Why would anyone choose to go without food for any length of time? Isn’t eating regularly one of the body’s most basic needs?

 

Many people choose to go without food for a given period of time for the health and spiritual benefits associated with fasting. Though fasting may seem like a radical, new thing, people have fasted for various reasons throughout history. 

 

There are many examples of fasting in the Bible. The story of Jesus’ 40-day fast in the wilderness is a well-known example and teaches us that Christ approved of fasting because He did it Himself. So we can follow His example, though it’s important to have supervision if you plan to fast for longer than three days.

 

 

Physical Benefits

Have you ever lost your appetite during times of stress or illness? When your body is dealing with a crisis like severe stress or an illness, it will often shut down the hunger drive in order to focus energy on dealing with the problem. Instead of spending precious energy on digestion, your body will use this self-induced time of fasting to reestablish balance.

 

Even when you are not fighting an infection or a crisis of some kind, daily life exerts stress upon every cell in your body. Cells are damaged by stress hormones, poor food choices, environmental radiation, and a whole host of other events that are part of everyday life.

 

Research has found that “fasting has been shown to improve biomarkers of disease, reduce oxidative stress and preserve learning and memory functioning.”¹ This is likely because, when you choose to go without food, you allow your body to deal with the cumulative damage caused by daily living. A short fast can give the stomach a chance to rest and will support the body in its efforts to clean house. You can assist your body by drinking plenty of water and using water externally to remove waste and toxins expelled through the skin.

 

So often, we eat too much and work too much and we don’t have balance in our lives. To get the results you’ve never had, you’ve got to do what you’ve never done.

 

How does the body respond to fasting? The following story illustrates some of the possible effects of fasting. Although the total length of this individual’s fast was 42 days, don’t let that scare you. Even much shorter fasts can have surprising benefits. 

 

A Case Study on Fasting

Dr. Herbert Shelton (1895-1985) was an American naturopath who had amazing results from fasting patients in his care. In his book, Fasting Can Save Your Life, he documented the case of a patient he referred to as Mr. AB who fasted for 42 days under his supervision. During that time, Mr. AB’s body healed itself of many diseases that people generally consider to be incurable.

 

Mr. AB suffered from asthma for 13 years and even though he was receiving medical treatment, he continued getting worse. When he checked into Dr. Shelton’s clinic, Dr. Shelton took away all of Mr. AB’s medications and gave him water and nothing else. He got no food in any form. All he got was water.

 

The first night Mr. AB was at the clinic, he had an asthma attack around 3:00 am and called for the doctor. Dr. Shelton checked him over, said he’d be all right, and told him to go back to sleep. The asthma attack passed. Mr. AB went back to sleep and never had another asthma attack.

 

Within 24 hours, all asthma symptoms disappeared. Mr. AB was getting rehydrated after years of being chronically dehydrated. When the lungs are dehydrated, they produce mucus to keep the alveoli, the tiny air sacs of the lungs, from drying out. The thick mucus in the lungs produces asthma symptoms. People with asthma are prescribed drugs which they inhale through a puffer. In the case of Mr. AB the simple solution to asthma was adequate amounts of water.

 

Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, a leading authority on water’s effects on human health, says that asthma is the body’s “drought management program” which is executed to protect lung tissue in the case of dehydration. When the body is dehydrated, to conserve water, the muscles around the airways tighten, constricting the passageways to reduce water loss through exhalation. The body’s water conservation efforts are experienced as asthma symptoms: wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. 

 

This is why Dr. Batmanghelidj recommends water to prevent and to stop asthma attacks. “When you have asthma,” he says, “all you need to do is give a person two glasses of water and put two grains of salt on the tongue.”² A couple of grains of sea salt on the tongue before drinking the water has added antihistaminic effects.  Dr. Batmanghelidj says this sea salt and water treatment acts almost like an inhaler and aborts an asthma attack. 

 

This explains why Mr. AB’s asthma was cured when he went on his water fast. Dr. Shelton ensured that he was getting enough water. As his lung tissue became sufficiently hydrated, his asthma symptoms disappeared. 

 

Mr. AB also had an enlarged prostate for six years and had trouble urinating. Within six days of fasting and drinking water, it was normal again.

 

Mr. AB had sinus problems for over 13 years. Within 25 days, his sinuses were cleared. He felt great because he could finally breathe clearly again for the first time in many years.

 

Mr. AB had been completely deaf in his left ear for 6 years. After 36 days of fasting, his hearing was completely restored. In fact, his hearing was so sharp he could hear the ticking of a lady’s small watch at arm’s length.

 

We usually think of deafness as being an irreversible condition. But that is not always the case. After 36 days of fasting, Mr. AB’s body cleared out the clogged arteries leading to the ear which restored blood flow to the ear. And suddenly, he could hear again!

 

Mr. AB was impotent when he checked into the clinic.  He was no longer impotent after 42 days of water fasting.

 

At that point, the staff at the clinic put Mr. AB back on solid foods.

 

Warning: Do not fast un-supervised for more than three days. If you want to fast for more than three days, get a professional who is well trained in water fasting to help.

 

Why Mr. AB Had Such Remarkable Results

Digestion absorbs a large amount of energy. When the body is not burdened with the task of digesting, it can spend its energy healing. Often all we need to do is give the body the right conditions so that it can heal itself.

 

The good news is, you don’t have to go on as radical a fast as Mr. AB went on to experience the benefits of fasting. You can get really good results from a three-day water fast following 21 days of super-nutritious eating. When you go on this 21-day program, you begin by putting massive amounts of nutrients into your body. Then during your three days of water fasting, your body begins cleaning the system and repairing. Remarkable healing can result.

 

Once you’ve tried it, you could be so impressed with your results that you might want to do it again. You can repeat the 21 days of optimal eating and follow up with a 3-day fast again. 

 

But there are many different kinds of fasts that you can benefit from. For example, you could take a break from meat and switch to only plant foods, or take a fast from sugar or junk food. The benefits you experience from a few days of fasting like this could be the catalyst that launches you into a healthier lifestyle that will have long-lasting and dramatic health benefits.

 

You’ve got nothing to lose but disease. Feed your body and let it heal itself.

 

In addition to the physical benefits of fasting, going without food for a period of time can have positive spiritual results as well.

 

 

Image via Unsplash.

 

 

Spiritual Benefits

What signs show that your spiritual life is in need of renewal and could improve with fasting? If you’re not enjoying life, there’s something wrong which needs to be addressed. Jesus said,

 

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11: 28-30).

 

If you’re feeling unrested and out of control, perhaps fasting will give you the time you need to pause and reflect, and help you connect with God. Many have found that fasting can provide clarity or answers to troubling situations in life. Fasting can help you see where you need to make changes in your life and even how to change. 

 

We are told in Romans 12:1-2 to present ourselves as a living sacrifice that God can use.

 

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 

A surrendered body prepares your mind to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit more readily. Your conscience is your ability to realize that there is a moral and ethical aspect to your actions, combined with the urge to prefer right over wrong. That’s the voice of God speaking to you. 

 

Although just about anyone can benefit from a fast from food from time to time, most of us could also benefit from a fast from certain behaviors. Perhaps what’s needed is a fast from TV or social media for a while. Some people incorporate a total fast from electronic devices in their weekly observance of the Sabbath. They shut off their devices from sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday. The spiritual benefits of this kind of fasting include having uninterrupted time to devote to God and to the people around you.

 

Would your life improve from fasting? You’ll never know unless you try it. Perhaps you’ll find, as many others have, that a fast is the starting place toward better physical and spiritual health.