by
Paavo Airola, Ph.D., N.D.
HOW TO FAST AND HOW NOT TO
The classic form of fasting is a pure water fast - the abstinence
from all foods and drinks with the exception of pure water. The
renaissance of water fasting in the United States happened around
the turn of the century. It was popularized here mainly by
immigrant European nature-cure practitioners.
While in the last few decades the fasting methods in Europe have
completely changed - and now practically all European clinics use
exclusively juice fasting - most American practitioners and
clinics specializing in fasting still use the antiquated water
fast method. I have supervised both types of fasting and am
thoroughly convinced of the superiority of juice fasting. Dr.
Otto H.F.Buchinger, who has supervised more fasts than any other
doctor (over 80,000 fasts), employs only juice fasting. He told
me that, in his experience, fasting on the fresh raw juices of
fruits and vegetables, plus vegetable broths and herb teas,
results in much faster recovery from disease and more effective
cleansing and rejuvenation of the tissues than does the
traditional water fast.
WHY JUICE FASTING?
The medical justification of juice fasting is based on the
following physiological facts:
1. Raw juices, as well as freshly made vegetable broths, are rich
in vitamins, minerals, trace elements and enzymes.
2. These vital elements are very easily assimilated directly
into the bloodstream, without putting a strain on the digestive
system - thus they do not disrupt the healing and rejuvenating
process of autolysis, or self-digestion, as suggested by some
water fast proponents.
3. Contrary to the opinion of some writers, fruit and vegetable
juices do not stimulate the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the
stomach, which can lead to ulcers. Hydrochloric acid is mainly
secreted when protein-rich foods are eaten.
4. The nutritive elements from the juices are extremely
beneficial in normalizing all the body processes, supplying
needed elements for the body's own healing activity and cell
regeneration, and, thus, speeding recovery.
5. Raw juices and vegetable broths provide an alkaline surplus
which is extremely important for the proper acid-alkaline balance
in the blood and tissues, since blood and tissues contain large
amounts of acids during fasting.
6. Generous amounts of minerals in the juices, particularly in
the vegetable broth, help to restore the biochemical and mineral
balance in the tissues and cells. Mineral imbalance in the
tissues is one of the main causes of diminished oxygenation,
which leads to disease and the premature aging of cells.
7. According to Dr.Ralph Bircher, raw juices contain an as yet
unidentified factor which stimulates what he calls a
microelectric tension in the body and is responsible for the
cells' ability to absorb nutrients from the bloodstream and
effectively excrete metabolic wastes.
Thus, raw juice fasting is of particular importance when you fast
for regeneration and rejuvenation of your body. Juice fasting
will help to break down and dispose of the old dying cells,
revitalize the active cells, and accelerate the new-building of
young, vital cells.
ARE YOU FASTING OR NOT?
The proponents of water fast like to tell you that the juice fast
is not a fast, it is a liquid diet. They misunderstand the
therapeutic meaning of fasting. Any condition when your body is
encouraged to initiate the process of autolysis, or
self-digestion, is fasting. During juice fasting, when no solid
foods, proteins or fats are consumed, your body will decompose
and burn all the diseased and inferior protein and fat tissues,
just as it does during the water fast. Juices are absorbed
directly into the bloodstream without the usual process of
digestion. The only difference between the juice fast and the
water fast is that during the juice fast your body's eliminative
and detoxifying capacity is increased; the healing processes are
speeded up and you feel less debilitated. But if someone insists
upon calling this superior healing method a juice diet, instead
of a juice fast, let him do it if it makes him happy!
SHOULD YOU TAKE ENEMAS?
There is a great deal of controversy on the advisability of
enemas during fasting. There are some practitioners in the United
States who condemn the use of enemas or colonic irrigations
completely. They claim that enemas are unnecessary, unnatural,
harmful and habit-forming. In their writings, the "antienemists"
love to retort with the argument, "Animals do not take enemas
when they fast. Why should man?"
How could one respond to the above fatuous reasoning except by
saying that animals do not write books, give health lectures or
engage in medical research either! In all fairness, however, it
must be said that "anti-chemists" are right in saying that enemas
are unnatural and habit-forming. As a rule, enemas should not be
used regularly or for prolonged periods, as, for example, a
regular routine to cope with chronic constipation. The emptying
of your bowel is accomplished "naturally" by regular muscle
contractions in the intestines, called peristalsis. These
contractions are started in healthy individuals by the special
defecationreflex which is triggered by pressure from the filled
rectum. The enema fills the rectum with water, and causes the
artificial, strong pressure that triggers the defecation
mechanism. If used regularly, enemas, with their instant and
powerful pressure, will weaken the natural sensitivity of the
mechanism; after a while, it will not readily respond to the more
subtle, natural stimulus. Therefore, those who make a daily habit
of using enemas will find that their bowels have lost the natural
ability to empty the wastes. Thus, enemas used regularly can be
considered habit forming.
