Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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108 of 110 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Miracle of Fasting, November 25, 2006
Over30 years ago I bought a copy of Paul Bbragg's The Miracle of Fasting in a Thrift Shop for 25 cents. This was my introduction to fasting which led me to other books on fasting by Dr. Herbert Shelton. Soon after I developed an abcess in a molar that was pretty painful and my face was very swollen
. The next morning I went to my dentist who told me he could not do anything until the swelling disappeared and that I would probably need a root canal. He sent me home just like that, he did not prescribe anti-biotics or anything(for which I am thankful as you will soon see why). On the way to work I started thinking about all the good things I had read about fasting. And I thought " This is a perfect opportunity to see if fasting really works." I figured that I had already fasted about 16 hours since I had no dinner the night before because of the pain. And I said to myself "Today is thursday and I already have a headstart on fasting, why don't I just go home, call in sick and fast friday saturday and sunday and see what happens" Well, by sunday morning the swelling and the pain had disappeared. I was so happy that I decided to continue fasting which I did for 32 days. You may think that I was crazy but remember that I said above that I had read Dr. Herbert Shelton's books on fasting and I knew what signals to look for that would tell me to stop the fasting.
Since that time I have fasted a number of times and I presently fast every thursday.
About 25 years ago I became a vegetarian for humane reasons. I thought I was healthy even though I used alka-seltzer frequently which I thought was normal according to the Tv ads. I began to worry and I did a lot of studying which eventually led me to Raw Food eating and have been so since then. I eat 90% of my food raw and I never get sick, I never catch a cold, get a headache etc. However never is not really never because when I travel to foreign countries or go on cruises I eat everything which means cooked food. And I get sick. The very worst was when we went to Thailand for 10 days and I ate their delicious food. On the flight home I began to feel a cold coming and by the time I was home in Miami I was coughfing up
pleghm non-stop, all my bones hurt and I felt feverish. I decided to fast as I had done on similar but not as bad occassions. I went to bed and woke u p a couple of hours later totally soaked. I took my pyjamas off, dried myself and went back to bed with a towel beneath me and a towel over me. I do not remember how many times I changed the towels but I had to because I kept waking up soaking wet. By the third day I was as good as new.
I feel obligated to tell you that about 20% of the people that fast feel horrible after 2 or 3 days and then they eat and feel better right away. The reason they feel horible is because the body is cleansing itself too fast. I took my wife to fast to a fasting farm, if you will, where people pay to be given a room and lots of water and are supervised by an expert. I was afraid that she might belong to the 20% and give up on fasting. And I was right. On the fourth night she felt so horribly sick that she accussed me of trying to kill her. I told her she did not have life insurance. Two or three hours later she vomited about half a gallon of bile into the waste paper basket and felt better. The next morning Dr. Esser, the expert, came to check on us and told her she was lucky because she really cleansed herself. My wife decided to stop on the 11th day. I went home and contiued fasting for 32 days again.
So I am thakful to Paul Bragg because his book introduced me to fasting.
I would be remiss if I did not recommend the books by Dr. Herbet Shelton who is really the person that revived the lost art of fasting in the 20th century.You see, fasting was the way people used to get cured all over the world before the pharmaceutical drugs were introduced.There were fasting clinics all over Europe and the USA. And people stopped fasting for finacial reasons (they had to stop working and lose income) because now they could take a pill and be able to continue working. What they do not understand is that the pills only mask the symptons so you feel better, but they do not cure you. All the toxins that can be removed by fasting are stiil in the body.
But please remember: fasting is the most boring thing in the world and that on the first day you will probably feel a fairly strong headache in the back of your head for a while. And of course, the 20%.
And most importantly read Paul's and Herbert's books before you fast.They are priceless.
I forgot to say that one losses on average a pound a day and that there are fasting places in the US in case you are a bit afraid to go at alone the first time.
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82 of 85 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
How to make the most of this book..., April 5, 2005
I first bumped into this book as a teenager and now at 45 years old and after working as physician and research chemist and reading a few other books along the way about health and healing, I still find this one to be one of the best.
I know fasting as a source of healing is not exactly the fashion and is not promoted by most modern physicians but let's put things in perspective: In the late 1980's, physicians still printed serious debates in the New England Journal of Medicine about whether or not aerobic exercise was beneficial or not. The big worry was if the exercise would cause hypertrophy of the heart muscle and lead to shortening of the lifespan. Now we know that aerobic exercise does more to prevent heart attack than any diabetes, cholesterol, or high blood pressure pill on the market (from the same New England Journal).
The point is that very simple practices that cause dramatic improvements in health may be slow to proof. There's no big pharmaceutical company to sponsor research on fasting. Research (I now conduct clinical trials) is very expensive and so any real research on fasting would probably need to be sponsored by the NIH. All this to say, don't throw it out just because Blue Cross doesn't pay for it and because there's no slick advertisement on TV....FASTING WORKS.
And...this is the best introduction to fasting on the market.
Warning: don't overdo it. Always check it out with your doctor first (if you have type I diabetes, you could kill yourself with this book). I'd be very slow to undertake the long fasts recommended in the book. If you're of normal weight, one day per month is fine (with maybe a 3 day fast 2 to 4 times a year). If you're obese, you might start with one day per week. Again, I'm not your doctor. It's just that some of my patients read this book and want to take it to the extreme and so have a detrimental result.
Just read the book. Start with one day per month for a few months if your physician gives you the thumbs up. If you're obese and your physician acts like skipping a day of food is somehow detrimental or crazy and you don't have diabetes, anorexia nervosa, or bulemia...find another physician for another opinion.
Charles Runels, MD
Author of "Anytime...for as Long as You Want: Strength, Genius, Libido, & Erection by Sex Transmutation." A 15-Day Course for Men to Improve Life and Sex.
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40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Braggs vs. Fuhrman, April 1, 2006
I'm a professional natural hygienist and have fasted several times 7 to 14 days. I've coached many people along this journey and have read just about all the books on fasting...even one by Dr Dewy written in 1900. I'm writing this review to rebuttal what the last person said about Paul Brags book vs. Dr Joel Fuhrman's book. Yes indeed Joel Fuhrman does write a great book and it's very factually based! However, this does NOT mean Paul Bragg's book is not a good choice. Paul's book is geared for the beginner and an excellent place to start when staring on the journey of fasting. As far as Patricia Bragg stating non factual things in the book...that's just not true. Paul Bragg lived to the age of 96 and would have gone longer had he not been in an accident. And he dedicated his life to wellness. He also practiced what he preached which is a lot more that I can say for a lot of authors who write fasting books. When I was the executive director at a wellness retreat I would have people come to the store and ask for the best book in the store. I would unequivocally point them to "The Miracle of Fasting" because it addressed the seven dynamics of wellness giving the person a broader scope of wellness. These 7 dynamics are... rest, exercise, water, air, food, sunshine and of course fasting! So, with this said...please understand that both of these wonderful books have a specific purpose. If someone who read Paul Braggs book wants to get deeper...then I would surely suggest Fuhrman's book!
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