But food stimulation, always an important factor in disease, asserts the power of habit 
over the body; and, even though the will of the patient has been brought to understand the futility of dependence upon artIfi cial 
aids to health, as embodied in medicine and in methods akin to it, general knowledge is lacking concerning the proper means to 
pursue in order to overcome habit and to meet the physiological changes that ensue when food is denied the body for the purpo se 
of prevention or of cure of disease. The cultivation of a habit is a slow and insidious process, and so, in lesser degree perhaps, is its destruction. Abruptly to  cease an 
action, normal or abnormal, habitually connected with bodily function, causes both phy sical and mental disturbance. Witness, for 
instance, the attempts of a victim of tobacco, alcohol, or morphine to escape from the toils. In the ordinary case will power  alone 
may accomplish the result sought for. But in the purifying process of the fast ab normal desire is removed, and physical habits of 
this sort are thus easily conquered. In many cases the will required to begin a fast is present, and, were this the sole consideration, food might at once be deni ed. But, 
because natural physiological chan ge is always gradual in accomplishment, a like approach to cessation of digestion is essential. The ideal manner of effecting the readjustment of organic action, the consequence of lowering to zero the intake of food, is to 
diminish by degrees the amount i ngested, for suddenly to omit food at the inception of a fast sets the stomach clamoring for supply 
at the hours which habit has fixed, and the results of deprivation are then comparable to those experienced by the toper or t he drug 
victim when drink or na rcotic is denied. Nervous reaction is at once apparent and depression follows. Only in acute disease should 
abrupt entrance be made to the fast, and this solely because at such times nature makes the issue and removes effectively all  desire 
for food. Daily baths and enemata, natural means for external and internal cleansing of the body and aids to elimination which do not dist urb 
function as do purgatives, mark the commencement of treatment; and these accompaniments, with the omission of the midday 
meal, embody the first stage of approach to the period of total abstinence from food. Omitting the noon meal and lessening 
quantity at other meals paves the way; and, in the ordinary instance of functional disease, gradual diminution of food supply  
should occupy  an interim of about ten days or two weeks, after which tomato broth, onion broth, or some similar light fluid food, 
in limited quantity, may be used, dropping then to lemon juice with honey in hot water taken about three times daily. In fact , half a 
lemon  and a dessert spoon of honey to a pint of hot water may in many instances be given with benefit several times each day 
during the non -food interval. The slight effort of digestion required for this usually pleasant beverage does not to any degree 
Page 23 of  72 interfer e with the eliminative processes, and in cases where suggestion may be used with profit, it performs this service. If as sometimes happens the omission of the midday meal occasions distress, ripe fruit in small quantity may be eaten at the usual 
hour. So ups made of vegetables gradually becoming lighter in food value should constitute the morning and evening meals until 
they are dispensed with, and then it is well to use the lemon and honey as described or the juices of fruit alone for the las t few days 
preceding the fast itself. In the ordinary patient the omission of the noon meal may cause slight disturbances, such as dizziness, headache, or stomach 
craving. These are mostly the results of habit change, and usually they disappear within three or four d ays, when there are 
commonly no further unpleasant symptoms as the remaining meals are omitted. In the two -meal period elimination of digestive 
toxins begins to gain over their formation, and, as the patient gradually lowers ingestion, it becomes most evid ent, from the 
discharges in the enemata and from the odor that emanates from skin and breath, that the body is undergoing strenuous house -
cleaning. These phenomena make it apparent that previous continuously overburdened digestive function, with consequent  
defective nutrition, has filled the entire system with toxic products, and that complete purification, coupled with rest for the organs 
of digestion and those allied with them is necessary for regaining physical balance. A new foundation is to be construc ted as the 
old is removed, and a change in physiological condition is to be effected by casting from the body the active cause of diseas e, and 
by renewing, through cell reconstruction and rest, the functioning ability of those organs that long have been ha mpered in 
operation. At the portal of the circulation of the blood, like a faithful sentry, stands the liver. The function of this organ is to rec eive digested 
food after its absorption through the villi, which are short hair -like processes residing on t he walls of the intestines, and designed 
for this purpose. Receiving digested food in this manner, the liver then proceeds to separate it into that which may be used for 
rebuilding of tissue and that which is waste. Its products are, on the one hand, tissu e-nutriment, and, on the other, the peculiar 
secretion known as bile. Bile, even when normal in character, is essentially a waste product, and, after separation by the li ver, it is 
stored in the gall sac, whence it is discharged into the intestines and uti lized in the digestive processes. Nature is loath to cast out 
any material as useless, and one of the most striking instances in her economy is this utilization of an essentially waste pr oduct in 
the digestive function. When overworked by overfeeding or other abuse, the liver cannot successfully perform its task of inspection, and the bile retained 
is carried into the blood current. Surplus of this fluid is also apparent intestinally in these circumstances, and with it th e headache, 
the cold, or a bilious  crisis occurs. The minute cells of the liver have individual work to perform in separating nutritive matter from waste; and, unless care be taken 
to furnish a food supply correct in proportion and quality, bile is secreted and excreted in quantity great er than the system requires, 
and is itself absorbed and reabsorbed, with additions from other sources, until congestion results, the circulation is vitiat ed, and the 
bowels are filled with bilious toxins poison and repoison indefinitely. All habits having a tendency to cause digestive disturbance, 
such as the use of tobacco or alcohol, careless eating and overeating, hinder the functioning of the liver. Any interference with its 
duties prevents the blood from receiving the benefit of its inspection, and an impure product is the consequence. All parts of the 
body show distressing symptoms of fatigue and exhaustion when the cells of the liver become diseased through intemperate livi ng 
and ignorance of the specific duty of the organ as a member of the human mac hine. And this, of course, is true with reference to 
the functions of any other of the vital parts of the body; but so closely is the work of the liver connected with that of the  processes 
of digestion that detailed description of it and its labors is deem ed essential to full understanding of the method discussed herein. As has been indicated, there are two plans to be followed when the fast is employed as a means for the relief and cure of dis ease. One of these requires the patient to continue the period  of abstinence from food to its logical conclusion, the return of natural 
hunger. The length of this period depends upon individual physiological peculiarity and organic condition. The other plan mak es 
use of shorter intervals of abstinence, alternating wi th periods of lowered but corrective diet. What has been written may then be 
qualified to the degree that, when short fasts of one or two days, or of a week, are undertaken for the relief of slight indi sposition 
or for the prevention of acute disease, no s uch extended preparation as is described is needful. For the longer fasts, the fasts that 
cleanse the system to purity, preparation as outlined must be precedent. The short fast and the compulsory fast of acute dise ase 
alone may be abruptly begun. However,  extended preparation for a fast is to be preferred in all cases where it may be employed. It 
serves to lessen physiological shock, it curtails the length of the total abstinence period, and in all senses is to be consi dered as a 
beneficial process of grad ual purification. CHAPTER VIII  
SYMPTOMS OCCURRING DURING FASTING  
 
WHAT SYMPTOMS MEAN:  
VARIETY OF SYMPTOMS PRODUCED BY ELIMINATION   
 
 
Page 24 of  72 SYMPTOMS of disease are the evidences of abnormal conditions that are present within the body, and they indicate with more or 
less accuracy the degree of functional or of organic disturbance. In addition they enable the experienced observer to apprehe nd the 
point or points of least resistance, the organ or organs that are hampered in the performance of function. In fastin g, these signs of 
disease, during the first days of abstinence, are seen to be exaggerated or increased in severity; but this is a logical cons equence of 
the method as applied, for its purpose is that of elimination of circulating, clogging, poisonous mate rial. The extreme process of 
elimination in operation at this time fully uncovers the focus of disease, and exaggerates in the very cure itself signs char acteristic 
of morbid conditions in the organs involved, organs whose resistance has been assailed to t he point of break -down in function. To 
the orthodox view this phenomenon at once is suggestive of an increase in the severity of disease alone, since in the commonl y 
accepted opinion the symptom represents a segregated cause. But, rightly regarding disease  as arising from a single primary 
source, the intellect trained in the application of natural means of treatment finds cause for rejoicing rather than for fear . Exaggeration of symptom is apparent because nature has accepted the open road presented, and is  proceeding rapidly to effect 
relief and cure. And it is to be observed that the greater the struggle made at this time, the greater the vital force in res erve. In any method for the treatment of disease nothing can be done unless nature cooperates. In s ome methods her means of cure, 
elimination, triumphs in spite of treatment, and this is nowhere so fully demonstrated as in traditional orthodoxy, which reg ards the 
symptom as disease in segregated form. By means of drugs and measures allied, the signs man ifested are checked, suppressed, 
turned into other channels. The fact has been and is ignored that, with cause thus suppressed but still in action, disease is  certain of 
return in aggravated form. To delay treatment in order that a distinct symptom may d evelop, thus permitting of accurate symptomatic diagnosis, is evidence 
of faulty conception both of the character of disease and of its remedy. While waiting, the case is proceeding either to cure  or to 
death. At the first appearance of distress active nat ural measures are in order, and these are certainly not to be classed with drugs or 
with any means for the suppression of a localized pathological condition. For centuries the human race has been educated therapeutically by precept and argument diametric ally opposed to truth. For 
instance, in the orthodox method of handling the sick, if heart action is high, a depressant is administered; if it is low, a  stimulant is 
given. When signs of illness appear upon the skin, attempts are in order, not to remove th e inward cause, but to eradicate the 
outward sign, "to drive it in." In these instances, because of energy consumed in fighting both disease and drug, reaction oc curs, 
and the organs affected are less able to recuperate when the obstructed avenues of vital ity are finally cleared sufficiently for 
function. The latter occurs when nature, as she often does, asserts herself despite the drug. Orthodoxy refuses to admit the unity of 
disease and cure, and likewise refuses to assist nature in the purifying process of disease. The thought and hope of the physician 
trained to regard disease from its natural concept is this: that the organs of the body of his patient may prove equal to the  work of 
elimination; and to further this end, he makes use of every natural elim inative aid. In spite of the mildness or the severity of its 
manifestation, it is only through bodily purification that disease may be cured. Since the physiological changes involved in the application of fasting for the cure of disease need to be made g radually, as has 
been related, the ideal method of approach to the period of abstinence is to prepare the system by lessening by degrees the i ntake 
of food; but, whether begun in this manner or without preparation, as is necessary in acute crises, resultan t symptoms are in 
general alike. When the intake of food is stopped, the stomach is naturally emptied and commences its enforced vacation. All 
energy heretofore applied to the processes of digestion is now directed into eliminative channels, and, with the assistance of a 
blood current continually growing in purity, inflammation that may be present is allayed, and congestion in veins and glands is 
relieved. The stomach will from time to time be disturbed by its neighboring organ, the liver which during a fas t is solely an organ 
of elimination, and which then discharges its bilious excretion in large amounts into the alimentary canal It has been stated  that this 
product of the liver is essentially waste, but that, even so, it has its use as a digestive fluid i n health. However, when a fast is in 
progress, bile is profusely poured into the intestines, and it is then to be regarded as naught but poisonous refuse excreted  by tissue, 
and it is at once to be removed from the system lest it be again absorbed into the  circulation. When food is no longer being ingested, the bowels proceed to evacuate their fecal contents, receiving and casting out the was te 
then deposited in them from blood and the visceral organs; the kidneys, the lungs, and the skin assist in the pu rifying process; in 
short, the sewerage system of the body centers its entire energy in supreme effort to overcome toxemia by clearing away inter nal 
impurities. The involuntary absorptive functions are, however, still active, and they continue their work, even upon excreted waste; 
hence, lest poisonous reabsorption occur, the most expeditious means must be employed in order to remove this refuse from the  
intestinal channel. The blood, following its mission, gathers excrete from cell structure, and supplies what it may for rebuilding 
purposes. The latter it discovers in that reserve supply of nourishment that is naturally stored in the interstices of tissue . As the 
process of elimination or purification continues, as refuse diminishes in amount, the density o f the blood stream is gradually 
reduced, and the labor of the heart is thus progressively lightened. In some diseased conditions the action of the heart is low, in others, it is high. While it is reasonable to expect that the beat of the 
heart will show lower register when the blood is laden with waste and is dense in quality, after all, physiological temperament 
determines heart action both normal and abnormal. Disease in some subjects is invariably accompanied with fever and a rapid 
pulse; in others a s luggish heart with lowered temperature prevails. But whether in disease heart action be high or low, poisonous 
Page 25 of  72 substances are present in the blood, and these acting upon the nerves that control the heart, the latter may develop irregula rities that 
seem to indicate organic defect, and that are often so diagnosed. But, following the argument of the text, it is obvious that, 
whatever the symptom, improvement in heart action must necessarily result in a fast when elimination has advanced sufficientl y to 
