Three (3) Questions for improved Health.
We are now well into 2006, and there are 3 questions we should ask ourselves:
1. Is my health REALLY important to me?
2. Was I satisfied with my health in the past year?
3. What am I prepared to do if I answered yes & no to the above 2 questions.
Question 1 refers to values and priorities.
Many people say they value their health but their actions or inactions belie this.
Remember anything that is important to us is one of our VALUES.
Values become legitimate only when they are acted upon.
The best way to ascertain what a person values is to observe his or her actions.
People's actions, not their words, reveal what is really important to them.
When we consistently act on something really important to us, we have therefore PRIORITISED it.
Thus real values become consistently prioritised in time and action.
Question 2 encompasses our Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual health, but for purposes of simplicity we will, in this section, focus on physical health.
Recently, I have had many patients consult me who were confronted by physical illness during 2005.
These illnesses were expansive in their range from vague feelings that “all is not well”, to more serious conditions such as breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease.
Many people were fed up with things like chronic low back pain, neck and shoulder back tension, headaches, chronic sinus conditions and bowel problems.
As unpopular and unsavoury as the following statement may be in this age of ‘instant everything', the truth is this:
If we want our lives to change for the better, then we must change for the better.
This applies to everything in our lives, including our health and happiness.
The Law of Cause & Effect
Question 3 refers to just this:
What must we as individuals do or not do – how must we change – in order to experience superior health and a higher sense of living?
Please believe this:
In almost every case of ill health, if causes are removed, & by these we mean the food we eat, our activity levels, our rest, sleep, state of stress etc, then the improvements can be dramatic, irrespective of age, gender or illness. The best results would be complete recovery and the worst results would be some noticeable improvements.
It is critical to always keep in mind the universal law of cause and effect. Illnesses are effects which have causes.
This law is essential to understand if we are to live not only healthy lives, but happy, fulfilling and meaningful lives.
A few examples may well illustrate this:
Adrian came to see me after a year of recurrent viral infections, headaches, gut problems and chronic tiredness and just feeling “yuk”.
He had sought conventional medical treatment through medication and after becoming very frustrated with the recurring nature of his problems, sought my advice—his first exposure to a non- medical view point.
After a thorough case history and lifestyle and dietary analysis, Adrian agreed to make some changes to his habits.
These changes included nutritional improvement, amongst some other recommendations.
After 3 days on the program, Adrian rang in more “yuk” than ever, although he had been told this was likely.
After reassuring him this was a normal healing crisis, he continued with the recommendations.
One month later during a follow up consultation, Adrian had completely turned his health around. He felt and looked years younger and had no more of his bothersome symptoms and he was off all medication.
To his delight and to my surprise he had also shed 10 kilograms of weight in that 4 weeks – a lovely by product of nutritional excellence.
He had by no means been obese but had just accumulated too much baggage over the years.
John, in his mid 50's, consulted me about his rheumatoid arthritis, an auto- immune disease where the body attacks itself, which had been diagnosed some 15 months previously. He was on very potent drugs which themselves cause serious and sometimes life- threatening illness. One such drug, Methotrexate, a drug originally and still given to cancer patients, and now given to rheumatoid arthritis patients, only uppresses the symptoms. It does nothing to remove causes.
In truth, they add to the problem because they add to the toxaemic load of the body.
John answered yes & no to questions 1 & 2 above and was prepared to make some necessary changes.
I also referred John to Dr Alec Burton who recommended that John go on a fast.
John immediately changed what he was eating and put himself under the care of Dr Burton at his Arcadia health centre, during which time John fasted for 10 days before terminating the fast prematurely to urgently attend to his sick father.
I saw John 1 week after he had broken his fast, he was off all medication and all symptoms had completely disappeared. He looked fantastic and was obviously delighted with his new found, and pain- free health.
In both cases above, causes of ill health had been removed and the body responded, by accelerating the healing process. These health turnarounds are not exceptions but are the rule when people are prepared to change their behaviour and allow the body to eliminate toxic wastes and regain its natural health.
Fasting can save your Life
Over the 30 years in my involvement in the health field, there has been one area that has impacted me more than any other.
This was when I was introduced to, and subsequently studied, the subjected of fasting.
Fasting is the voluntary and complete abstinence of all food and beverages except water. It has been used for thousands of years and is used extensively in the animal kingdom.
I personally have fasted, as have my wife Dawn and our 3 children. Many of our friends and relatives have also fasted.
Over the years I have fasted many patients and have referred hundreds more with very serious illnesses to Dr Alec Burton who has run the residential Arcadia Health Centre north of Sydney for almost 50 years.
To say the least, the results have been spectacular.
