Raw Food Explained: Life Science
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3. Procedures Incidential To The Successful Fast
The conditions alluded to in the preceding materials are idealistic and seldom actually happen in such simplistic forms. Sometimes conditions develop during a fast where the guest will be experiencing unusual amounts of toxic release which may have to be slowed down to some extent. If the fast is causing so much toxic material to be eliminated that the body is unable to eliminate it as fast as it is being released through the usual channels of elimination (i.e., kidneys, respiration, perspiration, and the bowels) and does not resort to any of the vicarious avenues of elimination, the blood will become so toxic that the guest may lose contact with reality (become slightly disturbed or insane). That is because of excessive amounts of toxic materials in the blood that are flowing throughout the body and through the brain in the bloodstream creating an uncontrolled physical situation that is both undesirable and unnecessary. When that condition begins to manifest, it has been found to be a wise precaution to break the fast for a day or two on a fruit that is high in water content such as watermelon, grapes, or oranges and then resume the fast when the situation is back under control. This is one of the main reasons why it is so important that the guest have some appreciation of a few of the things that can happen to them while undergoing a fast.
Actually the above-mentioned toxic condition is that which most people in mental institutions suffer from. None of the people who are responsible for their care and treatment are aware of the cause of their problems, and as a result, nothing constructive is being done for them.
3.1 Be Alert to Guests’ Needs—Physical and Mental
Another consideration of concern when all of the vital signs are within the normal range of variation, is to guard against apprehensions and fears that may be instilled in the minds of your guests by any of your other guests who speak of experiences they’ve had in various so-called fasting institutions. Many times they will relate their experiences in such a way as to create an illusion of pain, discomfort, or some other danger to the unsuspecting guest. This is another reason why you should pay close attention to your guests’ questions and attitudes so that you can head off those things before they actually become problems (during your informative talks for example).
Also, you will occasionally encounter a guest that seems to have a lot of savvy, has read all of Dr. Shelton’s books, and thinks he or she knows exactly what to do and when to break the fast. Usually it is a case where there is little knowledge, and it becomes a dangerous thing. This is especially so in the hands of an inexperienced individual. This is when your orientation talks (information talks) given every day (to those of your guests that feel up to attending them) can be a wonderful tool for de-fuzzing these potentially dangerous situations.
3.2 Educational Talks Given to Guests
Some general observations and suggestions include informative talks on a regular basis so that they become habitual. These talks should be very simple and direct on such subjects as disease; fasting; the 19 components of nutrition; the basic food categories; some discussion of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes; and an exposure to the providence and wisdom of the body. When that has been done, then the cycle should be repeated. Many of the long-term fasters will have an opportunity to hear the talks two or three times. They will not hear them too often, however, because during their fast they are very weak and many of them will not attend the talks until they feel stronger.
Repetition is good, and it takes a lot of it to get even the simplist ideas across. Look at how many times you had to repeat the multiplication tables to get them into your consciousness. The same holds true here. Your talks should be given from a minimum of notes or props so they contain as much spontaneity as possible, and try to avoid the planned or canned type of classroom presentation. Talks should be informal, informative, and as humorous as possible. They should never be longer than 60 minutes and preferably not over 50 minutes because your guests will be in various stages of fasting and eating. They may be readjusting to an eating schedule and will be unable to maintain a very long span of attention to the materials being presented. The fasters who are in attendance have, or at least may have, an even shorter attention span. The talks should be in the simplest language you are able to command, reserving your intellectual prowess for the more argumentative and dissident members of society who seem to look with great respect and awe at the speaker who can keep them spellbound with meaningless, but high-sounding phrases and innuendos.
Your guests will be people from all walks of life with educational backgrounds that vary just as much as they themselves vary as they are progressing through the various stages or phases of the fast and the recovery or rehabilitation program following the fast. Your talks must be geared to that type (variety) of an audience. You will have ample opportunity to express yourself more fluently as you are called upon to give talks before various church groups, fraternal, and social organizations along with various service clubs and others who are looking for an informative speaker—an innovative speaker who has a different story to tell than the one they heard at another meeting they have attended. That is YOU.
We have found that when we teach our guests new information and then tell and retell them this information time and time again, they begin to get the point. You will not, and cannot, make Hygienists of them during your attempts to educate them. The only thing you can ever hope to do is to instill the desire to learn more about the program after they get into it and begin to feel better. The guests will gradually start thinking as their health improves, and they are going to become more interested in the program if you have done a good job of selling them on its basics. It is just like any other program of learning in this sense.
This same rationale and reasoning applies in the case of your guests and the knowledge you may be privileged to impart to them. Most of them are ready to absorb the simpler forms of knowledge you will be able to provide them but will not be ready for the higher aspects of the program until they’ve had a chance to chew on and digest the basics first. And, for that matter, there is little or no need for them to know more than that unless they are motivated to learn and teach the program to others.
3.3 Give Guidance and Direction to Your Guests
Some other considerations to think about as you are working with your guests include the knowledge that no two fasts are the same. Explain to them that no two guests will have the same reactions and results from a similar fasting situation nor will a guest will have the same reactions and results from a similar fasting situation nor will a guest experience the same kind of a fast the next time he or she fasts. The reasons for this should be obvious, but to review our thinking a little we can suggest that no two objects occupy a single point in time and space so they are starting from different points. Some higher, some lower, some further to the right and some further to the left, etc. And the one individual that has previously fasted is not starting his or her second fast from the same particular point in time or space as the first fast, not even when he or she deliberately tries to do so. Your guests should be advised along these lines of thinking so they can understand what is happening to them when different experiences begin manifesting in this, their most recent fast.
