For quite some time, there have been disputes regarding the harm and benefits of fasting. On the one hand, it is an opportunity to cleanse the body, get rid of a number of serious diseases, strengthen immunity and make the body more perfect. On the other hand, this is an event associated with certain, sometimes considerable, risks. One thing is certain for sure - fasting has a devastating (in a bad and good sense) effect on the body.
One of the popular methods of abstinence from food and water is dry fasting according to Shchennikov. Leonid Aleksandrovich is a professor of alternative medicine, a healer and a naturopath, who devoted a whole book to this issue.
Briefly about dry fasting
This technique is a complete rejection of food and water. It is also called absolute starvation. At the time of abstinence from food and drink, there is a complete avoidance of any contact with water. In other words, you canβt even swim, wash your hands and brush your teeth, perform any other manipulations related to water and food.
What does dry fasting according to Shchennikov suggest?
When the body stops receiving food and water, it is forced to connect internal resources in order to somehow maintain vital activity. Roughly speaking, he goes into survival mode. With this method of purification, the body experiences extreme stress. The functioning of all organs and systems becomes completely different. The metabolic processes, including metabolism, are slowed down, proteins and fats begin to break down intensively, the level of glucose in the blood drops sharply, as do cholesterol and leptin. But the production of hormones of the adrenal cortex becomes more intense.
In short, according to Shchennikov's dry fasting, it has a strong effect on the body and affects a huge number of aspects, which, in turn, leads to both positive and negative consequences.
Features of therapeutic fasting
The main feature has already been indicated - this is the avoidance of any contact with water, which will not be pleasant for every modern person. The second important point is that therapeutic fasting must necessarily begin and end with preparatory measures. It is important! Otherwise, undesirable consequences can be caused. Leonid Alexandrovich also recommends observing a certain regime of the day, which will be discussed below.
The benefits of dry fasting
The technique developed by the professor of alternative medicine is one of the few that has been tested in a number of medical and scientific centers of Russia and received a patent. According to Shchennikov's dry fasting, the goal is rehabilitation of a person, as well as an increase in the therapeutic result from inpatient or outpatient treatment of certain diseases. Thanks to this technique, it is possible to completely cleanse the body of harmful substances, the most famous of which are toxins. During this event, resistance to any external factors is increased, which makes it possible to exclude taking medications in the treatment of pathologies. Also among the advantages of therapeutic fasting is the prevention of various diseases of the internal organs.
Other positive qualities of dry fasting include a more active supply of oxygen and nutrients to the brain. This is due to the fact that the body does not need to spend energy on digesting the incoming food, so the circulatory system is aimed at a different result. Because of this, the speed of reactions improves, and mental stress is more easily tolerated. Some experts believe that dry fasting is useful for such pathologies:
- Inflammatory diseases of an infectious etiology, e.g. asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, prostatitis, etc.
- Allergic diseases.
- Infertility.
- Neurosis and depression.
- Benign neoplasms of the female and male genitourinary system.
- Dermatological diseases.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Trophic ulcers.
It is important to remember that each organism is individual. Therefore, it is simply impossible to predict his reaction to dry medical fasting according to Shchennikov.
The disadvantages of fasting
Possible harm may exceed the potential benefit. You should think carefully before making a final decision regarding the application of this technique. She has the following negative qualities:
- Extreme dehydration occurs, which causes thrills throughout the body. A person needs water in large quantities and daily, and abandonment of it can lead to the most unpredictable and terrible consequences, even death.
- Muscular dystrophy occurs, since with a lack of calories the body begins to break down the muscles from which it takes amino acids.
- Blood levels of cholesterol, glucose, insulin are reduced, which, in turn, is a dangerous condition, as it can cause atherosclerosis and diabetes.
- An unpleasant odor emanates from the mouth and body, associated with the decomposition of protein breakdown products, namely the formation of sulfur and nitrogen.
Recommendations of L. A. Schennikov on the regimen of the day in the process of fasting
Leonid Alexandrovich, before offering this technique and patenting, tested it on himself. L. A. Schennikov adhered to dry medical fasting for a long time, identifying the favorable and negative sides. The main recommendation of the professor is the maintenance of a normal psycho-emotional state. If a person is initially negative or skeptical, deplorable consequences cannot be avoided.
