Can fasting be used in children with acute illnesses?
Not only can you, but you should! Fasting and thirst have an overwhelming effect on all inflammation. This is easily verified by such a typical inflammatory disease as a common runny nose. When treated with ordinary medicines, it usually drags on for a dozen days or more. When fasting is used, the strongest runny nose passes in 2 – 4 days, and the case usually goes like this: on the first day the result is as if there is no result at all, on the second day the runny nose subsides noticeably by evening, on the third day it feels little. On the fourth day – there is no it at all! You can speed up the treatment by abstaining from drinking – make the body and water to extract from itself, decomposing salts. Since every day you will take an enema, from which your body in addition to any of your will itself will retain the necessary amount of water, then you will not feel thirsty! Dr. Williams treated runny nose with great success with one diet with abstinence from all liquids: the most severe runny nose passed in two days, and only very exceptional cases required three days. All these are old discoveries! They are only well forgotten by modern medicine.
Fasting during a cold without fever can be common.
However, your child’s appetite may decrease even with a mild cold because he or she is not walking, moving less, because he or she is not feeling well, and because he or she is swallowing mucus. Do not force your child to eat. Let him drink whatever he wants to drink. Some parents think that you need to drink a lot during a cold. In fact, excessive fluid intake will do no more good than moderate fluid intake. If a child has a fever of 39° or higher with a cold, flu, sore throat or other infectious disease, they usually almost lose their appetite, especially for solid foods. For the first day or two, do not offer solid food at all, and give liquids every half hour or hour while the child is awake. Usually sick children are eager to drink orange juice and other juices and water. Don’t forget the water. It has no nutrients in it, but that doesn’t matter at this time. This is why children are especially eager to drink water during illness. As for the rest of the drinks, it depends on the child’s tastes and the nature of their illness.
With regard to milk it is difficult to say anything definite. Sick young children usually drink a lot of milk. If they do not vomit, milk is just what they need. An older child may refuse milk or vomit milk.
Foods such as vegetables (cooked and raw), meat, fish, poultry, fats (butter, margarine, cream) are usually poorly digested when fever is high and children refuse them. However, experiments by Dr. Clara Davis have shown that during the convalescence period, when the fever is down, children eat vegetables well and digest them perfectly. The most important rule: never force him to eat something he doesn’t want to eat. If you force him, you may cause him to vomit.
Examples
“It all started 1.5 years ago. My son got the flu, and all my offers to eat failed. Then I decided that instead of shoving something into him, I’d rather let him starve. (To be honest it was very scary, my husband and I ourselves at that time had already practiced fasting, but we did not risk starving the child). He starved on wet fasting for only 24 hours, after which he began to ask for food, well, and slowly began to drink juices at first, and then feed him with fruits and vegetables until full recovery. I must say that he recovered faster than with the “traditional” method of treatment.
When he got sick again, he had already starved for 2.5 days, the next day he drank fruit and vegetable juices, and a day later he was introduced to raw fruits and vegetables. Since then, if he is sick, in addition to a fever, he has a runny nose, which quickly goes away, and he is now sick for no more than 3 days.
“When my daughter was about 4 years old (can’t remember the exact age now, something kindergarten age, small and fragile), she got sick. Had a cold. Her temperature rose past 39. The numbers were frightening! I was practically on duty at the bed and constantly measured, tried … not even to knock down, as it was simply impossible – it was constantly growing and growing, growing and growing … The unfortunate child was thrashing around in delirium on the bed, no medication did not work…. And in general, what can be given to such a small!
In general, at my own risk (and it was wildly scary, you just can not imagine what I as a mother then experienced – will die, and everything), I began to swim along the current of her body. I sat and picked up like an antenna…. I decided not to give her anything, neither to drink nor to eat, i.e. to carry out dry fasting until she asked for it. Just put vinegar-soaked rags on her wrists and ankles. They’d dry out, I’d do it again. It helped keep her temperature more or less stable, just above 39.
She stayed dry for a little over half a day. Then she abruptly asked for a drink, drank it and passed out in a more or less peaceful sleep.
