Therapeutic fasting for health. The effect of fasting on the body: harm and benefit

I consider fasting to be a powerful means of healing, "heavy artillery". I mastered it more out of curiosity than out of necessity. However, later this experience was very useful to me. I easily abandoned such a prejudice as eating by the clock. For several years I followed two meals a day. And since 1992 - one-time, more precisely one and a half times: on weekdays I eat only in the evening, on weekends - in the morning and evening. And I feel great.

Many fast in order to lose weight. Excess weight- this is a load on the cardiovascular, immune and other systems of the body. Fat man as if he constantly carries dumbbells with him. But after forty years, too heavy "dumbbells" create an unbearable load for the body, systems and organs work in a forced mode. It is worth losing weight - and a person will feel much better.

The first time I went hungry was from July 2 to July 19, 1972, while I was on vacation. Then the whole family lived in Bolshevo, with the Nikitin teachers, who created an original system for raising children and successfully applied it in their large family.

Together with Boris Pavlovich Nikitin, we read some literature on fasting, got inspired and decided to try it. I have kept a "fasting diary", extracts from which, I hope, will be useful to those who decide to resort to this effective remedy.

3rd day of fasting. He was on duty in the kitchen, preparing meals for three adults and ten children all day. Strange as it may seem, he felt complete indifference to food, even barely caught smells. I felt cheerful, I was happy to study English with the children.

5th day of fasting. The most amazing thing is that no effort is spent on the fight against hunger. The heat is +36°С. In the morning weed, in the afternoon he made longies for Olya Nikitina, in the evening he went to the river, swam across it with Anton and Olya.

9th day of fasting. A little weakness. In the morning I woke up from the sound of rain, rushed to the balcony to take off the hanging linen - it got dark in my eyes.

This condition precedes the acidotic crisis - the body's adaptation to endogenous (internal) nutrition.

10th day of fasting. I took a backpack weighing 29 kg to Moscow. Then he worked in the kitchen. There is no appetite.

When switching to endogenous nutrition, the body adapts to the most economical expenditure of energy. Pulse and respiration become less frequent, peripheral vessels constrict, blood pressure decreases. All this I felt on the eleventh day.

11th day of fasting. The slight weakness is gone. There is no appetite. The strength is the same as it was before starvation. I was convinced of this when we swam at speed along the Yauza. The unpleasant feeling in the mouth, reminiscent of fasting, disappeared. It seems to me that the period has come when you can reap the benefits of fasting without any difficulties. The hardest part is behind you.

12th day of fasting. I have no less strength than with good nutrition: I dig, swim, write.

17th day of fasting. Good as ever!…

The benefits of fasting, carried out correctly, a person feels especially clearly in the first three to four months after it. The metabolism in the body is very intensive. And even a year after the experienced hunger, the body works very productively. Fortified nervous system, increases endurance, increases the ability to concentrate.

After the first fast, for the first time in many years, my weight dropped from 80 kg to 66.6 kg - that's how much I weighed in my youth.

However, in 1972, I was ill-prepared to emerge from the fast. In those days it was difficult to find literature on this subject. And due to the inevitable mistakes in 9 days after the famine, my weight jumped to 72 kg, and then to 75.6 kg. Thus, the initial weight decreased by only 4 kg.

For five days after fasting, no discomfort I didn't experience. An appetite appeared, which I quenched with juice, then with grated apples and carrots, and even later with cottage cheese. But on the 6th day (and not on the 18th, as it should be with a 17-day fast), I switched to regular food. And troubles began - flatulence, stool disorders. Reducing the volume of food did not help either. With difficulty overcoming these difficulties, I made several important conclusions for myself.

It is believed that voluntary fasting requires a strong will. Gotoz agrees, but the will is needed not to fight hunger, as many people think. Appetite disappears quickly, hunger is easily tolerated. The will is required in order not to neglect the cleansing of the intestines during fasting and not to overeat during the exit from it.

The exit from fasting must be treated very responsibly, carefully prepare suitable food and eat it strictly according to the schedule in certain quantities.

