Health Notes

Hutt News, Volume 16, Issue 38, 17 March 1943, Page 6

Health Notes

Bjr H. K. & D. W. Adamaon, (Osteopaths). Having endeavoured in the previous two issues of this column to remove some of the misconceptions which still' persist in the minds of many regarding fasting> we shall npw give a brief outline of the procedure to be followed in conducting this greatest of all health restorers. You are feeling off colour. Nothing definite wrong perhaps, but you have been resorting to picking at your food or seeking more appetising dishes to coax yourself into eating more heartily. On the other hand, you may . have developed or "caught" a rattling good dose of the !'flu" or an acute bout of gastritis, ionsilitis or some other itis. It does not matter which, but it indicates that your system is in need of a spring cleaning or "tonic" as you yourself may express it. Now, do not run off to your medicine chest with the mistaken idea that the swallowing of small doses of poison to add to the accumlated amounts •already present in your system is going to help you one iota; it won't. But there is no need to go over all that again. You are going to fast for a period of say from three to five days. Five days is generally suffiicient to eradicate the most severe of th acute disorders you are likely to contract. So you refrain from the eating of aolid foods, but you consume large amounts of water and some fruit and vegetable juice or both. There must be no half measures about the amount of water you drink. When you arise in the morning, drink fully a quart of warm water during the next twenty minutes or half hour. Then at regular intervals throughout the day, say, every hour, drinlc another pint. Warm water is preferable, though there is no objection to talcing it cold providing you are of a robust type and you prefer it that way. Warm water is more 'quickly absorbed into the blood stream however, and should always toe taken by delicately constituted people, or when in doubt. The fruit or vegetable juice (or both) is best taken along witli the water in a greatly diluted form. The minimum amount daily should be equivalent to the juice of two lemons or oranges or that contained in two to four tomatoes or peaches. If vegetable juice is preferred or indi-

caiea, cnoose parsiey or carrot which, if no juice extractor is available, should be finely chopped or shredded and then made into a broth by boiling quickly for a few minutes with a lid on the pot. As elimination is the principle feature of the fast, a daily enema is essential, and patients will be surprised at the quantity of excreta passed with this assistance. Although great car 6 and special precautions must be taken on resum ing eating after a prolonged fast, this is not so important following a fast of three or five days only. Nevertheless, it is essential to restrict the amount of solids to small amounts at each meal for the next day or so and to chew every mouthful to an absolute liquid before swallowing—a necessity at all times. Make these short a habit every time you are oil colour.