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DESCRIPTION
People can go without solid food for several days and suffer no ill consequences. Actually, fasting can even promote health. For instance, after just a few days, fasting can return blood pressure and high lipid, sugar and uric acid levels to normal. If fact, fasting has been so successful in some cases that it has come to be known as the "operation without a knife." Eliminating food purifies and detoxifies the body, activates its ability to heal itself and improves emotional well-being. During a fast, energy that normally would be used for digestion instead helps rid build-up waste and rebuild healthy tissue. Unless you are elderly, pregnant, or a nursing mother, you can fast at home for 1-3 days. Longer fasts should be under the supervision of a qualified health care provider.
FASTING AND ILLNESSES
As time passes, toxins build up in the body as the result of the pollutants in the air we breathe, the chemicals in the food and water we consume, and other means. Periodically, the body seeks to rid itself of these toxins, and releases them from the tissues. The toxins then enter the bloodstream, causing the body to experience a "low" or "down" cycle. During such a cycle, you may suffer from headaches, diarrhea, or depression. Fasting is an effective and safe method of helping the body detoxify itself and move through this low cycle with greater speed and fewer symptoms. In fact, fasting is recommended for any illness, as it gives the body the rest it needs to recover. Acute illnesses, colon disorders, allergies, and respiratory diseases are most responsive to fasting, while chronic degenerative diseases are the least responsive. By relieving the body of the work of digesting foods, fasting permits the system to rid itself of toxins while facilitating healing.
But fasting is helpful not just in times of poor health or during the body's low cycles. By fasting regularly, you give all of your organs a rest, and thus help reverse the aging process and live a longer and healthier life. During a fast:
- The natural process of toxin excretion continues, while the influx of new toxins is reduced. This results in a reduction of total body toxicity.
- The energy usually used for digestion is redirected to immune function, cell growth, and eliminatory processes.
- The immune system's workload is greatly reduced, and the digestive tract is spared any inflammation due to allergic reactions to foods.
- Due to a lowering of serum fats that thins the blood, tissue oxygenation is increased and white blood cells are moved more efficiently.
- Fat-stored chemicals, such as pesticides and drugs, are released.
- Physical awareness and sensitivity to diet and surroundings are increased.
Due to these effects of fasting, a fast can help you heal with greater speed; cleanse your liver kidneys, and colon; purify your blood; help you lose excess weight and water; flush out toxins; clear the eyes and tongue; and cleanse the breath. It is recommended that you fast at least three days a month, and follow a ten-day fast at least twice a year.
Depending on the length of the fast, it accomplishes different things. A three-day fast helps the body rid itself of toxins and cleanses the blood. A five-day fast begins the process of healing and rebuilding the immune system. A ten-day fast can take care of many problems before they arise and help to fight off illness, including the degenerative diseases that have become so common in our chemically polluted environment.
Certain precautions should be taken during fasts. First, do not fast on water alone. An all-water fast releases toxins too quickly, causing headaches and worse. Instead, follow the live-juice diet detailed below, as this both removes toxins and promotes healing by supplying the bogy with vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Such a fast is also more likely to lead to a continued healthy diet once the fast is over, as it will accustom you to the taste of raw vegetables and the vitality that this diet promotes. Second, whenever you fast for more than three days, do so only under the supervision of a qualified health care professional. If you have diabetes, hypoglycemia, or another chronic health problem, even short fasts should be supervised by a health care provider. Pregnant and lactating women should NEVER fast!.
Please remember.... It took years to wear your body down, and it will take time to build it back up to its peak condition. But it can be done. Then, whenever you start to feel unwell, fast and feel better!
THERAPEUTIC FASTING & MEDICINE
Naturopathic physicians believe that deposits and toxins collect in the body and eventually cause many diseases. During a fast, however, the body metabolizes fat, breaking down and eliminating those harmful toxins.
THE VIEWPOINT OF MAINSTREAM MEDICINE
Some health care providers consider therapeutic fasting to be a recognized treatment for helping heal a multitude of diseases. However, critics warn against relying on repeated, prolonged fasting as a weight-loss method or as a sole treatment for serious disease. The best advice is to fast with caution and common sense.
Take Care! - The body will be more sensitive to medication taken during and after a therapeutic fast. It may be necessary to reduce or stop taking a certain drug. But do not do so until you have consulted with your health care provider.
PROCEDURE
PROPER PREPARATION
To prepare for the fast, you will nee medicinal herb teas, freshly made vegetable and fruit juices, vegetable broths and purified water or spring water. Eat only raw vegetables and fruits for two days. This will make the fast less of a shock to the body's system.
Never fast on water alone, as it releases toxins too quickly. Also refrain from nicotine and coffee (and other caffeine food items) while fasting. Prepare for and break the fast with a day or two of simple meals.
If you are considering a fast as a way to eliminate and reduce toxins, it is best to break away from your everyday routine even before your actual fast begins. Ideally your fast should take place during a vacation. Reducing external strain, stress and environmental irritants will help to guide your healing processes. Meditation and relaxation exercises will be beneficial during the rest of the therapeutic fast and promote mental and emotional balance.
