Has anyone done a cleansing fast? (page 2)

wha happened?

I know some people swear by them but I never got the science. Maybe because there isn't any.

I try and eat a lot of fiber in my diet and seems to keep me regular.

snowbird

I think there is something positive about fasting or just restricting your caloric intake severely at times.

There is. For one thing, it curtails I trouble.

Sylvia

sacolton

Yeah, I did the lemonade cleanse for ten days and lost 15 lbs. Felt great, but it takes alot of willpower.

I cannot believe how passionately divided this thread has become! I am very interested in the reading from the folks that have experienced it first-hand... both in themselves and what they have observed in other people doing the cleanse. I noticed that no one de-bunking the idea have any personal experiences? Or is that forth-coming?

Thanks for the interesting thread,
Baba.

Octarine Prince

That's how it usually is. People who haven't experienced it are talking smack.

I haven't visited a doctor in 16.5 years. That is my credential.

There are some scams out there, as are incompetent modern medical practitioners, but there are great benefits to proper fasting.

abbagail

Don't listen to that QuackWatch Bennett. He's a jerk and against all things NATURAL. God Himself invented Fasting so who is smarter? Bennet or God? ;-)

I haven't done any cleansing/fasting lately, and in dire need of same, but YES YES YES! DO IT! I did a 21-day water fast back in 1988 because I had been sick for almost 10 years by that time. First I PREPARED MY BRAIN/MIND by reading and reading and reading about "Natural Hygiene" and fasting for about six months, while at the same time changing diet to raw fruits and veggies and eating during these times of day:

4 AM to NOON - your body is DETOXING naturally, so eat LIGHT, fruit only, etc., no coffee, because you need to allow your body to naturally detox its daily metabolic load.

NOON to 8 PM - eat what you want, good food, steamed, raw, etc. as this is the time for your body to ASSIMILATE food.

8 PM to 4 AM - NO EATING except maybe a piece of fruit before bed, etc. as this is the time that your body APPROPRIATES what it has eaten during the prior 8 hours.

Began losing pounds around the waist, which wasn't even why I was doing it, I was doing it because I knew it was the answer for what ailed me once the information was presented to me (after three months of praying my head off that summer when I was Aux, Pio. and DYING EVERY DAY) and I was preparing my body and my mind to fast during those initial six months of learning,

(But nobody has to wait that long if they are super determined, but the more you detox slowly the easier water fasting will be. Also it's good to gear up your mind with KNOWLEDGE so you know all about it, what it will be like, what to expect, how GREAT IT WILL BE FOR YOUR BODY, MIND, SPIRIT, SOUL, everything!) IT's A WHOLE NEW LIFE AFTERWARD. You will be ecstatic! It is TOTAL VICTORY! You will LOVE IT!

Of course you can't go back to eating hamburgs and hotdogs afterward... got to keep those innards clean and running good so learn to eat right, etc. Make the farmer's market your weekly thrill, all the colored fruits and veggies, wheeling and dealing with the vendors, exercise, fresh air, etc.

And it's true about the eyes, the whites will become super white, all little veins and cloudiness or blah-look will disappear. You can knock 10-15 years off your mind/body/soul if you do it and do it right.

Don't expect to just jump back up afterward either. Take it slow and easy. The whole idea of a fast is to REST REST REST.

If you've got bucks and don't want to do it at home, there are nice places that supervise water fasting (though I don't think it's needed but it's a good thing the first time, esp. for an extended fast).

Here's a links page with resources, articles, books, etc. re: Natural Hygiene and fasting: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/THEN_SHALL_THEY_FAST/links/

Hope this helps!
/ag

Octarine Prince

Thank you for that wonderful personal experience, abbagail.

Now friends, stand, if you are able, and let us sing song number....

Uh, sorry. :-)

Gregor

Cabbage and sweet potatoes do the job for me.

I may need something stronger when this election is over, however.

Sylvia

You sleep in the garage tonight, Sylvia. And no candles!

drwtsn32

Just so people understand... I was not saying these lemonade or other fasts don't work. I'm sure they do! It's just not scientifically accurate to say it's some sort of "cleanse." Everything we eat goes through our system in a matter of hours. Junk doesn't build up in our gut that needs to be cleared out like drain-o clears your sink pipe. That's completely false, and those pills that supposedly cause a long, nasty looking thing to come out your butt have been proven to be a scam.

Also, I have nothing against "natural" at all. I only meant that natural does not necessarily mean safe. Arsenic is natural, afterall. It just bugs me that things are marketed as "natural" and people assume it means it's healthier and safer. Not true. In fact "synthetic" medicines are usually safer: the quality and dosage is more consistent.

There is a lot of bullshit in the natural healthcare arena, especially in the United States. That's what happens when it gets deregulated like it did in the mid 1990s. I really hope that changes. For-profit organizations need to be policed to protect consumers.

Open mind

Dammit drwtsn32!

I wrote this big long-winded harangue and you pretty well summed up my thoughts in a couple paragraphs. Oh well, here they are anyway.

abbagail:

Don't listen to that QuackWatch Bennett. He's a jerk and against all things NATURAL. God Himself invented Fasting so who is smarter? Bennet or God? ;-)

Anyone care to play "Name that Logical Fallacy"? (It's a game they play on SGU. Skeptics Guide to the Universe)

1. Ad hominum:

Don't listen to that QuackWatch Bennett. He's a jerk

2. Unsubstantiated premise:

and against all things NATURAL.

Which I'll attempt to rebut here. Bennet has an entire article devoted to the benefits of a plant-based diet entitled:

Functional Foods:
Their Role in Disease Prevention
and Health Promotion

Here's a brief excerpt:

"Overwhelming evidence from epidemiological, in vivo, in vitro, and clinical trial data indicates that a plant-based diet can reduce the risk of chronic disease, particularly cancer. "

(bold added by moi)

And the link if you'd like to read the whole thing:

http://www.quackwatch.org/03HealthPromotion/ff.html

How can you characterize him as "against all things NATURAL"?

3. Appeal to authority:

God Himself invented Fasting

4. False Dichotomy (Either/Or):

so who is smarter? Bennet or God? ;-)

BabaYaga:

I noticed that no one de-bunking the idea have any personal experiences? Or is that forth-coming?

1. Anecdotal evidence. I don't think that's actually a logical fallacy, but it's a rational banana peel. Let's say I shared a heart-touching personal experience of how I did a "colon cleanse" and my terminal cancer went into remission. What does that prove?

Zippo.

Anecdotal accounts prove little. And even if there was a correlation found among a statistically significant group of people it doesn't prove causation.

Also, we've got a blending of several topics here. Colon cleansing, fasting, and diet in general.

1. Colon cleansing. Total bunk. The idea that colons need to be "cleansed" has been thoroughly debunked by good science ever since the introduction of colonoscopy.

2. Fasting and diet. There's tons of studies and millions of opinions out there. Buyer beware.

As for how "passionate" people have become on this topic, I agree with your observation Babba Yagga.

I'm just practicing my Critical Thinking skills and having a good time.

om

Has anyone done a cleansing fast?

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