Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough: A Guide to Nine Biblical Fasts (27 page)

Does this mean that rest, fever and fasting will correct dyslexia?

When Sue resumed her normal diet, her reading problems returned. Later, when she experimented and ate only unfamiliar foods, her reading skills improved. Further testing revealed that she was sensitive to sugar, corn, white flour, margarine, honey and several other frequently eaten foods. As you might suspect, the foods she liked best were the most offending.

Another observation I made was in my immediate family. We had a son who was hyperactive. Several kinds of therapy were unsatisfactory. Another plan included a three-day fast prior to treatment. Having never considered fasting before, we were a little scared and apprehensive. Rather than a water fast, we let our son eat only foods he had never eaten before—plums, kiwis, fish, cashews, etc.

We were absolutely astounded by the third day to see him being very calm. We thought he was lethargic, but he was probably just acting normal. Many of his favorite foods stimulated him to extremes of activity and lack of concentration. Of course it was hard—almost impossible—to keep him eating certain foods instead of junk foods, so our troubles weren’t completely over. Knowing that some help might be available somewhere, however, was hopeful. We decided to investigate further into what happens when the body is deprived of certain foods.
What is fasting, anyway?
we wondered.

According to Grolier’s Encyclopedia, fasting is:

The practice of abstaining from food, either completely or partially, for a specified period. It is an ancient practice found in most religions of the world. Traditionally, fasting has been a widely used form of asceticism, and a penitential practice observed for the purpose of purifying the person or atoning for sins and wrong-doing.

Most religions designate certain days or seasons as times of fasting for their adherents, such as Lent, Yom Kippur and Ramadan. Certain events in the lives of individual persons
have been considered appropriate times for fasting, such as the day or night before a major personal commitment. The vigil of knighthood is a historical instance of this practice. Prayer is supposed to accompany fasting. In this respect, fasting should be distinguished from abstinence.

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, used fasting to combat disease 2,400 years ago. The ancient Ayurvedic healers of the Hindu religion prescribed fasting weekly for a healthy digestive system. Most nationalities, religions and languages have a tradition of fasting handed down from their ancestors.

Most secular historians speculate that fasting evolved from people living without food during troubled times. Eventually they learned to go without food
because
they were troubled. I think there is a better explanation.

The Chinese have fasted since their beginnings, which some scholars think was four generations after Noah’s family. The earliest writings in the Chinese language are found on bones and pottery, dated 2000
B.C
. These writings include stories of a seven-day Creation, the Fall of humans from their favored place in a garden, a great flood and many other accounts also recorded in Genesis. Similar flood stories are found in more than 200 ancient languages, including several native American accounts.

The fact that fasting is found in many languages would indicate that this practice occurred before the Tower of Babel. This story is history—the ruins of the tower can be seen in present-day Iraq. The people of Babel were the descendants of Noah. The practice of fasting may have been handed down through Noah’s offspring. Did Noah, in turn, receive the tradition from the very week of Creation itself, when God “rested” on the seventh day? The Sabbath rest may have been designed for the digestive system as well as for a religious observance.

1. The
normal fast
is going without food for a definite period. The duration can be one day, as in Judges 20:26,
NIV:

Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.

Biblical fasts were also held for 3 days, 1 week, 1 month and as long as 40 days. Extreme care should be taken with longer fasts, and medical advice from one’s physician is necessary.

2. The
absolute fast
is going without food or water, and should be short. Moses’ 40-day fast would kill anyone without supernatural intervention. Be sure to test the spirit that tries to talk you into a 40-day fast without water, because normally it is a physical impossibility.

3. The
partial fast
includes omitting one meal a day, or omitting certain foods for a certain period. Eating only fresh vegetables for several days is a good partial fast. John Wesley ate only bread (whole grain) and water for many days. Elijah fasted (partially) twice. John the Baptist and Daniel with his three friends are other examples of partial fasts. People who have hypoglycemia or other diseases could use this kind of fast.

4. A
rotational fast
involves avoiding certain foods periodically. For example, food families such as grains are eaten only every fourth day. Three days of fasting without grains of any kind may be followed by one day in which grains are eaten. The various food families are rotated so that some food is available each day.

From the very beginning, before the Fall of man, our bodies were probably designed to take periodic rests from food. The seventh day was designed for rest; and the digestive system needs rest just as much as the rest of the body.

Healing and Rest

One of the main benefits of a night’s sleep includes rest for our digestive system. It is no accident that in English the first meal of the day is named break-fast. A 12- to 14-hour fast can also be beneficial for the system. One school of thought once taught that there are many health benefits gained by skipping the traditional breakfast and waiting until noon or later to eat. (Many like to do this now, but receive criticism from Mom, medicine
and man. Are you too afraid of them to miss a meal?)

We know that foods (nutrients) are necessary for health. Because of this line of thought, it was once very hard for me to recommend fasting. My logic was that if eating is healthy, not eating was harmful. I now realize that this logic was faulty. You fast, whether you call it that or not, when you don’t eat from 9:00
P.M
. until 6:00
A.M
. Extending this fast for a reasonable time won’t harm you either.

Your body was designed to respond to sickness in a certain way. Fever, fasting and rest are part of the design. Do you remember the last time you were sick? Did you want to eat? Did you want to party? No! You had a temperature, could not keep any food down, and only wanted to crawl into your bed and be left alone.

Why do we work so hard to lower our temperatures? Fever causes us to ache, and to want to lie down. We fight going to bed because we are motivated by several excuses. “Strong people don’t quit!” and “They can’t work without me!” (Of course fever as high as 106 degrees can cause death or brain damage, and should be treated quickly. Body temperature should be kept under 104 degrees.) Rest, fever and fasting seem to be part of the design to shorten viral infections.

