Fasting

Have you ever considered the fact that all societies at some time or the other have practiced fasting not just as part of religious penance, but also as a scientific approach to life? If one is prepared to look at the lives of the lower animals it may be perceived that they too at certain times abstain from taking their normal diet. It is a medical fact that for our bodies to work at maximum efficiency ratios it is very necessary that they be allowed periods of rest when they can complete their detoxification of the cells and allow the disposal of harmful toxins, which inevitably clog our system.

The growing trend to return to more natural ways of living has encouraged this kind of literature. Soon after the industrial revolution in Europe a large number of people migratedfrom their rural environments to large and congested urban centres in the search of work and a better life. They did find work, but alongside it they received exploitation and disease as the immediate benefits. The more judicious amongst them realizing their predicament started the quest for alternative living styles, which could help them to adapt themselves to their new conditions.

Various systems of medicine highly recommend fasting as being one of the most productive treatments in certain ailments. This is especially true of those connected with the digestive system. Although it at first appears to be a most drastic approach to the curing of disease, those who have undertaken such fasts under the guidance of experts have dis-covered that initial discomforts soon disappear and that they are in fact greatly helped by this regime.

**Contents and Sample Pages**