Fasting: pros and cons
The human body is a harmonious structure in which everything is thought out. That is why, even if a person eats junk food, it does not immediately affect his health. Because the body has the ability to self-purification and self-healing. The human digestive system can operate in two modes: in the mode of digestion and assimilation of food, or in the mode of purification of the body. If food enters the gastrointestinal tract, purification processes are impossible. There is no, of course, they occur in some least, but for complex purification ' organism needs abstinence from food on a certain time. This allows the digestive system to switch to an alternative mode of operation and start the processes of cleansing the body.
Fasting is a conscious abstinence from food in order to cleanse and improve the body. It is believed that about 80 % of all our energy is spent on the digestive process, the remaining 20 % on average are divided in half into mental and physical activity. Thus, according to this version, most of our energy is directed to digest food. And now let's imagine that in the process of fasting released all these 80 % of energy and the body can spend it on their needs. Where does he spend it? Where most needed, that is, starts the process of purification, recovery and Wellness.
The benefits of fasting
You can find a lot of reviews that fasting is almost a panacea for all diseases, and fantastic stories about how fasting allowed to cure a deadly disease. The possibilities of the human body is really limitless, but do not blindly believe such stories, and even more so sharply enter into long-term fasting, as sometimes advised by supporters of this method of treatment, because, in their opinion, it is during a long fast run powerful recovery processes. But extremes and drastic measures rarely lead to positive results.
However, fasting itself has a positive effect on the functioning of the body. There is such a thing as Ekadashi, a one-day fast, which is held twice a month. There is a religious implication of this practice, but from the point of view of the benefits for the body it is quite justified and practical thing. As you know, it is much easier to prevent diseases than to treat them. And regular fasting twice a month is the best practice. One-day fasting is not a strong stress for the body and is available for almost everyone, except for the presence of some serious diseases. Fasting every two weeks allows you to start the process of cleansing the body of accumulated toxins, and also helps to restore damaged tissues. Miraculous results in the form of healing of chronic diseases from such a short starvation, most likely, should not wait. One-day fasting is rather a preventive procedure, but it allows you to maintain the health of the gastrointestinal tract and the whole body as a whole.
Even if your diet leaves much to be desired, that is, there is a harmful refined food, meat or even alcohol, regular fasting will at least to some extent offset the consequences of such a diet. But this, of course, is not a panacea. And it is necessary, as far as possible, to strive for a healthier diet.
As for longer fasts, for a period of three days or more, this is already a severe ascetic practice, which can have an unpredictable impact on both the body and the psyche. Yes, this is an important point - during fasting there is not only purification of the body, but also purification of the psyche. That is why in some religions fasting is a real spiritual practice, as it promotes spiritual purification. And during fasting, you can see how strange thoughts, motivations begin to come, anger, fears can manifest, a person begins to remember old grievances, relive an experience long lived again. All this is a process of purification of the psyche. Remember how much energy is released in the absence of the digestive process? About 80%. And this energy is directed not only to the purification and restoration of the body, but also to the purification of consciousness and subconscious. Therefore, you should be ready to change the psychological state during fasting. Especially during prolonged fasting. But it should be understood that this is a process of purification.
Our consciousness is like a glass of pure water, at the bottom of which all dirt, impurities, etc.have settled. and as long as we do not touch the glass, the water remains pure. But as soon as we try to change something in ourselves, from the bottom immediately rises all the "dirt". And this process can occur during fasting. By the way, at the physical level, the same thing happens. Many note that during fasting appear, for example, rashes on the skin. However, it should be understood that these are not the consequences of starvation, but the consequences of slagging our body, and it is during starvation that the body begins to remove these slags. And the skin is known to be one of the excretory systems. And when the rest of the excretory system can not cope with the load, the body uses a backup system of allocation, as the skin. Thus, fasting is a process of cleansing the body and psyche. However, sanity should be exercised in the application of this practice. Even if you intend to practice prolonged fasting, you should gradually accustom your body to this and start with a one-, two-day fast.
Cons of fasting
Our world is so arranged that there is nothing absolutely bad and absolutely good in it. Any phenomenon can change its meaning from plus to minus depending on three aspects: place, time and circumstances. First, it should be understood that fasting is not a panacea for all ills. And let you can find reviews about how fasting treats cancer — even if it happened to someone, it is not the fact that it will help everyone. Therefore, fasting should be perceived primarily as a preventive practice. In the case of serious diseases, the practice of fasting can be not only ineffective, but even dangerous to health. The most pronounced contraindications for fasting are heart problems, kidney problems, various infectious diseases, Oncology, diabetes, General exhaustion of the body and so on.
You should also pay attention to this type of fasting as dry fasting. Often this type is described as more effective — much faster are the processes of purification of the body, and it is difficult to argue. However, it is worth noting that dry fasting can lead to unpredictable consequences. Especially dry fasting is dangerous in hot weather or increased physical activity. Therefore, to begin to accustom your body to the practices of fasting should be fasting on the water. First, it will contribute to the elimination of toxins, which in the first stages of fasting will be quite a lot, and secondly, it will gently accustom your body to the practice of fasting.
It is worth noting that fasting can start a powerful cleansing process. Especially if the diet and lifestyle leave much to be desired. During abstinence from food from the intestines and other organs toxins are released into the blood in large quantities. For example, if a person at some stage of life took drugs, the products of their decay could be deposited in organs and tissues, and the process of starvation will provoke a mass release of these substances into the blood. Consequences can be unpredictable, ranging from weakness and dizziness and ending loss of consciousness and so on. How to avoid it? If you assume that your body has accumulated a lot of toxins-do not immediately apply the practice of fasting for purification. First, you should try safer methods.
For example, this method of cleansing the gastrointestinal tract as Shankha-prakshalana. It allows you to clean the gastrointestinal tract from accumulated toxins, and this will allow you to more easily transfer the purification process during fasting. The intestine is one of the places in our body, which contains the greatest number of toxins, so colon cleansing will bring a large percentage of accumulated toxins and protect yourself from getting into the blood. Also, before the practice of fasting, attention can be paid to cleansing the liver, since during the purification process during fasting, it will take the whole blow, cleansing the blood into which toxins are released.
In addition, the practice of fasting can lead to exacerbation of chronic diseases. Starting the process of cleansing the body, fasting can provoke exacerbation of existing problems, and this should be prepared. Therefore, if there are any chronic diseases, the practice of fasting should be mastered carefully.
Based on the above, we can conclude that fasting is an excellent practice for cleansing the body and harmonizing consciousness, but it is important to avoid extremes and accustom your body to it gradually, without imposing severe austerities, which can be not only painful, but also dangerous to health. Fanaticism and radical methods of healing, as a rule, lead to the opposite results. And that fasting fulfilled its functions-purification, recovery and recovery — should be properly used this tool, without falling into extremes.