Many of your guests will come to you with a mania or fetish concerning bowel action or the lack thereof. They may be wanting to use laxatives and a series of colonics and all of that kind of garbage. You have to be alert to these things. These guests may even have enema bags in their suitcases to use just in case you will not provide these things for them, and they will use them too until they learn better.
Your guests are looking to you for guidance and direction all during the fast and as long as you are providing that direction and guidance for them, they will follow your suggestions to the best of their ability. You must at every opportunity give them reassurances that there are no dangers involved in the usual fasting situation.
Many of your guests will have lost many pounds of weight and will begin to start worrying about this weight loss. It’s necessary to reassure them that they do not need to worry themselves about their weight loss which will normalize shortly after they have returned to eating their regular meals—if they are living Hygienically. Sometimes this takes a bit of doing, especially with any of your guests who lean toward vanity as opposed to the healthy aspects of life. A little reassurance is usually all that is needed. On the other hand, it is important to explain to them that their weight is not going to come back immediately after breaking a long fast. As a matter of fact, it will come back rather slowly at first because their bodies are using just about all of the nutrients that are being provided for energy alone, and it is only when the input of energy in the form of raw materials exceeds the utilization that any weight comes back. So in those who have fasted to completion many times, it takes three to six months to gain their weight back. It is a matter of balance between energy utilization and energy supplied. We have to increase the energy input and increase the exercises just enough to strengthen the body, but not so much to use up all of the reserves that are being introduced into the dietary. If the guest doesn’t exercise good judgment in the balance between weight gain and exercise, he will be in for a long siege of thinness.
3.4 Breaking Your Guests’ Fasts
The breaking of a fast can be as important as the actual fast itself and must be observed rather critically. In many of your older guests who have had a history of constipation or other bowel irregularities such as hemorrhoids, polyps, or fissures, there will be a tendency for the bowels to be sluggish. If the bowels are not evacuated naturally by the end of the fifth day after the guest has broken the fast, you will need to observe him or her closely. If he or she suggests to you that he/she feels like having a bowel movement but finds it difficult or is having no results, then you should offer reassurance. Explain to them that their systems will normalize if they remain on the Hygienic program and exercise regularly. (I will not attempt to go into detail on the breaking of the fast as the next lesson will cover it precisely.)
3.5 How Long Should Your Guests Stay
Ideally, your guest should plan to stay with you and learn how to eat properly as you continue to look after his or her well-being, as you teach the various ways of combining foods Hygienically. The guest should plan to stay with you and accept your guidance for at least 2/3 of the time of the fast beyond the fast and the equal of that time would be even better. If the guest fasts for 14 days, they should stay with you at least 10 days and ideally 14 days after breaking the fast.
Another thing that is particularly helpful to those of your guests that can handle the situation is for them to observe various combinations of foods being served to those of the guests who have resumed eating while they themselves are still fasting. For some, this becomes overwhelming and they are not able to do it without great distress whereas with others it presents no problem at all.
3.6 General Information Worthy of Consideration
Your primary concern and intent should be in trying to make your guests comfortable and carefree during the course of their stay with you. There are a lot of little things that come to mind that can be of considerable comfort and solace to many of your guests, especially during some of their more tedious moments during the fast. These can include, but are not limited to the following items. You will think of others from time to time that you will want to share with your guests and other practitioners. There are times when a hot water bottle filled with hot water can be very comforting to the cold feet or the cold back. They can also do wonders in helping to relax the tense solar plexus (see definition). This application of heat to the area relaxes the musculature and allows the nerves to become much less constricted and bound up so that nerve energy is exchanged more freely.
The warming and serving of distilled water in thermos types of dispensers is many limes very comforting to the guest. Especially the first drink of water in the morning, and most particularly to that guest who has a habit of drinking something warm upon awakening in the morning. It doesn’t have to be hot, simply warmed to about 120 degrees Fahrenheit, slightly warmer than the body.
3.7 Helpful Suggestions For Dealing With Your Guests
In the prolonged fast, distilled water seems to lose its appeal to some of the guests and it can be enhanced greatly by the addition of a few drops of lemon juice as it is warmed as above.
Night lights strategically located around the structure aide considerably in helping the somewhat disoriented guest find their way around at night.
Emergency procedures for obtaining help, especially during the night need to be worked out so as to provide a practical means of making guests wishes known to the staff.
Quiet hours during the day and after a reasonable hour at night can do a lot to add to the comfort of the guests and especially to those who are still fasting.
In your contacts with your guests prior to their arrival after you have made your initial contact with them you should provide them with as much information as you can concerning the types of things to bring along for wearing, recording talks, and listening to music and others that come to mind.
Television and radio should be limited as necessary to prevent their enervating effects upon guests, both themselves and others.
The golden rule applies both to the guests and their interactions between themselves and between the guests and your staff.
Your actual responsibility for your guests will end when they depart from your direct sphere of influence or control but you will want to encourage them to keep in touch with you and keep the communication lines open both ways. You will want to hear about their successes as well as the questions after they begin to live hygienically in their home surroundings. And most importantly you will want to hear about all of their friends and relatives that have been influenced by them after they returned home from their successful fasting experience with you and your effective and efficient staff. Because of this, prior guests may also want to come and spend some time with you to enhance their lifestyles and incidentally improve their health.
- 1. Establishing Your Credentials As An Authority
- 2. The Actual Conduct Of The Fast
- 3. Procedures Incidential To The Successful Fast
- 4. Questions & Answers
- Article #1: Injury To Fasters By Dr. Herbert M. Shelton
Raw Food Explained: Life Science
Today only $37 (discounted from $197)