During fasting and exit from it, you need to listen carefully to the body. Knowing the basics of anatomy and physiology will help prevent trouble.

If you do not observe these three conditions, it is better not to starve.

Having understood all this, having studied the special medical literature, having met competent people, including Professor Nikolaev, I decided on a second long fast. It happened 6 years later - from March 13 to April 2, 1978. I didn't take a vacation, I continued to go to work. The impetus for the use of this potent remedy was pain in the left knee and right elbow (after injury); crunching in the knees when squatting on one leg; occasional tingling in the region of the appendix.

This time I used cleansing enemas (before the crisis - 2 times a day, after the crisis - once a day), rubbing with a dry washcloth, self-massage, warm baths. I brushed my teeth 3 times a day, gargled, went to the steam room every other day.

Here are excerpts from the diary of starvation in 1978.

« 2nd day of fasting. There was a plaque on the tongue, I feel a slight weakness, I “pull” from my knees.

3rd day of fasting. Steamed in the Astrakhan baths. At the first call, it began to flicker in the eyes, I had to go down from the top shelf. Then he got involved: a steam room - a pool with cold water- a steam room - a swimming pool ... The pleasure is incredible. Soul sang.

5th day of fasting. A miracle happened on the exercises - the crunching in the knees stopped when squatting on one leg.

9th day of fasting. I noticed that I started to fall asleep. I get up easily, with a clear head.

10th day of fasting. Since yesterday, I feel a tingling sensation on the tip of my tongue, which happens after a mint candy. An acid crisis began.

11th day of fasting. Neither hunger nor food interests me. On a walk, he even tried to dream about fresh cucumbers and tomatoes - not half-length, thoughts radiated. Head about work.

13th day of fasting. The lethargy after the acidotic crisis has passed, the throat and mouth no longer bother. I feel a special lightness in my body. The mood is wonderful - we managed to achieve a real crisis and a real cleansing.

15th day of fasting. Weakness does not appear. I really want to extend the fast to 28 days. But missing two May holidays is too much.

18th day of fasting. The tongue began to clear: first the tip and sides, then the middle.

20th day of fasting. I went to the market in the morning. Behind shoulders - 13 kg of nuts, in the hands - a sports bag with no less amount of fruits and vegetables. Even the throat "not the village."

21st day of fasting. The state is clear, cheerful. Next week would be easy. But you have to get out of your fast.

2nd day of release. Passed care in movements. With a sharp change in the position of the body in the eyes does not darken. Charging began to do more actively. At work, I took off from the 2nd to the 5th floor through a step - without shortness of breath and fatigue.

5th day of release. In the evening, after the pool, I ate apricots and prunes from compote. A chair appeared.

6th day of release. Amazing performance. The forces are growing. The stomach works like in childhood. There are no gases.

8th day of release. The performance is very high. I start doing strength gymnastics, aerobics according to K. Cooper, doing exercises for flexibility.

10th day of release. I eat half of the usual portion. Started to run.

12th day of release. I learned to eat slowly, chewing thoroughly.

13th day of release. Before fasting, I didn’t always get enough sleep for 8 hours. During the day he often fell asleep. Now I regularly get 6 hours of sleep.

15th day of release. I go in for sports intensively. Weight from the first day of running for five days remains at the level of 66 kg.

On the 10th day of fasting, my weight dropped to 66.2 kg, the daily weight loss after the crisis was 400 g. per day) weight was 61.5 kg. Thus, in 21 days I lost 14.1 kg.

16th day of release. For 6 days of running at a distance of 2 km, he improved the result by 1 minute 24 seconds. The pressure is 110 over 65. I had such pressure in my youth, when I studied at the aviation school.

22nd day of release. Moved to the common table.

The second fasting experience turned out to be quite successful: I forgot about the pain in my left knee and right elbow, about the tingling in the appendix area. got rid of excess fat and slags and even rejuvenated. Now I'm holding it powerful remedy recovery in reserve.

