Benefits of Fasting

Why you should consider fasting...
(Again i am not a doctor ir scientist. Just sharing from other sources, referenced and linked below)

From Web MD

"Fuhrman, who has supervised hundreds of patients' fasts for medicinal purposes, disagrees.

"We know that the body is unable to rid itself of toxins when we eat a diet low in nutrients," and that applies to most Americans, even those who think they are healthy, he says.

"Americans eat 51% of their diet from processed foods and foods low in phytochemicals and antioxidants," he says. "So you see a buildup of waste products in the cells -- AGE, advanced glycation end products -- that build up in cellular tissues and lead to atherosclerosis, aging, diabetes, nerve damage, and the deterioration of organs. This is basic science and physiology every doctor learns in medical school.".....

"Fasting allows the body to most effectively remove these waste products," he says. "The body is designed to fast; we do it every night.".....

Fasting to Treat Disease

Fasting advocates also claim that the practice can effectively treat serious health conditions, from arthritis and colitis to heart disease and depression.

In his practice, Fuhrman tells WebMD, he has seen fasting -- combined with improving the diet before and afterward -- eliminate lupus, arthritis and chronic skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. He says he has also seen fasting heal the digestive tracts of those with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, and lower blood pressure.

"Fasting followed by a vegetarian diet interferes with the immune system's activities, especially if the immune system is overreacting, as it does with ," and other auto-immune diseases, he says. He cites half a dozen studies published in medical journals ranging from the American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism to the Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology.

Studies published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and The Journal of Nutrition in 2003 showed that mice forced to fast every other day, while eating twice the normal amount of food on non-fasting days, had better insulin control, neuronal resistance to injury, and other health indicators than mice fed calorie-restricted diets.

Fasting may yield psychological benefits as well.

"I use very brief fasting with my patients to help them cope with stress and depression," says Agnese Barolo, a life coach in contemplative practices in New Rochelle, N.Y. "I start them with just a few hours so they learn to say no to food. Its the first step in taking control of their lives."

Many are so encouraged that they try longer fasts, she says.

"I know some doctors say there is no scientific evidence for the curative powers of fasting," Barolo says. "But there is a reason every culture in every country has practiced some form of fasting for thousands of years.".....

Fuhrman cautions that certain people should not fast, including:

• Pregnant women.
• People with wasting diseases or malnutrition.
• Those with a history of cardiac arrhythmias.
• People with hepatic or renal insufficiency.

And anyone who fasts for extended periods should do so only under close medical supervision.

Fasting for Longer Life

"There are hundreds of studies showing that when animals are fed fewer calories they live longer," says Fuhrman.

Studies on animals ranging from earthworms to monkeys have shown that alternating cycles of fasting and very calorie-restricted diets is a reliable way to extend the lifespan.

"The excess calories Americans eat shorten their lives," says Fuhrman.

If you want to live longer, Fuhrman's best advice is to "eat healthy and fast periodically."

The time may come," Fuhrman says, "when not offering this substantially more effective nutritional approach will be considered malpractice."

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A very interesting and informative read on water fasting.

"An Introduction to the Benefits of a Professionally Supervised Fast"... "When properly applied and conducted, therapeutic fasting is one of the most potent tools available for assisting the body in healing itself. " extremely effective in helping the body to quickly resolve the problems that create the need for the symptoms that we know as acute disease.  These symptoms include things like fever, inflammation, pain, etc.  It is in acute disease that we see the most dramatic results from short term fasting.

Fasting is also effectively utilized in chronic disease.  Chronic disease often has its origin in acute diseases that never resolved or were suppressed.  Fasting allows the body an opportunity to generate an acute response in a chronic condition"h 

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Fasting could prevent aging and transform your body, but it goes against everything we think of as healthy "It was the first food he'd eaten in 382 days."

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SCIENCEMAG.ORG

Eating shortens life, and not just because overindulgence can lead to diseases such as diabetes. A diet that cuts food intake by up to 40%, known as calorie restriction, increases longevity in a variety of organisms and forestalls cancer, heart disease, and other late-life illnesses.

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Efficacy of fasting and calorie restriction (FCR) on mood and depression among ageing men

From the ncbi medical journals..." Significant decreases in tension, anger, confusion and total mood disturbance and improvements in vigor were observed in participants in the FCR group compared to the control group "

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John Hopkins University publication

But could it be that the brain, the hoggish human command center that makes up only 2 percent of our total body weight but requires 20 percent of the calories we consume, is actually better off when we deprive ourselves of food altogether?