The Wild Foundation defines wilderness as “The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with roads, pipelines or other industrial infrastructure.” Wilderness fasting, which has historically been water-only fasting, is associated with biblical figures, such as Jesus who undertook […]
Fasting Versus Fad Diets
Any time a diet regimen requires consuming only a few types of foods, it runs the risk of becoming a fad diet. The term “fad diet” refers to idiosyncratic diets that promote short-term weight loss and often are suggested as a means of detoxification and improving health. Some fad diets use the word “fast” because […]
Fasting in Traditional Chinese Medicine
In Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), fasting is an essential part of Taoist spiritual and medical traditions. Both TCM and Taoism hold the belief that fasting is the key to attaining superior health and longevity. In TCM, herbal preparations are sometimes used to suppress hunger during fasting as well as for their medicinal value. The tenth […]
Fasting and Spirituality
The act of fasting is an event in a spiritual life. Caroline Myss asserts that if you live a spiritual life, it is inevitable that you will one day be thrown into madness, what Saint John of the Cross called “the dark night of the soul.” According to Myss, all sages have this time of […]