have re moved the major portion of poison circulating in the blood. No fear need be entertained concerning the ability of the heart 
to perform its function during a fast, for the organ, as each day goes by has lighter work to do, and it is served with the i ncreasi ng 
nerve power of a system that is gradually purifying itself. As soon as a fast is entered, elimination asserts its predominance. In many instances desire for food is replaced by repugnan ce, and 
there is no hunger until the process of purification is co mpleted. The very odor of food, and even the perfume of flowers are to 
some subjects annoying. In aggravated form this symptom offers the possibility of serious organic deficiency. This statement is not 
to be taken as conclusive or as a rule, for often in cases in whom bilious excretion predominates, eases whose illness is purely 
functional in origin, the symptom described occurs. In any event it should be carefully studied and its immediate causes anal yzed. In some instances patients have claimed the sen sation of false hunger, of appetite, from the beginning to the end of the fast, but this 
was due to irritative conditions. There are variations in this sign, more or less to be attributed to the time devoted to the  
preliminaries, and, when the fast is prop erly begun and properly continued, neither false hunger nor true hunger is ever in evidence 
until the end. Another symptom always present is the thick yellowish -white coat donned by the tongue during abstinence from food. This is in 
evidence until the im purities of the body are eliminated, and the clearing of the surface of the tongue is one of the positive signals 
that indicate a complete and successful fast. This coat deposited upon the tongue is perhaps the simplest sign of a foul inte rnal 
state, and i t is also an indication that elimination of impurities is taking place. When food stimulation due to excess supply 
dominates elimination, the coated tongue, then invariably present, signifies the effort of nature to rid the system of gather ing 
waste. At ti mes during a fast, when the secretions of the body continue to be acid in character, an apparently clean tongue may 
develop, and in this event strict interpretation of the symptom might lead to the inference that the system is cleansed and i s ready 
again f or feeding. The "acid tongue" is easily recognized, for pulse and temperature assist in guidance, while it is altogether 
probable that additional evidence of its cause will be discovered in the appearance of small ulcers or cankers upon the mucus  
membrane of the mouth or upon the tongue itself. Like the tongue, the breath becomes laden with disagreeable evidences of a foul interior, and during the earlier portion of t he 
fasting period, its odor is most offensive. Gradual improvement in this respect is an indicator of the progress of purification which 
the body is undergoing, and the termination of a successful fast is heralded by an odorless breath. One of the products of fermentation within the body during disease is known by the name of acetone. There is no doubt that 
acetone, the result of the decomposition of organic matter, is present in greater or lesser degree in many cases during the f ast. It is 
not at any time necessarily a product of the albumen of food, but is more probably the result of the de struction of that part of the 
body albumen that has come from the breaking down of tissue cells, waste that, instead of being normally eliminated, is retai ned 
with consequent decomposition. In other words, the material that produces acetone has served its purposes as living cell growth. In 
cases under medical treatment its presence is regarded with dread, and at times when it appears, as it is apt to in anaesthet ized 
subjects under the knife of the surgeon, operations have been abandoned because of the fear  of death while the paralysis of the 
anaesthetic endures. Its appearance in a patient undergoing a fast is an indication of derangement of more than ordinary grav ity. In 
health there is no production of acetone, since discarded cell waste is eliminated bef ore fermentation can occur. Once food is 
denied and cell refuse is discharged into the channels of evacuation, acetone, when it is present, appears in all the excreti ons, and 
its characteristic ether -like odor is most pronounced. In cases like these one of  the signs of the beginning of the end of the fast is 
discovered in the disappearance of acetone from urine, breath, and excrete generally. It is then no longer formed, since the body is 
again in position to produce normal healthy cell structure balanced b y normal elimination of waste. In disease it is quite usual to observe body odors that are unpleasant. These are again manifestations of foulness within, 
manifestations signifying that toxins exist, and that nature is seeking to remove them through every  organ of elimination, not the 
least of which is the skin. One experienced in handling mental disease soon becomes expert in distinguishing the marked odor 
attached to most lunatics. Even in the milder forms of nervous derangement, such as hysteria, emanat ion from the body is 
distinctly changed, so much so that it is frequently noticed by the patient himself. Effluvium, usually disagreeable in chara cter, is 
present in disease other than that connected with the mental processes and with the nerves --witness, for instance, the distinctive 
odor of the victim of pulmonary tuberculosis. Because of the predominance of the eliminative function during a fast, the smel l of 
the body is then decidedly more perceptible than is the case in functional disease when food is supplied. So true is this that the 
presence of a fasting subject can at once be detected by one familiar with the phenomena of the method. The excretions at thi s time 
are strongly impregnated with bile, and the peculiar odor that is characteristic of this fluid is most apparent. This results because 
the entire system has been called into eliminative action, and temporary saturation is the result. The breath is laden with t his ill -
smelling exhalation until purification is complete, and the skin carries it un til the latter point is reached in the progress of the fast. In cases of acute illness and in what are characterized as bilious temperaments, after the beginning of a fast, annoying symp toms 
Page 26 of  72 may develop --dizziness on rising suddenly, spots before the eye s, and general malaise and weakness. But these signs are not 
discovered in all instances and they cannot be established as guides. Some there are who abstain from food for as many as thi rty or 
forty days without disagreeable symptoms other than the offensi ve and the coated tongue. In these instances vital organs are fully 
capable of function and are equal to their tasks. On the other hand, there are those in whom all of the signs described are i n 
evidence in varying intensity until nearly the end of the fas t. The latter are those who suffer from extreme functional derangement 
or who possess vital organs that are structurally defective. To those, who, through high -living and overfeeding, have given the liver work beyond its capability, the experience of the  fast is 
often trying. Bile is cast out in large amounts and floods the intestines to such extent that, often before it can be carried  downward, 
some of it finds its way into the stomach, with nausea and vomiting as sequelae. There is no absolute certainty  of the appearance of 
this sign, but it is usually present in the subjects referred to. In extreme form nausea with vomiting suggests either the pr esence of 
an obstruction in the small intestines situated below the opening of the gall duct, or that of orga nic disease of the liver. If the latter 
exists, the vomited fluid is ordinarily blackish in color; if the former be the case, the bile vomited is usually yellow or g reenish -
yellow in tint. In any event the symptom is distressing and it may be more or less serious as to cause, but a number of instances 
with it intermittently in evidence are noted that progressed to favorable outcome. The above remarks may be amplified by stating that, for the reason that excessive vomiting of bile during a fast is a sympto m that 
indicates the probability of organic disease of the liver or an obstruction of the intestinal tract, in these cases caution i s urged in the 
employment of the protracted fast. The symptom is not to be regarded as alarming when the fluid raised is yel low or greenish -
yellow in hue, nor when nausea occurs at infrequent intervals. But if its color be a vivid green or, as in instances of extre me 
organic derangement, blackish in tint, the case may be considered as serious in character and of doubtful progno sis. In any event, 
when nausea is present during a fast, it is far better to rid the stomach of its contents through the mouth than to permit th em to 
remain with the certainty of absorption and toxication. For this purpose drinking of warm water, a quart o r so at a time, will ease 
the act of retching, and at the same time will cleanse the stomach. If difficulty is found in vomiting, titillation of the pa late with the 
end of the index finger will usually suffice to cause the muscular contraction necessary. A nd this sort of stomach lavage is much 
more simple in operation and just as efficacious as that by means of a pump. In fact, whenever during a fast there is reason to 
suppose that the stomach because of inaction has gathered secretion upon its walls, clean sing of the organ in the manner described 
is in order, and it is always beneficial. There are patients with livers organically diseased who undergo a fast with no appearance of bilious vomit. Observation in po st 
mortem examination leads to the conclusion  that these subjects usually are affected with some form of cirrhosis, and the instances 
referred to were in body of thin and wiry type. On the other hand, those in whom excessive vomiting occurs during fasting usu ally 
are inclined to obesity, and, if orga nic disease exists and death follows, post mortem examination will in all probability show a 
liver deteriorated or degenerated in structure. Bile forced into the stomach may produce through irritation spasmodic contractions of the diaphragm, or hiccoughs . These may 
also occur because of other stimulation of the diaphragmatic nerve, a frequent happening in cases of functional disturbance o f the 
liver or of the small intestines. When the reason for this annoying symptom is purely functional in character, it  may ordinarily be 
quickly relieved by drinking water or by inducing vomiting; but, if it persists, the case at once assumes gravity in prognosi s, for in 
all probability extreme organic defect has been uncovered. This observation is entitled to additional credence because of several 
instances in whom persistent hiccoughing occurred shortly before death, and in whom the autopsies revealed organic disease of  the 
upper portion of the small intestine. In the earlier stages of a fast there will probably be fer mentation with consequent formation of gas in the bowels, and this may 
continue for a few days, depending upon the amount of waste retained, and upon what may be termed the virulence of the biliou s 
excretion deposited in the intestinal tract. The gas forme d is often the cause of colicky pains, and is always a source of 
uncomfortable moments until it is discharged. To this end manipulation of the abdomen and hot water applications upon its sur face 
are of much assistance. By these measures peristalsis is stim ulated, and the inflated bowel is reduced by forcing the gas to the 
rectum, thence to discharge. However, the enema is to be regarded as the greatest ally of the body for the assistance of bowe l 
evacuation, and it should be resorted to in the circumstances  related and in all other similar situations. In all cases in the fast the evacuations from the bowels are much alike. At first old feces more or less abundant in quantity  are 
discovered floating in a brownish fluid that often shades to black. Solid wast e is usually present for a number of days, although its 
amount depends in great measure upon the time devoted to preparation for the total abstinence period. These formed feces offe r 
definite evidence of the truth of the statement that an overloaded colon does not fully evacuate its contents even though daily 
passages are the rule. At some point or other in the purifying process there appear in the evacuations stringy masses of white or yellowish mucus. I n 
catarrhal cases these are discovered at the begin ning of treatment and they usually continue in evidence until purification of the 
system is completed. In other subjects mucus commonly does not appear until the fast is well under way, but it is certain to be 
found in the discharges before the end of abst inence. Page 27 of  72 More extended discussion of this phenomenon will later be given, for upon it is based a most interesting question in patholog y. It 
suffices here to say that, when the intestinal walls are about freed of old feces, and are in the relaxed condition that results from the 
processes in operation during the fast, bowel excretion takes the form of an exudation of pathogen from the blood, and this w aste is 
deposited in the form of mucus upon the walls of the intestines. The mucus membrane of the latter in its relaxed state will usually 
freely slough this coating, especially if peristalsis is stimulated by manipulation of the abdomen and the enema is properly 
employed. The deposit is discharged, often in formed bodies. An instance recurs in which there came away a mass tubular in 
shape, eight feet in length, a replica of a portion of the intestinal tract. And often shorter formed sections are discovered . This 
mucus is viscous, glue -like, in consistency, and, when it disappears, systemic cleansing is near its end. The more usual indication of disease as it affects body temperature is fever, but in cases of differing temperament, quite fr equently 
after the beginning of a fast, temperature drops a degree or so below normal. This is the result of the absence of food stimulation, 
for there is nothing inherent in the fast itself that occasions this phenomenon. Even when food is being ingested in cases of  long-
standing debility temperature is often below register, and in other instances it rises above normal in prop ortion to the severity of 
disease. Abstinence from food tends to restore both temperature and pulse to normal, be they high or low at its inception. Wh ile 
the average register of body heat is given at about 98 -2/5 degrees Farenheit, and the average pulse a t about 72 beats to the minute, 
these figures are not to be regarded as the normal for every organism. There are variations both above and below the standard s 
given that cannot in every instance be considered as arising from disease. A fasting case is here  cited in whom, when abstinence 
was initiated, temperature was constantly at ninety -four degrees; no change was noted until the twentieth day, when an increase of 
nearly a degree occurred; and average individual normal of ninety -seven degrees was reached t en days later and was thereafter 
maintained. Here undoubtedly disease was the cause of the abnormally low register observed before the fast, but the norm of t he 
patient in health was subsequently perceived to be slightly below the standard commonly accepte d. In a few subjects temperature 
at the beginning of a fast was so low as not to admit of register upon a clinical thermometer, but invariably normal individu al 
average was reached before the end of treatment Adjustment to standard is likewise attained whe n fever is a symptom in evidence, 
and here the change is more rapidly accomplished than when temperature is sub -normal. Body heat, as is seen, has its established 
tabular measure, and, when it habitually fails by several degrees to reach the common average , the conclusion must be that vitality 
is deficient. And accompanying sub -normal temperature is always the slow and sluggish pulse, while fever with its raised degrees 
of heat carries a super -normal heart beat. Of the two pathological states, prognosis in the former is the more favorable. When a 
