Hi All,
Just a few comments about fasting, and the cleansing that occurs. I do a short fast of 3 to 4 days every year. But, what I would like to present is about when I first did a healing fast, which was a number of years ago. But, I still remember it. I actually didn't do it for body cleansing at the time. I did it to know that I could do it.
My first fast was a 5 day fast. The reason for that is that I knew I had to get past the 3 day point. What I mean by that is that the first 2 days are the hardest, and the 3rd day there is an internal change that occurs, both physically and mentally.
You see, the body is used to recieving food on a regular 'schedule' and in it's internal knowledge 'expects' feeding at regular intervals, and actually prepares to process what you ingest. So, the body will give you signals when it is time to eat (on it's regular schedule). So, you need to learn to accept that you are going to get these signals, and also have the courage and fortitude to ignore them while on the fast.
Now, why is getting past the 3 days an important factor? Well, lets use an analogy here, perhaps it will help. Let's say that there is a company (analogous to you) that is not getting the revenue, the income that it requires to continue running at it's regular company status (analogous to you not getting food). Well, the executives of the company (your inner knowledge) says, guys we have to cut back, we have to let some people go, and eliminate some of our inventory (intentory analogous to toxins stored in the tissues of the body). Of course they try not do do this for a period of time (i.e. analogous to the distress for the first 3 days), but then they decide they need to cut down. After the decision is made for the change in company policy (analogous to the body deciding to cut down on energy expending, and starting to eliminate toxins), the changes are executed and the company starts eliminating un-necessary people and inventories. They continue to check on the status of the company (i.e. your body checks on what is going on and you will get a healing crisis about every 3 days), and will eliminate as required to sustain it self (i.e. elimination of toxins).
You see your body will start pulling toxins out of your muscles and flesh, and dumping them into the blood stream, so that they can be eliminated. That is why you feel so lousy during the cleansing! Of course you don't feel lousy all the time, only during the cleansing crisis.
Now, what I didn't mention earlier, was that my first fast was strickly a water fast. I only drank water, no juices. Juices are cleansing, but sometimes can cause cleansing to rapidly on a fast longer than 3 days.
Since, I am trying to tell of my experience, and how I thought about it, here is something interesting. I had thought of stopping the fast at the 2nd day, but I chose not to because I had made the decision to go past the 3 days. Half way through the 3rd day, I was feeling really good. And my thoughts were as follows. "You know, I haven't eaten for 3 days, and I am not dead! In fact I feel good! And, I'm really not hungry." That was a mental elation for me, and a feeling of great accomplishment. I learned there is a difference between wanting to 'taste' something because of habit, and being hungry, which is a very specific state. Incidently, I did do personal
colonics during my fasting.
I did experience weakness prior to each of the the healing crisis that you experience during fasts. The healing crisis will come, about every 3 days. What will you experience? Well, that varies with the person and the present physical state. For me, my first symptom was bad breath, and I mean bad breath, I could probably have knocked you over with it from 5 feet away. Another was dark urine. Drinking absolutely clear fresh water yet you still urinate and may be dark, and you deficate (getting rid of un-necessary toxin garbage). The longest fast I have been on was ten (10) days on water alone. I was also working daily at the time I was on the fast.
The body on a fast will use all avenues to get rid of toxins in the body. It will use exhalation, persperation, urination, defacation, expectoration to rid itself of anything the is not good for the body. So, you may experience a number of different symptoms, during the fast, depending upon the length of the fast.
I still fast, but I do it only once or twice a year. I feel it gave me a great deal of self knowledge, confidence, and improved my overall health.
Hope this has been informational to you, and encouraging to you also. I hope you give it a shot too!