Schennikov also pays special attention to the issue of the daily regimen. Here are his recommendations:
- From 6:00 to 10:00 in the morning, a person should sleep, or just relax.
- From 10:00 to 13:00 - an active walk.
- From 13:00 to 15:00 it is necessary to engage in intellectual activity, as well as written appeal. For example, keep a diary.
- From 15:00 to 18:00, an instructor consultation is required.
- An evening dream lasts from 18:00 to 22:00.
- The remaining interval between 22:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. needs to be carried out in the fresh air, moreover, actively, not passively.
Lifestyle should be measured and calm, and occupational therapy should be moderate. In other words, you cannot overtax. Always breathe only with your nose.
The rules of entry into fasting
The technique includes 3 stages:
- Preparation.
- Dry therapeutic fasting.
- Exit from dry fasting.
Preparation for dry fasting according to the Shchennikov method begins in 5 days, when you should abandon fish, meat and everything else, leaving only vegetables and fruits in the diet. That is, switch to a raw food diet, but do it gradually, and at one meal do not mix different fruits. In two days the basic preparation begins. It includes bowel cleansing. For this, you can use enemas. Then begins complete starvation. At this time, you also need to abandon any medications. Thus, if tablets are the basis of maintenance therapy, dry fasting is not suitable, since it is by no means possible to combine them.
At this time, the lifestyle should become sedentary, sexual contact is excluded, you need to talk less, do not spit saliva, do not make sudden movements. The professor recommends retirement, so that at the time of healing fasting no one and nothing will interfere. Just be alone with yourself. At the same time, acceptance and understanding of oneself takes place. Do not interfere with this process - the result of the work of the psycho-emotional sphere will help in the future. Or already in the present.
Rules for Exiting Dry Fasting according to Shchennikov
A return to the normal rhythm of life occurs within 4 days:
- Eat cabbage or cucumber salad without salt in portions of up to 200 g every 2-3 hours. Drink up to 1.5 liters of water per day.
- Similar to the first day, you can still add fruit and vegetable juices to the diet. In total, you need to drink up to 2 liters of liquid.
- Drink water and other drinks as much as you want. The exception is hot liquid. For the day you need to eat 100-200 g of bread, vegetables and fruits, with a total volume of up to 1.5 kg.
- On this day, nuts and legumes are introduced into the already familiar diet.
- On the fifth day, you can return to a full diet.
About five-, seven- and eleven-day fasting
You can follow this technique for up to 5 days as a preventive measure. If treatment is planned, then it lasts 7-11 days, and only under the supervision of specialists. By the way, precisely for this purpose, the Shchennikov Center for Dry Fasting exists in Kislovodsk. Experienced specialists will monitor the condition of a person and monitor him as a whole in order to avoid negative and dangerous consequences as much as possible.
If you plan to fast 5 days, you can deal with this yourself. It is only important to strictly observe the above rules and recommendations.
The methodology was tested in 1992; women and men from 20 to 63 years old with various diseases took part in the process. For example, oncology, osteochondrosis, urolithiasis. By the way, in 18 out of 20 cases, positive results were revealed, so Schennikov received a patent. The technique is prohibited for use by people under the age of 20 and older than 63 years. Other contraindications include:
- Cerebral palsy;
- thrombosis;
- psychological diseases;
- liver cancer;
- dystrophy;
- pregnancy and lactation;
- thyroid disease;
- hemophilia;
- kidney disease
- large focal myocardial infarction;
- heart failure of the III degree;
- hypotension.
Reviews about dry fasting
This technique has been tested on a huge number of people. This is evidenced by discussions on the forums and numerous reviews. Dry fasting according to Shchennikov, as can be seen from the comments, with the right approach with knowledge of the case is easily tolerated. The only unpleasant moment is acute pain in the stomach. Abstaining from fluid and nutrition note a rapid decrease in body weight. It is possible to lose about 1 kg per day.
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There are those people who perceive this technique negatively, speaking about it extremely negatively. But they did not adhere to dry fasting for a single day. They just consider it harmful to the body, and therefore they react like that. In general, probably, every person who went through the method of dry fasting according to Shchennikov was satisfied with the result. Moreover, a positive result is not so much in weight loss (most often this question is in the very last place), but in the opportunity to find oneself, overcome a depressed state and return to a previous life as a new person.