After that, she improved dramatically. She’s been eating very selectively. If she asks for it, I give her what she asks for. If she doesn’t ask, I don’t give her anything. So as a result, I can tell you that her immune system has gone through the roof. All the kids are sick, she can’t handle it. You can say, kept on such a high bar for another 3-4 years. And now there are no spring and fall colds.
Fasting for gastrointestinal diseases
How to use fasting for acute GI lesions in children? And why is therapeutic fasting effective for gastrointestinal diseases? I think it is useful for every mom to know how to treat a child with any acute gastrointestinal disease. You should always start treatment with fasting. Don’t talk yourself into it: “I’d better feed the child, or he will lose weight. Maybe vomiting or liquid stools – it’s an accident?”. Thinking this way is a big mistake. As a rule, if you do not immediately remove the food, the child’s condition will only worsen.
And another thing: you should not give the child in the first days of the disease with liquid stools fixing medicines, even herbs. Diarrhea can go to its opposite. And the baby’s condition will worsen, as indigestion, which can be caused by a variety of reasons (overfeeding, overheating, improper prescription of complementary foods, poor-quality products and, finally, infection) will remain. As a result, after 1-2 days of lack of stools, the condition may worsen again, there will be a high fever and on its background – the symptoms of even more significant damage to the gastrointestinal tract.
If the baby is vomiting
Many illnesses are accompanied by vomiting, especially in the beginning, while the fever is still high. However, if you are unable to consult a doctor immediately, follow the suggestions in this section. Vomiting occurs because the disease disables the stomach, which is unable to hold food.
It is good to give the stomach a chance to rest completely. Then, if the child asks for it, give a sip of water, at first not more than 10-15 g. If water remains in the stomach and the child asks for more, give him some water after 15-20 minutes. If the child is very thirsty, give him gradually more and more water, but no more than half a glass. On the first day, do not give more than half a cup of liquid at one time. If vomiting does not resume after water, try giving some orange juice and carbonated beverage. If several hours have passed safely after vomiting and the child asks to eat, give him something light, such as a tablespoon of porridge or applesauce.
If vomiting resumes, be relentless. Give nothing for 2 hours and then start with a teaspoon of water or crushed ice. After 20 minutes, give the child another 2 teaspoons of water. Increase the amount of water very carefully. If a child who has vomited is not thirsty even a few hours later, do not offer him anything – he will almost certainly vomit again. The reason for this caution is that with each vomiting, the child loses more than he or she drank.
Vomiting that has been caused by a fever illness is most common on the first day and then usually does not happen again, even though the fever remains high. Sometimes there may be small spots or veins of blood in the vomit if the child has been pushing hard. This in itself is not dangerous.
How long do I need to not feed my baby?
The severity of the condition is determined by the vomiting: the more often the baby vomits, the longer it should be kept without food, but sufficient water. If vomiting is frequent, painful, then drink small portions of cooled water. Sometimes babies drip liquid from a dropper every 10-15 minutes. In such severe conditions, it is better not to feed the child for a day. If the child’s condition is quite satisfactory, vomiting is rare, and appeared only liquid stool, it is enough to miss either one or two feedings. Duration of fasting should not be reduced. Do not try to shorten the duration of fasting. Do not worry about weight loss. With fasting, recovery is faster, which means that the child will return to his or her weight sooner.
Examples
“As to the use of therapeutic fasting in infants, the following example is very demonstrative. A young woman, after fractional therapeutic fasting, gave birth to a healthy child who had not suffered from anything up to 11 months of age, but then contracted sore throat, refused food and went without it for two days. When after 36 hours of fasting the child was examined by a doctor again, he did not see any pathological changes on tonsils, which he stated at the initial examination. The child literally on the next day of fasting became active, the temperature normalized, and without a single pill for almost two days of fasting the little patient was healthy.
