I want to rid my body of all toxins and other bad stuff

[anklebreaker]

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Fukudo S. Suzuki J, Nomura T, Iwahashi S, Muranaka M, Taguchi F. "Effects of fasting therapy on liver function disorders. Japanese Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine 1988;28(6):515-523

Chiba T. "Fasting therapy for psychosomatic disorders. Kango Gijutsu (Japan) 1985;31(9):1248-9.

Masoro EJ, SHimokawa I, Yu BP. "Retardation of the aging process in rats by food restriction. Annals of the New York Academy of Science 1990;337-52.

Yu BP, Langeniere S, Kim JW. "Influence of life-prolonging food restriction on membrane lipoperoxidation and antioxidant status" Oxygen Radicals in Biology and Medicine. Simic, Taylor, Ward, Von Sonntag (eds.) New York: Plenum Pub, 1988, pp 1067-1073.

Holeckoya E, Chuapil M. "The effects of intermittent feeding and fasting and of domestication of biological age in the rat". Gerontologia 1965;11:96.

Kent S. "Can dietary manipulations prolong life?" Geriatrics 1978;32:102.

McCay CM. "Effects of retarded feeding upon aging and chronic disease in rats and dogs". American Journal of Public Health 1947;37:521.


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Seriously though, what do these studies find? Can dietary manipulations prolong life? What are the effects of intermittent feeding and fasting and of domestication of biological age in the rat? What about studies with humans?

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The opponents of fasting (mostly physicians) are as ardent as fasting's supporters. "No scientific evidence exists that fasting has any benefits for the body. In fact, a body that is starved or depleted would not be as effective or efficient at eliminating offending substances," says Dr. Peter Pressman, assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California.

Fasting and "cleansing" programs can create a host of medical problems, including damage to your gastrointestinal tract, nutrient malabsorption, impaired liver function, anemia, kidney stones and hypoglycemia. Repeated laxative use and "repetitive colonics lead to dependence on external laxatives, disturbing the body's natural ability to do it itself," explains Pressman.

Gaining body fat is yet another possible hazard of fasting. "When you stop fasting, the first thing your body wants to do is nourish and refeed. Your body is afraid it's going to starve again, so it will crave high calorie foods — that's why this is the most important phase. If you eat the same unhealthy foods you had before the fast, you will gain fat," says Patton.

Bottom line: If you really want to keep your body "toxin-free," try eating a healthy diet.

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[gila]

I am not sure why you have highlighted retardation and retarded? Do you not understand the word?


verb (used with object) 1. to make slow; delay the development or progress of (an action, process, etc.); hinder or impede.
–verb (used without object) 2. to be delayed.
–noun 3. a slowing down, diminution, or hindrance, as in a machine.


As for your question about the effects of intermittent fasting/feeding on rats:

"Stressful events may trigger disease processes in many different organ systems, with the cardiovascular system being particularly vulnerable. Five-mo-old male rats had ad libitum (AL) access to food or were deprived of food every other day [intermittent food deprivation (IF)] for 6 mo, during which time their heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), physical activity and body temperature were measured by radiotelemetry under nonstress and stress (immobilization or cold-water swim) conditions. IF rats had significantly lower basal HR and BP, and significantly lower increases in HR and BP after exposures to the immobilization and swim stressors. Basal levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone were greater in the IF rats. However, in contrast to large stress-induced increases in ACTH, corticosterone and epinephrine levels in AL rats, increases in these hormones in response to repeated immobilization stress sessions were reduced or absent in IF rats. Nevertheless, the IF rats exhibited robust hypothalamic/pituitary and sympathetic neuroendocrine responses to a different stress (swim). The IF treatment improved glucose metabolism, as indicated by lower basal levels of circulating glucose and insulin, but with maintenance of glucose and insulin responses to stress. We concluded that improvements in cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular and neuroendocrine stress adaptation occur in response to IF.


As for studies on humans, here is just a few items that a 2 minute search on the net produces:

"Among those M.D.s who do have knowledge, Drs. J. Kellberg and P. Reizenstein of the world-renowned Karolinska Institute in Stockholm--which actually awards the Nobel Prize in Medicine each year--clinically monitored in-hospital patients (not well-beings such as you and me) in fasting studies lasting up to 55 days, demonstrating that scientific, prolonged fasting's not only perfectly safe for most, but also therapeutically beneficial, as well. There are countless hundreds of fasting clinics and centers in nations throughout Europe, where therapeutic juice-fasting has long been used as the premier weight-loss, detoxification, and healing modality over the entire 20th Century, continuing here into the 21st.

