Hygienic

Fasting

AComisc Wl1o, What, \l1lcn. Wlwn~. \\l1y and llow

of
This \aluable Health & Performacc
Enhancing Prcwtice

Hygienic Fasting

........

by Douglas N. Graham, DC

What is Hygiene?
Hygiene is defined i'l Blakiston's Medical
Dictionary as "The science that treats of the laws of
health and methods of their observation". The word
"hygiene, " is based in Greek mythology; Hygeia was
the Greek goddess of health . Today, a hygienist is,
according to Blakiston 's, "One who is trained in the
science of health. " The worldwide Hygiene movement is peopled by millions of "health enthusiasts".
Hygienic practitioners are primary care physicians
who specialize in health . They practice in a manner
that enables their patients to regain and maintain
the highest possible health that their individual organism can display. This is achieved through :
1. Education as to the causes of their ill health .
2. Instruction regarding the conditions necessary for

maintaining optimal health.

3~ssistance with the processes of change required to develop healthy habits.
4. Supervision of fasting , realimentation (resuming
feeding) and development of lifestyle habits that
enable a person to regain health.
Hunger, like thirst, is experienced in the mouth. It
is a sensation few of us have ever experienced.
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What is Fasting?
Fasting is a period of comprehensive, maximal rest augmented by abstinence from all foods .
Fasting is not starving . During a fast, a person
literally lives from his reserves , consuming excess
fats , labile and waste proteins converting them as
necessary to glucose for fuel. Vital tissues, such as
brain , nerve, heart, liver and kidneys , etc., remain
virtually untouched . Water is consumed in sufficient
quantity to satisfy thirst and physiologic requirements. Rest is ~he biggest factor in enhancing
recovery. It is only when the body is at rest that it is
able to dire.ct the maximum energy towards the
various chemical and.t"' mechanical processes of
detoxification associated with recovery .
Fasting is a natural process and therefore is
not to be feared . When fasting , a person experiences recovery at a rate that is swifter than normal.
He is ridding his body of- toxins and excesses ;
allowing the body to use its own wisdom to healthfully reorganize itself from the atomic level up. As
the toxic load is reduced, the functioning of every
cell is enhanced . Vital nerve energy is accumulated
during a night's sleep . During the fast, nerve energy
is restored through rest and sleep . People sleep
almost every night of thei r lives. This period of
'

Every great_religious leader in history

fasted for clarity of mind.
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concentrated rest has been considered a mini fast

for centuries; we 'break the fast' with our first-meal,
and c~all it 'breakfast'. The detoxification process
happens most efficiently and effectively when it is
accompanied by fasting .

Fasting equals resting.

Four Types of Rest

The faster is encouraged to participate in all
forms or rest: physical, sensory, emotional, and
physiologica I.
Physical rest
Physical rest means that the patient participates in no physical activity other than that which is
required for personal hygiene. Bed rest is the rule
during fasts of long duration. The body, when enervated, accumulates acids faster than it can eliminate them. This is called acidosis toxemia. This
hyperacidity is reduced during fasting as the
sources of the acidity, primarily muscular activities
and dietary, are eliminated . The production of lactic
acid and other metabolic acids formed during activity hinders the progress of the fast. During a fast,
energy goes either to the musculature or the organs
of detoxification. For these reasons physical exertions are contraindicated while fasting .
Sensory rest
Sensory rest is a reduction in the amount of
sensory stimuli to which we are subjected. As we
are visual creatures, simply closing our eyes will
Excessive feasting leads to a need for fasting

reduce the amount of input to the brain dramatically. Being in a quiet location also lowers the
amount of input, and is an important consideration
in choosing a location for fasting.
Body energy that could be directed towards
elimination of toxins and improvment of metabolic
functions is distracted when forced to recognize and
organize outside stimuli. Elimination of television
and other entertainment media greatly reduces sensory stimulation.
Emotional rest

Emotional rest accrues as the patient "lets

go" of his worries for a time and allows the doctors
and staff to share in his care decisions. Separation
from the responsibilities of work, family, and friends
allows the patient the opportunity to develop emotional poise through visualization, affirmation, and
meditation. Supportive relationships , friendly staff,
and caring doctors all make it easier for the patient
to rest without worry. Emotional rest accumulates
as the patient becomes increasingly aware that
through fasting he is doing all that need be done to
g~well , in fact, all that can be done, and that day
by day he is, indeed, acquiring health.
The body heals itself most rapidly while fasting.
A person can often recover from a lifetime of
abuse in just a few weeks. That is why it is
called a fast.

