Conscious Eating Part 11

We can apply this holistic treatment model to the wide variety of aspects of the addictive-brain syndrome. I would like to choose depression, alcoholism, and eating disorders to ill.u.s.trate how the model works.

Holistic Addictive-Brain Approach to Depression.

DEPRESSION is A MAJOR PROBLEM IN THE US. More than forty million people are depressed and about fifteen million are clinically depressed. That means there are millions who have lost their ability to fully enjoy life. Using a holistic approach for the treatment of depression, one thing is sure-physiological deficiency causing depression cannot be remedied by Prozac or even the herb St. John's Wort. St. John's Wort inhibits serotonin breakdown and enhances serotonin receptor-site activity. The herbal action of St. John's Wort enhances serotonin levels by artificially keeping the inter-neuronal levels high like Prozac does, but without the side effects of Prozac. Neither substance speaks directly to the core of the problem, although either may ameliorate it.

My approach to depression is holistic in that I look at all the contributing factors. A red flag goes up if the person has a parental history of drug or alcohol usage or any mental or emotional disorder, especially depression. There is a very high correlation between such a history and neurotransmitter deficiencies. Sometimes the parents' neurotransmitter-deficiency patterns are identical to the children's. I ask about the prenatal nutrition and the postpartum status of the mother. If there is a history of postpartum depression in the person's mother or in the person I am seeing, I think about general nutritional deficits, particularly DHA and other omega-3 or omega-6 EFA depletions. I look for nutritional deficiencies in general, and vitamins B12, B3, B6, and folate acid in particular. Any of these can be a contributing factor to depression.

Certain medical conditions may also contribute to or even be a primary cause of depression, such as iron deficiency anemia, hypoglycemia, diabetes, heavy metal toxicity, hypothyroidism, allergies to food or the environment, PMS, post-viral flu syndrome, chronic fatigue, extended postpartum syndrome (more fully explained in Chapter 30, "Nutrition for Pregnancy"), post-hepat.i.tis, and heart and lung diseases. Certain drugs can cause depression, including beta-blockers, anti-hypertensives in general, anti-inflammatory drugs, birth control pills, and excessive use of sedatives, tranquilizers, alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, and anti-histamines.

I also apply the principles discussed in Chapter 3, "A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Personalizing Your Diet," creating an optimal brain blood pH of 746 by means of diet. It is amazing how dramatically fast a depression may disappear by simply changing a person's diet from a fast-oxidizer high-protein diet to a slow-oxidizer high-carbohydrate diet (or vice versa) to achieve optimal brain cell energetic metabolism and pH. To this dietary change I add the synergistic mix of amino acid neurotransmitter precursors to build or rebuild neurotransmitter function in the brain.

Exercise and lifestyle changes are extremely important. Research shows that exercise alone can give relief from depression in 80% of cases. In comparison, Prozac has about a 65 to 70% success rate. The underlying supportive matrix to the whole program is the lover's electron diet and way of life. I discuss this in detail at the end of this chapter; it is effective in raising the general endorphin level. Once the whole program is in place on the physical level, I examine the emotional and psychospiritual issues that may be involved in the depression. I wait on this approach because it amazes me how many depressions clear when the physiological approach is applied. Sometimes, however, I will start with an emotional approach when it is obvious to me (as a psychiatrist with a deep background in family dynamics and transpersonal psychology) that psychospiritual issues are the predominant ones to be addressed. My success rate with this approach to depression is greater than 90%.

Addictive-Brain Model Applied to Alcoholism.

THE APPROACH TO ALCOHOL PROBLEMS is similar to that of depression. The prime issue is that alcoholics are not producing enough opioids and other neurotransmitters to keep their pleasure centers sufficiently activated. People lose their cravings for alcohol or never develop them when their endorphin receptors are filled with their own natural endogenous opiates. Alcohol is used in an effort to create a feeling of well-being. The traditional twelve-step programs are a great support to sober alcoholics, yet we find that the suicide rate among sober alcoholics and active alcoholics is about the same, and the mortality rate among treated and untreated alcoholics is about three times higher than the general population. One reason for this is that sober alcoholics continue to suffer from the causes that initially brought them to alcohol, such as depression, a sense of not feeling right, anxiety, insomnia, irritability, and a lack of joy. Their sobriety, of course, protects them from the disaster of chronic alcoholism, but not from the pain of these other issues.