condition of extremely low temperature is encountered, hot applications over the spinal column and hot therapeutic baths 
frequently administered greatly assist in restoring and conserving body heat. Abnormal tempe rature and abnormal pulse as well are but symptoms of a pathological condition, and, whether they be high or low, 
they denote that there is in progress a struggle for life that has little need to be suppressed. If pulse and temperature, ei ther or both, 
are above or below normal at the beginning of a fast, they will descend or ascend to natural register when disease disappears, or  
perhaps while some of its symptoms are still displayed. Due to the removal of food stimulation, as has been said, in many 
instanc es both temperature and pulse may drop to register slightly below the average shortly after entering upon a fast. And the 
author lists a few cases with pulse at the beginning of abstinence at about fifty beats to the minute, while one is recorded with the 
very low rate of twenty -eight. Temperature in these subjects was not, however, sufficiently sub -normal to occasion surprise. While 
the rates noted in these cases were chronic and most exceptional, they gradually rose to standard for the individuals as the fast 
progressed to completion. When the fast is concluded and the body is in the process of rebuilding, a properly balanced vegetarian dietary assures a 
temperature and pulse with no apparent tendency to rise or fall above individual normal. If, however,  the dietetic change has been 
one from a regimen that formerly included flesh foods to one that is wholly vegetarian in character, pulse register will very  
probably show a reduction of several counts from its former average. Several references have heret ofore been made to the known absence of hunger in disease. This truth should be self -evident. But 
additional confirmation is offered in connection with changes of body heat as observed in health and in illness. Physiology a sserts 
and scientific investigati on proves that there can be no digestion in the absence of digestive juices, and that there is virtually no 
secretion of these fluids when body temperature is above normal. Why, then, feed during fever? Without digestion, there can b e no 
nutrition, no upbu ilding of tissue structure. Why add the burden of eliminating matter that is not digested, that is useless and 
noxious excess, to the already extreme effort that nature is making in order to reduce over -stimulated heart action and super -
normal body heats T o correct this condition the only effective measures are to withhold food, to remove the fermenting waste that 
is causing disease, and to rest those organs that have been functionally unable to cope with tasks beyond their ability to pe rform. A 
fever is re ally a blessing in disguise; it indicates organic activity, which means vitality in reserve. It should never be suppressed, 
since it is the result of a struggle between the forces of health and disease in which the vital organs will prove the victor s if th ey are 
correctly, and this means naturally, assisted. Habitually low temperature, on the other hand, predicates organic inactivity, small 
reserve vitality, a condition that is usually chronic in character, and yet one that admits of improvement under treat ment with 
perhaps surer prospect of correction than do febrile crises in their more extreme forms. But because sub -normal temperature and 
lowered pulse rate are ordinarily confined to chronic illness, duration of treatment is correspondingly more extended than in those 
in whom fever and heightened pulse denote acute disease. Page 28 of  72 Depending upon the physiological tendencies of the individual, after the beginning of a fast and during its several stages, m any 
symptoms not specifically described may develop alone or in combination with others. While some of the phenomena that occur at 
this time may be ascribed to the depression that succeeds food stimulation, by far the larger number are due to the extreme 
elimination of body waste in progress. Bowels, kidneys, lun gs, and skin are utilized to the limit of their abilities, and, when any 
one of these means of discharge becomes obstructed because of excess, or has its function impeded because of defect in struct ure, 
nature at once seeks another organ to serve as a chan nel of egress, selecting the latter with no apparent consideration of either its 
fitness for the service demanded or its ability to perform it. But always the least resistive passage becomes what in this in stance 
may be called the victim. A few of the si mpler symptoms encountered in the earlier stages of fasting have been mentioned, but others more or less common 
appear in consequence of the unvarying tendency of nature to utilize toxemic elimination paths of least resistance. In some s ubjects 
a rash upon  the skin occurs; in others a cold with excessive discharge from the nose, bronchial tubes, throat, and eyes is the form in 
which the results of the purifying process in action is displayed. The salivary glands may excrete in quantity, causing const ant 
expectoration of spittle that may be either fluid or viscous in consistence. The last named functional sign is apt to prove most  
annoying and disagreeable, so much so that, because of it, fasts at times have been altered in procedure from protracted to 
interr upted, in order that partial resumption of digestion might change, which in this juncture it never fails to do, the unusual 
course through which elimination is occurring. When headaches occur with other symptoms, they are of course due to sudden release of toxic matter, are commonly located in the 
frontal portion of the brain, and are coincident with the prior stages of abstinence, when the system is accommodating itself  to the 
physiological change of habit then in progress. As purification proceeds, head aches vanish, and in purely functional disturbances 
the brain experiences more rapid relief than do the organs of the trunk. Connected with headache, in severe functional 
derangement and when there is organic deficiency, are visual spectra, fiashes of whit e or colored light. And in the graver forms of 
organic disease a muscular tremor, accompanied with a rotary motion of the eyeball, or even with crossed eyes and faulty visi on, 
sometimes takes place. The latter peculiar variation in symptom has been observe d shortly before death, and in extreme form it 
would seem to indicate approaching dissolution. Again, partial deafness with humming in the ears is apt to befall. This may ordinarily be relieved locally by careful and con stant 
springing of the inner ears with hot water, assisted by proper manipulation with the tips of the index fingers. This procedure will 
usually disclose collections of wax, after the removal of which the symptoms disappear. The presence of this secretion at thi s time 
in quantity above no rmal again discloses the extreme of elimination to which the organism is subjected while the function of 
digestion is suspended. Subjects which, before fasting, have suffered from partial deafness, find this defect much aggravated  until 
the removal of the wax is accomplished and congestion is relieved. Types that suffer from extreme congestion of the liver or from obstruction of the upper portion of the small intestines may 
intermittently experience contraction of the muscles of the hands and arms with cr amping pains --the legs are rarely affected. Local 
relief may here be obtained through hand vibration and deep manipulation along the spinal column in its cervical and upper do rsal 
regions. Emaciation in the fast cannot properly be regarded as a symptom p athologic in origin. It is the result of the elimination of toxic 
substances from the system, and there is also a loss occasioned by the use by cell organism, and by brain and nerves, of the 
reserve -pabulum stored in the interstices of tissue. Diminution i n weight due to the latter reason is, however, slight in comparison 
with that arising from toxemic elimination. It may be stated that wasting of the body is usually greater in cases in whom org anic 
atrophy or cirrhosis exists than in those who suffer other wise from disease, but, in a fast, loss of weight is proportionately less in 
the instances referred to than it is in the presence of functional disease or of organic hypertrophy. In his True Science of Living Dr. Edward Hooker Dewey quotes from Yeo's Physiology a table purporting to show the estimated 
loss of the several tissues of the body in instances of starvation. The table follows:  
 
Fat 91% 
Muscle  30% 
Liver  56% 
Spleen  63% 
Blood  17% 
Brain and Nerve Centers  0% 
 
Dr. Dewey terms this table, "Nature's Bill of Fare for the Sick," assuming that, in the absence of ingested food, both in fas ting and 
in starving, the body is supported upon the tissues lost. It is natural and correct to infer that a portion of this missin g material is in 
the circumstances utilized in the maintenance of cell structure, but by far the larger portion of it is purely waste, is matt er that is 
Page 29 of  72 not constructive but pathogenic. As is shown in the chapter dealing with death during fasting, there is  no certainty that the 
proportions given in the table above result in all instances. One point, however, is observed as constant and invariable --the brain 
and the nerve centers with their branches are never reduced in structure nor in quality, notwithstand ing the duration of the period 
of abstinence, unless in themselves they are organically diseased. Delirium in disease is not always to be regarded as an alarming symptom. Temporary conditions of mental aberration apparent i n 
confusion of thought, incoher ency of speech, and, in some instances, unconsciousness, are characteristic of certain constitutions 
whenever body temperature rises above a fixed point. This, possibly, is an inherited tendency, for, on the other hand, there are 
many temperaments who reta in control of the mind in any and all forms of disease, when the brain itself is not the seat of 
disturbance. In the treatment of disease that is functional in origin, it is rarely the case that delirium occurs during a fa st, but, it 
may, and, if it does, its appearance is due to extreme auto -intoxication from waste deposited in the intestinal tract and not 
evacuated with sufficient rapidity. If delirium be present at all, it will occur when the process of elimination is at its he ight, and it 
will cease as suddenly as it began, when the cause of the toxemia has been removed from the bowels. If proper preparation for the 
fast has been observed, this symptom will never appear in cases of purely functional derangement. But it may appear if a fast  is 
broken befo re purification of the system has been attained, or, if the patient is given food in amount beyond the capability of his 
organs to digest, when feeding is resumed at the end of a completed fast. In cases when abstinence from food is forced and 
involuntary,  as for example in shipwreck and mine accident, delirium, if it occur, results from the mental strain attendant upon the 
situation, and it, together with the mortality that may happen, could often be obviated were knowledge of the resources of th e 
human bo dy more general. In organic disease, before a fast or while it endures, delirium may last for some time, and, while its first  
cause is one with that in functional trouble, its persistence is due to defects in organism that prevent elimination. And, ev en th ough 
recovery be possible, these cases are most obstinate in yielding to treatment, since the process of purification is exceeding ly slow 
in accomplishment, while recuperation is similarly delayed. This type of patient requires more care and caution in han dling than 
does any other, for the sufferer, losing faith in the power of nature to overcome the condition, is apt to lose courage as we ll. Resort 
to food and to drugs may be made, and the outcome, doubtful before, is now almost inevitably fatal. When one is confronted by 
this situation, the lesson to be learned is that of recognition of organic limitation, for while the very functioning of an o rgan 
diseased has a tendency to restore that organ to normal action, it must be remembered and emphasized that spe cial function in the 
physical body is capable only of operating within bounds, beyond which lies disaster. A fast properly conducted can never cause delirium nor affect the mental processes other than favorably. Much of insanity is the 
result of congesti on-producing functional disorder, and this sort of mental aberration is ordinarily followed by complete restoration 
to normal reasoning power after a fast more or less protracted in length has been scientifically administered. A general classification of  the symptom of disease that tends towards limiting the appearance of certain signs to certain ailments 
can never be made with accuracy. It is true that the science of medicine labels and catalogues all symptoms, and that it is i ts plan to 
await developmen t before announcing diagnosis. But the science of medicine, neglecting or ignoring cause, seemingly devotes its 
entire attention to the suppression of manifestation, and classification of symptoms upon the basis adopted finds items overl apping 
in such mann er as to make distinction difficult if not impossible. An arrangement of disease forms may, however, be made in a 
general way along lines that are more or less sharply defined. 1.--Ailments purely functional in origin that readily yield to natural treatm ent. In these cases, because of accumulation of waste in 
the digestive tract and in tissue, organs are hampered in function but are in nowise structurally disabled nor in themselves diseased. Here gradual improvement is noted from the beginning of preparat ion for a fast, and recovery is always to be anticipated. 2.--Organic defect in slight degree, occasioning disturbance because of work inefficiently performed by an organ that is partiall y 
disabled. This condition places heavier burdens upon other organs  and functionally unbalances the entire system. During the 
progess of a fast disagreeable symptoms are noted in these cases, and it is possible that full functional power may never be 
restored. However, if structural defect has not reached the degree that denotes inclusion in the class following, and, if care be 
exercised during the time of convalescence, recovery is usually assured. 3.--Organic defect of such degree that the functioning of a vital organ is rendered impossible or nearly so. A gradual decl ine, 
beginning before the fast and continuing with a short interval of relief after entering upon abstinence, is the characteristi c 
indication. Relief noted may be such as to inspire hope of recovery, but, if the condition be as stated, there is no possibi lity of cure. In cases of disease purely functional in character, the fasting patient usually discovers after the first general symptoms di sappear, 
that his strength has apparently increased, and that he is able to attend to ordinary duty without difficu lty and with marvelously 
clear mentality. In other words, with the loss of stimulation due to food poison, disease subsides, and real strength becomes  
manifest. The patient is not less weak nor more strong than at any time during his previous diseased stat e when living under toxic 
stimulation. but the fast has served to uncover his true condition and to demonstrate that a sick man is not of necessity a w eak man. It should now be quite clear to the reader that in disease many or the avenues through which ene rgy is normally released are so 
obstructed by cumulative waste and its effects as partially to prevent the expression of vital force, and that, in the early stages of 
illness, weakness is but inability to assert latent strength. Page 30 of  72  
The subject of food stimu lation has not received the attention that it deserves in any system of therapeutics, for it is always an 
important factor to be considered both in health and in disease. When the body has become accustomed to a dietetic regimen, f ixed 
in quantity and in h ours of ingestion, it strenuously rebels when denied. The system may be greatly overfed; it may slowly be 