FASTING PLAN
A 1-3 day fast at home is safe for most healthy people. It is important to drink at least 2-3 quarts of herbal tea or mineral water each day during the fast, however. Drink all beverages in small sips.
BEFORE THE FAST: Prepare for fasting with 1-2 days of raw vegetables; whole grains, such as brown rice and/or millet; green drinks; and fresh fruits. For best digestion, don't eat fruits together with other foods.
DURING YOUR FAST: Drink freshly juiced vegetables, such as carrots, cabbage, kale, parsley, and celery. Appropriate fruits to eat include apples, pears, and grapes. Lemon juice mixed with water is also helpful for detoxification. Avoid all sugar, artificial sweeteners or any other synthetic additives. It is best to drink 1-2 pints of herbal tea each morning, such as burdock, peppermint, dandelion or chamomile. Powdered green drinks and freshly made vegetable broths are good options, too.
BREAKING YOUR FAST: As in the beginning of your fast, eat only lightly cooked and/or raw vegetables and fruits and well-cooked while grains for 1-2 days. Try a steamed apple in the morning, a light soup at lunch and a yogurt and crispbread in the evening. Add more foods over the next 5 days.
HOLISTIC FASTING SUGGESTIONS
A Therapeutic Fast is used to treat high cholesterol levels, fatty infiltration of the liver, chronic cirrhosis, high blood pressure, circulatory disorders, rheumatic diseases, chronic skin problems, allergies, and weight problems.
While on the fast, consume as least eight 8-ounce glasses of steam distilled water a day, plus pure juices and up to 2 cups of herbal tea a day. Dilute all juices with the water, adding about 1 part water to 3 parts juice. Do not drink orange or tomato juice, and avoid all juices made with sweeteners or other additives. If you have a juicer, this is the time to pull it out of your kitchen cupboard and use it. It is wonderful for extracting the juice out of some fruits and vegetables that do not have a high fluid content, such as carrots and cabbage.
The best juice to use during your fast is fresh lemon juice. Add the juice of one lemon to a cup of warm water. Fresh apple, beet, cabbage, carrot, celery, and grape juices are also good, as are "green drinks," which are made from green leafy vegetables. These green drinks are excellent detoxifiers. Raw cabbage juice is particularly good for ulcers, cancer, and all colon problems. Just be sure to drink the cabbage juice as soon as it is prepared. As this juice sits, it loses its vitamin content.
Follow the juice-water-and-tea fast with a two-day diet of raw fruits and vegetables. The desired effects of the fast can be ruined by eating cooked foods immediately afterward. Because both the size of the stomach and the amount of secreted digestive juices may decrease during fasting. the first meals after a fast should be frequent and small.
MoonDragon's Nutrition Therapy: Juicing
HERBS
Herbal teas may be consumed throughout the fast, once or twice per day. Try the following teas:
- Use alfalfa, burdock, chamomile, dandelion, milk thistle, red clover, and rose hips tea to rejuvenate the liver and cleanse the bloodstream.
Caution: Do not use chamomile on an ongoing basis, as ragweed allergy may result. Avoid it completely if you are allergic to ragweed.
- Drink 2 parts pau d'arco and echinacea tea mixed with 1 part unsweetened cranberry juice. Used four times a day, this will rebuild the immune system, aid in bladder function, and rid the colon of unwanted bacteria. Unsweetened cranberry juice is available in whole foods/health food stores, such as Trader Joe's.
HerbalRemedies: Cranberry Juice Concentrate, Natural Premium Quality, Kosher, Dynamic Health, 16 fl. oz.
This Cranberry juice concentrate is in an 8 oz space saving size and is ideal for smoothies and makes a delicious healthy topping. Cranberry juice is well known for it's role in helping defeat urinary tract infections, and reducing urine odor. All natural, no sugar added, no preservatives, fat free and cholesterol free.
- Use peppermint tea for its calming and strengthening effect on the nerves, and for indigestion, nausea, and flatulence.
- Use slippery elm tea for inflammation of the colon. This tea also is beneficial when used as an enema solution.
Super Odorless Garlic, NOW Foods, 5000 mg, 90 Caps
NOW Super Odorless Garlic is specially made Japanese product which has been concentrated to yield high amounts of Scordinin, a unique sulfur compound which may be responsible for many of garlic's renowned effects. The other beneficial compounds found in garlic are also preserved through an 18 month aging process.
Garlic Oil, NOW Foods, 1500 mg, 250 Softgels
NOW's® Garlic Oil is extracted and concentrated from the bulb of Allium sativum. Garlic has been used since time immemorial as a culinary spice and medicinal herb. Many publications have shown that garlic supports the cardiovascular system. It is equivalent to a whole garlic clove, with no added fillers. Garlic is rich in Sulfur compounds, amino acids and trace minerals. This Triple Strength 1500 mg garlic contains three times as much garlic oil as regular garlic softgels.
