dramatic examples of healing in which highly spe-
cific, directed strategies were used in imagery and
prayer,” Dossey wrote. “In one well-known exam-
ple, the person imaged her cancer as a piece of red
meat, and her immune cells as a pack of ravenous
wolves who attacked the meat and destroyed it....
Although stories such as [this] are anecdotes and do
not count as hard evidence, we would be foolish to
ignore them. In their support there is ample solid
scientific evidence that directed, highly specific
imagery can bring about changes in the body.”
See also BENSON, HERBERT; CAYCE, EDGAR; DOSSEY,
LARRY; MEDITATION; PRAYER, POWER OF; RELAXATION
RESPONSE; SIEGEL, BERNIE S.
fasting From the Anglo-Saxon word faestan,
meaning to hold fast, the ingestion of fluids, partic-
ularly water, during a period when no solid food is
taken. Fasting is largely considered a body-purifica-
tion or cleansing process in alternative and com-
plementary medicine. In Ayurvedic medicine,
effective fasting requires that one take into account
his or her dosha, or body type. For example, a vata
body type should not fast for more than three days
because a longer fast may cause anxiety (a “vatic
crisis”), whereas a kaphabody type may fast exten-
sively. Also, certain juices, if one is observing a
juice fast, are recommended for each dosha—grape
juice for vata, pomegranate for pitta, and apple juice
for kapha. Herbs in the form of tea may be benefi-
cial. Fasting has particular value in the event of
fever, cold, arthritis, or constipation. Ayurvedic
practitioners believe fasting gives the digestive sys-
tem a rest as well as a way to neutralize or release
toxins that may have built up.
Homeopathic practitioners view fasting as a
cleansing technique that must be well managed in
order to prevent nutrient deprivation, lack of
energy, stress, and starvation. Fruit and vegetable
juices, lemon water with honey or salt, and herbal
teas taken every two hours may provide a cleans-
ing but not depleting fast. Also, a cleansing diet
(low-fat, high-fiber) is often less stressful and as
effective as fasting. Other practitioners of alterna-
tive medicine tout fasting for a few days as “natural
biofeedback” that helps one pay attention to what
nutrients the body needs and create a means of rid-
ding the body of waste materials. Most experts sug-
gest beginning a fast by reducing food intake the
day before and ending a fast by gradually reintro-
ducing solid foods into the diet.
Conventional medicine regards fasting as drink-
ing only water and taking in no food, a practice
that adversely affects normal metabolism that sup-
plies essential nutrients, such as glucose, to body
tissues. Problems may include water retention,
depletion of normal gastric juices, lessened ability
to fight infection, protein or potassium deficiency,
gout attacks, gallstones, dry skin, menstrual prob-
lems, headache, and impairment of hormone pro-
duction. In children, who have a smaller glycogen
reserve than adults, the lack of food interferes with
fat metabolism and may induce ketosis or mild aci-
dosis. Under certain conditions, such as in a tem-
perate climate and with reduced physical activity,
an individual may survive on water for approxi-
mately two months, but without food or water,
death may occur in approximately 10 days. For the
purpose of weight loss, conventional practitioners
often recommend eliminating a meal per day or
fasting for not more than one day. Unsupervised
and prolonged fasting may be fatal, and, as a rule,
children should not fast.
Naturopathic practitioners frequently recom-
mend brief fasts for individuals with arthritis,
rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, asthma, psoriasis,
and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and for victims
of environmental toxins. More information on
weight-loss and detoxification fasting is available
by contacting the American Association of Naturo-
pathic Physicians, 2366 Eastlake Avenue, Suite
322, Seattle, WA 98102, or (206) 323-7610.
See also DETOXIFICATION THERAPY; DOSHA; HOME-
OPATHY; NATUROPATHY.febrifuge In homeopathic medicine, an herbal or
mineral or combination remedy that fights fever,
such as Ferrum phos6x. Aspirin, acetaminophen,
and other conventional drugs, known as antipyret-
ics, also counteract fever. In Ayurvedic medicine,
ghee, made from boiled, strained, unsalted butter, is
administered to relieve chronic fever.Feldenkrais method A system of rehabilitation
developed by the physicist Moshe Feldenkrais, an
Israeli born in Russia who, after suffering a severe44 fasting