In a message dated 11/14/98 10:24:34 AM Central Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< Dear Gerry, you wrote:

 >Have you thought of fasting?

 Well your instructions were almost convincing. But my one experience with a
 juice fast this past September was so devastating -- my tooth got worse,

--Juicing is eating, and defeats the purpose of a fast. Also, were you
drinking fruit juices? They contain a lot of sugar. Sugars and starches feed
the disease/infection.

I  lost a lot of muscle mass (I don't have any fat on me to lose), and
although
 I experienced some good psychological benefits of cleansing, two months
 later my weight is still about 5 lbs below what I like it to be.  So I'm
 reluctant to fast.  Can one do it without losing weight?

--On average, during the first few days of a fast, one can lose 1 1/2 to 3 lbs
a day (more or less depending on the individual). A weekend fast would rid
your body of a lot of toxins, reduce the infection, and allow your taste buds
to normalize so that REAL and nutritious food tastes good to you.

--On resuming eating, stick to all raw and mostly vegetables to continue the
detoxing and healing process. Eat LOTS of green stuff: Romaine, broccoli,
cabbage, etc. to provide calcium and other vitamins and minerals and protein
and to keep the body alkaline rather than acid (which promotes disease).

--If you have juice, and as you say you are underweight, I would recommend it,
make sure it's on an empty stomach, and drink lots of carrot and "green"
combination (broccoli, romaine, cabbage). About 50/50 % of each.

--And the way to build muscle is to "overload" the muscles with weight
training. Heavy weights aren't necessary. Start out with 1 to 3 lb. weights.
Work up to 5 and/or ten over a long period. I have led work outs for
professional body builders and weight lifters with light weights and before
the class was over they would be sitting in a pool of their own sweat. They
couldn't believe the workout they got.

 And how to get complete rest when we have daily responsibilities?  Even
 though I'm not working, by the time I finish taking the dog out to exercise
 and making her food, the idea of complete rest has been lost.

--Make up enough dog food for a few days in advance. Get someone else to walk
it, and make arrangements so you can dote on yourself for the weekend
beginning the fast on a Thursday night (as per usual routine). Continue your
usual Friday program as you will not have got "into" the fasting mode yet and
your body won't know the difference. If you start feeling light headed, just
drink some water.

--When you finish up your day's routine, just "retire" for the weekend. Have
lots of distilled water handy. Play soft music if you like. Take the phone off
the hook. No intensive conversations with anyone (they are energy depleting
and you want that energy reserved for healing.)

--What to expect:
--A lot of trips to the bathroom: as your body, free from having to digest
food and work around blockages, rids itself of toxins
--Lots of time for introspection and re-evaluating what's important and what's
not
--Possible headaches, bone and/or muscle aches, rashes, eye blurriness, etc.
--Where the body hurts the most is where it is healing, and that's not
necessarily where we think it ought to be (The body is wiser than we are in
determining which area to heal first).
--If you experience NO symptoms, it could mean one of two things:
1. You are healthier than you thought and your body just needs a rest
2. The health problems are so entrenched it will take much longer than a
weekend to revitalize the body enough to "clean house."

 Would like to try it sometime though.

--Fasting is not a panacea for everything, but it is very helpful/healthful
with many things.

 What do others with kids, dogs, partners do?
--The same thing everyone else does. Often wait until the problem is so bad
the body takes it out of the person's hands and says "I quit." That's when the
person usually ends up in a doctor's waiting room or hospital.

--Unless they are wise enough to know they are "out-of-balance," and do
something to rectify the situation.

FWIW:
gerry