However, the above reasoning has nothing to do with the use of
enemas during fasting. While virtually all European fasting
specialists warn against the regular use of enemas and colonics,
they all agree that there are some important exceptions to this
rule. The most notable of these is fasting. (The other conditions
where an enema is advised are acute constipation and acute
infectious diseases, and when the patient is bedridden for
prolonged periods, which, because of total lack of motion, causes
sluggishness in normal bowel movements.)
During fasting, the natural stimulation of the defecationreflex
from food is missing and therefore all the impurities, wastes and
toxins will remain in the body and may cause autotoxemia, or
self-poisoning. The main purpose of fasting is to help the body
to cleanse itself from accumulated toxic wastes. By the process
of autolysis, a huge amount of morbid matter, dead cells and
diseased tissues are burned; and the toxic wastes which have
accumulated in the tissues for years, causing disease and
premature aging, are loosened and expelled from the system. The
alimentary canal, the digestive and eliminative system, is the
main road by which these toxins are thrown out of the body.
Since, during fasting, the natural bowel movements cease to take
place, the toxic wastes would have no way of leaving the system,
except with the help of enemas.
This is why virtually all biological doctors in Europe administer
enemas to all fasting patients - once, twice and some even three
times a day. Enemas during fasting will assist the body in its
cleansing and detoxifying effort by washing out all the toxic
wastes from the alimentary canal.
Constipation is one of the most common ailments of civilized man.
As a consequence of long-standing constipation, the digestive
tract, particularly in the lower bowels and colon, becomes slack
and stagnant with hardened residues clinging to the walls of the
colon and filling its many pockets and folds. This results in
putrefaction and gas, forming a source of slow poisoning of the
whole body. Diverticulitis, a chronic condition where small
pouches and pockets of the colon are packed with feces, is one of
the most common complaints of most people over 50, particularly
women. Often the whole length of the colon is completely packed
with old, hardened fecal matter, cemented to the walls and
pockets, leaving only a thin, narrow channel which enables soft
feces to pass through. To let the patients fast without making an
effort to wash out this constant source of auto-intoxication, is
indeed unwise. During fasting, copious amounts of toxins are
released from the tissues and thrown into the bloodstream for
elimination. If these toxins can not come out through the
alimentary canal, the body will try to get them out through other
eliminative organs, particularly through the kidneys which, as a
result, will often be overloaded and even damaged.
All our fasting patients are given daily enemas in addition to
colonic irrigations once a week. To further assist the body in
its detoxification and elimination processes, fasting patients
are given dry brush massage twice a day to stimulate the
eliminative capacity of the skin, the biggest eliminative organ.
Patients are also advised to walk and exercise in fresh air as
much as possible to help the lungs in their blood-purification
work.
FASTING WITHOUT ENEMAS CAN BE HARMFUL
I have seen rather horrifying examples of what prolonged water
fasting without enemas can do. A few months ago, a man arrived at
our Spa from recent treatments at a famous American clinic where
he fasted for 32 days on water. During all this time he was
advised to stay in bed. He was given no enemas or colonic
irrigations. He told me that it took him two months "to
recuperate" from this fast and get on his feet. He was still in a
very weak condition with damaged kidneys and severe edema in his
legs. Several former patients of this particular clinic advised
me that they were told at the clinic that it takes an amount of
time equal to the fasting time to recuperate from the effects of
fasting. That is, one month of fasting will require one month of
recuperating time. When this man told me of his experience, I
showed him one of my patients, who was just completing the last
day of his one-month juice fast. He was active all the time
during fasting, walked 3 to 5 miles each day, took yoga and other
exercises, had enemas twice a day, and felt on the last day of
the fast stronger and healthier than before the fast. He was
actually loaded with vitality. This patient did not need any
recuperating period after his fast - his fast indeed was a
recuperative and regenerative period!
Of course, fasting is such a miraculous healing measure that even
fasting on water and without enemas accomplishes some good in
many cases. But how much better results the fasting would
accomplish with the enema and the addition of raw juices!
HOW TO TAKE AN ENEMA
To take an enema, you must have an enema can or bag with a rubber
hose and a nozzle; it can be obtained at any drug store. Fill the
enema bag with lukewarm water, about 99 degrees F. Add a few
drops of fresh lemon juice, or a cup of camomile tea (can be
bought at health food stores); however, the enema can be taken
with plain water. For a do-it-yourself enema, 1 pint to 1 quart
of water is sufficient.
The best position for taking an enema is on your knees, head down
to the floor, with enema bag hanging 2 1/2 to 3 feet above the
anus, to get sufficient pressure in the flow of water. The flow
can be regulated by squeezing the tube with the fingers; some
enema bags have a special clamp to regulate the flow. Before
inserting the nozzle into the anus make sure there is no air left
in the tube: let water run out for a moment. Use some vaseline,
oil or other lubricator on the nozzle to make insertion easier.
