:: Medicinal Value of Fasting ::

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Holy month of Ramadan is an annual gift from Allah SWT to all His believers. It is packed with countless blessings among which ‘fasting’ is given the top rank. Though all the Muslims observe fast considering it as a task by their Lord for self-regulation, spiritual purification and self-training. But simply imagine how can it be possible that the Most Gracious Allah will give us a duty with no personal health benefits? Impossible, right! Therefore in the coming lines I will explore some inevitable health advantages as a result of Islamic fasting.

The concept of fasting also prevails in all other major religions. However, in modern western cultures, notwithstanding it being a religious obligation, probably greater stress is placed on fasting by physicians and weight management programs for regulating the digestive system and normalising the body’s lipid content. This contemporary theory of fasting disguises itself in various forms, which includes water-only-fasting (only water is allowed), juice-only-fasting (only juice is allowed), fruit-only-fasting (only eat fruits), even so-called crash dieting (nothing can be eaten for long hours), and many other regimens. In contrast to such practices the Islamic way of fasting is far better. It not only maintains the caloric intake but it is also observed voluntarily, instead of being a restriction imposed by a family-dietician.

During fasting in the month of Ramadan, we only miss one lunch-meal and take an early breakfast. Then we abstain from all kinds of food, water, and prohibited deeds till dusk. Many Muslims and non-Muslims find it miserable to restrain themselves from drinking water or any other kind of fluids. But surprisingly physicians say that abstaining from drinking water for a few hours is actually beneficial for the body, as it causes all the fluids to concentrate thus minimising the feeling of hunger. Moreover, we do not need to worry about dehydration because our body has its own natural mechanism for water conservation, which should be intermittently activated to ensure healthy living. Therefore to achieve maximum health and spiritual rewards, the Islamic way of fasting for ‘limited’ hours should be practiced, instead of torturing oneself by total fasting or crash dieting.

Furthermore, fasting is the oldest natural therapy that allows the body to heal and recover from day-to-day traumas as a result of a hectic routine or some illness. Its history links us to ancient times, approximately thousands of years old! Scientists found that animals also fast when feel ill. It is also our common observation that when we are not well we do not like to eat anything, even our most favorite dish. This short span of fasting is a natural phenomenon so that our inner mechanism and all our body resources fully concentrate on restoring our lost health through activating the immune system and cell growth, besides focusing on food digestion.

Our body mechanism comprises of three basic components: balancing, building, and cleansing. This last job is very efficiently done during the period of fasting. Detoxification or cleansing is an important process for our existence that rejuvenates and revitalizes our body. It offers a new life to our body cells and organs. It allows them to relax, rest, and restore their lost energy, thus they become ready to assimilate new charges. Actually it happens that pollutants and other hazardous chemicals that penetrate our environment accumulate in the body in the form of toxins, which have got to be expelled. For this purpose the body releases these toxins into the tissues and from there they enter the bloodstream. This is the time when we feel the ‘low’ or ‘down’ cycle and may suffer from headaches, depression, lethargy, or stomach disturbance. Fasting helps the body to quickly pass through the ‘low’ phase and allows the body to detoxify, rest, and recover, all at the same time. Now please don’t get the misconception that fasting is only good during low cycles, NO! As opposed to this, a regular fasting period of approximately thirty days provides a recess to all the organs and helps the individual to live a long and healthy life, with minimal aging complications.

Besides detoxification, fasting offers many other positive physiological effects. These benefits include maintenance of normal blood glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels. Fasting in the month of Ramadan is also a recommended period for the healing of acute illnesses, colon disorders, allergies, heart diseases, asthma, chronic headaches, inflammatory bowel diseases, arthritis, eczema, acne, and cancer. It is an ideal time for the treatment of diabetes and hypertension. Fasting also helps those who consume rich high-fat, high-protein diets and are at the edge of mild or severe obesity. From the second day onwards, body starts utilising fatty tissues for energy retention and to conserve muscles. This period teaches them to have less and well-balanced diet, thus while fulfilling an important religious obligation they constantly tone and trim their body. Although to many negligent people fasting gives a false impression of starvation from pre-dawn to dusk, but unfortunately they forget that it is a blessing and a gift, how can Allah harm us through His endowment? The biggest worldly proof is that doctors have witnessed great improvement in fasting patients; in no way it does it worsen any patients’ medical conditions. But those who suffer from fragile health, have to take medicine after short intervals, or cannot tolerate empty stomach due to some disease are given exemption from this obligation.

The course of Islamic fasting is also bestowed with a variety of psychological consequences. A state of peace, calmness, hospitality, and tranquility reach their highest degree. Anger, hostility, and ill feelings decrease to approximately zero; otherwise the Ajar (reward) of fasting will be wasted. The heart, mind, and soul all intermingle to satisfy the Will of God and generate a feeling of harmony and tranquility in the heart and also improves the memory.

Briefly saying, fasting besides being a religious requirement is a therapeutic and more specifically a preventive measure for many physic-psychological conditions. When observed according to rituals of Sehri (pre-dawn breakfast) and Iftari (break-fast), according to the Sunnah, fasting is completely safe and maximizes the body’s healing abilities. Therefore, all healthy adult Muslims should not fear weakness and fatigue after fasting in the blessed month of Ramadan; instead it is a natural treatment for raising their physical and spiritual health.

Some Do's:

||-- Consume foods that contain whole-wheat and fibers at Sehri so that they last for 8-12 hours making you less hungry.

||-- Dates are an excellent source of sugar, fiber, carbohydrates, potassium, and etc.

||-- Eat bananas, as they are good in iron, carbohydrates, potassium, and magnesium.

||-- Try almond milkshake, it is good in proteins and fibers.

||-- Prefer oven-grilled samoosas rather than fried ones.

Some Don'ts:

||

-- Avoid fried and fatty foods.

||-- Do not use too many spices or artificial sauces.

||-- Overeating at Sehri and Iftari.

||-- Minimize tea, coffee, and artificial beverges.

||-- Quit smoking

||-- Do not eat refined carbohydrates (white rice, pasta, etc) or too sugary dishes.

Fast Shots:

Islamic way of fasting ensure following benefits,

||-- More energy and stamina

||-- Healthier skin, teeth, and gums

||-- Quality sleep

||-- Decreases anger and tension

||-- Healthy cardiovascular system

||-- Elimination of arthritis (muscle and joint pains)

||-- Stabilizes hypertension and diabetes

||-- Helps in efficient digestion

||-- Cure headaches

||-- Stabilizes bowel movements

||-- Treatment for obesity

||-- Efficient elimination of stored toxins

||-- More active immune system

||-- Improvement of variety of chronic health problems