FASTING AND CLEANSING

by Walter Last

Become clean on the inside by removing accumulated wastes and toxins

Fasting is a period of restricted food intake, and cleansing is the removal of waste products from the body as a result of fasting. This combination of fasting and cleansing is a most effective healing method. It is essential for overcoming chronic diseases, and for rejuvenating an aging body. It is also excellent for ensuring continued health, and minimizes the risk of a disabling disease later in life. However, it can be rather unpleasant, especially for beginners.

Just by fasting alone, many chronic diseases can be healed. For someone on a cooked diet, a period on raw foods is a fast or cleansing period. The cleansing effect is made even stronger by restricting the diet to one food item, such as fruit, or juice, or just water.

Start with several one-day fasts, possibly once a week, before trying a three-day fast. Then have a three-day fast once a month; if on normal working hours, have the first fast day on a Friday. The second day often feels the worst. Once or twice a year you may fast for seven days or longer. Instead of a series of strict fasts, you may have longer periods on a raw-food diet, and a strict fast only occasionally. With chronic diseases, the need for cleansing obviously is much greater than just for general health improvement. After a year or two, or on return to good health, the number of cleansing periods may safely be reduced to twice a year except if much processed food is used. Also with the onset of a cold, flu or other infectious disease, start a fast immediately.

The more often you have a fast, the less you will normally be affected by it in a negative way; a sense of peace and well-being may develop instead. As long as you are still congested, the tongue will be strongly coated, and the breath has a strong odor when you get up in the morning during a fast. Conversely, if breath and tongue are clear in the morning, the body is reasonably clean, and no more fasting is needed. Scrape or brush the tongue clean whenever it is coated. You may use a sharp-edged spoon for scraping.

For several days before a longer fast, start already reducing the amount of food, and preferably do not eat flesh food or processed food on the last day before a fast. Best have only raw fruit and vegetables on that last day. In the same way, increase the amount of food only gradually after a fast, and have only raw food on the first day after a fast. The longer the fast, the less you may eat at the first meal, and the longer it should take to return to the usual diet. An apple is good for breaking a juice or water fast.

When going on a juice or water fast of three days or longer, it is advisable to take a laxative on the first morning of the fast, and every two or three days during a longer fast. Those with a disintegrating tumor may require a daily laxative, in addition to daily colonies. You may take one tablespoonful of Epsom salts in water, or herbal laxative. Quite mild and very effective is an isotonic salt flush. This is not suitable for those with advanced cancer, kidney disease or hypertension, as part of the salt may be absorbed.

The effectiveness of the fast can be further increased by using a hot castor-oil pack for three days before and during the fast. Coat the liver area (the bottom of the right ribcage) and upper abdomen with castor oil, cover with a woolen cloth folded in four layers, and keep warm for an hour or two with a hot-water bottle. At bedtime take 2 tablespoons of olive oil; shake it in a jar with lecithin and fresh orange or lemon juice. The next morning take sufficient laxative to produce a good cleanout within a few hours.

Castor oil stimulates the liver's capacity to detoxify, olive oil induces the gall bladder to empty, and expel fat-soluble toxins from the liver, while the laxative removes the poisons quickly from the bowels. This method of cleansing causes a minimum of discomfort that might otherwise result in headaches, nausea and weakness. An excellent cleanse, which also may remove gallstones, is a three-day apple fast with half a cup of olive oil on the last evening.

Take it easy during fasts, rest whenever you feel weak or just stay in bed if necessary. Skin brushing, deep-breathing exercises, mild sun exposure and frequent showers are helpful.

Different Cleansing Methods

Some natural therapists regard a fast on only water, especially distilled water, as the only real and worthwhile fast. Fasting on purified water is especially good for strict allergy testing. However, cleansing results appear to be quite as good on properly selected juice fasts, but with better maintenance of strength, and quicker recovery afterwards.

Except for very sensitive individuals, I recommend apples for the first three-day fast. Preferably obtain unsprayed apples, otherwise either peel or scrub in warm soapy water and rinse well. Do not ingest waxed skins. Eat as many apples as you like, generally the more the better to keep the bowels moving. Apple fasts are usually well tolerated and are also good for children.

Fasting on freshly pressed vegetable juices is somewhat more severe but generally well tolerated. Preferably use plenty of green juice made from grass, leaves, parley and celery, flavored with sweet vegetables such as carrot, beetroot or pumpkin, and possibly also an apple. This may be diluted with water for a total fluid intake of 2-3 liters daily, depending on your weight. If rather sensitive, minimize the amount of sweet juices.

