FASTING as a therapy for increased health and vitality. Lose fat, s...

fasting

Having explored holistic health for about 10 years here I can say that there are few skills I have learned that can match fasting for their obvious effectiveness at accelerating healing and increasing body balance. Fasting is very simply the process of stopping eating for extended periods. My explanation for why we use the word 'fasting' to describe this process is that it causes the body's healing process to move faster. Etymologists will claim that the real origin of the word is with the idea of 'holding fast' or 'staying firm', but I maintain that often there are alternative roots for meanings in words which make MORE sense than the alleged origin derived from historical analysis of texts... ;)

Some Benfits of Fasting

Regardless of the meaning of the word, the process is the important thing to understand. The beneftis of fasting cannot easily be overstated:

The body has more energy available for regeneration due to it not needing to use energy for the process of digestion. This means that the body can complete healing tasks that it previously didn't have the ability to complete.
The immune system effectively gets triggered to 'reboot' and becomes renewed with greater strength and capacity to resolve major challenges - including cancer. See: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/03/12/fasting-for-three-days-can-regenerate-entire-immune-system-study/
The various cellular wastes that the body stores can be released since they are not being constantly replaced and added to - the body's process of restoration includes 'cleaning house'.
As a result of all of this, the body loses fat reserves first and quite quickly the skin will begin to glow (after several days).
The psychology of the individual can undergo a dramatic shift since it becomes apparent that much which was being thought to be true about the body and food was actually incorrect. An example is that the hunger sensations which we had previously experienced are found to be false! They are not real hunger. The feelings that we commonly think to be hunger are actually usually just the feeling of the stomach being empty and have nothing to do with actually needing food. These feelings/thoughts end completely after 3/4 days of fasting. Real hunger will surface much later, sometimes up to 30 days later. Real hunger does NOT go away until we eat and indeed, if we do not eat relatively soon at that point we may do ourselves serious damage or even die.
As a result of the greater understanding of the body it becomes simpler to end eating disorders and addictions - plus numerous other neuroses which cloud the thinking and make behavior dysfunctional.
Perception of taste preference gets RESET! So if you had been addicted to sugary food and were convinced you hated greens, then due to the reset you have the possibility of easily shifting to a new diet after the fast concludes.

The process

While it might sound simple to just stop eating, there are some protocols which are important to adopt for safe and optimal results. I have provided a great free book below and several videos and I strongly urge that you take the time to properly learn what is being shared there before fasting yourself and I am in no way responsible for your own actions here. The book I have linked below is considered one of the all time classics on the subject and was written by a man who had fasted around 2000 people. He had meticulously recorded the experiences and learned a huge amount along the way.

In short though, as an overview - the key steps are:

Make sure you have a comfortable and relaxing place to be for 20-30 days (if you intend to do the fast that long - though even shorter times are beneficial). Ideally you will not be interupted by phone calls or other people - your body is going into a special fasting state that needs peace.
Only drink water, do not drink fruit juices or anything other than water. If the body receives nutrition it will switch from 'fasting mode' to 'normal mode'.
Listen to your body's needs throughout the process and respond as appropriate (this is needed at all times anyway, but particularly during a fast).
Be prepared for emotions to surface as you will be quietly exploring your inner consciousness more than usual. Emotions are from our will and need to be expressed safely rather than just thought about or spoken about.
The first 3/4 days may be challenging due to habit patterns that reinforce the idea that you MUST EAT. Once you release the false beliefs surrounding the patterns and also clear emotional charges relating to them, you will be peaceful and able to continue comfortably.
End the fast when is right for you - generally when you have a constant real hunger that does not end.
Return to eating by gently introducing solids and some fresh juices. I have learned it is best to stick to fresh, organic greens and fruits/vegetables to begin with.

Intermittent fasting

Another approach to fasting is to do it intermittently and more regularly. This can involve not eating for most of the day and only eating in the evening - or can involve not eating for more than a day and then eating normally. Here's an interview with a very unusual guy who constantly intermittently fasts. He is a doctor and also a world record holder for weight lifting - he is also over 50 years old and frankly, looks kind of ageless - maybe around 30. I need to point out that I do not agree with his points about denial at all - he lives an ascetic lifestyle - but that is his choice and not necessary for fasting to be effective for others:

Get involved and help improve life!

I heartily advocate for healing without drugs and I know that such an approach is possible in the majority of cases - having done so myself numerous times and having listened to numerous medical professional who agree. If you are interested to participate in a community of other souls who care and are chosoing to heal, balance and evolve - I invite you to the social network I run called Ureka: Earth Heart community.