poisoning itself through its own indiscretions; yet the omission of a meal puts appetite into action. Given the usual quota, 
metabolism of a sort cont inues until excess proves too heavy a burden to be carried, or some micro -organism finds environment 
suitable for multiplication and growth; then nature calls a halt and attempts correction through her only remedy, disease. Recuperation begins when the acc ustomed stimulus, food, is withdrawn, but the subject is plunged into the depths. Stimulation, so 
long a habit, now seems necessary to counteract the depression caused by deprivation, and to the latter is added fear, engend ered 
by tradition, that nourishme nt is needful to foster strength, and even that death through starvation will shortly occur. Here 
mentality must be called to the rescue, and the will must be asserted in order to avert apprehension and with it the desire t o resume 
the ingestion of food. Careful study of the symptoms of disease, as they occur when either feeding or fasting is the rule, reveals the law through w hich 
nature works to restore a diseased body to health. It may briefly be given as a process of systemic elimination, upon lines o f least 
resistance, of toxin -producing substances retained in the intestinal canal or in tissue. The signs of distress, the symptoms, may 
often be locally relieved by the application of heat, water, sunlight, air, manipulation, or other natural means, but disease can never 
be eradicated through mere suppression of symptom. It must be dealt with at its source; and, despite its variety of expressio n, it has 
but one cause, digestion, with nutrition, inefficiently performed, and but one remedy, systemic elimina tion of the toxins resulting 
therefrom. In the process of treatment outlined in the text frequent examination of the discharges of the body are made. These in connec tion 
with other indications give an index of the progress of systemic purification. Both urine and feces are methodically tested, 
chemically and microscopically, and the nature of the products of elimination is thus determined. In the prior days of fastin g the 
urine is invariably high in color and in specific gravity, and its reaction is usual ly strongly acid, while urea, phosphates and other 
mineral salts, and bilious products are present in abundance. When the first flush of elimination subsides, specific gravity is much 
lowered (it may register below 1.010), and mineral substances decrease i n quantity. If treatment excluded the daily enemas and 
baths, if it were confined solely to abstinence from food, specific gravity of the urine would at first quickly rise and woul d 
continue to be high in register, but, because of prompt removal of waste f rom the colon by means of the enema, and because of 
dilution of the fluids of the body through absorption of water through the walls of the bowel, density of urine is diminished , hence 
its lighter specific gravity. When purification nears completion, react ion of urine may assume a neutral or even an alkaline 
character, which again will change to slight acid upon resumption of ingestion. Even in the early years of life systematic overloading of the system with food is responsible for high arterial pressure . And the 
supertension of later existence is in large measure preventable through dietetic care in youth and middle age In determining 
systemic condition, tests of blood pressure are valuable, and they should frequently be made during treatment. One of the  salutary 
consequences obtained by means of a fast is that blood pressure, like temperature and pulse, is uniformly brought to normal f or the 
individual. This is an invariable result whether register be lower or higher than average when treatment begins. B ut the same 
notation must again be made that was commented upon when temperature and pulse were under discussion: tabulated average 
register cannot be regarded as fixed for differing organisms, since variations both above and below standard occur that cann ot be 
attributed in every instance to disease. In this, as in other respects, each individual possesses a norm of his own. It may b e stated, 
however, that, when systemic cleansing is accomplished, this norm is usually lower in register than the previous ta bulated 
standard. In the matured body, with but little differences noted as age increases, a general normal in blood pressure ranges about 
120 for the systolic, with about 80 as the diastolic register. This of course supposes the subject to be subsisting u pon non -
stimulative food material. CHAPTER IX  
DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED IN FASTING  
 
DRUGS CAUSE ORGANIC TROUBLES:  
SCIENTISTS QUOTED ON FASTING:  
AUTO -INTOXICATION   
 
ONE of the most serious obstacles to general acceptance of the fast as a therapeutic me asure by both the public and the medical 
profession is the innate subconscious element of fear engendered by orthodox dicta that nourishment must be supplied lest vit ality 
fail. Man must eat, sick or well, "to keep up strength." The degree to which this co nception is fallacious may be gathered from the 
text; yet very recently medical science has "discovered" the efficacy of "short fasts" in the treatment of diabetes and in th e 
reduction of obesity. Prediction is made that eventually all of the information g athered upon the therapeusis of the fast by those 
who, like the author, have devoted years of service to the task, will be adopted and claimed as original by the dominant cult . It is unfortunate that enthusiasm produced by the beneficial effects of perso nal trial of abstinence from food for the relief of 
Page 31 of  72 disease has caused the recipients of these benefits to rush into print, detailing their experiences and advising other suffer ers to go 
and do likewise. In greater part the articles and books referred to h ave been written by men incompetent of understanding more 
than the mere results obtained in their own individual cases; and the consequences of such ill advised essays into unfamiliar  fields 
are obvious. Regardless of the rationale of the method, and ignor ant of the physiological changes that the administration of a fast 
involves, other inexperienced hands undertake the treatment without guidance, with the result that in many instances harm to the 
patient succeeds, with consequent unmerited adverse criticis m of the method. In the milder instances of functional illness no possible harm can result when food is omitted for one or for several days, p rovided 
the needful aids to elimination are employed. But protracted fasting in the absence of skilful, scientif ic guidance is, as indicated, 
fraught with the probability of injury to one who has the temerity to undertake the experience acting upon his own impulse. If human bodies continued to exist from birth in the usually normal organic condition they then poss ess, the fast applied when 
functional disturbance occurs in all probability would proceed to its logical end without difficulty. But, through constant w rong 
living, through chronic abuse of the vital processes, through lowered muscular tone and consequent impedence of nerve force, and 
through the effects of symptomatic suppression by drug dosage, the average adult acquires defects in organic structure. In infancy, when functional disease develops, a drug is given for the suppression of the symptom, and vi rtually always 
nourishment is supplied. Two errors in treatment are here noted --the administration of a substance reputed to possess properties 
that will remedy, that is, suppress, the symptom leaving the cause of the disturbance to take care of itself; an d the ingestion of food 
by an organism which, because of disease, is incapable of digesting the same. The results are that in many instances the chil dren 
die; in others, functional paralysis of portions of the alimentary tract is caused; in still others, t he resistive powers of the infant are 
such as to permit it to survive, despite both dosage and the administration of food. Yet in the latter event harm rather than  benefit 
derives, and, since the evil is done during the growing period, retardation of organ ic development occurs, and in future years 
disease symptoms arise at the points affected in infancy. Careful observation of thousands of fasting subjects gives proof that a scientifically conducted fast will result in the corr ection of 
all ailments that are functional in cause, but that it can never, either through the effects of itself or of its auxiliaries, wholly 
overcome organic defects. However, the fast will do this --it will uncover the condition of the system, and, if defects or deficiencies 
exist,  it will cause their nature to be clearly displayed. It is in effect an infallible diagnostic expedient. One whose organs are functionally equal to the requirements of elimination undergoes a period of abstinence from food with no  
severe distressing symp toms. And, when unusual manifestations occur, it is virtually certain that in some degree defects in 
organism lie within the body. Post mortem examination of subjects who died while a fast was in progress has given convincing 
evidence upon this point, and it has further demonstrated that in these cases death would have happened whether the patient were 
fasting or feeding. To this may be added the observation that, because of lessened organic labor, life in the instances refer red to 
was for a time prolonged. But there are cases in whom distressing symptoms appear as results of organic deficiency which has not 
yet progressed to an incurable state. These cases may, under proper guidance, hope for relief that may prove permanent. A drug with regard to its effe cts upon the animal body may be said to be any substance that will influence metabolism --the 
continuous process by which living cells undergo chemical change. Hence a drug also influences the functioning of the vital 
organs. According to this definition fo ods, even though they be excellent in quality and reasonable in quantity, react as drugs upon 
the organism. That is to say, food both influences metabolism and the functioning of the vital organs. But food is not necess arily 
poisonous in its effects as are  all substances ordinarily classified as drugs; yet it is easily seen that, if taken in too great quantity, if 
not properly combined, if ingested when hunger is absent or when emotion is aroused, or if it be unwholesome in quality, food  will 
act as poison upon tissue and upon organic function. In like manner substances formed within the body from the process of tissue 
waste may act as do drugs upon living cells. This occurs when elimination is inadequate, and hence arise the auto -toxins, through 
the effects  of which systemic resistance, that is, immunity from disease, is reduced, and the way opened for the large group of so -
called infectious maladies. It cannot be fairly assumed that, upon dissecting a body after death, lesions that are present in any orga n are due solely to previous 
drugging. Where two such agencies as disease and drugs have been simultaneously acting upon a living organism, it is difficul t, in 
the absence of a standard, to decide whether a specific result is due to one, or to the other, o r to both. But it is a significant fact 
that, in every instance of death occurring during a fast as recorded in the writer's experience, each of the subjects, with b ut a single 
exception, had been drugged in early life, and that the effects of this dosage upon vital organs and tissue, as shown in arrested 
development and in structural change, were precisely such as could and would have been caused by an active poison. Preponderance of evidence gathered from the findings of these autopsies makes for the pres ence at some period previous to death 
of some toxic substance, some active noxious agent, that permanently and harmfully affected tissue structure. The constant use of drugs to suppress the symptoms of disease in the growing child not only lowers physica l resistance but it also 
retards the development of the vital organs, which in some instances suffer permanent deformation. Yet, despite this handicap , the 
framework of the body eventually reaches normal adult dimension. The disparity presented by organs i n whole or in part nearly 
Page 32 of  72 infantile in size functioning in a body adult in proportion necessarily causes forms of distress that will assuredly end in c hronic 
disease, since the undersized organs are not equal to the demands made upon them. The process that  is predominant when a fast is 
in progress is that of elimination, and it is easy to understand that, in a body in which, for instance, portions of the inte stinal tract 
are under dimension, or in which one or other of the organs of special function is stru cturally imperfect, the labor of ridding the 
system of accumulated waste is beyond the ability of the organism perfectly to accomplish. Therefore, to the degree in which 
organic defects exist is determined the severity of the struggle with disease. In othe r words, the effort which is being made to east 
out from the body gathered impurity becomes proportionately more difficult when organic imperfections are present. In the 
normally developed adult body chronic disease or drugs may produce like effects, but h ere vital organs are of full dimension, and 
results are shown, not in arrested development, but wholly in structural tissue -change. Whenever, because of organs functionally incapacitated for any reason, the products of food and tissue waste cannot be eva cuated 
through proper channels, general poisoning of the blood stream occurs. The resulting condition is known as auto -intoxication, or 
toxemia, referred to previously as a state of unbalance when both secretion and excretion are checked and the blood is s urcharged 
with waste to the degree of developing a crisis or acute disease. This state gives rise in the subject to manifestations that  may 
become alarming. The brain may be affected to the extent of mild delirium, hiccoughs persistent in character may occ ur, or the 
patient may sink into stupor; and there are other forms which the symptoms may take that will cause distress. In a fast that has 
been correctly approached toxemia so intense in degree can never arise. But if, as happens when inexperienced direct ion is given, 
food is discontinued abruptly, accessories are omitted, and no preparatory period of dieting is observed, symptoms as mention ed 
are apt to be manifested. Even when all essentials are correctly followed, slight toxemia may be present in cases that are fasting, 
when these are sufferers from chronic functional disease or from some structural organic defect. But, if the subject has been  
prepared for the period of abstinence in the manner heretofore described, and, if the hygienic accessories of tr eatment are 
consistently employed, symptoms that are distressing are not likely to occur. The presence of toxins in the body is for the most part attributable to inability of the eliminative organs to perform their work. For 
some cause or other the latte r do not dispose of waste in amount sufficient to balance intake or production. When difficulty is 
encountered in disposing of the refuse produced progressively during a fast, lack of eliminative power is its causation, and this 
arises from nerve force imp eded through impingement of vertebrae, from structural organic defect, from lesions caused by 
previous drugging, or from waste production so extreme that even normal organs are unable to cope with it. The physician who holds the concept that disease and cure are a unity is not at all concerned with the presence or absence of the 
various toxins, nor by the symptoms in evidence, save as they act as indices of the functioning ability of vital organs. If t he latter 
are in normal structural condition, the prod ucts of food in excess of need may interfere with function because of simple congestion, 
which we have seen is easily relieved. But the vital parts of the human body are in many instances structurally defective thr ough 
drug dosage or through food stimulati on, and these organs may in consequence be brought into action only by the administration 
of additional drugs or by further stimulus.
