I find that long fasts are preferable to short ones because once the body is in the fasting state it cleanses systematically into the harder to get at body tissues. For this reason, most of the recoveries from illness have taken place in the latter parts of long juice or water fasts. A friend's hemorrhoids were healed on the 21st day of a juice fast after suffering from them for 15 years. He stated "It is like they were never there." Long fasts give the body the uninterrupted time to do the work of healing. I compare it to getting a piano tuned. A piano tuner can tune a piano in three short visits or one long one. Three shorter visits will take more time and energy because he has to drive back and forth, loading and unload his tools. The first few days of fasting gets rid of the gross waste products of digestion, but only after this can the body pull out its tools to get to work on healing.
The thirty day juice fast is a standard in European health facilities. This length of fast feels about right because after 30 day it seems like you have been fasting forever. Less than 30 days and you can miss the best experiences of the fast.
The ten day water fast has also become a recommended number of days. Paul Bragg was an advocate of the 10 day water fast. Ten days on water will cause the same weight loss as 30 days on juice. But water fasting if far more difficult, especially if you have a fast metabolism.
An effective way to fast is to alternate between water and juice fasting. The juice fasting is used when you need the energy to work or get things done. By cleansing with juice first, water fasting is more comfortable. Water fasting should always include two of three days of juice fasting before and after the water fast. This alternating between juice and water fasting is the most effective method of achieving a full cleansing through fasting.
It is possible to start a seven-day water fast with a thirty-day juice fast. I accomplished this twice and experienced an indescribable peak that lasted for three days by drinking fresh-made juice after the water fast.
The difficulty with this length of a fast it is difficult not to overeat. When I fell into temptation and ate the wrong food, instantly all the benefits I was experiencing evaporated. This state cannot exist unless the blood is clean. Any toxic food and it is gone. Even over eating fruit will cause it to reduce. I duplicated this type of fast twice and experienced exactly the same effect only to lose it when faced with the intense desire for food that comes when hunger returns after the fast.
These were rare and incredible experiences. Someday, God willing, I hope to have the discipline or the environment and support necessary to reach such a goal. Other fasting advocates claim this state can become permanent when maintaining a fruit diet. It is hard for me to envision what it would be like to live in this state permanently, but I for one intend to find out.
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