The body is a physical structure of a living thing. It is made up of cells, tissues, organs and systems that work hand in hand. They form a complex system of relationship that the absence of one greatly cripples the entire body. The loss of an eye makes it hard for our other systems to grasp the events happening around and must rely to the remaining senses.
Our body is one wonderful machine, a wonder of science. The complexity of it and how it is able to perform so many things at a time often leads it to being called the “wonder machine”. It never runs out of battery, it could do work all by itself, it could even processes different applications, it could come up with solutions and so much more.
Our body could do so many things that almost each and every single one of us are testing and pushing our bodies to the limit. We defy the laws set by nature about caring for our body. And when our body seems to be slowing down, we simply revive it with caffeine over and over again even to the point of overloading ourselves with it.
We are in touch with our body that we know what it’s capable of and sad to say, this knowledge led to the abuse of our body through the years. We eat like there is no tomorrows because we perfectly know that the body will simply digest, absorb and excrete what we eat. We drink and smoke because we know that our body has its defence system working round the clock. We drink medicines anytime we want because we know that our body could take them.
Yet do we also know that too much abuse of what our body can do is also bad? Our body is just like any machine that once it reaches its limit, it breaks down. Too much alcohol, unhealthy food and lifestyle combined with stress is extremely harmful to our body. As we age, the maximum capacity of our body will only reach its peak once and will decrease over time. Because of the decrease, our body becomes prone to different ailments and sickness, we become weak over time and if we don’t heed to the pleas of our aging body, this just might cause us our lives.
It must be remembered that our body should be handled with care just as we do with other things. We must always love and care for it.
Stress and the human body
What is stress? It is said that stress is a condition that almost everyone can relate in an everyday sense. Stress is not new and we are no stranger to stress. Almost everything and every where there is stress, there is stress in the workplace, at home at school and even in emotional perspective. And we must remember that stress will never give our bodies good benefits, in short stress never serve us well.
How a person reacts to stress differs. Stress is caused by different factors and with different resolutions. Our personality and emotions will determine how much the effect of stress on our body will be. Some may have higher stress threshold as compared to us. These people are able to meet up with deadlines calmly and still give positive results.
But the physical effects of stress on our body can be very damaging our emotional and physical health. While the effects are subtle, the long term effects of stress are deadly. Even more alarming is the long term effect of stress on our body. It very much acceptable to accept the fact that stress shortens our lives. Increased risk of heart disease, nervous breakdowns, stomach ulcers, tension headaches, and an increased susceptibility to infection are just a few of the things that stress can do to us. No single effect of stress is beneficial to us.
Although stress in the short run can have positive effects such as the ability to react to the situation quickly and resolve it as immediately as possible, it is never good in the long run. But, almost each and every one of us lives each single day with stress and sometimes in the succeeding years.
Stress affects our health, body and mind to such great extent that we are crippled by its effects over time. Some of the signs of stress include short-temper, anxiety, impatience, low moral, temperature changes, blood pressure increase, and migraines and so on. Yet there are times when the stress is not so hard and that person has a higher threshold, the stress condition may actually be of beneficial results that will end short with a complete relaxation.
Most often that not, insomnia and depression are the most common effects of stress on us. Because of the two, our mental and physical state is affected. Likewise, our diet is affected too which leads to our low energy levels and thus making us unproductive.
Common ailments of the body
As living things, we too are prone to different diseases. Despite the fact that our immune system works 24/7, it cannot battle the all the diseases that invade our system all at once. Often times the common ailments are signs of even bigger catastrophe. Not giving due attention to the common ailments will lead to something even more dangerous and deadly. A simple cold if not treated or given attention, might progress to something worse. A cough if lingers for days or weeks could mean the patient is having lung problems.
So what are common ailments? Common ailments are simply diseases which we are prone to suffer in our everyday life. The term arises from the fact that they are occurring commonly to almost all individuals. Most common are headaches, stomach aches, pimples, acne and the list goes on.
These common ailments can be very irritating, if not disturbing for small children as they keep on coming back. This holds true for adults too. The general health of the person determines the frequency of the ailments. A person with good health and excellent immune system will most likely not be bothered with common ailments as compared to someone who isn’t.
Do not be paranoid of your common ailment not unless it’s worse than the usual one. These are not so serious and will be gone after a few days. A week of care and rest is usually enough for them ailments to leave the body. Do not immediately drink medicines on the first day. Try to observe fro other signs and symptoms. Taking medicine too early will mask these symptoms which could’ve helped in diagnosing as to the nature and cause.
