A fast of only one week can accomplish a significant amount of healing.  Slight healing does occur on shorter fasts, but it is much more difficult to see or feel the results.  Many people experience rapid relief from acute headache pain or digestive distress such as gas attacks, mild gallbladder pain, stomach aches, etc., after only one day’s abstention from food.  In one week of fasting a person can relieve more dangerous conditions such as arthritic pain, rheumatism, kidney pain, and many symptoms associated with allergic reactions.  But even more fasting time is generally needed for the body to completely heal serious diseases.  That’s because eliminating life-threatening problems usually involve rebuilding organs that aren’t functioning too well.  Major rebuilding begins only after major detoxification has been accomplished, and this takes time.

Yes, even lost organ function can be partially or completely restored by fasting.  Aging and age-related degeneration is progressive, diminishing organ functioning.  Organs that make digestive enzymes secrete less enzymes.  The degenerated immune system loses the ability to mobilize as effectively when the body is attacked.  Liver and kidney efficiency declines.  The adrenals tire, becoming incapable of dumping massive amounts of stress-handling hormones or of repeating that effort time after time without considerable rest in between.  The consequences of these inter-dependent deterioration’s is a cascade of deterioration that contributes to even more rapid deterioration’s.  The name for this cascading process is aging.  Its inevitable result—­death.

Fasting can, to a degree, reverse aging.  Because fasting improves organ functioning, it can slow down aging.

Fasters are often surprised that intensified healing can be uncomfortable.  They have been programmed by our culture and by allopathic doctors to think that if they are doing the right thing for their bodies they should feel better immediately.  I wish it weren’t so, but most people have to pay the piper for their dietary indiscretions and other errors in living.  There will be aches and minor pains and uncomfortable sensations.  More about that later.  A rare faster does feel immediately better, and continues to feel ever better by the day, and even has incredible energy while eating nothing, but the majority of us folks just have to tough it out, keeping in mind that the way out is the way through.  It is important to remind yourself at times that even with some discomfort and considering the inconvenience of fasting that you are getting off easy—­one month of self-denial pays for those years of indulgence and buys a regenerated body.

Length Of The Fast