My mom brought me up as a muslim child and instead of telling me all the pros and cons of our religion she always used to get stuck on pros’’.
Those kiddish never ending silly questions thrown at her by me were always a headache for her and she always used to hesitate in answering few of those doubts. Heading towards my dad ,, that great personality was least bothered as ever.
These silly doubts became malignant as I turned into an adult and they never let my brain to shutdown even when I am sleeping.Out of so many doubts one--- ‘’’WHY AM I FASTING FOR 1 FULL MONTH AND ALLOWED TO HOG FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR’’???
Tried to find out tits-n-bits from Holy Quran, Bukhari Sharief,Holy vedas, books related to Jainism,Buddhism, Human physiology, Human biochemistry and gini of alladin---GOOGLE
When I compiled everything I got satisfying answers why Dawn to Dusk fasting is the best and other ways of fasting worsen one’s health by one way or the other.
Fasting is more of a religious term used in almost all religions on earth and we need to differentiate it from starving Fasting does not mean starving. One should not collapse and die by starving and giving it the name of fasting.I am quite sure that our creator does not want us to loose our precious life this way.
The question arises how to differentiate between fasting and starving then????
A real hunger is always revived after the internal cleaning process of the body is completed. This indicates the deadline of fasting, when fasting concludes - starvation begins. You will know this state by the first tinge of saliva on your palate and a clearing of the coating on the tongue.In some cases, however, accumulated toxins will enter the bloodstream, causing the faster to feel a slight weakness. There may also be a deepening in the colour of urine, occasional nausea, vomiting, low-grade fever and a coating of the tongue all signs of toxins being evicted and the body being cleansed. Hence they are no cause for concern.
UNDERSTANDING PHYSIOLOGY BEHIND FASTING
As we all know Food is needed by the body to provide energy for immediate use
This is done by burning up carbohydrates, that is, sugar
Excess of carbohydrates which cannot be used are stored up as fat tissue in the muscles and as glycogen in the liver for future use.
Insulin, a hormone from the pancreas, lowers blood sugar and diverts it to other forms of energy storage, that is, glycogen
. To be effective, insulin has to be bound to binding sites called receptors
. Obese people lack receptors. Therefore, they cannot utilize their insulin. This may lead to glucose intolerance.
When one fasts (or decreases carbohydrate intake drastically), it lowers one's blood glucose and insulin level. This causes a breakdown of glycogen from the liver to provide glucose for energy needs and break-down of fat from adipose tissue to provide for energy needs
. On the basis of human physiology described above, semi-starvation (ketogenic diets)[DAWN to DUSK fasting] have been devised as the best way of fasting
These diets provide a calculated amount of protein in divided doses with plenty of water, multivitamins, etc. These effectively lower weight and blood sugar.
Understanding this basic process of human physiology one can easily make out the best way of fasting as follows
Religious way of fasting should have no adverse effects of starving as well as so-called crash diets. My way of fasting is different from such diet plans because in Ramadan fasting, there is no malnutrition or inadequate calorie intake. The caloric intake of Muslims during Ramadan is at or slightly below the national requirement guidelines. In addition, the fasting in Ramadan is voluntarily taken and is not a prescribed imposition from the physician.
Ramadan is a month of self-regulation and self-training, with the hope that this training will last beyond the end of Ramadan. If the lessons learned during Ramadan, whether in terms of dietary intake or righteousness, are carried on after Ramadan, it is beneficial for one’s entire life. Moreover, the type of food taken during Ramadan does not have any selective criteria of crash diets such as those which are protein only or fruit only type diets. Everything that is permissible is taken in moderate quantities.
The only difference between Ramadan and fasting in other religions is the timing of the food; During Ramadan, we basically miss lunch and take an early breakfast and do not eat until dusk. Abstinence from water during this period is not bad at all and in fact, it causes concentration of all fluids within the body, producing slight dehydration. The body has its own water conservation mechanism; in fact, it has been shown that slight dehydration and water conservation, at least in plant life, improve their longevity
BENEFITS OF FASTING IN AN ISLAMIC WAY
The process of decomposing and eliminating waste toxic materials by means of Islamic fasting can improve or even cure the diseases such as : cardiovascular and circulatory diseases, diseases of digestive system, diseases of the locomotor system including rheumatism, respiratory system diseases including asthma, and the early stage of malignant diseases like cancer.
1-All mucus diseases such as colds, flu, asthma, hay fever, sinus and bronchial troubles are rapidly dissolved and eliminated from the body, leaving the user free from the varied allergies which cause difficult breathing and clogging of the sinus cavities
2-The types of diseases that are a result of calcium deposits in the joints, muscles, cells, and glands are readily dissolved and removed from the body. Cholesterol deposits in the arteries and veins also respond to the cleansing power of fasting
3-Fasting can be used to normalize our weight. As our common sense says, weight reduction is achieved by fasting, along with other health benefits. There are many diet programs using an unbalanced diet that can be dangerous for our health. Fasting is a natural way to normalize our body weight.
