Soviet readers and healthy lifestyle enthusiasts first became acquainted with the health-improving properties of fasting after the publication of the book by Paul Bragg and Patricia Bragg - The Miracle of Fasting [1]. Many people remember the book by Yuri Sergeevich Nikolaev "Fasting for health" [2].
In 2016, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Yoshinori Osumi, a professor at Tokyo University of Technology, for “discoveries in the field of cell autophagy (self-eating of diseased cells)” and the development of a one-day fasting method [3].
Thousands of patients with bronchial asthma, hypertension, stomach ulcers, diabetes mellitus were referred to the clinic for therapeutic fasting. And the cure rates for diseases were surprisingly high and surpassed the effectiveness of other therapeutic methods.
Researchers argue that in response to stress (during fasting), the body is mobilized through increased hormone release; there is a kind of hormonal "explosion". There is a renewal, purification and rejuvenation of all cellular structures of our body. Sick, old and weak cells are disposed of first.
Scientists have also identified contraindications for daily fasting: exhaustion, fever, purulent-inflammatory diseases, diabetes mellitus; severe heart or renal failure, ulcer, or erosive gastritis; leukemia, anemia, hemophilia; oncological diseases of 3-4 stages, mental disorders in which a person is not able to control his behavior [5].
I began my experiments on therapeutic fasting at the age of 37, when, after defending my Ph. D. thesis, I could not get rid of a spasm in the solar plexus region. I starved for Nikolaev for 14 days and the spasms stopped. Then he fasted with an enthusiast for 10 days, 8 days … The longest was the 20-day fasting experience with "anti-stress supplements." Tried dry fasting; cleansing the liver according to Semenova; excretion of parasites according to Semenova et al.
Initially (in my youth), for any manifestation of the flu or cold, I used therapeutic fasting for up to 2-4 days. And he got very good results: the flu and colds quickly passed.
My logic, as a person far from medicine, was as follows:
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- In the human body during illness, two types of toxins are formed. One - from disease-causing viruses and bacteria. Another is from foods digested in the intestines.
- The body needs to quickly get rid of excess toxins. What happens with an increase in temperature in a sick person.
- If one of the types of toxins (associated with the digestion of food) is removed with the help of fasting, then the body will more easily cope with the disease. And the patient's body temperature will be much lower.
Therefore, at the first sign of illness (and fever), I cleansed my intestines with a laxative. And for 2-4 days I took only water.
The results were not bad: the flu passed in 3-4 days at a body temperature of 36.7-36.90 Celsius.
When my age passed over 70 years, there was a feeling of the need for "milder" influences to maintain my health. I noticed that when I resumed eating (after fasting therapy), there was a slight re-spike in temperature. And the stomach took a long time to adapt to a sharp change in nutrition.
These minor flaws made me give up pure fasting and go to the apple fast.
Scientists have always emphasized the beneficial properties of apples. The pulp contains a lot of fiber, organic acids (malic, citric, tartaric, chlorogenic), trace elements (iron, potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, sulfur, aluminum, boron, vanadium, iodine, copper, molybdenum, nickel, fluorine, chromium and zinc) and vitamins A, B1, B3, C, PP. Researchers have shown that apples contain substances that stop the growth of cancer cells in the intestines and liver [4].
Although contraindications were found. An apple diet can exacerbate colitis and provoke disruption of the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis and duodenal ulcers).
For some reason, scientists recommend eating small (and even wild apples) green, avoiding buying beautiful large fruits with a glossy sheen [4].
TWO-DAY APPLE POST METHOD
The algorithm of actions at the first signs of illness now I have the following:
Take 10 tablets of activated charcoal with water (or maybe all 20 tablets) to minimize the amount of toxins in the intestines
Otherwise, you may face a severe headache.
- Purchase the required amount of apples in the store, taking into account the patient's taste preferences. And there are 5-6 times a day.
- Dilute the apple diet with a certain amount of grapefruits, oranges, plums, pears and other fruits so that the sick person does not get malnourished by eating apples.
- As the sick person recovers and the appetite appears, add vegetables to his diet: boiled beets, lettuce, parsley, fresh cabbage, etc. Another day later you can eat lean borscht (without spices), oatmeal, rice porridge.
- When a person does not feel any remnants of illness and weakness, go to a regular diet, while avoiding overeating, and giving preference to diet food.
In addition to the prompt use of apple two-day fasting at the first signs of illness, you can use it from time to time and for preventive purposes. And especially before the summer season, when there is an urgent need to lose weight.
Literature
Bragg Paul and Bragg Patricia Miracle of starvation [Electronic resource]. - Access mode:
Nikolaev Yu. S., Cherkasov V. G., Nilov E. I. Fasting for health. Forgotten achievements of Soviet medicine. [Electronic resource]. - Access mode:
Osumi Yoshinori Nobel Prize in Medicine for autophagy [Electronic resource]. - Access mode:
Useful properties of apples [Electronic resource]. - Access mode:
Contraindications for daily fasting [Electronic resource]. - Access mode:
Author: Konstantin Tomilin