Physiological rest
Physiological rest is achieved by lowering the
body's total caloric usage. Other than physical activity, the organs of digestion require more fuel than
any other single physiological process. Upwards of
fifty per cent of the total blood supply ca n be sent to
the organs of digestion. The digestion process is so
energy intensive, that it is easy to understand why
people often feel tired after eating. Your mother
may have told you not to go swimming after eating
because you wou!d get 'cramps'. This is because
when the body directs blood to the digestive tract,
there is not enough blood left to also supply the
muscles.

The time to fast is when there is no time for it.

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Who Should Fast?

Health is the natural state of humankind.
Provided with the essentials of life and healthful
conditions, the body will heal itself. By striving to
assert homeostasis, the body is always vectoring
toward improved health. Symptoms are indicators
that all is not right about the conditions that the
body is experiencing. Anyone who is displaying
symptoms, minor or severe, acute or chronic, is a
likely candidate for a fast. When a person is upset,
tired , nauseous, feverish , congested, has indigestion, or is just not feeling "like himself', a fast is
indicated.
This may mean a fast as short as the skipping of just one meal; for instance, if one is really
more tired than hungry, one should sleep rather
than eat. If one wakes in the morning still full , or has
stomach upset from the previous night, skipping a
meal or two will quickly set things right. However,
chronic symptoms and\or progressive degenerative
conditions often call for fasts of longer duration in
order to conserve vital energy, restore metabolic
homeostasis, and reinstate health.
Children who go to bed with a fever and
appetite loss usually recover in a day or two. A fast
Get well fast.
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offers an adult-sized portion of rest and sleep which is

usually all that is required for .the return of health . We
often tend to fall behind on rest and sleep, never quite
recovering from yesterday. This gradual enervation
leads to an accumulation of wastes in the body and a
condition known as acidosis toxemia.

If you try to break Nature.'s laws,

Nature will break you.

When Should a Person Fast?

Metabolic homeostasis is the baseline indicator of balance between anabolism (the creation of
complex structures from simpler ones) and
catabolism (the creation of simple structures from
more complex ones). Growth, and repair occur when
anabolism outstrips catabolism. Decrepitude ensues
when catabolism outruns anabolism. We refer to
good health in adults as the ability to display homeostasis within the parameters of predetermined
physiologic norms. Fasting is the quickest and surest
method of reestablishing metabolic homeostasis in
most situations. (In life threatening emergency or
other acute trauma, medical intervention may also
be indicated). Drugs will effectively suppress symptoms, and often more rapidly than the body can
reduce them through the initiation of a fast. However, drugs do not address the cause of the problem, as fasting does. When homeostasis is
breached, a fast is indicated.
The length of the fast is subject to many
factors . Of primary concern are the number and
degtee of compromises to homeostasis. Age,
weight, lifestyle (health supporting and health destroying habits), and general fitness are a few of the
factors to be considered . Patients must be moniOvercome a lifetime of "slow death" lifestyle

habits with a bit of fast living.

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tared a minimum of once daily, and during times

of'healing crisis", almost constantly. Fasting is always considered a day to day.event. A doctor would
not prescribe a twenty one day fast, for example,
but would monitor his patient one day at a time,
linking day after day.
When a person presents with rheumatoid
arthritis we may recommend that a fast of "x" days
is in order, based on previous experience with
similar people with similar histories. It must be
remembered at all times, however, that the body is
a self-regulating and self-healing organism. No matter what our desires for it may be, the body has its
own agenda and cares not what we think. We may
wish for the rheumatoid arthritis to heal up quickly,
but for the body, dealing with those factors specific
to the demonstration of rheumatoid arthritis may be
twelfth on the list of important items to which it must
pay attention. Vita lity level, decrepitude, and emotional outlook all play vital roles in the length of the
fast and the speed of recovery.

