Fasting in Acute Disease “My baby is dying, “ a mother said over the telephone to a Hygienist. It was the winter of 1927. The hygienist was located in New York City, the mother called him from Nyack, N.Y. “How do you know the baby is dying?” The mother’s reply was not heartening: “He has pneumonia. Five physicians have just held a consultation. It is their verdict my baby will die. There is nothing more science can do.” “Lets fool them”, said the Hygienist, “We will try and save her.” Over the phone then the hygienist advised: “The first think I want you to do is go to the table at the bedside of your baby and sweep all the boxes and bottles of drugs that are there into the waste basket. Next, open the window and let some fresh air into the room. Keep your baby warm, but give it some fresh air. Give the baby as much water as she wants, but no food and no more drugs.” Twenty years later this baby, grew to splendid young womanhood, was married and wedding pictures of her and her husband are prized possessions of the Hygienist who took over after the physicians had declared the baby would die. It is not unusual to see patients recover after it has been declared that every thing had been done that science can do. This is so because the very things that science does are so often the causes of death. Drugs to suppress the cough and anodynes to stop the pain in the chest in pneumonia are frequent causes of death. Feeding in pneumonia is also dangerous. When in both pneumonia and pleurisy the patient is fed, not only is the toxemic supersaturation kept up, but the feeding prevents resolution, that is, it prevents the inflamed lung or pleura from returning to normal, which may result in abscess formation. For more information about fasting go here: |