This patient case story is from Dr. Maya Nicole Baylac's website mindyourbody.info
CASE STUDY 1: Tim's testimonial
My 49 day fast (31 days on pure water; 18 on restricted coconut water and pure water)
I am writing this so that anyone considering a long fast (or indeed a short one) might have some idea of the wonders and difficulties ahead. If you read nothing else, remember this: do it; you won't regret it!
I had previously undertaken a couple of short fasts on my own. They had shown me how effective fasting can be in regaining perfect health. But intuitively I knew that I wanted to do a long fast, all the way until my hunger returned, as described in all the classic literature on fasting. I selected Maya's heavenly place in Hawai'i by sheer caprice - I liked her brilliant smile in her photograph on her website. I was so certain that I booked a 90 day stay in advance - the most the US visa people would allow me on short notice.
I was impressed with beautiful Hawai'i, the magical rural retreat centre and the high quality accomodation, and I knew straight away on meeting Maya that she was up to the task. Within a few hours of getting off the 'plane I was basking in hot ponds, crashing ocean surf in the background, fish nibbling at my toes and turtles swimming with us in the crystal aquamarine waters.
I had been on juices for about four days before flying, and had more or less been fasting on the airline, so pretty quickly my fast was underway full force.
Tim's tongue is clearing between week 5 and week 6
There is no real way to describe a fast. Herman Hesse said that the lives of men of action are interesting to relate, but dull to live, while the lives of wasters, idlers and dreamers make terribly drab reading, but for their owners are brimming with unparralleled experiences of inspiration, hope and beauty. Fasting is just like that. Each day was so amazingly different from the previous, so stock full of wonders, but each, in essence, consisted of lying down, drinking water, going to the toilet and sleeping.
I won't relate exactly what happened to me. Nothing that I expected to happen, happened; the things I least expected to happen, did. If you hear my stories, you might expect the same things to happen to you. I can tell you of my tongue's coat changing and parting like the red sea, moles falling off, grey hairs vanishing, warts disappearing, knees and entire leg bones straightening, eyesight going wild then improving, a little toenail appearing for the first time in my life, but I can also tell you of a cyst in my nose remaining, a scar on my cheek unchanged. Who knows what your body will consider its priorities? (And who knows what miracles occurred in my kidneys, my spleen, my prostate, etc., etc.? After all, the body has a lot of nooks and crannnies, and it's clever enough to repair them all, perfectly, in turn and in concert, in a conscious-numbingly fine-tuned web of co-ordinated steps and actions.)
Generally though, I am amazed at the overall rejuvenation that has occurred. My hair and eyes are shining. My brain feels like it is being fed properly (for the first time) - in essence, I am substantially cleverer. I am calmer. I am happier. I am wiser. My skin is as taught as rubber. I sat next to a super-handsome 19 year old Olympic triathelete in the plane home and the stewardess asked if we were brothers as "we looked so alike". (I just had to tell you that.)
I haven't gone into some of the "trials" I went through - not hunger, more mental tribulations, and emotionally suffering. All I can say is that Maya was there, warm and consumately professional, and that I wouldn't change a moment of it.
All I can say is: take action, anything is possible.