The fact is that on the eve of conception of the child together with the mother conducted fractional course of fasting, and his father, supporting his wife morally in this matter. There are many such humane examples. Apparently, that is why both parents, having experienced the beneficial effect of fasting, consciously “did not feed” their sick child when the latter instinctively refused to eat. Perhaps the instinct in such children, when their parents have at one time repeated courses of fasting, works more clearly and convincingly in a situation of illness.
Allergic diseases
In the presence of chronic diseases, the indication for fasting is, first of all, allergic pathology. Bronchial asthma (against the background of water procedures and a special diet), neurodermatitis, eczema, pollinosis can be well treated with this method.
“A boy, 10 years old, suffered from bronchial asthma with a severe course of the disease, with phenomena of chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis and purulent sputum. He got pneumonia and then asthma at the age of six months, took direct-acting sympathomimetics and hormones in inhalers for many years. Later he tried to free himself from these drugs by various variants of hardening and folk medicines: vegetarian diet, climatotherapy; speleotherapy (treatment in mines), sauna, acupuncture, acupressure, acupressure massage, breathing exercises with breath-holding, etc. The child could not free himself from drug dependence and frequent exacerbations of the disease. The sick boy in company with his mother spent two courses of fasting for 10 days on the seashore under the supervision of a doctor, and the disease receded. There was a stable long-term remission of the disease, despite the extremely neglected process in the bronchopulmonary apparatus of the patient”.
Other chronic diseases
The method of fasting can help a child with joint damage (Still’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, infectious-allergic polyarthritis). A good effect is produced by short courses of fasting in chronic bronchitis, recurrent pneumonia, as well as in adolescents with obesity or with chronic damage to the digestive organs. At the same time, fasting should be carried out only against the background of treatment with diet and water procedures. Here is an interesting example described by Suvorin, a great expert in fasting.
“Parents brought a seven-year-old boy to me from the provinces. He had chronic pneumonia, which prevented him from breathing and playing with his peers. I ordered him to fast for five days, but on the morning of the fifth day his parents brought him to me again – the bad boy” did not want to fast any longer!
– How are you feeling? – I asked.
– From now to now – all clear! – said the boy cheerfully, showing from the bottom of his chest to his throat. – The only thing left is here! – And the boy pointed to his throat.
Short and to the point! Sensible boy!
– Will you go hungry again?
– No!” the boy said firmly.
– We’ll make him do it! – Mother intervened.
– You can’t! Don’t do it! Fasting must be voluntary, otherwise it will not give you what you need.
I explained to the boy that until he was well enough, he would not be allowed to run around with other children. As I heard, the sensible boy then fasted twice for five days of his own accord.
Choosing the time of day to start fasting
What time of day should I start fasting, in the morning after breakfast or after dinner? It depends on the child. If the child eats well and willingly in the morning, you can start fasting after breakfast. If he eats more readily in the evening hours, it is better to start fasting after dinner.
Important rules
To avoid complications during fasting, the following rules should be followed.
Never go hungry on a day when your child is going to have a great deal of physical or mental exertion, or if he or she may be expecting some kind of trouble or worry.
During fasting, you should drink as much water as you want.
- Try to be with your child in the woods, walk more in the park, in the fresh air (but not sunbathing!).
- On the day of fasting it is necessary to take a pleasant comfortable shower or a warm bath 1-2 times. If the child is used to contrasting water procedures, it is better to make 1-2 contrasting procedures instead of warm ones.
During fasting, exacerbations can occur
Sometimes during fasting, pains in the joints, in the stomach (in chronic diseases of the digestive organs) worsen. These pains are transient. In such cases you should take a warm bath, drink hot water with honey.
Careful with the exertion
Protect your child from heavy exertion during fasting. As a rule, during fasting there is euphoria, it seems that you feel very easy, you are able to do great things. This feeling is false, after heavy loads can come a very unpleasant condition in the form of headaches, trembling, heart palpitations. If this happens – do not be afraid, just let the child eat some honey and lie in a warm bath.
In the home I would recommend to children only short daily fasts. If the child agrees to this treatment, this method cannot harm the child if all the necessary conditions are met.