Fasting means giving up food and sometimes water. This may sound quite intimidating and extreme. But do not be afraid, many people are engaged in fasting for spiritual, psychological and physical reasons. Athletes are starving to improve their form, many religious people practice fasting. It has some benefit. Here are ten specific examples.

You will lose weight and belly fat

According to research, weight loss is quite effective when fasting. Hunger helps the body convert fat into energy because sugar and other calorie sources are not available. Fasting stimulates the hormones needed for weight loss. Enhanced Level norepinephrine, reduced insulin levels - this combination accelerates the breakdown of fat, which is actively used by various athletes.

You will improve brain function

From starvation, your health will not suffer at all, moreover, your brain will begin to work more intensively. When you refuse food, brain cells are activated, new neurons are created, in addition, others are produced. chemical substances necessary for the health of this organ. Studies have shown that it also accelerates the growth of brain cells.

You will lower your risk of type 2 diabetes

Fasting has been proven to lower insulin levels and improve carbohydrate absorption. Fasting can lower blood sugar levels, which can be extremely helpful when diabetes is at risk.

Can You Prevent Cancer?

There is positive results experiments suggesting that fasting reduces the severity negative consequences chemotherapy. There is also evidence that hunger prevents cancer.

You can live longer

Studies have shown that people's life expectancy is directly related to their diet. Fasting prolongs life: according to an experiment, rats that were fed less often lived eighty-three percent longer.

You can improve heart health

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death. Fasting reduces blood pressure, level bad cholesterol and other indicators.

You can get rid of inflammation

Inflammatory processes in the body lead to a variety of chronic diseases. Studies have shown that fasting helps to cope with them.

You will lower your blood fat

Scientists were able to establish that fasting reduces the level of bad cholesterol by eight percent, triglycerides - by thirty percent, in addition, the level of good cholesterol grows by fourteen percent. Fasting is a great way to "reprogram" your body and start eating better.

You can improve your eating habits

Many people these days have one or the other eating disorders such as overeating. If you fast, or at least eat only at certain times, you have some discipline.

You can reduce your hunger

Fasting helps regulate your body's hormone levels so you know when you're really hungry. Refusal of food can be a kind of restart of the body - the longer you starve, the more intense the adjustment takes place. After a fast, your body will feel full faster.

What are the benefits of fasting? The answer to this question depends on the methods of fasting, and they are very diverse. Also, a lot depends on the goals that a person sets for himself, intending to fast.

It could be:

weight loss,
body healing,
getting rid of certain diseases,
rejuvenation,
etc.

But first of all, benefits of fasting consists in cleansing the body, followed by other positive effects.

In addition to benefits, fasting has dangerous sides. There are more dangerous methods fasting, but there are less dangerous ones. In order for fasting to bring only benefits, you should:

Choose the right method of fasting - in accordance with your state of health and previous experience.
Take preparatory measures before starting fasting. Depending on the chosen method of fasting, this may be a preliminary transition to plant based diet, bowel cleansing, etc.
Track changes in the state of the body during the entire period of fasting and respond in a timely manner (in some cases, additional bowel cleansing or interruption of fasting is required in order to resume it later).

The benefits of fasting properly or a series of fasts (depending on the chosen method) can be simply huge - fasting is very powerful tool healing and rejuvenation of the whole body!

THE BENEFITS OF FASTING

The benefits of fasting in autoimmune, inflammatory and other diseases.

At fasting the body begins to actively use fats and ketone bodies to produce glucose, resulting in increased production of adrenal hormones - corticosteroids, which have anti-inflammatory effects. The anti-inflammatory action of these hormones is responsible for therapeutic effect fasting for various diseases.

Fasting is beneficial for:

autoimmune diseases,
atherosclerosis,
rheumatism,
bronchial asthma,
any inflammatory diseases and processes.

Symptoms of the disease such as pain, redness, swelling and impaired function during fasting disappear or are significantly reduced.

The benefits of fasting on water for cleansing the body.

Depending on the chosen strategy, starvation It can be used both in combination with other methods of cleansing the body, and separately. Exist various methods that allow you to effectively cleanse the body of all harmful substances exclusively by fasting on water (or a series of fasts various durations).