If you feel discomfort or pain when water is running in, stop the
flow for a while and take deep breaths then continue again until
the bag is empty.
If you can retain the water for a while and do not feel forced to
empty the bowels at once, you may lie or a bed or soft rug for a
few minutes, and let the water do its dissolving and washing work
before letting it out. First lie on the back for a minute, then
on the right side, then on the stomach and then on the left side.
While you are doing this, gently massage your stomach with your
hands. Then go to the toilet and let the water run out. Stay long
enough to make sure that the bowels are empty.
The enema should be taken at least once each fasting day. The
best time is the first thing in the morning. After the fast is
broken, enemas should be continued until the bowels begin to move
naturally without the help of the enemas. This usually takes two
or three days. As soon as normal peristalsis is established,
enemas should be discontinued.
Here are some additional points to watch:
1. Make sure that the enema water is not too cold or too hot; it
should be of body temperature, or slightly above.
2. Keep the equipment clean; wash it with soap and water. If
several people use the equipment, disinfect the nozzle with
rubbing alcohol, then rinse with water.
3. And finally, watch for the copious amounts of debris and
ill-smelling wastes coming out with the enema water, even after 5
weeks of fasting!
Note: the enemas are given in all European biological clinics
that I am familiar with, and I am familiar with most of them.
But the number of enemas varies with various practitioners. At
Buchinger Sanatorium, enemas are given once every morning or
every second morning. At Sweden's Bjorkagarden Institute, as well
as at Dr.Lars-Erik Essen's Vita Nova (both presented in detail in
my book THERE IS A CURE FOR ARTHRITIS), enemas are administered 2
or 3 times a day - morning, noon and evening. Some clinics give
enemas twice a day. My own recommendation is at least once a day,
taken each morning.
DETAILED PROGRAM FOR DO-IT-YOURSELF FASTING FOR BETTER HEALTH AND
LONGER LIFE
It is advisable to prepare yourself for fasting by a short
cleansing diet. For 2 or 3 days eat nothing but raw fruits and
vegetables - one meal made of any available fruits, the other of
fresh vegetable salad.
Fasting usually begins with an effective bowel cleansing with the
help of purgatives, such as Glauber's salts or castor oil. Dr.
Otto Buchinger uses an ounce and a half of Glauber's salts in one
and a quarter pints of warm water on the morning of the first day
of fasting. Since the Glauber's salt drink is not very tasty, it
is usually followed by a glass of fruit juice. Glauber's salts
will cause repeated and powerful evacuations and cleanse your
bowels thoroughly. Some European clinics use castor oil for the
same purpose.
On the first day of fasting, one or two hours before an enema,
two tablespoons of pure castor oil is taken in a glass of water
to which the juice of half a lemon has been added. Of course, you
can begin your fasting without a purgative, just by using a
double enema.
First take 1 pint of plain water and let it out. Then repeat with
a full quart of water into which camomile tea or a few drops of
lemon juice have been added.
The next day, and each following day of the fast, you follow this
program:
UPON ARISING: Enema
AFTER ENEMA: Dry brush massage, followed by hot and cold
shower.
9:00 A.M. Cup of herb tea - lukewarm, not hot. Health food
stores carry a large assortment of herb teas. I recommend
peppermint, camomile, or rose hips. See the instructions on the
package for preparing the teas.
11:00 A.M. A glass of freshly-pressed fruit juice, diluted
fifty-fifty with water.
11:00 A.M.
to 1:00 P.M. Walk or mild exercise, or sunbathing, if the
weather permits. (In our Spa, various baths, massages and other
treatments are given at this time.)
1:00 P.M. A glass of freshly made vegetable juice or a cup
of vegetable broth (SEE RECIPE AND DIRECTIONS LATER IN THIS
CHAPTER).
1:30
to 4:00 P.M. Rest in bed.
4:00 P.M. Cup of herb tea.
4:15 P.M.
to 7:00 P.M. Walk, therapeutic baths, exercises or other
treatments.
7:00 P.M. Glass of diluted vegetable or fruit juice, or cup
of vegetable broth.
Drink plain lukewarm water, or mineral water, when thirsty. The
total juice and broth volume during the day should be between 1
1/2 pints and 1 1/2 quarts. Never dilute fresh juices with
vegetable broth, only with pure water. The total liquid intake
should be approximately 6 to 8 glasses - but don't hesitate to
drink more, if thirsty.
Again, I suggest that, if at all possible, have your fasting
supervised by someone who is well initiated in it. Under expert
supervision such a fast could be undertaken at home up to 30
days, if necessary. If you are ill, you should consult your
doctor on advisability of fasting in your case. Show this chapter
and the instructions to your own doctor and ask him to supervise
your fasting and examine your condition as the fast progresses.
Without expert supervision I would not advise fasting longer than
one week to 10 days at a time. After a few weeks on a
health-building diet, your fasting program may be repeated.
How fast is broken:
...............
TO BE CONTINUED
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