My grandpa was a health freak, a frugal eater, a moderate drinker and lived upto the ripe old age of 93, virtually without any serious disease troubling him. He would go off food whenever his body indicated symptoms of an ailment. So I was delighted to see the American Heart Association’s recent report that fasting has heart-protective benefit.
According to the report, fasting lowers the odds of being diagnosed with coronary artery disease by 39 percent. While the study doesn’t absolutely prove that fasting is the cause of healthier arteries, it does suggest that it is an important factor. The study’s authors caution that people with diabetes, who are not encouraged to skip meals, should not try this approach until more research is conducted.
Fasting for religious and spiritual reasons has been a part of human custom since pre-history. It is mentioned in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testament, the Qur’an, the Mahabharata, and the Upanishads. Fasting is also practiced in many other religious traditions and spiritual practices.
“Fasting is the complete abstinence from all substances except pure water in an environment of total rest. There has been much contention in the scientific field about whether or not fasting is beneficial to ones health. When properly done, fasting is a safe and effective means of maximizing the body’s self-healing capacities. The body rids itself of the toxins that have built up in our fat stores throughout the years. The body heals itself and repairs all the damaged organs during a fast. And finally there is good evidence to show that regulated fasting contributes to longer life.”
India’s leading TV channel, NDTV, has this to say: “Fasting is the world’s most ancient and natural healing mechanism. It triggers a truly wondrous cleansing process that reaches right down to each and every cell and tissue in the body. Within 24 hours of curtailing food intake, enzymes stop entering the stomach and travel instead into the intestines and into the bloodstream, where they circulate and gobble up all sorts of waste matter including dead and damaged cells, unwelcome microbes, metabolic wastes and pollutants.
“All organs and glands get a much-needed and well-deserved rest, during which their tissues are purified and rejuvenated and their functions balanced and regulated. Most fasters also experience a new vibrancy of their skin and clarity of mind and body.
“The benefits of fasting on health do not stop there but are instrumental in alleviating a number of physical diseases including those of the digestive system such as chronic stomach ache, inflammation of the colon, liver diseases, indigestion and conditions such as obesity, arteriosclerosis, high cholesterol level, high blood pressure, asthma and many other maladies.” More here…
“Many doctors warn against fasting for extended periods of time without supervision. The idea of depriving a body of what society has come to view as so essential to our survival in order to heal continues to be a topic of controversy.”
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.