Benefits of fasting for weight loss.

In order for fasting to be beneficial in losing weight, you need to consider several important points ...

During starvation, the weight actively decreases only in the first few days, then the effect decreases. After a short fast (1-3 days), weight can quickly return to baseline. It would seem, how in this case, fasting can help to lose weight?

In fact, you can lose weight by fasting. I did it with two different ways. Both methods work - the weight did not return after that.

The first fasting method: a combination of weekly short fasts (from one and a half to two and a half days) with regular sports activities and proper nutrition. During each fast, I lost 1.5 - 2 kilograms, half of which came back within next day. During the week, my diet was quite high in calories and the weight went away only due to fasting. An important component of this method is the correct program of sports training.

The second fasting method: longer fasting (I did not fast for very long - 5-6 days). Again, direct weight loss due to fasting does not have the desired effect (weight can return, which happens in most cases). Weight loss is achieved by cleansing the body. There is not so much a decrease in weight as its normalization - if the weight was already low, fasting does not lead to its loss. This method also has its own features that you should be aware of. Otherwise, instead of benefiting the figure, you can lose muscle mass and acquire, instead of lost muscles, completely unwanted fat!

More about the features and nuances different methods fasting for weight loss (including my personal experience fasting) in the article Fasting for weight loss.

Benefits of prolonged fasting.

The benefits of prolonged fasting when observed certain rules can be huge:

There is a deep cleansing of the whole body from all harmful substances.
Natural protective functions organism.
Defective, diseased cells (including cancer cells) are destroyed.
There is rejuvenation and healing.
Prolonged fasting is beneficial for obesity.

But it is worth considering the danger of prolonged fasting. Any fasting is stressful for the body, and prolonged fasting in particular. It is impossible to carry out long fasting without appropriate preparation - this can lead to the most disastrous results. Even for a trained person who has experience with shorter fasts, prolonged fasting is deadly!

The benefits of dry fasting

The benefits of dry fasting that impressive results (cleansing and rejuvenation of the body, cure for many diseases) are achieved in much more short time than during water fasting. But the danger of dry fasting is also much greater. If you decide what is right for you benefits of dry fasting outweighs the possible dangers, accept all possible measures security. Do not under any circumstances dry fasting if you do not have sufficient experience of water fasting.

Improvement in health and well-being as a result of harmful products provokes many people to begin curative starvation. The developed methods are designed for fast cleansing. What will be the benefits and harms of fasting for the body - depends on the chosen technique, strict adherence to the stages of the procedure, individual features person.

Together with the products, energy enters the body, intended for growth, cell renewal. Useful material, obtained from food, remove toxins, toxic compounds from the body. But some products do not benefit, accumulate in the form harmful deposits, which are difficult to extract.

Healing fasting means a complete rejection of food. With the help of the procedure, the body gets rid of harmful substances. Lack of food forces the body to look for an alternative source of nutrition from fat and carbohydrate reserves.

First, dead cells are consumed, then the sick - unadapted to life. As a result, only full-fledged healthy tissues remain. There is an internal self-purification of toxins, poisons, tumors, adhesions and harmful compounds.

Benefits of therapeutic fasting

Food restriction has pros and cons. Practice can prolong youth, increase the number of years of life. Benefits of fasting:

A short period of fasting will be useful in bronchial asthma, violations hormonal cycle, neuropsychiatric diseases, pathologies of the heart and blood vessels, metabolic failure.
Therapeutic fasting one day a week helps cleanse organs, increase biological age. The method not only helps to reduce weight, but also reduces blood pressure, treats autoimmune diseases, arthritis, atherosclerosis, improves vision.
During treatment, nitrates, chemicals and elements leave the body pharmaceuticals taken continuously. The work of the brain is unloaded, mental capacity, physical activity.
The work of the entire organ system improves, which leads to the mobilization of the body's forces, lowering the level of cholesterol and sugar. In the process of fasting, the production of corticosteroid (a hormone of the adrenal cortex) is provoked, which has anti-inflammatory properties and heals many diseases.
A short break in nutrition allows you to quickly lose weight by burning fat cells. At first, the fat will go away rapidly - up to 2.5 kg per day, in the future the pace will slow down, the volume lost weight will depend on physiological characteristics body.
The correct consistent approach to the technique allows the organs to function normally even after the absolute refusal of food.
With the help of hunger, acute and chronic pancreatitis. The therapy relieves the burden on the pancreas, allowing the body to rest and recuperate.
Prolonged fasting (over 20 days) has a positive effect on potency. Unloading therapy is used in the treatment of prostate adenoma and chronic form prostatitis.
After passing a one-day fast, the quality and quantity of food consumed is re-evaluated. Throughout life, the work of the stomach is set to three meals a day, regardless of the presence of appetite, calories burned per day. Food abstinence teaches you to truly appreciate the need for food, developing the habit of eating fewer portions and healthy diet. Periodic practice helps to avoid overeating in the future.

Harm of therapy

A person reacts differently to the lack of food, in addition to the benefits, the harm of starvation is also possible. It should be understood how necessary the procedure is in order to avoid further undesirable consequences.

In the case of a mandatory hunger strike, the procedure is performed under the supervision of a doctor, but you can not self-medicate. Consider the most common harm that you may encounter:

How to fast without harm to the body

Whatever the goal of the hunger strike is - losing weight, cleansing or rejuvenation, you should start from the preparation stage. The mistake of many lies in the abrupt transition to a long stage of hunger without prior short intervals. Lack of food for a long time changes work digestive organs, slowing down the production of enzymes and gastric juice.

Regardless of the hourly limit, duration, method of conducting, there should be a preparatory stage in order to minimize the upcoming stress and prevent the breakdown of hunger. You should enter the system gradually, and also end with the correct exit.

Initially, the absence of food should not exceed 24 days. When a habit is developed, you can increase the course to a two-day or three-day interval, then move on to a 7-day and two-week interval.

There are several fasting methods:

Water. Preparation begins with the exclusion from the diet of animal proteins, bread, sweet foods the day before the first day of abstinence. Portion sizes are reduced as much as possible by eating only plant food. For quick adaptation, make an enema with salt water at night, and drink a glass of liquid on an empty stomach in the morning. In the process of abstinence, any food is prohibited, only drink is allowed. clean water whenever you want to eat.
Dry. The practice of dry fasting involves the prohibition of liquids and food. The methodology is rather rigid, sometimes based on a cascade approach. Contact with liquid is prohibited, which depletes water reserves. Therefore, the methodology is contraindicated for people without experience and prior training. It will be useful to include massages in therapy, gymnastic exercises, walking on fresh air, psychotherapeutic sessions.

The final stage - the exit, is equated to the time of the hunger strike. During this period, the secretion of the pancreas is rather weak so as not to burden digestive system, come out smoothly. The diet includes vegetables and cereals. The first week they drink freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices diluted with water.

Useful drinks from apples, oranges, carrots, tomatoes. In the following weeks, the pulp is added to the juice. From the third week, cereals (rice, buckwheat), steamed vegetables without the addition of salt and oil are allowed. It is forbidden - fish, meat, flour dishes, spices, sweets.

What is the most beneficial fasting period?

How long you have to abstain from food depends on the initial reason that prompted you to start the process. 1-2 days are enough for cleansing. You can achieve weight loss after 7 days. For beginners, the alternation of hungry and ordinary days in a week.

Prolonged hunger strikes are allowed only under the guidance of doctors. Optimal time carrying out, if you want to "clean up" and reset overweight, it is considered - 10 days. AT medicinal purposes therapy is carried out from the 21st day, in advanced cases of the disease it is allowed to extend the period to 30 days or more.

Official medicine recognizes fasting as a health-improving dietary therapy that promotes longevity. In spite of positive reviews physicians, this method is not suitable for everyone. If you feel worse, you should choose a more comfortable method of treatment.

