1. Introduction

Instinctively, every person knows that the living body is maintained by nourishing it. We are all aware of the fact that little children will not grow unless they receive proper food. We observe little ones being stuffed beyond capacity all around us. As a result, many are bloated beyond belief, their small bodies already foul cesspools of rapidly-accumulating poisonous debris.

We are also aware of the fact that unless the human body, child or adult, receives its full quota of nourishment, it will, in time, cease to be; the life spirit will depart, returning to the source from whence it came.

For centuries the custom has been to ply invalids with what is termed, "good, nourishing food," and this often to their undoing for, instead of contributing to an increase in wellness, the food wasted the vitality of the sick to the extent that it proved instrumental in either prolonging the recovery or causing the demise of the person so abused.

Humans, unlike other animals, do NOT instinctively know or understand that abstaining from food can be an effective means for the body to cleanse its stagnant fluids, one wholly compatible to nature; a natural happening which will permit the restoration of a degree of health as predetermined by the potential for recovery that lies dormant within.

In this lesson, therefore, we will examine some aspects of fasting that may have been previously touched upon to some degree but which, in our view, warrant further attention and then, by means of various case studies, we will show how certain individuals became convinced that fasting was worthy of their consideration and eventually became a part of their pattern for transition into a higher level of health.