German and Swedish biological clinics, operated by medical doctors, routinely treat nearly every disease, from cardiovascular and digestive disorders to rheumatic and skin conditions, with scientific, therapeutic fasting. Germany's late Otto Buchinger, Sr., M.D., supervised over 100,000 successful juice-fasting "cures." In Russia, fasting has been used for over a half-century as the most effective treatment for schizophrenia, with irrefragable studies showing that 70% of patients improved mentally after 20-to-30 days of controlled fasting. Similarly, one Japanese research clinic fasted 382 patients, all suffering psychosomatic disease, with a success rate of 87% ."
-www.fasting.com


http://gaianstudies.org/articles4.htm



"* In one clinical trial of hypertension and fasting, 174 people with hypertension were prefasted for 2-3 days by eating only fruits and vegetables. They then participated in a 10-11 day water only fast, followed by a 6-7 day post fast in which they ate only a low-fat, low- sodium vegan diet. Initial blood pressure in the participants was either in excess of 140 millimeters of mercury (mm HG) systolic or 90 diastolic or both. Ninety percent of the participants achieved blood pressure less than 140/90 by the end of the trial. The higher their initial blood pressure the more their readings dropped. The average drop for all participants was 37/13. Those with stage 3 hypertension (over 180/110) had an average reduction of 60/17. All those taking blood pressure medication prior to fasting were able to discontinue it. Fasting has been shown in a number of trials like this one to be one of the most effective methods for lowering blood pressure and normalizing cardiovascular function. Blood pressure tends to remain low in all those using fasting for cardiovascular disease once fasting is completed ."

" In a 1988 trial of 88 people with acute pancreatitis, fasting was found better than any other medical intervention. Neither nasogastric suction or cimetidine were found to produce as beneficial effects as those from fasting. Symptoms were relieved irrespective of the etiology of the disease.

* A number of studies have found that fasting is effective for treating both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Fasting induces significant antiinflammatory actions in the body and researchers found decreased ESR, arthralgia, pain, stiffness, and need for medication."

-http://www.crescentlife.com/spirituality/studies_on_fasting2.htm

Title: Fasting during Ramadan induces a marked increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and decrease in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Abstract:
The study was conducted on 32 healthy adult male volunteers. A significant decrease (7.9%, p<0.001) in serum total cholesterol and triglycerides (30%, p<0.001)concentration during Ramadan as compared with the pre-fasting period. By the end of Ramadan , serum HDL cholesterol had markedly increased (14.3%, p<0.001) and remained elevated one month after Ramadan, in contrast LDl cholesterol level showed a significant decrease (11.7%, p<0.001) and alos maintained one month after Ramadan. Mean body weight declined by 2.6% (p<0.1) on day 29 of Ramadan. Saturated fatty acid intake decreased during Ramadan. Under the prevailing conditions and feeding behavior of the subjects in the study, beneficial affects of Ramadan fasting on plasma lipids and lipoproteins were noted.


Here is a bunch of studies on fasting and caloric restiction:

A few more: http://antiaging-hungary.com/lists/31/diseases.html
Fasting followed by vegetarian diet in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review.
Scand J Rheumatol 2001;30(1):1-10.
Muller H, de Toledo FW, Resch KL.
Balneology and Rehabilitation Sciences Research Institute (FBK), Bad Elster, Germany.
Clinical experience suggests that fasting followed by vegetarian diet may help patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We reviewed the available scientific evidence, because patients frequently ask for dietary advice, and exclusive pharmacological treatment of RA is often not satisfying. Fasting studies in RA were searched in MEDLINE and by checking references in relevant reports. The results of the controlled studies which reported follow-up data for at least three months after fasting were quantitatively pooled. Thirty-one reports of fasting studies in patients with RA were found. Only four controlled studies investigated the effects of fasting and subsequent diets for at least three months. The pooling of these studies showed a statistically and clinically significant beneficial long-term effect. Thus, available evidence suggests that fasting followed by vegetarian diets might be useful in the treatment of RA. More randomised long-term studies are needed to confirm this view by methodologically convincing data. "




Effects of a low calorie vegan diet on disease activity and general conditions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis [Article in Japanese].
Rinsho Byori 1999 Jun;47(6):554-60.
Fujita A, Hashimoto Y, Nakahara K, Tanaka T, Okuda T, Koda M.
Clinical Research Laboratory, Sunstar Co. Ltd., Takatsuki.
There is little objective information about diet therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Japan. We studied 14 patients with RA who stayed in the Koda hospital for 55 days. They basically took a 1200 kcal vegan diet consisting of unpolished rice gruel, juice of raw vegetables, soya bean curd and sesame seeds, and undertook a 3-5-day fast three times. During the 55-day stay, average body weight decreased by 5.1kg. Lansbury index and ESR decreased whereas CRP did not change. WBC decreased and the differential cell counts showed a decrease of neutrophils, eosinophils and monocytes without a change in lymphocytes or basophils. RBC, hemoglobin and MCV increased. LDL-C decreased, while HDL-C increased. There was no change in total protein or albumin. These data suggest that this combination of a low calorie vegan diet and fasting may contribute to improve RA with little undesirable effects on the patient's general conditions ."