There are a variety of common ailments from which people suffer from. These ailments are not very serious and can be cured by referring to some home remedies or over the counter medicines. If your ailments persist then you should immediately consult a doctor or physician.
The Common Ailments list is quite big some of them are as follows:
- Allergies
- Headache
- Heartburn
- Nasal Congestion
- Cough and Cold
- Fever/Flu
- Stomach Disorders
- Tummy aches
- Migraine
- Acidity
- Constipation
They could even be prevented. Doctors, nurses and mothers alike would all agree to the tips to prevent common ailments.
- If you are prone to cough and cold then try to avoid sitting in A. C. for long and avoid cold drinks and ice creams as much as possible.
- If you have frequent congestion problem then try not to breathe the polluted air outside and use a mask while going outdoor.
- Keeping yourself away from the junk food will lessen the occurrence of stomach disorders largely.
- Maintaining a balanced diet comprising, seeds, green leafy vegetables, legumes, cereals fresh fruits, and other foods enriched in vitamins and protein will help to keep the body healthy and strong enough to fight various diseases.
- Maintain the basic hygiene and keep yourself clean. Take frequent baths and wash the face, hands, and legs whenever you are back from outdoors. This will prevent development of germs in your body.
- Whenever sneezing or coughing, cover the face with a hanky.
Maintain a proper sleeping itinerary of at least 6-7 hours and avoid stress and tension. This will help in preventing headache and other such elements. There are other significant information on the common ailments and the ways to combat it.
Unhealthy lifestyle
It is often emphasize that a healthy lifestyle is always the ideal one especially today that we cannot afford to be sick as the bills are very expensive. But it has been observed that our health is degenerated and we are exposed to a lot of toxins and chemicals anywhere we go. There are toxins and chemical and we are exposed every day at work, home, in the air, and in the food that we eat and water we drink.
With the fast paced life, we depend on processed food and fast foods. We have bombarded ourselves with medicines and drugs and with less exercise.
So what makes a lifestyle unhealthy? Some of the factors which make our lifestyle unhealthy are as follows:
- Too much junk food being put into our hands especially in children’s hands. Junk food which contains saturated fat increases blood cholesterol levels and therefore increases your risk of heart disease and some cancers.
- Life is full of stress. Modern life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. Work can be a stressful place, whether in an office, a factory, or a school. For many people, stress is so commonplace that it has become a way of life.
- We are generally dependent on medical drugs and are not aware that medical drug side effects are dangerous to their health. In the world today, many people seem to think that they just want medicines and drugs to solve their health problems; they believe they can always seek medical assistance. But what they are not aware of is that these pharmaceutical medications may have potential adverse reactions. Some drugs which are toxic to your liver and do crazy things to your health and metabolism, perhaps you obediently swallow those little poisons without considering what they are doing to your body.
- Exposure to pollution and toxic wastes such poisonous agents from the household items. Our bodies are absorbing the harmful chemicals surrounding the environment today. It is thus imperative that we clean up our living environment as much as possible. Those regular detergents, soaps, shampoos, toothpastes and perfumes that we uses today contain many chemicals which are toxic to our bodies, some even carcinogenic.
- Lack of exercise. Exercise always improves our fitness level. No questions asked bout this.
Here enters, fasting
Fasting often described by many books and experts as primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. A fast may be total or partial concerning that from which one fasts, and may be prolonged or intermittent as to the period of fasting. Fasting practices may preclude sexual activity as well as food, in addition to refraining from eating certain types or groups of foods; for example, one might refrain from eating meat. A complete fast in its traditional definition is abstinence of all food and liquids.
Over a period of time, we all know that in the absence of food makes us weak and will have detrimental effect on our body. In fasting however, this is not always the case. Water or any fluids is consumed at quantities that satisfy thirst and other during the absence of food, the body will systematically cleanse itself of everything except vital tissue. Starvation will occur only when the body is forced to use vital tissue to survive. Although protein is being used by the body during the fast, a person fasting even 40 days on water will not suffer a deficiency of protein, vitamins, minerals or fatty acids. In the breakdown of unhealthy cells, all essential substances are used and conserved in a most extraordinary manner. There is an unwarranted fear of fasting that strength diminishes from the catabolism of proteins from muscle fibres. Even during long fasts, the number of muscle fibres remains the same. Although the healthy cells may be reduced in size and strength for a time, they remain perfectly sound.
