Health Benefits of Biblical Fasting (Attempts at Answers)

[Space_Karen]

  

On 11/6/2022 at 4:41 AM, Space_Karen said:

There are at least three basic observations.

Which could help to explain how fasting might lead to health benefits.

1)  People sometimes vomit when they are ill. The vomit can produce a burning sensation due to stomach acid being expelled.

2)  When people are ill, its common to experience weakness or feelings of having less energy than normal. Why? The energy a person would normally have to devote towards normal everyday tasks is redistributed towards fighting illness, leaving them with less energy than normal.

3)  With consumption of alcohol, toxins can be introduced into the body, faster than the body can detoxify or remove them.

Let's try to turn this into a fun game.  

 

 

Three aspects to health benefits of fasting.

1. Stomach acid

People sometimes experience a burning sensation when vomiting caused by stomach acid. We know stomach acid burns when it travels upward. Does it burn when it travels downward as well? Can a steady stream of stomach acid and food headed downward into the intestine cause wear and tear over time? In which case, could fasting of solid food reduce stress on the digestive tract, giving it time to heal and recover. The consumption of liquids is a separate issue. Water, for example, is known to dilute acid reducing acidity. It doesn't appear to be an area of research that is covered often. 

Long story short if eating less and reducing flow of food and stomach acid into the digestive tract, reduces wear and tear. Giving the GI tract time to heal and recover. Perhaps it could have a rejuvenating effect on the digestive system. Which could lead to a number of health benefits.

2. Energy

During times of illness, its normal for a person to feel weak or faint. Why do they feel this way?

In attempting to deduce an answer, could be fair to say that the energy people normally have is diverted towards fighting their illness, leaving them feeling less energetic than normal. If this is true, then there could be other examples of a person's energy distribution shifting.

After eating a large meal its common for people to feel tired and want to sleep. Can we deduce that after eating a large meal, the energy a person would normally have is diverted towards digesting their food. Resulting in feelings of weakness and sleepyness.

There are some who feel chronically fatigued and tired throughout their day. In some cases, constant consumption of snacks is associated with the process. Can feelings of fatigue be correlated with energy being redistributed towards digestion?

Fasting can help to break negative habits and regulate food consumption back towards healthy trends. 

3. Toxins

The human body expels toxins. Unfortunately, the process is very slow. A person who consumes alcohol can introduce it into their body at a far faster rate than human biology can remove it.

It is known that many food products contain small residual quantities of pesticides, preservatives and unhealthy chemical compounds. A steady stream of these additives will introduce them into the body at a faster rate than they can be removed.

Fasting ceases the introduction of toxins into the body. Creating an opportunity for them to be removed without additional toxins arriving. 

 

I always used to think and deduce answers on topics like these, trying to learn and gain knowledge.

Trying to acknowledge the role of a healer being of a higher difficulty level than the role of a warrior or conqueror.

Society typically devotes more love and respect towards fighters than it does to healers. Given a choice between being Julius Caesar or Jesus. I would guess most would choose to be Caesar. On a primal level we usually have more respect for those who break things and destroy their enemies than we do for those who help the lame to walk and the blind to see.

If christians aspire to lay hands on the ill and heal, wouldn't this be the type of basic discussion on fasting we would expect to see for developmental purposes? If our goal is to heal, then naturally we would pursue every thread of knowledge and avenue of learning to expand our capabilities.