Fasting Healthy by abandonment

Fasting with positive effects on health

14/02/2013

The Christian Lent has been running since Ash Wednesday. Many people in Germany use this opportunity to do something good for their body and mind by deliberately avoiding it. Often, instead of classic fasting, the omission of luxury foods such as alcohol or tobacco comes first. Also, many people practice abstaining from certain foods, such as meat or sweets, rather than following the original fasting tradition.

If the essential principles are adhered to during classic fasting (refraining from eating for a certain period of time), it can actually have a very positive effect on your health. From a medical point of view, fasting above all requires sufficient fluid intake. In addition, a break in Lent is advised in case of impairment of physical well-being. Also, fasting should not be misunderstood as a lightning diet, but as a starting point for improving one's lifestyle. In natural healing, fasting is used inter alia for the concomitant treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system (eg arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease), and allergic diseases (eg hay fever, asthma).

Complete refrain from eating fasting
While fasting is generally equated with the renunciation of certain indulgence and food, the fasting is described as a special form of nutritional suppression. Solid foods are taboo in fasting. The fasting people only supply the body with liquid in the form of water or tea. Before the fasting begins, the Naturopathy provides a defecation, for example by means of Glauber's salt or an enema. After this provoked defecation follows up to two weeks fasting. By abstaining from solid food, the organism is switched to the hunger metabolism after about two days. The body supplies itself via the existing reserves. The organism also begins to get rid of metabolic end products - the so-called slag. In order to facilitate the elimination of the slags, a hydration of at least two and a half liters of still water and herbal tea per day is provided. Some fasting cures also allow vegetable broth, juices or whey.

Fasting against cancer
Scientific evidence on the positive health effects of fasting has been limited so far, but some studies have produced surprisingly satisfying results. For example, last year a research team led by gerontologist Professor Dr. Ing. Valter Longo from the University of South California in the journal „Science Translational Medicine“ published a study that suggests that short-term fasting before initiating chemotherapy significantly increases the tolerability of treatment and the prospects for recovery. The combination of fasting and chemotherapy has reduced metastasis and has led to shrinking of cancerous tumors. In experiments on mice, even fasting without subsequent chemotherapy had shown success in five out of eight cancers, said Prof. Longo and colleagues just over a year ago. Fasting could therefore prevent cancer.

Do not overdo fasting cures
Fasting is assumed to have a variety of health-promoting effects, most of which have not yet been scientifically proven. So fasting is also generally strengthen the immune system, support a gut rehabilitation, rid the body of pollutants and deposits, tighten the connective tissue and reduce blood lipid levels. In addition, positive effects on the psyche are expected. But there is no proof of such assumptions. However, the adverse effect of exaggerated fasting cures has been documented many times. Professor Georg Wechsler, President of the Association of German Nutritionists, said in an interview with the „star“, that „with total fasting life-threatening complications occur“ can. This is to be expected in young women and men already after 20 to 30 days. Fasting diets that last longer than „three, four, five days“ take, therefore, be „medically unreasonable.“ According to the expert, too „religious fasting“ be limited to a few days, as traditional here „no energy, no calories, just water and fluid“ be recorded. „This is naturally limited to a few days, because humans have no natural protein storage and we very quickly lose a lot of protein.“ In order to achieve the positive effect of fasting and not to risk any health impairments, the experts should, in case of doubt, urgently consult a doctor. (Fp)

Also read:
Fasting causes cancer tumors to shrink
Health benefits of Ramadan fasting
Gout risk due to fasting and diuretic diets

Image: Rüdiger (Roger) Uwe Eichler