Fasting and Eating for Health: A Medical Doctor's Program for Conquering Disease

When you're suffering from a chronic, degenerative disease, and the doctors you trust are recommending drugs or surgery, it's hard to believe that simply going without food could be of any lasting benefit. This is also compounded by ridicule in medical circles and the media, which mistake fasting for starvation and label it quackery.This book provides an excellent introduction into the natural hygiene (see  History of Natural Hygiene and Principles of Natural Hygiene ) view of health through healthy living. Fuhrman explains how health is maintained, how disease occurs, the role of diet, and the physiological effects of fasting. Fuhrman has a solid grounding in natural hygiene as well as knowledge of diagnostics and pathology.If you are new to fasting and suffer from a chronic, degenerative disease, this is the book you need to read to understand how fasting can help you return to health and how proper eating can help you not only remain healthy but rejuvenate your body, increase your energy and improve your mental functioning.Several chapters are devoted to explaining how diseases occur and how fasting can reverse headaches, hypoglycemia, diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, overweight and other chronic conditions. But fasting isn't a quick fix. Lifestyle changes must follow to prevent recreating the same diseases.What this book is not is a detailed treatment of how to conduct or break fasts. The information given is superficial with the caveat that those wishing to fast over three days should do so under the supervision of a qualified fasting practitioner. I discuss the reasons for this in the comment section.I also do not any longer endorse the vegan dietary model, and Fuhrman is definitely pro-vegan. While I agree that diets high in feedlot beef, confined poultry treated with antibiotics, and farm-raised fish are detrimental, I've come to believe that healthy alternatives (e.g., wild game, grassfed beef) are healthful foods to which our species is biologically adapted (see  The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Food You Were Designed to Eat  or  NeanderThin: Eat Like a Caveman to Achieve a Lean, Strong, Healthy Body  for alternative views). If you are a vegetarian or vegan, then Fuhrman's your guy.If you're looking for a book on fasting itself, I highly recommend  The Science and Fine Art of Fasting  or  Fasting for Renewal of Life , both written by Herbert Shelton. As a young, injured man, Furhman fasted under the supervision of Shelton and was so inspired by what he witnessed at Shelton's school that he later became a doctor. We can thank Shelton that fasting hasn't been completely buried by the American Medical Association and the pharmaceutical cartel, and we can thank Fuhrman for carrying the torch.Despite these shortcomings, I still think this is an excellent book that offers hope and a path for those who are ready to take control over their health. We need more doctors like Furhman.

I recently purchased "Fasting and Eating for Health: A Medical Doctor's Program for Conquering Disease" and found it to be a fascinating and informative read. The book presents a detailed and evidence-based program for using fasting and dietary changes to improve health and prevent disease. Dr. Joel Fuhrman's writing is clear and easy to understand, and he provides a wealth of information and practical advice for implementing his program. I particularly appreciated the focus on whole, unprocessed foods and the inclusion of meal plans and recipes. Overall, I would highly recommend "Fasting and Eating for Health" to anyone interested in improving their health and well-being through dietary changes.

I am interested in learning more about fasting, and have read several non-medical books on the subject. By the time I got this book, I was looking for a book on fasting that could back up its claims as well as making them freely. I bought this book looking for a well researched overview of fasting with case studies, and I got what I paid for, in spades! Not only did Dr. Fuhrman present his conclusions in easy-to-read language, he footnoted every conclusion he presented with the study (many times, multiple studies) he used to form those conclusions. The studies are primarily current and from major medical publications (JAMA, NEJM, etc) with little reliance on anecdotal or dated information. I was highly impressed, and that's pretty hard to do. Whether you agree with his conclusions or not, the one charge that *cannot* be reasonably levelled at this book is a lack of fact, citations, or research. The studies he cites are definitely out there and available for anyone who wants the raw data and is willing to do the further research.I did find the book a little light on dietary recommendations; in other words, a healthy diet is stressed and some general guidelines are given, but he doesn't lay out specific do's and don'ts, perhaps thinking that is best left up to the reader. I would have liked to see more of that, but since that's not why I bought the book I didn't miss it much.One thing I did like very much was that he consistently and squarely lays the responsibility for one's own health at one's own feet. After having personally dealt with too many doctors who are threatened by patients who think, this was incredibly refreshing. Dr. Fuhrman makes it clear that he is not the healer; the patients are. The patients do the work and the patients heal themselves -- he presents his role as that of a facilitator. In my opinion, that is the only healthy view of medicine there is, so he's definitely made a fan of me!One last word: anyone who doubts the validity of fasting as a healing modality is likely someone who never fatsted. It's not just Dr. Fuhrman; this is centuries old and richly documented. Unless you've got a clear medical reason not to fast, it's definitely worth trying. I have, and my limited experience is that Dr. Fuhrman is right on the money with his recommendations and observations. Excellent book! Thank you, Doc!

For me as someone that has been vegan and plant based for 10 years it was going over stuff I already knew. I wanted just info on fasting and what it does to the body, not what eating animal products does to your body, or how fasting can help your body if you eat animal products. If you do eat animal products, then I'd say stop now and read this book and do yourself a favour. For me, it wasn't so useful.

Everything Dr Fuhrman writes is worth reading again and again, simply put but backed up with science and integrity - wonderful - Oh and my Fiance just got a letter from his consultant 18 months after his heart attack to say that there is no sign of heart disease and that his recovery is "entirely satisfactory" he is no longer on any medication - Dr Fuhrman played a significant part in changing our lives for ever for better - can't recommend highly enough!

I didn't read all this because I am not a great fan of the author, but it seemed recommended by other fasters; however, another reviewer on amazon.com said he contacted the authors office for further information and the response was that Mr Furhman no longer endorses fasting with the same enthusiasm as he did previously; opting now for a more diet based approach. Yet he still permits this book to be sold.

A very interesting book and I believe is the way forward for a healthy life style. Using the principles in this book I succeeded in reducing my insulin dosage to zero from 60 units a day and ceasing using metaformin completely for my Diabetes type two. It also enabled me to lose weight slowly without any detrimental effects. I do have other medical conditions. i.e Lung cancer dealt with by surgery and 3 heart attacks. I fully endorse this book in its conclusion to a healthier life style.

Highly recommended. Makes me preachy to my friends, but I think they need to know. I think everyone needs to know how to get rid of sickness, why wouldn't you? A great guide, Essential reading.