Fasting is not
starving. To fast is to go without food when the body is in such
condition that food can not be properly digested and assimilated. To
starve is to go without food when the body is in condition to digest and
assimilate food and needs nourishment.
It is quite generally believed that if food is withheld for six or seven
days the result will be fatal. Under proper conditions one can go
without food for two or three months. Perhaps most people could not do
without food for the latter period, but fasts of that duration are on
record. Fat people can live on their tissues for a long time before they
are reduced to normal weight, and slender ones can live on water for an
extended period.
Prolonged fasts should not be taken unless necessary, and then they
should be taken under the guidance of someone who has had experience and
is possessed of common sense. If a person is fearful or surrounded by
others who instill fear into him, he should not take a prolonged fast.
The gravest danger during the fast is fear. It takes many weeks to die
from lack of food, but fear is capable of killing in a few days, or even
in a few hours. The healer who undertakes to direct fasts against the
wishes of the patient's friends and relatives, who have more influence
than he has, injures himself professionally and throws doubt upon the
valuable therapeutic measure he advocates.
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