As mentioned, alcohol activates poorly functioning pleasure centers and gives a sense of joy and well-being. The prime mechanism for this is the conversion of ethanol into acetylaldehydes and then TIQs. These TIQs activate the opiate receptor sites and create a synthetic euphoria. They actually interfere with the normal binding of the endogenous opiates. Long-term natural endorphin production is inhibited in two ways: The filling of the opiate receptor sites by the TIQs creates a feedback signal that no new opioids need to be produced by the pre-synaptic neuron. These TIQs then stimulate the production of enkephalinase, which further breaks down the natural endorphin supply. The individual becomes more and more dependent on alcohol for a sense of well-being.

Alcohol induces dopamine release on an acute basis, but the chronic use of alcohol leads to a decrease in dopamine content in the brain tissue. Low serotonin is a common finding of mine. This is supported by research which shows that chronic alcohol use decreases hypothalamic serotonin output in rodents. This is further supported by the observation in humans that a decreased tryptophan, which is a precursor of serotonin, has been linked with blackouts. A low serotonin level or dysfunctional serotonin level has been linked to decreased enkephalin utilization and release in rat studies.

Alcohol also affects GABA function. Short-term use of alcohol stimulates GABA activity and transmission in the brain, but as with dopamine, chronic alcohol use diminishes GABA function. It decreases GABA binding and reduces the firing of GABA neurons in the substantia nigra part of the brain. This in turn stimulates the release of dopamine from the substantia nigra. During the withdrawal period of early recovery, there is an increase in the delta-enkephalinergic receptors, potentially leading to a supersensitivity response in the opioid receptors. This may explain the protracted and increased sensitivity to alcohol during the recovery period. It is essential that alcohol not be consumed during this recovery time.

A primary part of the treatment of chronic alcoholism is to increase the endorphin levels, repair the neurotransmitter pathways, replace essential mineral and vitamin co-factors, and increase the EFA levels (especially the DHA), which are depleted by alcohol usage. The treatment for the amino acid neurotransmitter precursors usually involves almost all of the precursors. DL-phenylalanine is particularly important because the D-phenylala-nine blocks the breakdown activity of the enkephalinases and thus indirectly raises the endorphin level. The L-phenylalanine increases the amount of dopamine and norepinephrine in the system and also increases the amount of dopamine receptors.

Additional treatment involves replacing all the nutritional deficiencies caused by chronic alcohol intake, with special focus on the B vitamins and zinc. Hypoglycemia exists in about 88% of alcoholics and must also be addressed. A certain number of alcoholics have a gene defect for the conversion of essential fatty acids to prostaglandin-1 (PGE1). It appears mostly in those from Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands. PGE1 has specific anti-depressant effects. Alcohol helps this conversion take place and thereby treats the depression. The problem is that these people do not absorb the EFAs well, thus with chronic alcohol use they become deficient in EFAs because the conversion is happening faster than the raw material of EFAs can supply. The gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) in omega-6 EFA (can be found in primrose oil) is helpful in solving this problem. One study in Scotland involving two groups with this defect-both with a 50% lower than average EFA-showed an 83% success rate in sobriety when given primrose oil versus 28% with the control group.

Allergies are another consideration in alcoholics. Seventy-three percent of alcoholics have allergies, especially to wheat, dairy, rye, potatoes, and grapes, because most alcohols are made from these five items. Fifty-five percent have environmental allergies, especially to gasoline, plastics, paints, and art supplies. When such people are exposed to these allergens there is a tendency to drink alcohol as a way to cope with the allergies.

In summary, my approach at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center has four parts. The first is to avoid detrimental substances such as alcohol, drugs, sugar, nicotine, and caffeine. The second is to build up endorphins and rectify neurotransmitter deficiencies that are genetically present or environmentally caused by intake of alcohol and drugs, and exposure to environmental toxins and allergens. Third is to replace all nutritional deficiencies and treat any other disorders directly related to alcohol intake, such as hypoglycemia and Candida albicans, which loves to grow on alcohol. Usually the whole endocrine system needs to be built up. Most of my work is with alcoholics who have already stopped using alcohol for several weeks, months, or years and want to go to the next level of repair. I do some work with alcoholics who have just stopped the alcohol. The Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center is not an acute alcohol detox center. It is for people who want to take the next step in freedom from their addictions. The fourth component is the psy-chospiritual support and healing every person seems to need.

One of the most important aspects of psychospiritual support is introducing people to the lover's electron diet and way of life with practical on-site training in all aspects. I recommend the traditional Twelve-Step programs when a person returns home until that person is grounded in the new lifestyle and no longer feels cravings or depression.

