Fasting

Fasting is one of the oldest and best recipes for good health. It has been used for religious and spiritual purposes to cleanse and strengthen the body and the spirit. For Christians, Lent was in the past a fasting period to prepare both body and soul for this life and the next.

Fasting has become quite common today for health reasons. This is perhaps as a reaction to our lifestyle of over-consumerism and the tendency to accumulate toxins.

Perhaps the most useful regular fast that we all do is that between supper and next morning’s breakfast. The digestive system needs periods of rest, both overnight and between meals. So the habit of continual snacking is seen in traditional medicine as weakening to the digestive/endocrine system. The physical need for more long-term fasting arises when the body needs encouragement to expel toxins. It may also arise in certain illnesses that affect the digestive system.

There are many ways to fast. What they have in common is a simplification of what we take into our bodies. A water-only fast is suitable for those with a strong constitution. It is best accompanied by extra rest (perhaps during all those hours saved on cooking, eating and washing up!), and the entry and exit from the fast need to be gradual. On starting the fast, it is best to prepare the body by eating a cleansing diet for a few days so that the colon is not congested and the body not shocked by the sudden withdrawal from food. Stopping the fast needs also to be gradual, eating at first only small amounts of easily digested food.

A rice fast will also cleanse the body while offering a more continuous energy supply. This simple fast of brown wholegrain rice will greatly cleanse the colon, reduce stress throughout the system and remove toxins gradually from the liver. It is a useful fast for those not in “full good health” and during the winter months. A little olive oil and lemon juice can be poured over the rice, if desired. Fruit and juice fasts are more cooling, suitable for summer months only or for excess conditions like high blood pressure, for example.

It is not generally a good idea to fast when pregnant or breast-feeding or when very weak. The following conditions should also be cause for care and possibly supervision if considering a fast: under-weight, weak heart, low blood pressure, diabetes, peptic ulcers and mental illness. Fasting is also more demanding in cold weather. Fasts of more than 3 or 5 days may also be best with some supervision. Healing crises often occur during periods of fasting, but uncomfortable reactions that persist for more than a day or two should be carefully monitored.

The potential benefits of fasting are immense. Waste products can be eliminated from the cells, fat can be converted to energy and toxins are commonly released from the colon, bladder, kidneys, lungs, sinuses and skin.

Finally, fasting is about more than physical elimination. The most benefit can be had if the fast is accompanied by plenty of rest and good use of the time to withdraw from “doing” mode into a more reflective and contained way of being. The practice of fasting can be a mental, emotional and spiritual practice: most people experience greater clarity, inner peace and renewed energy to deal with what is truly important in life.

David Foley

MNIMH, MRCHM

Medical Herbalist