23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everything you wanted to know about fasting for health, May 2, 2009
This review is from: The Science and Fine Art of Fasting (Paperback)
Herbert Shelton wrote 40 books over his 60-year career in health education and "natural hygiene." He supervised over 30,000 fasts of chronically ill and terminal patients, losing only three. Shelton's teachings on fasting inspired Ghandi as well as such popular authors as Fuhrman, the Diamonds, Mercola and Graham. Harvey and Marilyn Diamond said of Shelton: "A man of astounding intelligence and understanding, Dr. Herbert Shelton was the greatest health oracle of the 20th century."
One of the key tenets of natural hygiene is toxemia + enervation = disease and that symptoms of disease are remedial efforts by the body to return to balance. For example, a fever is instituted by the body to speed metabolic action and kill germs. It is a healing event that should be allowed to run its course, not a dreaded enemy to be suppressed.
The best action to take when first becoming ill is to stop eating and rest, which goes contrary to the prevailing advice to take a drug, eat to keep up your strength, and keep on going. When you fast, you are not starving your body of nutrition, because it obtains all the nutrition it needs from its own tissues. But in doing so, the not inconsiderable amount of energy that would have been spent in digestion is now spent in repair of tissues and elimination of toxins.
Long fasts of up to three months followed by healthy living practices can (but not always) reverse chronic degenerative diseases such as arthritis, heart disease, colitis, migraines, mental illness, even cancer. (See also
Fasting and Eating for Health: A Medical Doctor's Program for Conquering Disease.)
This book will teach you most of what you need to know to conduct a fast of any length. The chapters are:
1. Definition of fasting
2. Fasting among the lower animals
3. Fasting in man
4. Bill-of-fare for the sick
5. Autolysis
6. Fasting is not starving
7. Chemical and organic changes during fasting
8. Repair of organs and tissues during fasting
9. The influence of fasting on growth and regeneration
10. Changes in the fundamental functions while fasting
11. The mind and special senses during a fast
12. Secretions and excretions
13. Bowel action during fasting
14. Fasting and sex
15. Rejuvenescence through fasting
16. Gain and loss of strength while fasting
17. Gain and loss of weight during fasting
18. Fasting does not induce deficiency "disease"
19. Death in the fast
20. Objections of the fast
21. Does fasting cure disease?
22. The rationale of fasting
23. The length of the fast
24. Hunger and appetite
25. Contra-indications of fasting
26. Fasting in special periods and conditions of life
27. Symptomatology of the fast
28. Progress of the fast
29. Hygiene of the fast
30. Breaking the fast
31. Gaining weight after the fast
32. Living after the fast
33. Fasting in health
34. Fasting in acute disease
35. Fasting in chronic disease
36. Fasting in drug addiction
37. Fasting versus eliminating diets
References
This is the fasting portion only of what was originally published as
Fasting and Sunbathing (The Hygienic System, Vol 3) (reprint). A newer title by Shelton is
Fasting for Renewal of Life. It appears to cover much of the same information but in a more condensed, less technical form.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The definitive book on fasting, February 22, 2010
This review is from: The Science and Fine Art of Fasting (Paperback)
This is really an encyclopedia of fasting. The print is small so instead of being a 300+ page book on fasting, it is more like a normal 800 page book on fasting. It covers every area in great detail. It has a great deal of informtion on fasting from over 100 years ago.
It even covers fasting in animals and explains how a tadpole fasts and sunbathes to become a frog. It tells that without enough sunlight, the tadpole cannot become a frog. It tells how the caterpillar must fast to change into a butterfly. It even tells about cases of people and animals starving to death and the results of autopsies to show that the most important organs like the brain and heart are conserved as much as possible.
The above is the collection of a great deal (huge amount) of information from over a hundred years with lots of information on fasting and fasts from MDs. For a different approach to fasting, read Arnold Ehret's small book on fasting. He experimented on himself after curing an incurable disease with fasting and opened a fasting center that treated thousands of people. He suggests a diet of fruits, leafy greens and starchless vegetable. He is one of the founders of naturopathy.
Mucusless Diet Healing System
Rational Fasting
Then the most current book on fasting is Joel Fuhrman's (M.D.) book on fasting and eating. He has fasted thousands of people and is still doing it in New Jersey. His mother was fasted by Dr Herbert Shelton (D.C. and N.D.)(author of the above book). Then Dr Fuhrman was fasted by Dr Shelton before he became an M.D.
Fasting and Eating for Health: A Medical Doctor's Program for Conquering Disease
For losing weight and staying thin by being a nutritarian read this book. It shows that overweight people eat too much since they are not getting enough nutrition. Eating nutrient dense foods causes you to eat less.
Eat For Health: Lose Weight, Keep It Off, Look Younger, Live Longer (2 book set)
If someone says that you are crazy for wanting to fast then you can show them a book or two by a psychiatrist-- Alan Cott. M.D.
Fasting-The Ultimate Diet
Also for a new age view of fasting there is Dr. Gabriel Cousens, M.D. This guy is a psychiatrist, rabbi and a yogi. He is also a raw foodist and knows a great deal of things outside of medical information that you could call fringe science. This is great for hippies and people wanting to explore the spiritual side of fasting and eating.
Conscious Eating
Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No