Good eating habits

never result in indigestion.
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Physiologic Changes During the Fast

Fasts of more that twenty four hours bring

humans through a wid e range of physiologic
changes. These may include, but are certainly not
limited to:
Passage from normal glycolysis metabolism
(the breakdown of glucose) to gluconeogenesis (the
creation of new glucose from fat) .
Increased specific gravity of the urine (due to
the additional quantities of solid wastes being eliminated).
Exceptionally high level of ketone bodies in
the blood (an alcohol- lik~ substance that occurs
with the gluconeogenesis of fats) .
Abnormally high level of serum cholesterol
(this temporary condition represents the "clearing"
of cholesterol from blood vessel walls, and is not
considered hazardous).
Various physiologic rebound phenomena
a.k.a. oversteering (these are efforts to "make up
for" deficiencies, for example, increased need for
sleep, as well as to make up for oversufficiencies
an~ithdrawal from toxic substances).
Lower than "normal" blood pressure resulting
from lowered levels of mineral salts with possible
dizziness.
Don't die fast.

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A slowed respiratory rate . This is considered

normal when the body is at re.st.
A slowed pulse. This is another indicator that
the body is in a state of deep rest.
Steady, but low, blood sugar (while fasting ,
the wisdom of the body produces as much sugar
from fat as is necessary to maintain life and continue the processes of detoxification).
Weight loss. As much as ten to twenty
pounds may be lost during the first week, five to
seven the second, and two to three during subsequent weeks. Tl)is represents a basal metabolic
rate of from 1,000 to 1,500 calories daily, equaling
2 to 3 pounds weekly. All additional weight loss is
water weight, held by the body to dilute toxins. In
cases of morbid obesity weight loss can be more
extreme.
Increased awareness. The functioning and
sensitivity of all the special senses is heightened
during the fast. Most notable is sense of smell,
however vision, hearing , sense of taste and touch
all tend to improve dramatically, as do all of the
other nerve related physical functions , i.e. balance,
coordination, kinesthetic awareness, reflexes, etc.
Lowered (towards normal) pulse pressure.
This is the difference between systolic and diastolic
pressure, and represents the elastic quality of the
arteries. As arteries become more elastic pulse
All drugs are poisonous. One cannot
be poisoned into health.
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pressure falls .
Under our ever broadening umbrella approach to health ca re, no one doctor can be everything for every patient. Hygienic professionals are
the only doctors who specialize in re-establishing
health, as opposed to treating symptoms of disease. Familiarity with Hygiene and fasting can be of
great benefit to everyone. People can achieve
healthy results through the implementation of a
Hygienic lifestyle without the insult of drugs or
surgery. They also receive the healthy lifestyle
counseling they desire and deserve. Hygienic doctors gain the satisfaction of seeing their patients get
well, and earn their well-deserved trust and respect.
Consult with your Hygienic professional for
fasting supervision and Hygienic education. You will
greatly benefit by implementing Hygiene and Hygienic fasting into your life. You will develop healthy
lifestyle habits, learn to expect high levels of health,
and recognize that symptoms occur as early warnings of incorrect living.

You cannot break the laws of nature,

you can only prove them.

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If you quit taking care of your health,

it will go away.
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About Doctor Graham

Dr. Graham received his undergraduate degree in physical education from Montclair State
University and his doctorate from Life Chiropractic
College. As a college gymnast, he also coached the
springboard diving team. A national level competitor
himself, Dr. Graham went on to train a trampoline
team. After only three years under his tutelage, all
seven members of the team won age group National Championships.
Dr. Graham has trained professional athletes
from many fields , including tennis legend Martina
Navratilova and NBA pro basketball player Ronnie
Grandison. He has advised Olympic athletes from
four continents in a wide variety of sports. Model
Stephanie Karandaris and actress Demi Moore
have sought his services as health coach.
His unique viewpoints on training and nutrition have resulted in the creation of The High
Energy Diet video and companion recipe guide and
a ..AUtrition chart of the same name. He has also
produced an audio cassette series entitled, The
Cause of Health. Dr. Graham is the author of
Nutrition and Athletic Performance, Grain Damage,
and
The
Perpetual
Health
Calendar.
Every new idea, lie foreign protein, is first
treated to rejection.
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After 20 years in private practice as a chiropractor, Dr. Graham now lectures worldwide and
consu lts with athletes and trainers from around the
world. Dr. Graham is a highly sought-after speaker
and has presented for numerous organizations including the American Natural Hygiene Society,
North American Vegetarian Society, American Vegan Society, EarthSave Seattle, American Fruitarian Society, and British Natural Hygiene Society.
He has been added as VegSource's raw foods ,
nutrition, and fitness adviser. He has written articles
on sports nutrition for dozens of magazines and
professional journals and currently serves as a
nutrition advisor to the magazine Exercise for Men
Only.

See you-in the fast lane.

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