Scientific_Fasting.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        But food stimulation, always an important factor in disease, asserts the power of habit 
over the body; and, even though the will of the patient has been brought to understand the futility of dependence upon artIfi cial 
aids to health, as embodied in medicine and in methods akin to it, general knowledge is lacking concerning the proper means to 
pursue in order to overcome habit and to meet the physiological changes that ensue when food is denied the body for the purpo se 
of prevention or of cure of disease. The cultivation of a habit is a slow and insidious process, and so, in lesser degree perhaps, is its destruction. Abruptly to  cease an 
action, normal or abnormal, habitually connected with bodily function, causes both phy sical and mental disturbance. Witness, for 
instance, the attempts of a victim of tobacco, alcohol, or morphine to escape from the toils. In the ordinary case will power  alone 
may accomplish the result sought for. But in the purifying process of the fast ab normal desire is removed, and physical habits of 
this sort are thus easily conquered. In many cases the will required to begin a fast is present, and, were this the sole consideration, food might at once be deni ed. But, 
because natural physiological chan ge is always gradual in accomplishment, a like approach to cessation of digestion is essential. The ideal manner of effecting the readjustment of organic action, the consequence of lowering to zero the intake of food, is to 
diminish by degrees the amount i ngested, for suddenly to omit food at the inception of a fast sets the stomach clamoring for supply 
at the hours which habit has fixed, and the results of deprivation are then comparable to those experienced by the toper or t he drug 
victim when drink or na rcotic is denied. Nervous reaction is at once apparent and depression follows. Only in acute disease should 
abrupt entrance be made to the fast, and this solely because at such times nature makes the issue and removes effectively all  desire 
for food. Daily baths and enemata, natural means for external and internal cleansing of the body and aids to elimination which do not dist urb 
function as do purgatives, mark the commencement of treatment; and these accompaniments, with the omission of the midday 
meal, embody the first stage of approach to the period of total abstinence from food. Omitting the noon meal and lessening 
quantity at other meals paves the way; and, in the ordinary instance of functional disease, gradual diminution of food supply  
should occupy  an interim of about ten days or two weeks, after which tomato broth, onion broth, or some similar light fluid food, 
in limited quantity, may be used, dropping then to lemon juice with honey in hot water taken about three times daily. In fact, half a 
lemon  and a dessert spoon of honey to a pint of hot water may in many instances be given with benefit several times each day 
during the non -food interval. The slight effort of digestion required for this usually pleasant beverage does not to any degree 
Page 23 of  72 interfer e with the eliminative processes, and in cases where suggestion may be used with profit, it performs this service. If as sometimes happens the omission of the midday meal occasions distress, ripe fruit in small quantity may be eaten at the usual 
hour. So ups made of vegetables gradually becoming lighter in food value should constitute the morning and evening meals until 
they are dispensed with, and then it is well to use the lemon and honey as described or the juices of fruit alone for the las t few days 
preceding the fast itself. In the ordinary patient the omission of the noon meal may cause slight disturbances, such as dizziness, headache, or stomach 
craving. These are mostly the results of habit change, and usually they disappear within three or four d ays, when there are 
commonly no further unpleasant symptoms as the remaining meals are omitted. In the two -meal period elimination of digestive 
toxins begins to gain over their formation, and, as the patient gradually lowers ingestion, it becomes most evid ent, from the 
discharges in the enemata and from the odor that emanates from skin and breath, that the body is undergoing strenuous house -
cleaning. These phenomena make it apparent that previous continuously overburdened digestive function, with consequent  
defective nutrition, has filled the entire system with toxic products, and that complete purification, coupled with rest for the organs 
of digestion and those allied with them is necessary for regaining physical balance. A new foundation is to be construc ted as the 
old is removed, and a change in physiological condition is to be effected by casting from the body the active cause of diseas e, and 
by renewing, through cell reconstruction and rest, the functioning ability of those organs that long have been ha mpered in 
operation. At the portal of the circulation of the blood, like a faithful sentry, stands the liver. The function of this organ is to rec eive digested 
food after its absorption through the villi, which are short hair -like processes residing on t he walls of the intestines, and designed 
for this purpose. Receiving digested food in this manner, the liver then proceeds to separate it into that which may be used for 
rebuilding of tissue and that which is waste. Its products are, on the one hand, tissu e-nutriment, and, on the other, the peculiar 
secretion known as bile. Bile, even when normal in character, is essentially a waste product, and, after separation by the li ver, it is 
stored in the gall sac, whence it is discharged into the intestines and uti lized in the digestive processes. Nature is loath to cast out 
any material as useless, and one of the most striking instances in her economy is this utilization of an essentially waste pr oduct in 
the digestive function. When overworked by overfeeding or other abuse, the liver cannot successfully perform its task of inspection, and the bile retained 
is carried into the blood current. Surplus of this fluid is also apparent intestinally in these circumstances, and with it th e headache, 
the cold, or a bilious  crisis occurs. The minute cells of the liver have individual work to perform in separating nutritive matter from waste; and, unless care be taken 
to furnish a food supply correct in proportion and quality, bile is secreted and excreted in quantity great er than the system requires, 
and is itself absorbed and reabsorbed, with additions from other sources, until congestion results, the circulation is vitiat ed, and the 
bowels are filled with bilious toxins poison and repoison indefinitely. All habits having a tendency to cause digestive disturbance, 
such as the use of tobacco or alcohol, careless eating and overeating, hinder the functioning of the liver. Any interference with its 
duties prevents the blood from receiving the benefit of its inspection, and an impure product is the consequence. All parts of the 
body show distressing symptoms of fatigue and exhaustion when the cells of the liver become diseased through intemperate livi ng 
and ignorance of the specific duty of the organ as a member of the human mac hine. And this, of course, is true with reference to 
the functions of any other of the vital parts of the body; but so closely is the work of the liver connected with that of the  processes 
of digestion that detailed description of it and its labors is deem ed essential to full understanding of the method discussed herein. As has been indicated, there are two plans to be followed when the fast is employed as a means for the relief and cure of dis ease. One of these requires the patient to continue the period  of abstinence from food to its logical conclusion, the return of natural 
hunger. The length of this period depends upon individual physiological peculiarity and organic condition. The other plan mak es 
use of shorter intervals of abstinence, alternating wi th periods of lowered but corrective diet. What has been written may then be 
qualified to the degree that, when short fasts of one or two days, or of a week, are undertaken for the relief of slight indi sposition 
or for the prevention of acute disease, no s uch extended preparation as is described is needful. For the longer fasts, the fasts that 
cleanse the system to purity, preparation as outlined must be precedent. The short fast and the compulsory fast of acute dise ase 
alone may be abruptly begun. However,  extended preparation for a fast is to be preferred in all cases where it may be employed. It 
serves to lessen physiological shock, it curtails the length of the total abstinence period, and in all senses is to be consi dered as a 
beneficial process of grad ual purification. CHAPTER VIII  
SYMPTOMS OCCURRING DURING FASTING  
 
WHAT SYMPTOMS MEAN:  
VARIETY OF SYMPTOMS PRODUCED BY ELIMINATION   
 
 
Page 24 of  72 SYMPTOMS of disease are the evidences of abnormal conditions that are present within the body, and they indicate with more or 
less accuracy the degree of functional or of organic disturbance. In addition they enable the experienced observer to apprehe nd the 
point or points of least resistance, the organ or organs that are hampered in the performance of function. In fastin g, these signs of 
disease, during the first days of abstinence, are seen to be exaggerated or increased in severity; but this is a logical cons equence of 
the method as applied, for its purpose is that of elimination of circulating, clogging, poisonous mate rial. The extreme process of 
elimination in operation at this time fully uncovers the focus of disease, and exaggerates in the very cure itself signs char acteristic 
of morbid conditions in the organs involved, organs whose resistance has been assailed to t he point of break -down in function. To 
the orthodox view this phenomenon at once is suggestive of an increase in the severity of disease alone, since in the commonl y 
accepted opinion the symptom represents a segregated cause. But, rightly regarding disease  as arising from a single primary 
source, the intellect trained in the application of natural means of treatment finds cause for rejoicing rather than for fear. Exaggeration of symptom is apparent because nature has accepted the open road presented, and is  proceeding rapidly to effect 
relief and cure. And it is to be observed that the greater the struggle made at this time, the greater the vital force in res erve. In any method for the treatment of disease nothing can be done unless nature cooperates. In s ome methods her means of cure, 
elimination, triumphs in spite of treatment, and this is nowhere so fully demonstrated as in traditional orthodoxy, which reg ards the 
symptom as disease in segregated form. By means of drugs and measures allied, the signs man ifested are checked, suppressed, 
turned into other channels. The fact has been and is ignored that, with cause thus suppressed but still in action, disease is  certain of 
return in aggravated form. To delay treatment in order that a distinct symptom may d evelop, thus permitting of accurate symptomatic diagnosis, is evidence 
of faulty conception both of the character of disease and of its remedy. While waiting, the case is proceeding either to cure  or to 
death. At the first appearance of distress active nat ural measures are in order, and these are certainly not to be classed with drugs or 
with any means for the suppression of a localized pathological condition. For centuries the human race has been educated therapeutically by precept and argument diametric ally opposed to truth. For 
instance, in the orthodox method of handling the sick, if heart action is high, a depressant is administered; if it is low, a  stimulant is 
given. When signs of illness appear upon the skin, attempts are in order, not to remove th e inward cause, but to eradicate the 
outward sign, "to drive it in. " In these instances, because of energy consumed in fighting both disease and drug, reaction oc curs, 
and the organs affected are less able to recuperate when the obstructed avenues of vital ity are finally cleared sufficiently for 
function. The latter occurs when nature, as she often does, asserts herself despite the drug. Orthodoxy refuses to admit the unity of 
disease and cure, and likewise refuses to assist nature in the purifying process of disease. The thought and hope of the physician 
trained to regard disease from its natural concept is this: that the organs of the body of his patient may prove equal to the  work of 
elimination; and to further this end, he makes use of every natural elim inative aid. In spite of the mildness or the severity of its 
manifestation, it is only through bodily purification that disease may be cured. Since the physiological changes involved in the application of fasting for the cure of disease need to be made g radually, as has 
been related, the ideal method of approach to the period of abstinence is to prepare the system by lessening by degrees the i ntake 
of food; but, whether begun in this manner or without preparation, as is necessary in acute crises, resultan t symptoms are in 
general alike. When the intake of food is stopped, the stomach is naturally emptied and commences its enforced vacation. All 
energy heretofore applied to the processes of digestion is now directed into eliminative channels, and, with the assistance of a 
blood current continually growing in purity, inflammation that may be present is allayed, and congestion in veins and glands is 
relieved. The stomach will from time to time be disturbed by its neighboring organ, the liver which during a fas t is solely an organ 
of elimination, and which then discharges its bilious excretion in large amounts into the alimentary canal It has been stated  that this 
product of the liver is essentially waste, but that, even so, it has its use as a digestive fluid i n health. However, when a fast is in 
progress, bile is profusely poured into the intestines, and it is then to be regarded as naught but poisonous refuse excreted  by tissue, 
and it is at once to be removed from the system lest it be again absorbed into the  circulation. When food is no longer being ingested, the bowels proceed to evacuate their fecal contents, receiving and casting out the was te 
then deposited in them from blood and the visceral organs; the kidneys, the lungs, and the skin assist in the pu rifying process; in 
short, the sewerage system of the body centers its entire energy in supreme effort to overcome toxemia by clearing away inter nal 
impurities. The involuntary absorptive functions are, however, still active, and they continue their work, even upon excreted waste; 
hence, lest poisonous reabsorption occur, the most expeditious means must be employed in order to remove this refuse from the  
intestinal channel. The blood, following its mission, gathers excrete from cell structure, and supplies what it may for rebuilding 
purposes. The latter it discovers in that reserve supply of nourishment that is naturally stored in the interstices of tissue. As the 
process of elimination or purification continues, as refuse diminishes in amount, the density o f the blood stream is gradually 
reduced, and the labor of the heart is thus progressively lightened. In some diseased conditions the action of the heart is low, in others, it is high. While it is reasonable to expect that the beat of the 
heart will show lower register when the blood is laden with waste and is dense in quality, after all, physiological temperament 
determines heart action both normal and abnormal. Disease in some subjects is invariably accompanied with fever and a rapid 
pulse; in others a s luggish heart with lowered temperature prevails. But whether in disease heart action be high or low, poisonous 
Page 25 of  72 substances are present in the blood, and these acting upon the nerves that control the heart, the latter may develop irregula rities that 
seem to indicate organic defect, and that are often so diagnosed. But, following the argument of the text, it is obvious that, 
whatever the symptom, improvement in heart action must necessarily result in a fast when elimination has advanced sufficientl y to 
have re moved the major portion of poison circulating in the blood. No fear need be entertained concerning the ability of the heart 
to perform its function during a fast, for the organ, as each day goes by has lighter work to do, and it is served with the i ncreasi ng 
nerve power of a system that is gradually purifying itself. As soon as a fast is entered, elimination asserts its predominance. In many instances desire for food is replaced by repugnan ce, and 
