Dangers of the Fasting
“Extremes” they say “are always dangerous.” This is true even in the case of fasting.
According to circumstances fasting may do a great deal of good or a great deal of harm. Judicious fasting is beneficial and rids the body of disease, but when carried to extreme it amounts to starvation which is detrimental, and ultimately destructive to the body. The distinction must always be kept clear in mind between fasting and starvation. When a fast is begun the system begins to oxidize and eliminate the useless material which has been accumulated in the body in the form of assimilated food and the waste which is choking and congesting the small blood vessels. This effete matter which is actually the cause of disease is the first thing that Nature disposes of before it draws upon the tissues of before it draws upon the tissues of the body.
Fasting never kills, it is only starvation that results in death and long before the stage is reached food must be taken. Fasting is not starving. The destructive and degenerative conditions observed in animals kept for the sake of laboratory experiments are due to ‘starvation’. Fasting does not result in organic deterioration nor do any pathological changes occur in the body during a therapeutic fast.
Due care must be taken not to confuse ‘habit hunger’ with ‘natural hunger’. Habit hunger is the craving or desire for food experienced at the daily meal time after the commencement of the fast. This must be resisted by drinking water or diverting the mind elsewhere. A day or two after commencing the fast the tongue will generally become coated and the breath foul. This is an indication of the fact that effete matter is present in the system and the body is throwing it off through all the available exits and that the fast is really needed. When the has been successfully completed the tongue becomes pink and breath sweet and there is a natural desire for food, not a false hunger. The natural desire for food is an exquisite sensation that can only be known to those who have experienced it. The disappearances of foul coating on the tongue and of the offensive odour of the breath are important signs of the complete removal of internal refuse. If on taking the fast for a day or two there is no change in the tongue and breath, it is indicative of the fact that a long fast is not needed by the body.
Fasts are sometimes ineffective:
Troubles deep rooted from years of ill-health cannot miraculously disappear by a week’s fast or more. The right path has been indicated in fasting and it entirely rests with the patient to follow it successfully to the final goal.
Lack of faith and determination are also the chief factors in destroying the efficacy of a fast. Faith which is said to ‘move mountain’, goes a long way towards removing sickness. Those half-willed and half-witted people, who pay good money to undergo a properly supervised fast and then slink out and eat a meal in the nearest hotel, are not worth troubling about. To them fasting will do no good for their life.
Want of rest during the course of a fast is also harmful. During the period of a fast strain is put upon the reserve forces of the body and it demands rest for the conservation of all its energy for the work of toxin elimination. Light exercise, such as walking may be taken in moderation in order to prevent stagnation but hard exertion is apt to prove injurious.
Among other obstacles to success in fasting are fear, the anxiety of friends and relatives, the too early breaking of the fast and the use of wrong foods and drinks after-wards. Go slow; resume your meals gradually and patiently. Do not think that you must eat twice as much now, because you did not take anything for so long. It is better to begin with a liquid diet daily adding some solid food until you reach the normal quantity.
Above all, importance must be attached to the right mental attitude during a fast. Fasting generally leads to pessimism. The depression of physical function during the course of a fast arouses and increases the psychic functions and may produce intense emotionalism. There is a close affinity between one’s mental state and physical state. Be of good cheer and drag your mind deliberately away from the contemplation of disease or other gloomy thoughts. Getting all ‘fussed up’ is an indulgence for which one must pay a stiff price. Let not emotions such as anger, sorrow, fear, or envy gnaw at your heart and destroy your harmony and poise. Build castles in the air and be bright as sunshine. Thus you will be able to derive the highest benefit from a fast,