The results when compared to traditional programs which use no nutritional input and often allow people to continue on cigarettes, white sugar and flour, coffee, and other junk foods are quite impressive. One study reported in Seven Weeks to Sobrietyby Joan Matthews Larson, Ph.D., showed that 92% of alcoholics treated by a primarily nutritional, supplement, and neurotransmittor-building approach were abstinent after six months and 74% remained abstinent three and one-half years later. These are outstanding results. To put this in perspective, a review of 617 alcohol-treatment programs showed the average abstinence rate at one year to be only 25%. This is the same rate for people who quit without using any program. In one 1980 study, 922 men in a traditional treatment program were followed for four years. After six months 28% remained abstinent, 21% were abstinent at one year, and at four years only 7% remained abstinent. This is essentially one-tenth as effective as the nutritionally based program.

The results using the nutritional approach are impressive for other drugs as well. One study showed a significant difference in dropout rate for cocaine addicts-from 37.5% to 4.2%-when people were using this neurotrans-mitter approach only. This is about nine times more effective than non-nutritional approaches. In another study incorporating a control group of addicts, there was a four-times-greater relapse rate among those not treated with the neurotransmitters. By applying the neurotransmitter approach and some nutritional supplementation, one study showed that 50% of ADHD patients received enough relief to stop all medication.

Addictive-Brain Model and Eating Disorders.

EATING DISORDERS ARE THE MOST COMPLEX TO UNDERSTAND. Food has many psychospiritual meanings that need to be directly addressed. The general approach is to screen for conditions described in the above discussion of depression and alcoholism, such as hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism, allergies, and candida. My impression is that the general mechanism is approximately the same as depression and alcohol abuse. In one study, histories of people with eating disorders include a history of family obesity in 70% of the females and 56% of the males. In the same study, about 50% of the people had a family history of chemical dependencies. The same type of mechanisms that result in craving alcohol and other drugs secondary to neurotransmitter and opioid neurotransmitter deficits seem to be at play. The main neurotransmitters involved in eating behavior include dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, serotonin, and GABA. There is also an interplay of the pancreatic polypeptides, opioids, and various gut and brain pep-tides. Norepinephrine, GABA, the opioids, neuropeptide Y and peptide Y, and galanin will stimulate appet.i.te. Dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, cholecystokinin-8, neurotiensin, calcitonin, glucagon, and corticotrophin-releasing factor are a.s.sociated with decreasing appet.i.te. Each of these may stimulate or decrease a certain appet.i.te. For example, chronic stimulation of norepinephrine and neuropeptide Y can stimulate carbohydrate craving. If the dopamine receptors are blocked, protein craving is increased. Serotonin suppresses carbohydrate cravings.

My general approach is to individualize the diet according to the principles suggested in Chapter 3, "A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Personalizing Your Diet" and to individually build up the deficient neurotransmitters and opioids. Glutamine, tryptophan, 5-hydroxytryptophan, and DL-phenylalanine are particularly important. Removing all allergic foods from the diet and treating the commonly found hypoglycemia and candida are also important, along with proper bowel cleaning and repair of the digestive system, including treatment of dysbiosis or bacterial imbalance in the bowel. Many people with eating disorders suffer from permeable bowel syndrome in which the bowel is inflamed and foods pa.s.s through only partially digested. Often people need digestive enzyme supplementation because they are not digesting the foods they are ingesting. In addition, the best results occur when people begin a live-food diet, exercise, change their lifestyle, and begin to live the lover's electron diet and way of life.

Lover's Electron Diet and Way of Life.

THE LOVER'S ELECTRON DIET AND WAY OF LIFE is a way of living in the world in which one is filled with love for the self others, the living organism of the Earth, and the radiant infinite. It is a way of being in the world in which our body, mind, and spirit are in a state of inner and outer peace and love. It is a conscious way of living that co-creates optimal health, aliveness, compa.s.sion, creative self-expression, and joy. It is a way in which we find our own holy rhythm and live it; a way in which we are free from all addictions and free to explore the path of our hearts. It is a diet and way of life that optimally activates our natural endorphins and opiate receptors, while building, repairing, and maintaining all our neurotransmitters at the highest level.

As you proceed further into this book you will understand the meaning of the electron diet, which is a live-food diet. A high-electron diet is what we get when we consume a minimum of 80% live food. Eaten in the right amounts and ratios for your dietary type, this can create a feeling of well-being and lightness that helps bring a feeling of love to the body, mind, spirit, and total life. It creates an endorphin-high feeling all day long and increases the experience of the flow of cosmic energy in our lives so we feel it in a palpable and blissful way in every cell of our body.