there is no hunger until the process of purification is co mpleted. The very odor of food, and even the perfume of flowers are to 
some subjects annoying. In aggravated form this symptom offers the possibility of serious organic deficiency. This statement is not 
to be taken as conclusive or as a rule, for often in cases in whom bilious excretion predominates, eases whose illness is purely 
functional in origin, the symptom described occurs. In any event it should be carefully studied and its immediate causes anal yzed. In some instances patients have claimed the sen sation of false hunger, of appetite, from the beginning to the end of the fast, but this 
was due to irritative conditions. There are variations in this sign, more or less to be attributed to the time devoted to the  
preliminaries, and, when the fast is prop erly begun and properly continued, neither false hunger nor true hunger is ever in evidence 
until the end. Another symptom always present is the thick yellowish -white coat donned by the tongue during abstinence from food. This is in 
evidence until the im purities of the body are eliminated, and the clearing of the surface of the tongue is one of the positive signals 
that indicate a complete and successful fast. This coat deposited upon the tongue is perhaps the simplest sign of a foul inte rnal 
state, and i t is also an indication that elimination of impurities is taking place. When food stimulation due to excess supply 
dominates elimination, the coated tongue, then invariably present, signifies the effort of nature to rid the system of gather ing 
waste. At ti mes during a fast, when the secretions of the body continue to be acid in character, an apparently clean tongue may 
develop, and in this event strict interpretation of the symptom might lead to the inference that the system is cleansed and i s ready 
again f or feeding. The "acid tongue" is easily recognized, for pulse and temperature assist in guidance, while it is altogether 
probable that additional evidence of its cause will be discovered in the appearance of small ulcers or cankers upon the mucus  
membrane of the mouth or upon the tongue itself. Like the tongue, the breath becomes laden with disagreeable evidences of a foul interior, and during the earlier portion of t he 
fasting period, its odor is most offensive. Gradual improvement in this respect is an indicator of the progress of purification which 
the body is undergoing, and the termination of a successful fast is heralded by an odorless breath. One of the products of fermentation within the body during disease is known by the name of acetone. There is no doubt that 
acetone, the result of the decomposition of organic matter, is present in greater or lesser degree in many cases during the f ast. It is 
not at any time necessarily a product of the albumen of food, but is more probably the result of the de struction of that part of the 
body albumen that has come from the breaking down of tissue cells, waste that, instead of being normally eliminated, is retai ned 
with consequent decomposition. In other words, the material that produces acetone has served its purposes as living cell growth. In 
cases under medical treatment its presence is regarded with dread, and at times when it appears, as it is apt to in anaesthet ized 
subjects under the knife of the surgeon, operations have been abandoned because of the fear  of death while the paralysis of the 
anaesthetic endures. Its appearance in a patient undergoing a fast is an indication of derangement of more than ordinary grav ity. In 
health there is no production of acetone, since discarded cell waste is eliminated bef ore fermentation can occur. Once food is 
denied and cell refuse is discharged into the channels of evacuation, acetone, when it is present, appears in all the excreti ons, and 
its characteristic ether -like odor is most pronounced. In cases like these one of  the signs of the beginning of the end of the fast is 
discovered in the disappearance of acetone from urine, breath, and excrete generally. It is then no longer formed, since the body is 
again in position to produce normal healthy cell structure balanced b y normal elimination of waste. In disease it is quite usual to observe body odors that are unpleasant. These are again manifestations of foulness within, 
manifestations signifying that toxins exist, and that nature is seeking to remove them through every  organ of elimination, not the 
least of which is the skin. One experienced in handling mental disease soon becomes expert in distinguishing the marked odor 
attached to most lunatics. Even in the milder forms of nervous derangement, such as hysteria, emanat ion from the body is 
distinctly changed, so much so that it is frequently noticed by the patient himself. Effluvium, usually disagreeable in chara cter, is 
present in disease other than that connected with the mental processes and with the nerves --witness, for instance, the distinctive 
odor of the victim of pulmonary tuberculosis. Because of the predominance of the eliminative function during a fast, the smel l of 
the body is then decidedly more perceptible than is the case in functional disease when food is supplied. So true is this that the 
presence of a fasting subject can at once be detected by one familiar with the phenomena of the method. The excretions at thi s time 
are strongly impregnated with bile, and the peculiar odor that is characteristic of this fluid is most apparent. This results because 
the entire system has been called into eliminative action, and temporary saturation is the result. The breath is laden with t his ill -
smelling exhalation until purification is complete, and the skin carries it un til the latter point is reached in the progress of the fast. In cases of acute illness and in what are characterized as bilious temperaments, after the beginning of a fast, annoying symp toms 
Page 26 of  72 may develop --dizziness on rising suddenly, spots before the eye s, and general malaise and weakness. But these signs are not 
discovered in all instances and they cannot be established as guides. Some there are who abstain from food for as many as thi rty or 
forty days without disagreeable symptoms other than the offensi ve and the coated tongue. In these instances vital organs are fully 
capable of function and are equal to their tasks. On the other hand, there are those in whom all of the signs described are i n 
evidence in varying intensity until nearly the end of the fas t. The latter are those who suffer from extreme functional derangement 
or who possess vital organs that are structurally defective. To those, who, through high -living and overfeeding, have given the liver work beyond its capability, the experience of the  fast is 
often trying. Bile is cast out in large amounts and floods the intestines to such extent that, often before it can be carried  downward, 
some of it finds its way into the stomach, with nausea and vomiting as sequelae. There is no absolute certainty  of the appearance of 
this sign, but it is usually present in the subjects referred to. In extreme form nausea with vomiting suggests either the pr esence of 
an obstruction in the small intestines situated below the opening of the gall duct, or that of orga nic disease of the liver. If the latter 
exists, the vomited fluid is ordinarily blackish in color; if the former be the case, the bile vomited is usually yellow or g reenish -
yellow in tint. In any event the symptom is distressing and it may be more or less serious as to cause, but a number of instances 
with it intermittently in evidence are noted that progressed to favorable outcome. The above remarks may be amplified by stating that, for the reason that excessive vomiting of bile during a fast is a sympto m that 
indicates the probability of organic disease of the liver or an obstruction of the intestinal tract, in these cases caution i s urged in the 
employment of the protracted fast. The symptom is not to be regarded as alarming when the fluid raised is yel low or greenish -
yellow in hue, nor when nausea occurs at infrequent intervals. But if its color be a vivid green or, as in instances of extre me 
organic derangement, blackish in tint, the case may be considered as serious in character and of doubtful progno sis. In any event, 
when nausea is present during a fast, it is far better to rid the stomach of its contents through the mouth than to permit th em to 
remain with the certainty of absorption and toxication. For this purpose drinking of warm water, a quart o r so at a time, will ease 
the act of retching, and at the same time will cleanse the stomach. If difficulty is found in vomiting, titillation of the pa late with the 
end of the index finger will usually suffice to cause the muscular contraction necessary. A nd this sort of stomach lavage is much 
more simple in operation and just as efficacious as that by means of a pump. In fact, whenever during a fast there is reason to 
suppose that the stomach because of inaction has gathered secretion upon its walls, clean sing of the organ in the manner described 
is in order, and it is always beneficial. There are patients with livers organically diseased who undergo a fast with no appearance of bilious vomit. Observation in po st 
mortem examination leads to the conclusion  that these subjects usually are affected with some form of cirrhosis, and the instances 
referred to were in body of thin and wiry type. On the other hand, those in whom excessive vomiting occurs during fasting usu ally 
are inclined to obesity, and, if orga nic disease exists and death follows, post mortem examination will in all probability show a 
liver deteriorated or degenerated in structure. Bile forced into the stomach may produce through irritation spasmodic contractions of the diaphragm, or hiccoughs. These may 
also occur because of other stimulation of the diaphragmatic nerve, a frequent happening in cases of functional disturbance o f the 
liver or of the small intestines. When the reason for this annoying symptom is purely functional in character, it  may ordinarily be 
quickly relieved by drinking water or by inducing vomiting; but, if it persists, the case at once assumes gravity in prognosi s, for in 
all probability extreme organic defect has been uncovered. This observation is entitled to additional credence because of several 
instances in whom persistent hiccoughing occurred shortly before death, and in whom the autopsies revealed organic disease of  the 
upper portion of the small intestine. In the earlier stages of a fast there will probably be fer mentation with consequent formation of gas in the bowels, and this may 
continue for a few days, depending upon the amount of waste retained, and upon what may be termed the virulence of the biliou s 
excretion deposited in the intestinal tract. The gas forme d is often the cause of colicky pains, and is always a source of 
uncomfortable moments until it is discharged. To this end manipulation of the abdomen and hot water applications upon its sur face 
are of much assistance. By these measures peristalsis is stim ulated, and the inflated bowel is reduced by forcing the gas to the 
rectum, thence to discharge. However, the enema is to be regarded as the greatest ally of the body for the assistance of bowe l 
evacuation, and it should be resorted to in the circumstances  related and in all other similar situations. In all cases in the fast the evacuations from the bowels are much alike. At first old feces more or less abundant in quantity  are 
discovered floating in a brownish fluid that often shades to black. Solid wast e is usually present for a number of days, although its 
amount depends in great measure upon the time devoted to preparation for the total abstinence period. These formed feces offe r 
definite evidence of the truth of the statement that an overloaded colon does not fully evacuate its contents even though daily 
passages are the rule. At some point or other in the purifying process there appear in the evacuations stringy masses of white or yellowish mucus. I n 
catarrhal cases these are discovered at the begin ning of treatment and they usually continue in evidence until purification of the 
system is completed. In other subjects mucus commonly does not appear until the fast is well under way, but it is certain to be 
found in the discharges before the end of abst inence. Page 27 of  72 More extended discussion of this phenomenon will later be given, for upon it is based a most interesting question in patholog y. It 
suffices here to say that, when the intestinal walls are about freed of old feces, and are in the relaxed condition that results from the 
processes in operation during the fast, bowel excretion takes the form of an exudation of pathogen from the blood, and this w aste is 
deposited in the form of mucus upon the walls of the intestines. The mucus membrane of the latter in its relaxed state will usually 
freely slough this coating, especially if peristalsis is stimulated by manipulation of the abdomen and the enema is properly 
employed. The deposit is discharged, often in formed bodies. An instance recurs in which there came away a mass tubular in 
shape, eight feet in length, a replica of a portion of the intestinal tract. And often shorter formed sections are discovered. This 
mucus is viscous, glue -like, in consistency, and, when it disappears, systemic cleansing is near its end. The more usual indication of disease as it affects body temperature is fever, but in cases of differing temperament, quite fr equently 
after the beginning of a fast, temperature drops a degree or so below normal. This is the result of the absence of food stimulation, 
for there is nothing inherent in the fast itself that occasions this phenomenon. Even when food is being ingested in cases of  long-
standing debility temperature is often below register, and in other instances it rises above normal in prop ortion to the severity of 
disease. Abstinence from food tends to restore both temperature and pulse to normal, be they high or low at its inception. Wh ile 
the average register of body heat is given at about 98 -2/5 degrees Farenheit, and the average pulse a t about 72 beats to the minute, 
these figures are not to be regarded as the normal for every organism. There are variations both above and below the standard s 
given that cannot in every instance be considered as arising from disease. A fasting case is here  cited in whom, when abstinence 
was initiated, temperature was constantly at ninety -four degrees; no change was noted until the twentieth day, when an increase of 
nearly a degree occurred; and average individual normal of ninety -seven degrees was reached t en days later and was thereafter 
maintained. Here undoubtedly disease was the cause of the abnormally low register observed before the fast, but the norm of t he 
patient in health was subsequently perceived to be slightly below the standard commonly accepte d. In a few subjects temperature 
at the beginning of a fast was so low as not to admit of register upon a clinical thermometer, but invariably normal individu al 
average was reached before the end of treatment Adjustment to standard is likewise attained whe n fever is a symptom in evidence, 
and here the change is more rapidly accomplished than when temperature is sub -normal. Body heat, as is seen, has its established 
tabular measure, and, when it habitually fails by several degrees to reach the common average, the conclusion must be that vitality 
is deficient. And accompanying sub -normal temperature is always the slow and sluggish pulse, while fever with its raised degrees 
of heat carries a super -normal heart beat. Of the two pathological states, prognosis in the former is the more favorable. When a 
condition of extremely low temperature is encountered, hot applications over the spinal column and hot therapeutic baths 
frequently administered greatly assist in restoring and conserving body heat. Abnormal tempe rature and abnormal pulse as well are but symptoms of a pathological condition, and, whether they be high or low, 
they denote that there is in progress a struggle for life that has little need to be suppressed. If pulse and temperature, ei ther or both, 
are above or below normal at the beginning of a fast, they will descend or ascend to natural register when disease disappears, or  
perhaps while some of its symptoms are still displayed. Due to the removal of food stimulation, as has been said, in many 
