THERAPEUTIC FASTING
I have no doubts when I say that ours is an opulent society,
at least as far as food is concerned, and we are all sufferers
of overeating. In the last years of this century some chronic
illnesses have appeared which may be considered a direct result
of well-being, while others arising from the poor nutritional
standards of the post-war period, for example, have become less
frequent or have actually disappeared.
I am receiving more and more frequent requests for information
or advice on fasting practices. I have to say that personally I
am not totally in favour of these kinds of practices, even if I
do have wide experience. I believe that people would be better
off seeking solutions to their problems by finding equilibrium
in their own general behaviour without being forced to look for
remedies when their health has already been compromised.
However, I do concede that fasting carried out in full awareness
of the cause can lead to significant physical and psychic
benefits. And a no less important physical aspect is that this
practice favours the elimination of the toxins accumulated in
the body's reserves, while from a psychological point of view
fasting strengthens the character and the determination of the
person practising it. Before starting, however, you have to
remember that during the first two or three days pangs of hunger
are felt constantly. This is the result of our habit, often
controlled by the mind, of consuming food, and, especially in
the case of the most intoxicated subjects, these moments are
usually accompanied by a feeling of nausea, vomiting or
headache. Sensations caused, as I have already said, by the
considerable quantity of toxins that the practice itself tends
to set free in the body, but which should not cause you to
worry, since these very toxins are eliminated naturally by the
organs whose function this is, in other words through
perspiration, urine, faeces and respiration. It becomes
important, therefore, that during the fast you should drink a
lot of water, but neither cold nor sparkling.
While I am on the subject I'd like to point out once again that
drinking two or three litres of water a day should be normal
practice for everyone, but especially for those who wish to
enhance the quality of their health. It is a serious error to
think, as women sometimes do, that water makes you bloated or
fat. Water, for example, actually helps the functioning of the
intestines. This is where we can often find one of the causes of
an increase in weight or intoxication in general. To help the
intestines function more effectively I recommend you also
consume fibre from time to time, eating for example more
complete foods such as bread or wholemeal pasta.
Going back to fasting, I have to say that if carried out with
intelligence and equilibrium it doesn't present any danger, at
least up to the fortieth day. For it is only after the fortieth
day that the body's process of "self-absorption" reaches risky
or delicate parts. Initially it is intelligent enough to turn to
its natural reserves, namely those tissues which already
function as stores, and it follows certain priorities. Only
after the fortieth day might it also turn to the tissues of the
heart and therefore become dangerous.
My advice, then, for those who intend to use fasting as a means
of detoxification or for losing some weight and thereby
eliminating certain disturbances or strengthening their nervous
system and willpower, is to proceed as follows:
Choose an
eight-day period during which, I'd like to point out, you
should continue to work normally (assuming that the job is
not a cause of stress, otherwise it would be advisable to
lower the pace of work during this period). Work, especially
when it is healthy and well managed, keeps the mind busy and
prevents you from continually listening to those
hypothetical disturbances that "in your opinion" the fasting
might cause you.
Prepare yourself
psychologically and when you begin be strong and determined
to see it through to the end. An interruption in the
practice would be highly damaging from a psychological point
of view, and make you even weaker.
Over the first
three days gradually reduce the quantity of food, passing
above all from solid foods to liquids, until you are
consuming vegetable broth during the last hours.
Observe two days
of complete fast, but drink a lot of water throughout the
day.
Over the last
three days start consuming food again, gradually passing
from liquids on the first day to solids on the third.
Intelligent fasts like these will help you return not only to
a good state of physical but also mental equilibrium. Sometimes
in Oriental monasteries it is accompanied by the practice of
silence called "Antarmouna", carried out to put the follower
back in touch with his inner life.
by Amadio Bianchi