued to mount that animals not only live longer, healthier lives if they are calorie-restricted, they also do so if they are intermittently starved. in recent years the research has moved on from rodents to humans and we are seeing the same patterns of improvement. In summary, restricting food intake can help the human body in many ways. Certainly, the effects of many harmful diseases can be lessened, individuals can feel happier and healthier, and the spiritual realm remains important to many as well. Hunger During the Fast Hunger is a psychological reaction that many individuals feel when they believe their body has been starved of food for too long. Hunger has become such an automatic reaction, however, that it is felt at certain times of the time in many people, regardless of whether or not the body is truly crying out for food. For some, the feeling of hunger can come and pass quite quickly, causing relatively minor distress (Nigam, 2011). For others, however, hunger can be a concern, particularly during a fast. In order to get past the idea of hunger during a fast, one need to essentially learn to differentiate between ‘genuine’ hunger and the artificial or psychological hunger pains that are often felt after the body goes a short time without food of any substance. Dr. Shelton recently reiterated this idea by informing his readers that, “The truth is that hunger is a normal, not an abnormal, sensation and all normal sensations are pleasant. It is an error to think of hunger in the terms of symptoms of disease, just as it would be to think of thirst, or any other of the body’s normal desires, as painful or uncomfortable. Normal hunger is indicated by a general bodily condition - a universal call for food - which is localized, so far as localization takes place, in the mouth, nose, and throat, just as is the sense of thirst. They hungry person is conscious of a desire for food, not of pain or irritation” (2009). In essence, hunger is a natural phenomenon that one should not be too worried about when fasting, is is a natural by-product of the act itself. Once the body is subjected to prolonged and regular periods of fasting, such feelings will likely dissipate. Contradiction of Fasting With all of the benefits of fasting that have been touted throughout history, it would be both unfair and unwise to ignore the reality that the action of denying food to the human body can have ill effects as well, under certain circumstances. Individuals who are grossly underweight or malnourished, for example, are not likely candidates for fasting as the body actually needs and craves sustenance from various food products. To deny the body this is to further subject it to ill-treatment, against which it will almost certainly rebel. In addition, young people who are still growing, women still have irregular menstrual cycles, those who are pregnant, or individuals who have cardiac arrhythmias should also refrain from fasting until life circumstances are different. To ignore this reality is quite harmful and, in some cases, deadly. Short and Long Term Fasting There has been considerable debates over the length of an effective fast. Some religious scholars, for example, note that fasting is often mentioned in the Bible to take place over a forty day period. Others, however, would contend that is not physically wise, and much shorter fast should be considered in order to allow the body to receive the maximum benefit from the activity. When fasting is being considered, there are certainly some limits that should be applied and adhered to. Dr. Shelton clarifies this for us by stating: A fast may last a few days, a few weeks, or a few months. The longest fast I have ever personally conducted was one of ninety days. Such long fasts are not the rule, nor can every faster safely continue so long. Each fast must be conducted to the needs and the abilities of the individual. To set a limit of three days or a week or for twenty-one days, as some do, is to break the fast in the great majority of instances far in advance of the time it should be broken. The only logic rule is the following: “Let developments determine the length of the fats”. In the some cases, a series of short fasts is preferable to one long fast. In general, one lengthy fast produces better results than a series of short ones. (2009). Fasting, then, can be seen as an individual practice. For those that are doing so for religious reasons, the length of the fast will correspond with spiritual needs. For those that are doing so for more physical reasons, the healthy and stamina of the faster should be considered before a set length of time is decided upon. Fasting Diet As can be expected, there are numerous ‘best practices’ that are being touted when one considers completing a fast. The primary focus through it all, however, should be on certain part-time diets that have shown themselves to contribute to truly life-changing results. One modern approach to this concept is to compare the number of days a person should feast to the number that they should fast, similar to a ration. Harrison (2013) notes that, “On the simplest level, 5:2 or 6:1 or 4:3, appears to work the same way as every other diet - you lose weight because you consume less energy (food) than you’re using. The weight loss comes because, overall you’re eating less”. Again, this would be useful for someone who is viewing fasting as a means to weight loss. For other situations, one might consider another, equally beneficially approach to an effective fasting diet. Fasting and Self-Healing Fasting can certainly lead to self-healing. In his discussion related to the Hygienic System, Dr. Shelton stated, “Cases of the repair of wounds, broken bones, and the healing of open sores during a fast are too numerous for us to doubt for one instant that even during a fast their is still constructive work going on” (1996). The healing nature of fasting can also be reflected in the reality fasting can lead to better blood circulation, an enhanced of nutrition on the part of the individual participating in the fast, and the increased feeling of well-being that results (Shelton, 1996). Fasting as a Means to Restore Health Naturally Finally, it is important to note that fasting does help restore health to the body in a natural manner. Is was stated that, “Fasting is no more a cure than a medicine is a cure” (Oswald & Shelton, 1983). Fasting does have great potential, but it up to each individual person to utilize its healing effects in a natural manner. Fasting should be seen as a means towards healing, as reflected in the knowledge that, “There is no cure - only healing. Recovery depends upon the restoration of cellular health and this is called healing. Only the body can rebuild and revitalize when the conditions for health and vitality are present. Fasting provides these conditions that renovate the living cells of the body. The result of fasting is to allow for the body’s own inherent magnificent power to self-heal, self-repair and self-rejuvenate” (Oswald & Shelton, 1983). In other words, fasting provides a chance for the body to do what it does best: Naturally heal itself. References Hamilton, A. (2013). Eat, fast, slim the life-changing fasting diet for amazing weight loss and optimum health. London: Duncan Baird Publishers. Harrison, K. (2013). The 5:2 diet book: feast for 5 days a week & fast for just 2 to lose weight, boost your brain and transform your health. London: Orion Books. Hitman, G. A. (2012). Fasting, ramadan, and diabetes. Diabetic Medicine, 29(6), 695. Mosley, M., & Spencer, M. (2013). The fast diet: lose weight, stay healthy, and live longer with the simple secret of intermittent fasting. London: Short Books. Nigam, P. K. (2011). Serum lipid profile: Fasting or non-fasting. Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry, 26(1), 96-97. Oswald, J. A., & Shelton, H. M. (1983). Fasting for the health of it. Pueblo, Colo.: Nationwide Press. (Original work published 1989) Shelton, H. M. (1941). The Hygienic System Vol. VII Orthopathy. San Antonio: Dr. Sheltons Health School. Shelton, H. M. (1955). Fasting For Renewal of Life. United States of America: American Natural Hygiene Society. (Original work published 1974) Shelton, H. M. (1996). Human Life Its Philosophy and Laws: An Exposition of the Principles and Practices of Orthopathy. United States of America: Kessinger Publishings rare mystical reprints. Shelton, H. M. (2009). Fasting can save your life. Chicago: Natural Hygiene Press. (Original work published 1964). Read More