HOLISTIC RECOMMENDATIONS
Aloe Vera Juice, Herbal Aloe Force, Organically Grown, Unprocessed Whole Raw Aloe Vera, 33.8 fl. oz.
Aloe Vera Gel, NOW Foods, 1 Gallon
Aloe Vera Gel, NOW Foods, 32 oz.
NOW Foods Aloe Vera Gel is made from organic aloe vera juice. Based on its soothing, cooling properties, many refer to Aloe Vera simply as the medicine plant. Externally, it's been used throughout history to help ease the discomfort of sunburns, minor wounds, cuts, scrapes and rashes. Many researchers believe that aloe can enhance the body's ability to heal by stimulating the activity of collagen and elastin - two compounds responsible for healthy tissue integrity.
Oat Bran, Standardized, 54% Beta Glucan, Nature's Way, 60 VCaps
Oat Bran Extract (Avena sativa) is standardized to 54% beta glucan. Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 3 grams of oat beta-glucan soluble fiber per day from oat bran may reduce the risk of heart disease by helping to lower blood cholesterol. One serving of Nature's Way standardized Oat Bran provides 750 mg of this soluble fiber.
Forti-Flax, 1005 Certified Organic, Ground Flaxseed, Barlean's, 16 oz.
Forti-Flax Ground Flaxseed supplement from Barlean's provides a cornucopia of naturally occurring Vitamins, Minerals, Amino Acids, Essential Fatty Acids and Fiber. Extremely rich source of Omega-3, dietary fiber, protein, mucilage and phenolic compounds, vitamins, major and trace minerals and amino acids. 100% certified organic, kosher certified, free of pesticides and herbicides; made with select flaxseeds from North America. Proprietary cold-milling process delicately liberates vitamins, minerals, amino acids, lignans and phytonutrients without damaging delicate omega-3 fatty acids. Soluble fiber lowers blood glucose levels and supports a healthy intestinal tract - great alternative to unsavory fiber supplements. Easy addition to a healthful diet, no special preparation needed, just sprinkle on your favorite foods or stir into juice or water. Adds a crunchy nutty flavor to baked goods, cereals and sprinkled on banana slices.
Psyllium Husk Powder, NOW Foods, 100% Pure, Vegetarian, 12 oz.
Psyllium Husk, Nature's Way, 525 mg, 180 Caps
Psyllium Seed, Nature's Way, 610 mg, 100 Caps
Psyllium seeds and their husks are rich in soluble fiber, and have long been used to ease constipation and digestive upset. Arab physicians in the Middle Ages regularly recommended a formula containing Psyllium for constipation. While Psyllium softens stool and relieves constipation, it can also help relieve irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids, and other intestinal problems. In addition, Psyllium may be effective in lowering cholesterol and promoting weight loss (because it makes you feel full). For most uses 1 to 3 tablespoons powder dissolved in a glass of water or juice once or twice a day, depending on your symptoms. Read label instructions before taking.
Spirulina Powder, 100% Natural, NOW Foods, 1 lb.
Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) rests atop the green superfood pantheon. This blue-green vegetable plankton has been a source of nutrition for humans since the Aztecs harvested it from Lake Texcoco in Mexico centuries ago. Spirulina very well may have been the first photosynthetic life form created by nature over 3.6 billion years ago. Algae such as Spirulina is believed to have produced the oxygen in our atmosphere that allowed the development of higher life forms, and it still contains the rich nutrient content that supports the diversity of life we have on Earth today. Spirulina contains the highest protein and beta-carotene levels of all green superfoods, and is also a rich source of GLA (Gamma Linolenic Acid), a popular fatty acid with numerous health benefits. In addition it is the highest known vegetable source of B-12 and provides optimum levels of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, cell salts, amino acids and enzymes. NOW® Spirulina is 100% pure, Certified Organic, and cultivated/harvested in Hawaii, where ideal weather conditions allow for year-round growth and excellent nutritional content.
3 carrots
3 kale leaves
2 stalks of celery
2 beets
1 turnip
1/4 pound of spinach
1/2 head of cabbage
1/4 bunch of parsley
1/4 of an onion
1/2 clove of garlic
If you do not have a juicer, place the vegetables in a pure vegetable broth and gently boil them, adding no seasonings. A cup of this juice may be substituted for any other juice while fasting. Save the vegetables from the broth to eat after your fast. Remember that no solid food is allowed during the fast.
HELPFUL PRODUCTS & FURTHER EDUCATION
Prescription for Nutritional Healing: The A-To-Z Guide To Supplements
-- by Phyllis A. Balch, James F. Balch - 2nd Edition
Prescription for Nutritional Healing: The A-To-Z Guide To Supplements
-- by Phyllis A. Balch, James F. Balch - 4th Edition
Prescription for Herbal Healing: The A-To-Z Reference To Common Disorders
-- by Phyllis A. Balch
The Complete Guide to Natural Healing
This is only a small sample of educational materials and products available through Amazon.com. Use the search box provided below to search for a particular item.
HERBS, OILS, & SUPPLIES
Mountain Rose Bulk Herbs
Mountain Rose Aromatherapy Oils
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