For very sensitive, weak and underweight individuals, a rice diet of 10 or more days may be better. Eat only cooked brown rice, lightly flavored with salt and olive oil, and preferably 1-3 tablespoons per meal of unheated ground linseed. Use sufficient linseed to have three easy, bulky bowel movements daily. You do not need to eat proper meals, just have a few spoonfuls whenever you feel hungry, and chew very slowly. Preferably follow the rice diet with a period of eating raw food only. Possibly alternate periods on cooked rice and on raw foods several times. However, if brown rice is not tolerated, then try white rice.

For insensitive individuals a three-day lemon-juice fast is excellent, and especially good for improving liver functions; it is also recommended for those with high blood pressure, and for overweight males. About 10 times during the day drink a large glass of water with the addition of the fresh juice of half a lemon. You may flavor this with a small amount of fresh grapefruit or orange juice. Later you may extend this fast to seven days or longer.

The 'grape cure' is well known as a cancer cure, but it is also good for coronary artery disease and other chronic diseases. You eat about one kilo of grapes spaced out during the day to avoid any strong rise in the blood sugar level. Sensitive individuals may use additional alkalizer if the grapes cause acidity. Continue for several weeks. Sometimes a crisis develops during which a tumor is aborted. Black grapes are best, otherwise purple or red.

If you cannot obtain unsprayed grapes, wash them thoroughly in warm soapy water and rinse well. If you are sensitive to molds also soak them in diluted hydrogen peroxide, or expose to sunlight before a last rinse and eating.

For a longer cleansing period a mixed fast may be used. You may, for instance, start with several days on a rice diet, and follow this with a period on raw food only, some time on apples or grapes, and a further period on juices. Then you repeat this sequence in reverse order with days of eating only fruit, raw food, and finally rice, before returning to your normal diet. The whole cleansing period may last for several weeks, or even months, with repeated sequences.

Unless you have an acute infectious disease, do not start a strict fast when you feel weak. In this case you may alternate between a rice diet and a raw-food diet. Those with acute infections may have only fresh fruit, or vegetable juice, until health improves and good appetite returns.

If you suspect your body is overloaded with chemicals, or that your liver's ability to detoxify is reduced, have only mild fasts initially, such as the rice diet and raw-food diet. Also supply plenty of sulfur in the form of MSM, or alternatively use onions, raw egg yolk and possibly the amino acids taurine, cysteine and methionine, or even powdered sulfur. The older we are and the less physically active, the more important is regular cleansing.

The Basic Cleanse: I recommend this 10-day mixed cleanse at least once for most individuals near the beginning of their health improvement journey. It combines fasting and cleansing with intestinal sanitation and allergy testing. For details see The Basic Cleanse.

'Lymphacizing' - gently bouncing on a rebounder, greatly increase the cleansing action during a fast. This speeds up the lymph flow to many times its normal rate.

Cleansing the body involves several steps: dislodging wastes and toxins from within and between cells, and transporting them with the lymph fluid to the large veins near the neck, where they enter the bloodstream to be discharged through the liver and kidneys.

A greatly reduced food intake is the main factor to dislodge stored wastes and toxins. Muscle activity propels the lymph flow; castor-oil packs, fruit acids, olive oil, bitter herbs and sulfur compounds stimulate liver detoxification of fat-soluble waste, while a high fluid intake and kidney herbs help remove water-soluble wastes.

During fasting we usually do not have much energy for muscle activity, but lymphacizing can come to the rescue, as it does not consume much energy, and one actually feels energized afterwards. With each upward bounce the lymph is pushed towards the neck, and prevented from falling back again because the valves through which it pushes are one-way. For details see Exercises.

Another good way of speeding up your lymph circulation is by inverting your body. Special inversion equipment is available where you can hang upside down or you may use a slant-board, be it self-made or purchased or you may simply put your legs up against a wall while lying on the floor or bicycle in the inverted position, or do a shoulder-stand or headstand.

Mucus problems are very common. This is obvious when we have a cold with a congested or running nose, but at other times it may be noticed as congested or inflamed sinuses, ear or hearing problems, including tinnitus and ‘glue ear’ in children, glaucoma, throat and lung problems, especially asthma. To overcome these conditions see the summary on Mucus Problems in Specific Health Problems.

The Oil Rinse: You may remove fat-soluble toxins before they reach the liver. First thing in the morning take a large sip of a light oil, such as sunflower oil or grape seed oil (stored in glass bottles), and vigorously swish it around the mouth for ten to twenty minutes, then spit it out (be careful, it may clog the sink). Rinse the mouth several times with warm water. Continue this for several months. This rinse is especially important if the lymph system is congested as it commonly is with cancer and other chronic diseases, and it is very effective with health problems in the head and neck area, including dental problems.

Distilled Water Rinse: At other times you may use distilled water to filter out water-soluble toxins. After rising and again at bedtime, use a cupful of distilled water. Take a mouthful and hold it under the tongue for about 2 minutes. Then spit it out and repeat the process until the cup is empty.