instanc es both temperature and pulse may drop to register slightly below the average shortly after entering upon a fast. And the 
author lists a few cases with pulse at the beginning of abstinence at about fifty beats to the minute, while one is recorded with the 
very low rate of twenty -eight. Temperature in these subjects was not, however, sufficiently sub -normal to occasion surprise. While 
the rates noted in these cases were chronic and most exceptional, they gradually rose to standard for the individuals as the fast 
progressed to completion. When the fast is concluded and the body is in the process of rebuilding, a properly balanced vegetarian dietary assures a 
temperature and pulse with no apparent tendency to rise or fall above individual normal. If, however,  the dietetic change has been 
one from a regimen that formerly included flesh foods to one that is wholly vegetarian in character, pulse register will very  
probably show a reduction of several counts from its former average. Several references have heret ofore been made to the known absence of hunger in disease. This truth should be self -evident. But 
additional confirmation is offered in connection with changes of body heat as observed in health and in illness. Physiology a sserts 
and scientific investigati on proves that there can be no digestion in the absence of digestive juices, and that there is virtually no 
secretion of these fluids when body temperature is above normal. Why, then, feed during fever. Without digestion, there can b e no 
nutrition, no upbu ilding of tissue structure. Why add the burden of eliminating matter that is not digested, that is useless and 
noxious excess, to the already extreme effort that nature is making in order to reduce over -stimulated heart action and super -
normal body heats T o correct this condition the only effective measures are to withhold food, to remove the fermenting waste that 
is causing disease, and to rest those organs that have been functionally unable to cope with tasks beyond their ability to pe rform. A 
fever is re ally a blessing in disguise; it indicates organic activity, which means vitality in reserve. It should never be suppressed, 
since it is the result of a struggle between the forces of health and disease in which the vital organs will prove the victor s if th ey are 
correctly, and this means naturally, assisted. Habitually low temperature, on the other hand, predicates organic inactivity, small 
reserve vitality, a condition that is usually chronic in character, and yet one that admits of improvement under treat ment with 
perhaps surer prospect of correction than do febrile crises in their more extreme forms. But because sub -normal temperature and 
lowered pulse rate are ordinarily confined to chronic illness, duration of treatment is correspondingly more extended than in those 
in whom fever and heightened pulse denote acute disease. Page 28 of  72 Depending upon the physiological tendencies of the individual, after the beginning of a fast and during its several stages, m any 
symptoms not specifically described may develop alone or in combination with others. While some of the phenomena that occur at 
this time may be ascribed to the depression that succeeds food stimulation, by far the larger number are due to the extreme 
elimination of body waste in progress. Bowels, kidneys, lun gs, and skin are utilized to the limit of their abilities, and, when any 
one of these means of discharge becomes obstructed because of excess, or has its function impeded because of defect in struct ure, 
nature at once seeks another organ to serve as a chan nel of egress, selecting the latter with no apparent consideration of either its 
fitness for the service demanded or its ability to perform it. But always the least resistive passage becomes what in this in stance 
may be called the victim. A few of the si mpler symptoms encountered in the earlier stages of fasting have been mentioned, but others more or less common 
appear in consequence of the unvarying tendency of nature to utilize toxemic elimination paths of least resistance. In some s ubjects 
a rash upon  the skin occurs; in others a cold with excessive discharge from the nose, bronchial tubes, throat, and eyes is the form in 
which the results of the purifying process in action is displayed. The salivary glands may excrete in quantity, causing const ant 
expectoration of spittle that may be either fluid or viscous in consistence. The last named functional sign is apt to prove most  
annoying and disagreeable, so much so that, because of it, fasts at times have been altered in procedure from protracted to 
interr upted, in order that partial resumption of digestion might change, which in this juncture it never fails to do, the unusual 
course through which elimination is occurring. When headaches occur with other symptoms, they are of course due to sudden release of toxic matter, are commonly located in the 
frontal portion of the brain, and are coincident with the prior stages of abstinence, when the system is accommodating itself  to the 
physiological change of habit then in progress. As purification proceeds, head aches vanish, and in purely functional disturbances 
the brain experiences more rapid relief than do the organs of the trunk. Connected with headache, in severe functional 
derangement and when there is organic deficiency, are visual spectra, fiashes of whit e or colored light. And in the graver forms of 
organic disease a muscular tremor, accompanied with a rotary motion of the eyeball, or even with crossed eyes and faulty visi on, 
sometimes takes place. The latter peculiar variation in symptom has been observe d shortly before death, and in extreme form it 
would seem to indicate approaching dissolution. Again, partial deafness with humming in the ears is apt to befall. This may ordinarily be relieved locally by careful and con stant 
springing of the inner ears with hot water, assisted by proper manipulation with the tips of the index fingers. This procedure will 
usually disclose collections of wax, after the removal of which the symptoms disappear. The presence of this secretion at thi s time 
in quantity above no rmal again discloses the extreme of elimination to which the organism is subjected while the function of 
digestion is suspended. Subjects which, before fasting, have suffered from partial deafness, find this defect much aggravated  until 
the removal of the wax is accomplished and congestion is relieved. Types that suffer from extreme congestion of the liver or from obstruction of the upper portion of the small intestines may 
intermittently experience contraction of the muscles of the hands and arms with cr amping pains --the legs are rarely affected. Local 
relief may here be obtained through hand vibration and deep manipulation along the spinal column in its cervical and upper do rsal 
regions. Emaciation in the fast cannot properly be regarded as a symptom p athologic in origin. It is the result of the elimination of toxic 
substances from the system, and there is also a loss occasioned by the use by cell organism, and by brain and nerves, of the 
reserve -pabulum stored in the interstices of tissue. Diminution i n weight due to the latter reason is, however, slight in comparison 
with that arising from toxemic elimination. It may be stated that wasting of the body is usually greater in cases in whom org anic 
atrophy or cirrhosis exists than in those who suffer other wise from disease, but, in a fast, loss of weight is proportionately less in 
the instances referred to than it is in the presence of functional disease or of organic hypertrophy. In his True Science of Living Dr. Edward Hooker Dewey quotes from Yeo's Physiology a table purporting to show the estimated 
loss of the several tissues of the body in instances of starvation. The table follows:  
 
Fat 91% 
Muscle  30% 
Liver  56% 
Spleen  63% 
Blood  17% 
Brain and Nerve Centers  0% 
 
Dr. Dewey terms this table, "Nature's Bill of Fare for the Sick," assuming that, in the absence of ingested food, both in fas ting and 
in starving, the body is supported upon the tissues lost. It is natural and correct to infer that a portion of this missin g material is in 
the circumstances utilized in the maintenance of cell structure, but by far the larger portion of it is purely waste, is matt er that is 
Page 29 of  72 not constructive but pathogenic. As is shown in the chapter dealing with death during fasting, there is  no certainty that the 
proportions given in the table above result in all instances. One point, however, is observed as constant and invariable --the brain 
and the nerve centers with their branches are never reduced in structure nor in quality, notwithstand ing the duration of the period 
of abstinence, unless in themselves they are organically diseased. Delirium in disease is not always to be regarded as an alarming symptom. Temporary conditions of mental aberration apparent i n 
confusion of thought, incoher ency of speech, and, in some instances, unconsciousness, are characteristic of certain constitutions 
whenever body temperature rises above a fixed point. This, possibly, is an inherited tendency, for, on the other hand, there are 
many temperaments who reta in control of the mind in any and all forms of disease, when the brain itself is not the seat of 
disturbance. In the treatment of disease that is functional in origin, it is rarely the case that delirium occurs during a fa st, but, it 
may, and, if it does, its appearance is due to extreme auto -intoxication from waste deposited in the intestinal tract and not 
evacuated with sufficient rapidity. If delirium be present at all, it will occur when the process of elimination is at its he ight, and it 
will cease as suddenly as it began, when the cause of the toxemia has been removed from the bowels. If proper preparation for the 
fast has been observed, this symptom will never appear in cases of purely functional derangement. But it may appear if a fast  is 
broken befo re purification of the system has been attained, or, if the patient is given food in amount beyond the capability of his 
organs to digest, when feeding is resumed at the end of a completed fast. In cases when abstinence from food is forced and 
involuntary,  as for example in shipwreck and mine accident, delirium, if it occur, results from the mental strain attendant upon the 
situation, and it, together with the mortality that may happen, could often be obviated were knowledge of the resources of th e 
human bo dy more general. In organic disease, before a fast or while it endures, delirium may last for some time, and, while its first  
cause is one with that in functional trouble, its persistence is due to defects in organism that prevent elimination. And, ev en th ough 
recovery be possible, these cases are most obstinate in yielding to treatment, since the process of purification is exceeding ly slow 
in accomplishment, while recuperation is similarly delayed. This type of patient requires more care and caution in han dling than 
does any other, for the sufferer, losing faith in the power of nature to overcome the condition, is apt to lose courage as we ll. Resort 
to food and to drugs may be made, and the outcome, doubtful before, is now almost inevitably fatal. When one is confronted by 
this situation, the lesson to be learned is that of recognition of organic limitation, for while the very functioning of an o rgan 
diseased has a tendency to restore that organ to normal action, it must be remembered and emphasized that spe cial function in the 
physical body is capable only of operating within bounds, beyond which lies disaster. A fast properly conducted can never cause delirium nor affect the mental processes other than favorably. Much of insanity is the 
result of congesti on-producing functional disorder, and this sort of mental aberration is ordinarily followed by complete restoration 
to normal reasoning power after a fast more or less protracted in length has been scientifically administered. A general classification of  the symptom of disease that tends towards limiting the appearance of certain signs to certain ailments 
can never be made with accuracy. It is true that the science of medicine labels and catalogues all symptoms, and that it is i ts plan to 
await developmen t before announcing diagnosis. But the science of medicine, neglecting or ignoring cause, seemingly devotes its 
entire attention to the suppression of manifestation, and classification of symptoms upon the basis adopted finds items overl apping 
in such mann er as to make distinction difficult if not impossible. An arrangement of disease forms may, however, be made in a 
general way along lines that are more or less sharply defined. 1. --Ailments purely functional in origin that readily yield to natural treatm ent. In these cases, because of accumulation of waste in 
the digestive tract and in tissue, organs are hampered in function but are in nowise structurally disabled nor in themselves diseased. Here gradual improvement is noted from the beginning of preparat ion for a fast, and recovery is always to be anticipated. 2. --Organic defect in slight degree, occasioning disturbance because of work inefficiently performed by an organ that is partiall y 
disabled. This condition places heavier burdens upon other organs  and functionally unbalances the entire system. During the 
progess of a fast disagreeable symptoms are noted in these cases, and it is possible that full functional power may never be 
restored. However, if structural defect has not reached the degree that denotes inclusion in the class following, and, if care be 
exercised during the time of convalescence, recovery is usually assured. 3. --Organic defect of such degree that the functioning of a vital organ is rendered impossible or nearly so. A gradual decl ine, 
beginning before the fast and continuing with a short interval of relief after entering upon abstinence, is the characteristi c 
indication. Relief noted may be such as to inspire hope of recovery, but, if the condition be as stated, there is no possibi lity of cure. In cases of disease purely functional in character, the fasting patient usually discovers after the first general symptoms di sappear, 
that his strength has apparently increased, and that he is able to attend to ordinary duty without difficu lty and with marvelously 
clear mentality. In other words, with the loss of stimulation due to food poison, disease subsides, and real strength becomes  
manifest. The patient is not less weak nor more strong than at any time during his previous diseased stat e when living under toxic 
stimulation. but the fast has served to uncover his true condition and to demonstrate that a sick man is not of necessity a w eak man. It should now be quite clear to the reader that in disease many or the avenues through which ene rgy is normally released are so 
obstructed by cumulative waste and its effects as partially to prevent the expression of vital force, and that, in the early stages of 
illness, weakness is but inability to assert latent strength. Page 30 of  72  
The subject of food stimu lation has not received the attention that it deserves in any system of therapeutics, for it is always an 
important factor to be considered both in health and in disease. When the body has become accustomed to a dietetic regimen, f ixed 
in quantity and in h ours of ingestion, it strenuously rebels when denied. The system may be greatly overfed; it may slowly be 
poisoning itself through its own indiscretions; yet the omission of a meal puts appetite into action. Given the usual quota, 
metabolism of a sort cont inues until excess proves too heavy a burden to be carried, or some micro -organism finds environment 
suitable for multiplication and growth; then nature calls a halt and attempts correction through her only remedy, disease. Recuperation begins when the acc ustomed stimulus, food, is withdrawn, but the subject is plunged into the depths. Stimulation, so 
long a habit, now seems necessary to counteract the depression caused by deprivation, and to the latter is added fear, engend ered 
by tradition, that nourishme nt is needful to foster strength, and even that death through starvation will shortly occur. Here 
mentality must be called to the rescue, and the will must be asserted in order to avert apprehension and with it the desire t o resume 
the ingestion of food. Careful study of the symptoms of disease, as they occur when either feeding or fasting is the rule, reveals the law through w hich 
nature works to restore a diseased body to health. It may briefly be given as a process of systemic elimination, upon lines o f least 