This way of life includes meditation, regular yoga, breathing exercises, and about one-half hour or more of moderate aerobic exercise like fast walking and joyous dance five to six times per week. All these ways of living enhance the endorphin release and activation in our body-mind complex on a regular basis. I have clients who come with deficient neurotransmitters and opioid levels in their systems who, on the lover's electron diet and way of life alone, are able to create enough endorphin activation that the addictions fade and love returns to their lives. When they add a total neurotransmitter, opioid, and nutrient support program, they are consistently maintained in the experience of well-being and love.

The lover's way of life is a process of opening up to your full beingness. It involves a s.h.i.+ft in consciousness about who and what you are and what the world you live in is. It is a waking up to a new level of awareness and joy. It is something both spontaneously achieved and involving a period of training and preparation. It is the cornerstone of my work in conscious eating and living at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center.

Preview of Chapter 10.

FASTING IS ONE OF THE OLDEST FORMS OF CONSCIOUS EATING. Instead of eating material food, one switches over to the nectar of the Divine energy. Fasting is an integral part of the Judaic-Christian tradition, including the forty-day fasts of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. It is mentioned seventy-four times in the Bible. In this chapter the reader is introduced to the physiology of fasting as well as its health and spiritual aspects.

I. Spiritual fasting is found in many religious traditions II. Health aspects A. Benefits B. Who should not fast C. Removing the toxic load in the cells.

D. A way to find real dietary needs.

III. Safety of fasting.

IV. Juice fasting.

Fasting Feeds the Spirit.

SPIRITUAL FASTING is CONDUCIVE TO REST and rejuvenation on every level of mind, body, and spirit. It allows our physical bodies to turn to the a.s.similation of Divine or cosmic energy rather than biochemical energy.

In The Essene Gospel of Peace, Book One (p. 41), Jesus talks about fasting one day a week and makes this point quite beautifully: On the seventh day eat not any earthly food, but live only on the words of G.o.d, and be all the day with the Angels of the Lord in the kingdom of the Heavenly Father ... let the Angels of G.o.d build the Kingdom of the heavens in your body ... and let not food trouble the work of the Angels in your body.

Because fasting accelerates purification of the body, it enhances the movement of all levels of energy in the body, including the spiritualizing energy. Through repeated fasting, one becomes a clearer receptacle for the a.s.similation of G.o.d's energy into the system. One spiritualizing effect of the fast is that the more we are in touch with the Divine energy, the easier it is for us to be motivated to live in a way that will continue to enhance spiritual development. According to respected teacher Paramahansa Yoga-nanda: Fasting is one of the great ways of approaching G.o.d: it releases the life force from enslavement to food, showing you that it is G.o.d who really sustains the life in your body When one fasts for spiritual purposes, one goes beyond simply stopping food intake and resting from worldly responsibilities-ideally one withdraws from everything that is toxic to the mind, body, and spirit. After the first few days of a fast, the appet.i.te usually fades and one's attachment to food diminishes. In this larger, biospiritual context, the mind becomes free to merge into higher states of G.o.d communion. Fasting is supportive to anyone's spiritual life because until one reaches a certain level of spiritual development, the desires of the body-mind complex are often stronger than the desire for G.o.d communion. Because of these and other beneficial effects of spiritual fasting, many of the great spiritual teachers fasted, including Moses, Jesus, Elijah, Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Hippocrates, Zarathustra, Confucius, Leonardo da Vinci, Gandhi, and the Essenes; some were known for doing yearly forty-day fasts. The forty-day fast was also practiced by Plato, Aristotle, and Pythagoras. Pythagoras actually required his disciples to fast for forty days before he would initiate them into the mysteries of his teachings. He felt that only through the power of a forty-day fast could the minds of his disciples be sufficiently purified to understand the profound teaching of the mysteries of life. In more recent history, Mahatma Gandhi told people to fast and purify their bodies, and regardless of their circ.u.mstances, they would find peace and joy on Earth. Gandhi is quoted as saying: Fasting will bring spiritual rebirth ... the light of the world will illuminate you when you fast and purify yourself.