- J. Carlson, Professor of Physiology, University of Chicago, states that a healthy, well-nourished man can live from 50 to 75 days without food, provided he is not exposed to harsh elements or emotional stress. Human fat is valued at 3,500 calories per pound. Each extra pound of fat will supply enough calories for one day of hard physical labor. Ten pounds of fat are equal to 35,000 calories! Most of us have sufficient reserves, capable of sustaining us for many weeks.
However, fasting also has its down side. Some people do excessive fasting out of intense fear of becoming overweight. Pairing this fear with mental disturbance is very dangerous and deadly as in the cases of people with anorexia nervosa.
It must be remembered that the fasting that will be discussed in this book is for the good health and well being of the individual. Never use fasting as a resort to losing weight drastically. Good results come with time.
Fasting and its applications
This chapter will discuss and present some applications of fasting in the fields of medicine and politics.
- Medical application. I remembered once when a family member was to undergo surgery. Her surgeon told her to fast at least 8 hours prior to surgery. If one is not familiar why the surgeon asked his patient to fast, then know that fasting is often indicated prior to surgery or other procedures that require anaesthetics. With the presence of food in a person’s system, it can cause complications during anaesthesia; thus the strong suggestion of the medical personnel that their patients fast for several hours (or overnight) before the procedure. Additionally, certain medical tests, such as cholesterol testing (lipid panel) or certain blood glucose measurements require fasting for several hours so that a baseline can be established. In the case of cholesterol, the failure to fast for a full 12 hours (including vitamins) will guarantee an elevated triglyceride Patients about to get a CT scan are required to fast as well.
- Political application. Ever since, fasting is one tool that is used by political leaders and protesters to air out their protest, political statement or even awareness for a cause. This is often known as “hunger strike”, a non violent method of resistance practiced by participants where they fast as an act of political protest or to achieve awareness or goal for change. The most noteworthy events include the fasting of Gandhi and that had significant impact on the British Raj and the Indian population. In history, one “hunger strike” resulted in the death of 10 persons. It is in Northern Ireland in 1981, that a prisoner, Bobby Sands, was part of the 1981 Irish hunger strike, protesting for better rights in prison. Sands had just been elected to the British Parliament and died after 66 days of not eating. His funeral was attended by 100,000 people and the strike ended only after 9 other men died. In all, the ten men survived without food for 46 to 73 days taking only water and salt.
Fast facts about Fasting
In an excerpt from the book “Fasting to Freedom”, the author discusses the effects of fasting and what is being eliminated in the process. Here we are given an overview as to how fasting works and its effect on us. Its been said that the other health benefits include stress resistance, increased insulin sensitivity, reduced morbidity, and increased life span
“During a fast, a metamorphosis occurs. The body undergoes a tearing down and rebuilding of damaged materials. There is a remarkable redistribution of nutrients in the fasting body. It hangs on to precious minerals and vitamins while catabolising old tissue, toxins and inferior materials. The end result is a thorough cleansing of the tube, membrane and cellular structures. This process of cleansing and rebuilding has made fasting famous for its ability to rejuvenate, heal disease and give the body a more youthful tone.
Eliminations during the cleansing process
- Dead, dying or diseased cell
Unwanted fatty tissue
- Trans-fatty acids
- Hardened coating of mucus on the intestinal wall
- Toxic waste matter in the lymphatic system and bloodstream
- Toxins in the spleen, liver and kidneys
- Mucus from the lungs and sinuses
- Imbedded toxins in the cellular fibres and deeper organ tissues
- Deposits in the microscopic tubes responsible for nourishing brain cells
- Excess cholesterol.
The Result
- Mental clarity is improved
- Rapid, safe weight loss is achieved without flabbiness
- The nervous system is balanced
- Energy level is increased
- Organs are revitalized
- Cellular biochemistry is harmonized
- The skin becomes silky, soft and sensitive
- There is greater ease of movement
- Breathing becomes fuller, freer and deeper
- The digestive system is given a well-deserved rest.
To heal illness, the body must pull all of its resources toward cleansing and repairing by removing appetite and reducing or stopping digestion. Wounded animals will fast, emerging to eat only after their wounds or broken bones have healed. This is the reason why there is little desire to eat food when sick—the body wants to focus all of its resources on cleansing.”
Fasting our soul, body and mind.
Most of the experts on the field, fitness experts, doctors and spiritual experts, would agree as to the effects of fast on the soul and our body. Most striking is the article written by Gabrielle Lim when she summarized the benefits into five simple yet unforgettable sentences. In an excerpt from the article, she gives the 5 benefits.