This is what Dr Joel Furhman says in his book ‘Fasting and Eating for Health':
“Therapeutic fasting accelerates the healing process and allows the body to recover from serious disease in a relatively short period of time. In my practice I have seen fasting eliminate Lupus, arthritis, remove chronic skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema, heal the digestive tract in patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohns disease, and quickly eliminate cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure and angina. In these cases, the recoveries were permanent:
Fasting enabled long time disease sufferers to unchain themselves from their multiple toxic drugs and even eliminate the need for surgery, which was recommended to some of them as their only solutions”.
Dr Alan Goldhammer, who trained under Dr Alec Burton at Arcadia has run the True North Health Centre in California for over 20 years, has fasted over 5,000 patients with remarkable results.
Co author of ‘The Pleasure Trap', Dr Goldhammer has also conducted a large scientifically controlled study on the positive effects of fasting on high blood pressure. The results were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. This study alerted many medical doctors to the wonderful benefits fasting has on hypertension.
Dr Herbert Shelton author of the book ‘Fasting Can Save your Life' fasted over 40,000 patients at his health school in Texas . Indeed one of Dr Shelton's patients, at least in an advisory capacity, was Mahatma Ghandi, who counselled with Shelton during his 21 day fast when Ghandi was in his 60's.
I realise that many who read this will be sceptical, as we have all been led to believe that fasting is tantamount to starving & that the practice is dangerous. Nothing could be further from the truth. All animals go off their food when feeling unwell, as do babies & young children. We as adults mistakenly think that we need to eat to keep our strength up.
There have been a number of reports over the years where young children & even babies have survived 10 days without any food at all whilst trapped in earthquake rubble, provided they had access to dripping water.
15 Frequently Asked Questions about Fasting:
1) Isn't fasting the same as starving?
No. When we fast, that is drink water only, our bodies use non-vital tissue as fuel to live on. Thus things like fat, cysts, excess fluid, soft tumours, mucous etc are broken down by the body & used as food & fuel, the unused material being excreted by the body through any one of the 10 apertures.
This process is known as autolysis (auto = self; lysis= eat). We are then living off our reserves & the body is rejuvenating itself & detoxifying.
If we keep fasting beyond our reserves then starvation occurs, although this stage takes many weeks before it occurs. I have personally fasted 4 weeks & many of my patients over the years have also fasted this long.
2) Why are there different lengths of fasts?
There are 2 different categories of illness- acute & chronic. Acute sickness is where we experience things like fever, headache, muscle aches & pains, anorexia (loss of hunger), sweating & shivering, vomiting, diarrhoea, prostration & extreme discomfort. Influenza is a common acute illness. There are many labels we give them. The supposed infectious illnesses are here included- measles, chickenpox, mumps, cholera, typhoid etc.
These crises are not to be feared. They are reparatory in nature, allowing the body to rid itself of its toxic load. They are not meant to work against us but are in fact working for us!
With these conditions it is critical that the person fasts & rests. Medication is working against the wisdom of the body. It is particularly dangerous to suppress the fever- this is where most problems get worse. My wife Dawn & I recall four years ago while living in Borneo a young 7 year old boy was taken to the doctor with what they locally call ‘high fever'. Medication to lower it was prescribed & the fever dropped. Next day the fever recurred, its job not done, only this time the fever was higher. More medication was given. The spiking of the fever went for 5 days with each rise in temperature aggressively medicated. Tragically the boy died on the sixth day. The reason given was the fever. That child had no history of any health problems & was before that a vigorous & robust native child.
A similar story came out of Vietnam in December 2005. A thirteen year old girl was admitted to hospital with Bird Flu. Immediately she was given Tamiflu & fever- lowering drugs. These were administered every day, twice a day until five days later she also tragically passed away, leading some researchers to cast doubt on whether Tamiflu should be the drug of choice in Avian influenza ( Bird Flu). They missed the point! No drugs should have been given, especially to force the fever down. A few days of fasting & complete rest were what was needed to enable the body to eliminate what was ailing it.
The second category is chronic disease, which is longer term. This is where the body has given up the effort to eliminate the irritating internal material & instead has adapted to the internal toxaemia. In the process of adaptation the body then slowly gets worse, with diminished function & increasing deformity & pathology. Thus the diseases of arthritis, heart disease, kidney disease, auto-immune illnesses & many other diseases slowly ruin the patient's life, all the while being suppressed by drugs.
In these situations longer fasts are needed. Generally between 2-5 weeks is the time frame, depending on many factors.
3) With a longer fast, can I fast at home?
It is not recommended. This is where you need a very experienced practitioner to supervise the fast & the breaking of it. This can not be emphasised strongly enough.
4) Do you get hungry during a fast?
Surprisingly no. The first 2-3 days maybe but after that you don't miss food at all.
5) Do you feel weak?
Mostly yes. Your body conserves energy as far as possible. This is then used to “clean house”.