Jesus also advocated fasting for physical, mental, and spiritual transformation. In The Essene Gospel of Peace, Book One (p. 14) he teaches: ...the word and power of G.o.d will not enter into you, because all manner of abominations have their dwelling in your body and your spirit; for the body is the temple of the spirit, and the spirit is the temple of G.o.d. Purify, therefore, the temple that the Lord of the temple may dwell therein and occupy a place that is worthy of him.... Renew yourselves and fast. For I tell you truly that Satan and his plagues may only be cast out by fasting and prayer [also written in Mark 9:29]. Go by yourself and fast alone.... The living G.o.d shall see it and great will be your reward. And fast til Beelzebub and all his evil spirits depart from you, and all the angels of our earthly Mother come and serve you [harmony with nature]. For I tell you truly except you fast, you shall never be free from the power of Satan and all the diseases that come from Satan. Fast and pray fervently, seeking the power of the living G.o.d for your healing.

Effect of Fasting on the Vital Force.

FASTING HAS A POWERFUL EFFECT ON THE BODY as well as the spirit. It allows the vital force within to rebuild and recharge. Overall mind-body organization is increased with fasting. It is this curative force which throws off the acc.u.mulated toxins, clears the dead cells, and rebalances and rejuvenates the body. Hippocrates said: Everyone has a doctor in him, we just need to help him in his work.

According to American health teacher and author of The Miracle of Fasting Paul Bragg, who was a great tower of natural, healthy living in the world: The greatest discovery by modern man is the power to rejuvenate himself physically, mentally, and spiritually with rational fasting.

Most people can receive benefit from fasting. The exceptions are those people more than ten pounds underweight, those with severe wasting diseases such as neurological degenerative diseases and certain cancers, and pregnant and lactating women. Diabetics should have medical supervision. I generally do not recommend that people with severe hypoglycemia fast until their hypoglycemia has been stabilized, but even hypoglycemics can fast under supervision. Prolonged fasting has completely healed some people with hypoglycemia.

Fasting has been known to alleviate many diseases. It has withstood the test of time for more than 5000 years as the one sure and healthy way to lose weight. My experience with weight loss is that periodic fasting is extremely effective over time when alternated with a progressively lighter raw-food diet or simply fruits and vegetables. Raw food is excellent in helping people lose weight because it gives more utilizable nutrients with less volume of food intake. The high enzyme content of the raw food helps with a.s.similation, and there are no detrimental heated fats. A single fast is not nearly as effective as repeated fasts because the latter helps the person adjust to a progressively lighter food intake after the fast, as well as helps in becoming accustomed to a new set point in health. The periodicity over time allows the person to gently reprogram the body and mind to a new relations.h.i.+p and experience with food.

The need for supervision is greater when there is a larger toxic load. A person on a typical American diet will have more to detoxify than someone who has been on a raw-food, vegetarian diet. Fasting is an excellent method of helping people overcome addictions to food, cigarettes, and other drugs. Fasting helps because what is sometimes metaphorically called "cell memory craving" for the addictive substance is erased when toxins are removed. It usually takes five to seven days to eliminate these strong cell memory cravings. The elimination of these toxins from the body during the fast makes it increasingly easier for people to overcome their addiction to a poisonous substance. After the fast, it seems to be easier for them to eat foods that are closer to their original biophysiological needs, namely, fruits, vegetables, sprouts, seeds, and grains, et cetera.

With the toxic cell memory diminished or removed by the fasting process, one is able to get in touch with real dietary needs. The end of a fast provides a special opportunity to reorganize one's habits around a higher-quality diet. Fasting helps erase past deleterious habits and serves as an opportunity to begin a dietary program and lifestyle that is more conducive to optimal health. As Paracelsus, the great medieval physician, once said, "Fasting is the greatest remedy."

Fasting Is Safe.

WITH ALL OF ITS GOOD POINTS, one wonders why fasting has not caught on here to the extent that it has in many countries in Europe. In America there seems to be an irrational fear centered on fasting. Perhaps this fear is a.s.sociated with the overabundance of food in our society. In the United States there are more people suffering from diseases of overeating than from malnutrition. It is estimated that in the US more than 80 million people are overweight. The US Congressional Joint Nutrition Monitoring Committee reported that 28% of Americans (32 million) between ages 25 and 74 were considered overweight. This includes 11.7 million who are considered severely overweight (more than 20% overweight).

Many people have created a variety of ego defenses against experiencing their feelings through their addiction to food. For many the mere mention of fasting becomes a threat. We have become a nation dependent on, and addicted to, excess. Even the natural cycle of seasonal scarcity seems threatening and unnatural to us. But the fact is, one can live healthily a long time on juices or even on water. The great fasting experts such as Airola, and the fasting clinics in Europe, point out that we can go forty days on water and a hundred days on juices without danger. At the major European clinics where hundreds of thousands have fasted, fourteen to twenty-one days are considered therapeutic and seven to ten days completely safe for almost anyone.