I was asked to cover this topic in more detail and I found an article by Dr. Kulrit Chaudhary, M.D., which talks very interestingly about intermittent fasting and its features from the point of view of my beloved Ayurveda, which I am very happy about. It gives me more confidence. And, of course, she writes that it is better to consult a nutritionist first, especially if you are not eating yet. wholesome food and want to switch to it. And in general, it is not necessary to self-medicate with the help of complete starvation.

“Today, fasting is fashionable, especially the so-called intermittent fasting (cyclic). Fasting is a general term meaning to go without food for a certain period of time (from several hours to several weeks), with or without liquid. Sometimes fasting refers to abstaining from a specific food, such as sugar, meat, or alcohol, but this is not a technical definition.

While Ayurveda recommends that each person go 12 hours without food between lunch and breakfast for good health, intermittent fasting suggests doing something else, such as going without food for sixteen hours.

For example, if you have dinner at 6 pm, you should not have breakfast until 10 am. For others, intermittent fasting means not eating for one day every week, or one weekend a month, or one week a year. The idea is that fasting gives the body a break from digestion so it can focus on recovery.

For some people in certain situations, this type of fasting is suitable, but not for everyone!

I want to warn you that fasting in general and intermittent fasting in particular are complex process. Many do not need to do this, especially if they consume whole foods according to their unique constitution or dosha. If you don't want to starve, don't starve.

…If you are already effectively detoxing and want to try fasting, this can help the process. I want you to understand that fasting is more of a mental feat than a physical feat. Emotions are more pronounced during fasting, which surprises many people.

Before you start fasting, find out your dominant dosha.

cotton wool

For the most part, fasting is not suitable for Vata people. If you really want to fast, only do it in the spring when the weather gets warmer. I recommend fasting one day a week for no more than four weeks. With one-day fasting, use warm soups 3 times. Never go completely hungry.

You can also skip, for example, dinner or have only soup for lunch. This is soft way fasting that does not overly impair Vata energy. Anything more extreme will increase the amount of Vata energy and you may feel aggravated, restless, nervous or hyperactive, absorption may stop. nutrients and you will quickly become deficient in nutrients.

Even if you enjoy being excited, it causes stress in your body and mind. It's important to calm down. The daily practice of meditation is a much more rewarding pastime.

pitta

Pitt type people can fast, but they don't like to do it at all because they have a big appetite. However, for Pitts who overeat, fasting from time to time can help keep the situation under control. The only caveat is that fasting can increase the fire of digestion (agni). If you start feeling energized, your condition worsens and you become irritable, stop fasting.

Pittas can only fast once a month for regular health maintenance and should never only consume water. The best way for Pitta, it means fasting one day a week, for as long as possible. If Pitts are fasting for a long time (more than four weeks in a row), they should only skip breakfast and dinner and eat something for lunch.

Alternatively, a pure liquid diet of vegetable juice morning, broth for lunch and dinner one day a week. Pitts always need something to snack on in the middle of the day, even if it's just broth.

kapha

This type of dosha is created for fasting. Kapha people can comfortably go without food for long period which reflects well on their physiology. Even with healthy food choices, Kapha tends to be eaten little. They get into trouble just because of food cravings. Fasting also has the least effect on them mentally.

Kaphas tend to be the most emotionally attached to food. However, it is easy for them to starve if their addictions normalize.

Fasting benefits Kaphas because it increases the number of mitochondria (energy producers in cells) that are produced in the body. Fasting also increases the production of cytochromes P450, which is important for detoxification.

Because Kapha people retain toxins and fats for longer, they tend to lose energy when they are out of balance, so they benefit from starving more than other doshas.

When Kaphas are starving, all their systems become more efficient. They can easily fast for 24 hours, either drinking only water or following a liquid diet. But just remember that first they must normalize their eating habits and get rid of a strong emotional attachment to food.

…Fasting is not for those who have practiced bad habits and wants to get back on the right track. It is only useful for those who are already on the right way and detox is going well. That's when fasting has a positive, not a negative effect.

Also, remember that intermittent fasting has health benefits, but drastically cutting calories on an ongoing basis can be devastating to the body, especially if you are a Vata and Pitta type. Food heals. It's always good to eat!"