resistance, of toxin -producing substances retained in the intestinal canal or in tissue. The signs of distress, the symptoms, may 
often be locally relieved by the application of heat, water, sunlight, air, manipulation, or other natural means, but disease can never 
be eradicated through mere suppression of symptom. It must be dealt with at its source; and, despite its variety of expressio n, it has 
but one cause, digestion, with nutrition, inefficiently performed, and but one remedy, systemic elimina tion of the toxins resulting 
therefrom. In the process of treatment outlined in the text frequent examination of the discharges of the body are made. These in connec tion 
with other indications give an index of the progress of systemic purification. Both urine and feces are methodically tested, 
chemically and microscopically, and the nature of the products of elimination is thus determined. In the prior days of fastin g the 
urine is invariably high in color and in specific gravity, and its reaction is usual ly strongly acid, while urea, phosphates and other 
mineral salts, and bilious products are present in abundance. When the first flush of elimination subsides, specific gravity is much 
lowered (it may register below 1. 010), and mineral substances decrease i n quantity. If treatment excluded the daily enemas and 
baths, if it were confined solely to abstinence from food, specific gravity of the urine would at first quickly rise and woul d 
continue to be high in register, but, because of prompt removal of waste f rom the colon by means of the enema, and because of 
dilution of the fluids of the body through absorption of water through the walls of the bowel, density of urine is diminished, hence 
its lighter specific gravity. When purification nears completion, react ion of urine may assume a neutral or even an alkaline 
character, which again will change to slight acid upon resumption of ingestion. Even in the early years of life systematic overloading of the system with food is responsible for high arterial pressure. And the 
supertension of later existence is in large measure preventable through dietetic care in youth and middle age In determining 
systemic condition, tests of blood pressure are valuable, and they should frequently be made during treatment. One of the  salutary 
consequences obtained by means of a fast is that blood pressure, like temperature and pulse, is uniformly brought to normal f or the 
individual. This is an invariable result whether register be lower or higher than average when treatment begins. B ut the same 
notation must again be made that was commented upon when temperature and pulse were under discussion: tabulated average 
register cannot be regarded as fixed for differing organisms, since variations both above and below standard occur that cann ot be 
attributed in every instance to disease. In this, as in other respects, each individual possesses a norm of his own. It may b e stated, 
however, that, when systemic cleansing is accomplished, this norm is usually lower in register than the previous ta bulated 
standard. In the matured body, with but little differences noted as age increases, a general normal in blood pressure ranges about 
120 for the systolic, with about 80 as the diastolic register. This of course supposes the subject to be subsisting u pon non -
stimulative food material. CHAPTER IX  
DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED IN FASTING  
 
DRUGS CAUSE ORGANIC TROUBLES:  
SCIENTISTS QUOTED ON FASTING:  
AUTO -INTOXICATION   
 
ONE of the most serious obstacles to general acceptance of the fast as a therapeutic me asure by both the public and the medical 
profession is the innate subconscious element of fear engendered by orthodox dicta that nourishment must be supplied lest vit ality 
fail. Man must eat, sick or well, "to keep up strength. " The degree to which this co nception is fallacious may be gathered from the 
text; yet very recently medical science has "discovered" the efficacy of "short fasts" in the treatment of diabetes and in th e 
reduction of obesity. Prediction is made that eventually all of the information g athered upon the therapeusis of the fast by those 
who, like the author, have devoted years of service to the task, will be adopted and claimed as original by the dominant cult. It is unfortunate that enthusiasm produced by the beneficial effects of perso nal trial of abstinence from food for the relief of 
Page 31 of  72 disease has caused the recipients of these benefits to rush into print, detailing their experiences and advising other suffer ers to go 
and do likewise. In greater part the articles and books referred to h ave been written by men incompetent of understanding more 
than the mere results obtained in their own individual cases; and the consequences of such ill advised essays into unfamiliar  fields 
are obvious. Regardless of the rationale of the method, and ignor ant of the physiological changes that the administration of a fast 
involves, other inexperienced hands undertake the treatment without guidance, with the result that in many instances harm to the 
patient succeeds, with consequent unmerited adverse criticis m of the method. In the milder instances of functional illness no possible harm can result when food is omitted for one or for several days, p rovided 
the needful aids to elimination are employed. But protracted fasting in the absence of skilful, scientif ic guidance is, as indicated, 
fraught with the probability of injury to one who has the temerity to undertake the experience acting upon his own impulse. If human bodies continued to exist from birth in the usually normal organic condition they then poss ess, the fast applied when 
functional disturbance occurs in all probability would proceed to its logical end without difficulty. But, through constant w rong 
living, through chronic abuse of the vital processes, through lowered muscular tone and consequent impedence of nerve force, and 
through the effects of symptomatic suppression by drug dosage, the average adult acquires defects in organic structure. In infancy, when functional disease develops, a drug is given for the suppression of the symptom, and vi rtually always 
nourishment is supplied. Two errors in treatment are here noted --the administration of a substance reputed to possess properties 
that will remedy, that is, suppress, the symptom leaving the cause of the disturbance to take care of itself; an d the ingestion of food 
by an organism which, because of disease, is incapable of digesting the same. The results are that in many instances the chil dren 
die; in others, functional paralysis of portions of the alimentary tract is caused; in still others, t he resistive powers of the infant are 
such as to permit it to survive, despite both dosage and the administration of food. Yet in the latter event harm rather than  benefit 
derives, and, since the evil is done during the growing period, retardation of organ ic development occurs, and in future years 
disease symptoms arise at the points affected in infancy. Careful observation of thousands of fasting subjects gives proof that a scientifically conducted fast will result in the corr ection of 
all ailments that are functional in cause, but that it can never, either through the effects of itself or of its auxiliaries, wholly 
overcome organic defects. However, the fast will do this --it will uncover the condition of the system, and, if defects or deficiencies 
exist,  it will cause their nature to be clearly displayed. It is in effect an infallible diagnostic expedient. One whose organs are functionally equal to the requirements of elimination undergoes a period of abstinence from food with no  
severe distressing symp toms. And, when unusual manifestations occur, it is virtually certain that in some degree defects in 
organism lie within the body. Post mortem examination of subjects who died while a fast was in progress has given convincing 
evidence upon this point, and it has further demonstrated that in these cases death would have happened whether the patient were 
fasting or feeding. To this may be added the observation that, because of lessened organic labor, life in the instances refer red to 
was for a time prolonged. But there are cases in whom distressing symptoms appear as results of organic deficiency which has not 
yet progressed to an incurable state. These cases may, under proper guidance, hope for relief that may prove permanent. A drug with regard to its effe cts upon the animal body may be said to be any substance that will influence metabolism --the 
continuous process by which living cells undergo chemical change. Hence a drug also influences the functioning of the vital 
organs. According to this definition fo ods, even though they be excellent in quality and reasonable in quantity, react as drugs upon 
the organism. That is to say, food both influences metabolism and the functioning of the vital organs. But food is not necess arily 
poisonous in its effects as are  all substances ordinarily classified as drugs; yet it is easily seen that, if taken in too great quantity, if 
not properly combined, if ingested when hunger is absent or when emotion is aroused, or if it be unwholesome in quality, food  will 
act as poison upon tissue and upon organic function. In like manner substances formed within the body from the process of tissue 
waste may act as do drugs upon living cells. This occurs when elimination is inadequate, and hence arise the auto -toxins, through 
the effects  of which systemic resistance, that is, immunity from disease, is reduced, and the way opened for the large group of so -
called infectious maladies. It cannot be fairly assumed that, upon dissecting a body after death, lesions that are present in any orga n are due solely to previous 
drugging. Where two such agencies as disease and drugs have been simultaneously acting upon a living organism, it is difficul t, in 
the absence of a standard, to decide whether a specific result is due to one, or to the other, o r to both. But it is a significant fact 
that, in every instance of death occurring during a fast as recorded in the writer's experience, each of the subjects, with b ut a single 
exception, had been drugged in early life, and that the effects of this dosage upon vital organs and tissue, as shown in arrested 
development and in structural change, were precisely such as could and would have been caused by an active poison. Preponderance of evidence gathered from the findings of these autopsies makes for the pres ence at some period previous to death 
of some toxic substance, some active noxious agent, that permanently and harmfully affected tissue structure. The constant use of drugs to suppress the symptoms of disease in the growing child not only lowers physica l resistance but it also 
retards the development of the vital organs, which in some instances suffer permanent deformation. Yet, despite this handicap, the 
framework of the body eventually reaches normal adult dimension. The disparity presented by organs i n whole or in part nearly 
Page 32 of  72 infantile in size functioning in a body adult in proportion necessarily causes forms of distress that will assuredly end in c hronic 
disease, since the undersized organs are not equal to the demands made upon them. The process that  is predominant when a fast is 
in progress is that of elimination, and it is easy to understand that, in a body in which, for instance, portions of the inte stinal tract 
are under dimension, or in which one or other of the organs of special function is stru cturally imperfect, the labor of ridding the 
system of accumulated waste is beyond the ability of the organism perfectly to accomplish. Therefore, to the degree in which 
organic defects exist is determined the severity of the struggle with disease. In othe r words, the effort which is being made to east 
out from the body gathered impurity becomes proportionately more difficult when organic imperfections are present. In the 
normally developed adult body chronic disease or drugs may produce like effects, but h ere vital organs are of full dimension, and 
results are shown, not in arrested development, but wholly in structural tissue -change. Whenever, because of organs functionally incapacitated for any reason, the products of food and tissue waste cannot be eva cuated 
through proper channels, general poisoning of the blood stream occurs. The resulting condition is known as auto -intoxication, or 
toxemia, referred to previously as a state of unbalance when both secretion and excretion are checked and the blood is s urcharged 
with waste to the degree of developing a crisis or acute disease. This state gives rise in the subject to manifestations that  may 
become alarming. The brain may be affected to the extent of mild delirium, hiccoughs persistent in character may occ ur, or the 
patient may sink into stupor; and there are other forms which the symptoms may take that will cause distress. In a fast that has 
been correctly approached toxemia so intense in degree can never arise. But if, as happens when inexperienced direct ion is given, 
food is discontinued abruptly, accessories are omitted, and no preparatory period of dieting is observed, symptoms as mention ed 
are apt to be manifested. Even when all essentials are correctly followed, slight toxemia may be present in cases that are fasting, 
when these are sufferers from chronic functional disease or from some structural organic defect. But, if the subject has been  
prepared for the period of abstinence in the manner heretofore described, and, if the hygienic accessories of tr eatment are 
consistently employed, symptoms that are distressing are not likely to occur. The presence of toxins in the body is for the most part attributable to inability of the eliminative organs to perform their work. For 
some cause or other the latte r do not dispose of waste in amount sufficient to balance intake or production. When difficulty is 
encountered in disposing of the refuse produced progressively during a fast, lack of eliminative power is its causation, and this 
arises from nerve force imp eded through impingement of vertebrae, from structural organic defect, from lesions caused by 
previous drugging, or from waste production so extreme that even normal organs are unable to cope with it. The physician who holds the concept that disease and cure are a unity is not at all concerned with the presence or absence of the 
various toxins, nor by the symptoms in evidence, save as they act as indices of the functioning ability of vital organs. If t he latter 
are in normal structural condition, the prod ucts of food in excess of need may interfere with function because of simple congestion, 
which we have seen is easily relieved. But the vital parts of the human body are in many instances structurally defective thr ough 
drug dosage or through food stimulati on, and these organs may in consequence be brought into action only by the administration 
of additional drugs or by further stimulus. Section summary: 

This excerpt discusses various aspects associated with using fasting therapy. Firstly,
*   Food stimuli play crucial roles
    * Habituating plays significance

It highlights:
- Eliminating harmful factors. For your clarity let us know how you want summarization. Would you prefer summaries focused primarily around key concepts. Or concise descriptions centered mainly focusing textual content retention. Please provide feedback. I'll adjust my response accordingly.
Gradually, by lessening the amount of food intake over a period of 10-14 days, followed by the use of a limited amount of light fluid food.
What is the ideal method of approaching a fast, according to the author?
It indicates the beginning of the elimination process and the body's attempt to remove toxic substances.
What is the significance of the coated tongue during a fast?
The author believes that drugs suppress symptoms rather than addressing the underlying cause of the disease and that they can never be a substitute for natural elimination.
What is the author's stance on the use of drugs in treating disease?
The author views food as a stimulant that can lead to the accumulation of toxins and believes that abstinence from food is essential for the body to purify itself and recover.
What is the author's opinion on the role of food in the body?
The author recommends the use of enemas as a means of facilitating the elimination of waste products and promoting the purification process.
What is the author's position on the use of enemas during a fast?