The fasting process actually begins after two to three days, when the body goes into autolysis. Autolysis is the process of the body digesting its own cells. In the body's wisdom, it selectively decomposes those cells and tissues which are in excess, diseased, damaged, aged, or dead. World-renowned fasting expert Dr. Buchinger, with whom I personally studied in Germany, describes fasting as "the burning of rubbish." The appropriate time for a fast to stop is when this autolysis process is completed and true hunger returns. Because autolysis is the key mechanism that produces the beneficial effects already mentioned, I define fasting as any process in which the body is encouraged to begin the process of autolysis. This usually also occurs on a juice fast.

Juice and Water Fasting.

JUICE FASTING is A FORM OF FASTING in which living-food juice supplies enzymes that further aid the cleansing process. Although there is some debate about whether juice or water fasting is better, I prefer the overall effect of the juice fast because there tends to be fewer healing crises. Since juices are high in minerals, vitamins, and enzymes which help with the rejuvenating process of the body, the juices are a.s.similated directly into the body without stimulating digestive enzymes. The alkalinizing properties of the juices help to neutralize the acid condition from which many people suffer, as well as the toxins being released by the body The alkaline component of the juices helps to reestablish the alkaline reserve needed for rebuilding health in the body Also, most people have more energy for meditation on juice than on water. The famous Max Bircher-Benner, M.D., whose raw-food clinic is the oldest in Europe, felt that raw juices contain an unidentified factor which stimulates the function of the cells to absorb nutrients and excrete toxins. Paavo Airola, Ph.D., one of the top fasting experts in America and one of my teachers, greatly prefers juice fasts for many of the above-mentioned reasons.

The Buchinger Clinic in Germany has supervised over 250,000 fasts, more than any other clinic in the world. Dr. Buchinger feels strongly that juice fasts are the "safest and give the best recovery."

Fasting as a Form of Youthing.

DURING A FAST, digestive enzymes are relieved from their digestive role and mobilized for the cleansing and rejuvenation of the body. This happens on both water and juice fasts. As mentioned, on the physiological level fasting works by rapidly removing dead and dying cells and toxins. But fasting also stimulates the building of new cells. Aging occurs when we have more cells die than are being built. "Youthing" happens when more new cells are produced than are dying. After fasting, the experience of "youthing" abounds. Senses get sharper, food tastes better, there is more energy, meditation is easier, and the communion with the Divine is enhanced. Paul Bragg describes it several ways: Fasting clears away the little things which clutter the heart and mind. It cuts through the corrosion, renewing our contact with G.o.d.

When you fast you are working with nature. G.o.d and nature will not perform a miracle until we are willing to bring our lives and our habits into conformity with natures laws.

Athenaeus, a Greek physician, once said: Fasting cures diseases, dries up bodily humors, puts demons to flight, gets rid of impure thoughts, makes the mind clear, the heart purer, and the body sanctified, and raises man to the throne of G.o.d.

Rumi, the reknowned Sufi poet and mystic, wrote a beautiful poem about fasting in a book called Open Secret, which expresses it all: There's hidden sweetness in the stomach's emptiness.

We are lutes, no more, no less.

If the sound box is stuffed full of anything, no music.

If the brain and belly are burning clean with fasting, Every moment a new song comes out of the fire.

The fog clears, and new energy makes you run up the steps in front of you.

Be emptier and cry like reed instruments cry.

Emptier, write secrets with the reed pen.

When you are full of food and drink, Satan sits where your spirit should, An ugly metal statue instead of the Kaaba [a Muslim holy rock].

When you fast, good habits gather like friends who want to help.

Fasting is Solomon's ring.

Don't give it to some illusion and lose your power, But even if you have, if you have lost all will and control, They come back when you fast, Like soldiers appearing out of the ground, pennants flying above them.

A table descends to your tents, Jesus' table.

Expect to see it, when you fast, This table spread with other food, better than the broth of cabbages.

These words of wisdom by Paul Bragg, Athenaeus, and Rumi are clear articulations of my experiences personally and leading spiritual fasting retreats and medically supervised fasts since 1988 in various locations around the world and now at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center. Without a doubt, I have observed that our Spiritual Fasting Retreats are the single most powerful, transformative body-mind-spirit experiences that I have ever witnessed to support us living the sacred and joyful truth of who we really are.