Have you heard that you can “sweat off a cold”? It sounds bizarre, but if the work causes your body to warm up, it might help. Researchers have also discovered that many harmful viruses do not multiply at temperatures much over 100 degrees. Fever is also reported to increase the mobility of the white blood cells, which destroy bacteria and viruses. Researchers are now heating the blood of AIDS patients to reduce viral counts, hoping to gain remissions.

The body is designed to heal itself at the cellular level. The biochemical mechanisms of the cell are billions of times more complex than the precise mechanisms that cause the universe to function. These processes utilize proteins, carbohydrates and fats to gain calories and nutrients for untold other reactions. Each reaction also produces waste products. The cells have ways to clear this waste, but apparently they can become overloaded. Fasting helps unclog the system, and also eliminates poison from it. The cell uses periods of rest to process and eliminate waste or other toxins. Modern research, ancient healers and more importantly the Word of the body’s Designer, God, indicate that one benefit of fasting is healing.

In Isaiah 58, God took Israel to task for abusing the fast. He said that if they really fasted according to His will, “Then your light will break
forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear” (v. 8,
NIV
).

Many years ago, Dr. Isaac Jennings learned to prescribe rest, fasting and fresh pure water as a treatment for fever—instead of the blood-letting, heat and water-deprivation that were conventional medicine’s practices at the time.
¹

Dr. Jennings developed a reputation for reversing many chronic illnesses. He prescribed various colored pills, powders and water, while withholding food for various periods of time (partial fasting). His success was so phenomenal that Yale University conferred an honorary degree upon him.

When Dr. Jennings revealed that his pills and powders were small, stained fragments of bread, his acclaim dwindled. He had discovered the placebo effect. But had he also rediscovered the far-encompassing benefits of fasting?

Fasting and Cancer Research

Research by Dr. George Thampy, a biochemist at the University of Indiana, on 60 healthy subjects who participated in a three-week fast revealed interesting results: (1) significant lowering of cholesterol; (2) lowering of blood pressure; (3) relief from arthritis; (4) loss of body mass and weight (as much as 40 pounds during the three-week fast).
²

Those subjects who broke the fast and maintained a Genesis 1:29 (vegetarian) diet did not regain much weight even one month after breaking the fast. Those subjects who abruptly switched to a normal diet regained significant weight (as much as 15 pounds) during the first week of refeeding.

Currently Thampy is “chasing” a certain factor that is known to kill tumor cells. This factor is absent in tumor patients, and may be elevated in fasting subjects.

Fasting has also been shown to be an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, and can reduce joint pains, swelling and morning stiffness in just a few days. In one experiment, 27 rheumatoid arthritis patients stayed on a Genesis 1:29 diet—basically a vegetarian diet—and showed remarkable improvement. Another group of patients in the same test did not stick to the partial fast, and suffered relapses.
³

Fasting and Mental Health

Some mental benefits of fasting include a calming affect, the ability to
focus on priorities and a generalized improvement in mental functioning.

Don’t expect mental miracles on your first fast. Addiction and withdrawal symptoms (irritability, anger, etc.) could override any first-time benefits. However, examples of fasting’s positive effect on the mind are even more striking.

A Kansas couple I talked with, both of whom were physicians, had an autistic son. They discovered fasting when the boy was 12 years old. After a three-day fast, the son began to respond to them for the first time in his life. Through testing it was learned that he had an enzyme deficiency that made him sensitive to certain foods. After a general fast of a few days, a rotational fast was used to keep from overwhelming the son’s enzyme system. At age 18 the boy was reading and showing great improvement, according to his parents.

The symptoms of many other mental illnesses such as hyperactivity, dyslexia, incorrigible delinquency, schizophrenia and depression apparently have cleared temporarily during short fasts. These syndromes are usually blamed on early childhood/parental relationships. What if they are more closely related to diet?

The psychoanalysts who followed Sigmund Freud’s theory for years did so with almost cultlike devotion. He is still revered as the father of psychiatry. Freud’s guilt-producing theory on the subconscious id, ego and super-ego was primarily accepted because academia was using a new definition for science that excluded the supernatural. A cocaine user himself, Freud formulated his theory and gained his fame by treating patients with cocaine. They reported wonderful results! He produced a bizarre theory! (“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” [Prov. 14:12,
NIV
].)

Actually, in the strictest definition, Freud’s methods became a religion. But since his day, most of these psychological diseases have been shown to have organic causes. Some of the symptoms of these mental illnesses have reportedly disappeared after kidney dialysis, which filters toxic products from the blood. These products rebuild rapidly, and within a few hours the symptoms may return.

Could the toxins come from incompletely metabolized foods, or accumulation of waste products? Can chemicals or drugs cause bizarre symptoms? Sure!

The mind is a precious thing. Fasting can give the body time to clear
itself of toxic products. Eating things designed for food in their purest form could be great for the mind, just as it has been shown to maintain our joints, our weight and our immune system.

Dr. Yuri Nikolayave, a psychiatrist at the University of Moscow, treated schizophrenics with water fasts for 25 to 30 days. This was followed by eating foods in their purest forms for 30 days. Seventy percent of his patients remained free from symptoms for the duration of the six-year study.
⁴
In patients who have these advanced illnesses, profound biochemical changes do occur during the fast.

Allan Cott, an M.D. at New York University, has used this fasting treatment on 28 schizophrenic patients. He reported a 60 percent recovery rate from this dreaded disease.
⁵