" Improved metabolic control after supplemented fasting in overweight type II diabetic patients.
Acta Med Scand. 1984;216(1):67-74.
Vessby B, Boberg M, Karlstrom B, Lithell H, Werner I.
Twenty obese type II diabetes patients were treated in a metabolic ward during 4 weeks with a very low calorie regimen (200 kcal/day). They were given dietary advice and reexamined 3 months after discharge. Mean body weight decreased by 10 kg during fasting, blood glucose was normalized, urinary glucose disappeared and the K-value at i.v. glucose tolerance test increased. Fasting serum insulin concentrations decreased by 54%. Serum triglycerides (TG) decreased by 65%, serum cholesterol (Chol) by 28% and high density lipoprotein (HDL) Chol by 14%. Three months later, only serum TG remained significantly decreased (-47%) while HDL Chol was significantly higher than on admission (+11%). Fasting blood glucose remained significantly lower (-25%) with a low urinary glucose excretion. Supplemented fasting appears to be a safe and useful tool in the treatment of obese type II diabetics . It causes, at least during a limited follow-up period, a significant improvement in glucose control and lipoprotein metabolism in spite of a concomitant reduction of the antidiabetic medication."





"Psychophysiological study on fasting therapy.
Psychother Psychosom. 1979;32(1-4):229-240.
Yamamoto H, Suzuki J, Yamauchi Y.
The Tohoku University method of fasting therapy was performed on 380 patients. The clinical results revealed an efficacy rate of 87%. With regard to psychosomatic diseases, irritable colon syndrome, neurocirculatory asthenia, mild diabetes mellitus, obesity and borderline hypertension were good indications for this therapy. In order to clarify the therapeutic mechanism, several clinical examinations were administered before, during and after therapy. EEG data was analysed according to the power spectral method. The peak frequency decreased as fasting progressed, while it increased as re-fed continued. Percent energy of alpha waves after fasting therapy was significantly higher than that of the pre-fasting stage. The dexamethasone suppression rate of urine 17-OHCS after fasting therapy was significantly lower than that of the pre-fasting stage. It seems that ketone nutrition may work as a strong stressor in the brain cell, temporarily placing all biological mechanisms in a stress state and then activating the natural healing power inherent to the human body, thereby bringing about homeostasis ."






"
Immune system
[Progression of intestinal secretory immunoglobulin A and the condition of the patients during naturopathic therapy and fasting therapy]
[Article in German]
Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd. 2001 Dec;8(6):346-53.
Beer AM, Ruffer A, Balles J, Ostermann T.

Modellabteilung fur Naturheilkunde, Klinik Blankenstein, Hattingen.

BACKGROUND: In clinical observations it was noticed that patients who have been treated with naturopathic methods - especially with the treatment of heal fasting - experience a stabilization of their immune system. The immune system stands in close relation to the intestinal flora and influences the condition of the patient. QUESTION: For this reason the influence of a 3-week in-hospital naturopathic therapy - among others a heal-fasting therapy -, a corresponding follow-up on the intestine-associated immune system as well as the condition of the patients have been examined. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Classical naturopathic treatments based on standardized therapy concepts were applied. The patients (n = 55) showed different kinds of basic diseases, whereof in 56% of the cases the patients suffered of diseases of the skeleton, the muscles, and the connective tissue. The patients got a 3-week standardized high-quality nutrition or they took part in a juice-modified fasting therapy. The state of the local endogenous defense system within the intestine was measured by the concentration of the secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in the feces of the patients. A positive criterion was a sIgA concentration in the stool of under 0.5 mg/g. Additionally the judgement of the patients concerning their own condition ('quality of life') was determined by the condition scale. RESULTS: It was shown that the content of the sIgA within the stool was increased during the course of the in-hospital stay, in the complete population of patients as well as in the different subgroups 'with heal-fasting' and 'without heal-fasting'. Even in the follow-up analysis it could be observed that 3 months after the treatment the content of secretory IgA in the stool of all groups was between 0.78 and 0.89 mg/g. This value was significantly higher than the starting values. The most intensive effects concerning the change of sIgA were measured within the group of the patients who performed heal fasting (epsilon > 1.0). Aside from the increase of the secretory IgA, a mediocre improvement of the condition of the patients within the pre-post comparison could be noticed, but no correlation between the secretory IgA values and the values concerning the condition was found. CONCLUSION: A 3-week in-hospital therapy with classical naturopathic treatments (but especially the application of the heal-fasting therapy) leads to a significant improvement of the immune condition of the intestine and consequently of the whole organism . The improving effect lasts beyond the stay in hospital. Copyright 2001 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg"

[calmB4storm]

nh

[kerowo]

I guess fasting gets rid of your sense of humor first.