6) My stomach “plays up” when I don't eat. Shouldn't I avoid fasting?
Again, no. A fast will quickly allow your intestinal tract to recover its normal function. In healthy individuals, no discomfort like stomach cramping, headaches, dizziness etc should occur if meals are missed or delayed. These are not normal symptoms- they are signs something is abnormal.
True hunger is not a stomach sensation. It is a mouth sensation- where one salivates when truly hungry.
7) I heard that you can feel unwell in the first few days of a fast. Is this true?
It is common to experience symptoms & signs of elimination, especially during the early stages of the fast. Headaches, muscle aches, vomiting or diarrhoea may occur although some people never experience them. I've found that in people who take social drugs regularly- tea, coffee, alcohol & tobacco- they often suffer during the early stages, not because of fasting but because of withdrawal.
8) How do you break the fast?
On small quantities of diluted fruit juice or watery fruit itself, depending on how long you fast. It is very important to not overeat when breaking a fast, particularly a long one.
9) Can you work when you fast?
No. Rest is needed for the body to conserve its energy for eliminating & healing.
10) What about exercise?
No. Normal movement is enough. Exercise will come later when health has been restored.
11) Do you take any supplements when fasting?
No. Nothing but water, as indicated by thirst.
12) Why isn't Fasting used in conventional health establishments, such as hospitals?
A good question. If it was used, there would be a complete revolution in the health industry. Medical doctors are not trained in nutrition, let alone fasting. They do not understand it, have never seen the fantastic results that come from fasting & have never been exposed to it on any health-promoting level. Dr Burton has had medical doctors come to him after seeing one of their patients or relatives fast back to health from serious illnesses, (which have no medical cure), & actually request that he explain the rationale behind fasting's consistent efficacy.
I had one doctor send me a patient of his who had life-threatening asthma, which was no longer responding to the barrage of inhaled corticosteroids & other strong drugs. After a lengthy fast followed by a plant-based diet, this woman made a fantastic recovery. She was able to go off all medications, to the absolute surprise of the referring doctor. He had no idea what the fast was about, but rang me to thank me for “curing “his patient. I explained that fasting was only “doing nothing intelligently” & that it was not a cure in the sense he was referring to. The body cured itself. He then stated that most of his patients would be better off if they followed this way. I never heard from him again.
The other reason that it will never become mainstream is that there is no money to be made from people drinking plain water & getting well. Without being cynical, the power & influence the drug companies (Big Pharma) have over the medical training that doctors undergo at University, their hold over the governments & media is unbreakable. You must seize the initiative individually & not rely on conventional opinion. At the present time there are an increasing number of professionals who are themselves speaking out about the uncontrolled power of the drug companies & the needless suffering because drug use is so rampant & the many side-effects so deadly.
A highly recommended book on this is by Dr Ray Strand, called ‘Death by Prescription'.
13) What illnesses have you personally seen recover through fasting?
Wow, there are so many but here are some that come quickly to mind.
Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, crohns disease, severe & recurrent tonsillitis/appendicitis, hypertension, angina, anaemia, ulcers anywhere in or on the body, pneumonia, bronchitis, nephritis, Bells Palsy ( trigeminal neuralgia), chronic migraines, asthma, IBS ( irritable bowel syndrome), CFS ( chronic fatigue syndrome), depression, infertility in both men & women, eczema & psoriasis, endometriosis, gall stones, bladder & kidney stones. Plus there have been many people who have been extremely unwell but whose conditions defied diagnosis who have fasted their way back to robust health.
14) What if I can't fast for reasons of time or whatever?
If you have an acute illness, you will be off work or school anyway so just do not eat for a couple of days. That's easy. If however you have a chronic illness & you cannot fast then consult with a practitioner very conversant with the subject of Natural Hygiene, & be prepared to make changes in your diet & other areas. The results will be worthwhile, I can promise you.
15) Where can I find out more about fasting?
As this is a subject that you won't be hearing a lot about in the media, it would be worthwhile to explore this topic more deeply.
The following books & resources are excellent sources of accurate information about fasting:
Fasting Can Save Your Life by Herbert Shelton;
The Science & Fine Art of Fasting by Herbert Shelton;
Fasting & Eating for Health by Joel Furhman;
www.healthscience.org (National Health Association);
www.doctorburton.com (Arcadia Health Centre);
www.hopewood.com.au (Hopewood Health Centre)
www.healthpromoting.com (True North Health Centre California ).
Phone Consultations Available
Recently I have been conducting phone consultations for people who simply cannot attend my Health for Life Centre in Cronulla, Sydney. This entails a complete health evaluation & personally tailored recommendations. For further details phone 02-95440445 or e-mail me at gdfitz5@iprimus.com.au
Wishing you a healthy, happy & fulfilling year ahead,
Greg Fitzgerald.