4-Fasting dissolves all unnecessary and unnatural fat deposits all over the body and the body is relieved of a tremendous burden.
5-When we fast for a few days, the stomach shrinks to its normal size and the hungry feeling gradually fades away. When we go back to the normal diet, we won’t have exaggerated hunger and won’t overeat .
6- The physiological effect of fasting includes lower of blood sugar, lowering of cholesterol and lowering of the systolic blood pressure. In fact, Ramadan fasting would be an ideal recommendation for treatment of mild to moderate, stable, non-insulin diabetes, obesity and essential hypertension. In 1994 the first International Congress on "Health and Ramadan," held in Casablanca, entered 50 research papers from all over the world, from Muslim and non-Muslim researchers who have done extensive studies on the medical ethics of fasting. While improvement in many medical conditions was noted; however, in no way did fasting worsen any patients’ health or baseline medical condition. On the other hand, patients who are suffering from severe diseases, whether diabetes or coronary artery disease, kidney stones, etc., are exempt from fasting and should not try to fast.
7-As metabolism is improved through fasting, the body recuperates the capability to assimilate proteins, fats, carbohydrates, starches, sugars, minerals, vitamins and all other essential nutrients necessary because all organs work properly after fasting.
8-The human body uses the skin as a secondary eliminative organ. Because conditions such as boils, abscesses, carbuncles, and pimples are the body’s effort to eliminate poisons, skin problems also disappear as the rest of the body is cleansed (Burroughs, 1976).
9-The stomach, intestines and colon are given a complete rest by the fast and are enabled to repair damaged structures. Piles, proctitis, colitis, appendicitis, enteritis, enteric fever (typhoid), gastritis, etc., speedily recover under the fast. The alimentary tract becomes practically free of bacteria during a fast. The small intestines become sterile.
10- It renew cells, in other words, those who fast look younger than those who don’t. Amazingly, when someone looks at the face of a 40-year-old Muslim woman who reared eight children, they might think she is under 30.
Obviously, this is due mainly to fasting.
Finally, fasting can help people to break addictions to harmful substances: tobacco, drugs, alcohol, tea, coffee, and other habit-forming beverages. Fasting leads our body to get rid of stored poisons, including addictive substances, and we lose our craving and tolerance for them. Thus after fasting we will feel nausea or sometimes have attacks of vomiting, “nature’s purge” if taking addictive substances. :strong:
There are psychological effects of fasting as well. There is a peace and tranquility for those who fast during the month of Ramadan. Personal hostility is at a minimum, and the crime rate decreases. ... This psychological improvement could be related to better stabilization of blood glucose during fasting as hypoglycemia after eating, aggravates behavior changes.
FASTING AND MYSELF(UNDERWEIGHT)
Surprisingly enough, fasting programs can be used for underweight people who cannot gain weight even if they stuff themselves with many fattening foods. The cause of both overweight and underweight is a nutritionally unbalanced diet. “People are not nourished in proportion to amount of food they eat, but in proportion to how much they digest and assimilate” (Bragg & Bragg, 1999, p120). Thus what underweight people need is exactly what overweight people need revitalizing the digestive and assimilative systems to work efficiently
FASTING IN A NON ISLAMIC WAY {Fasting which lasts more than dawn to dusk period}
The hazards of fasting can be intensified if you have long periods of abstinence from water or liquids, as in water fast.
You are sure to lose weight resulting in nutritional deficiencies, a feeling of weakness, and can suffer muscle cramps due to mineral deficits such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.
Your blood pressure could drop, leading to fainting spells especially when you try to sit up or stand after lying down.
Your uric acid levels may rise, causing severe attacks of gout or a uric acid kidney stone.
Some people have experienced hormonal changes, with the thyroid hormone level falling, but rising again due to protein-sparing ketosis. However, female hormone levels fall, due to protein malnutrition, due to a loss of menstrual flow.
Cardiac problems occur very easily as do deaths due to serious ventricular arrhythmias, experienced usually during long water fasts.
To wrap up I must confess that now onwards I will fast not because it has been ordained to me by my religion but for medical benefits also.
And a very special thanks to my mom who knowingly or unknowingly showed me the right path.
ANYBODY WHO WISHES ME TO MAKE ANY ADDITIONS OR DEPLETION IS MOST WELCOME TO SHARE HIS/HER THOUGHTS.
Thanks everyone
Dr Azhar Chisti