Walter Kempner, MD Founder of the Rice Diet

Walter Kempner, medical doctor and research scientist, is the father of modern day diet therapy and creator of the Rice Diet. All who have followed in his footsteps, including Nathan Pritikin, Dean Ornish, Neal Barnard, Caldwell Esselstyn, and myself, owe homage to this man and his work.

Kempner's Rice Diet program began at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina in 1939. The treatment was a simple therapy of white rice, fruit, juice, and sugar, and was reserved for only the most seriously ill patients. Although low-tech, the benefits of the Rice Diet far exceed those of any drug or surgery ever prescribed for chronic conditions, including coronary artery disease, heart and kidney failure, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, and obesity.

Originally used for only short time periods and under close supervision due to concerns about nutritional deficiencies, subsequent research proved the Rice Diet to be safe and nutritionally adequate for the vast majority of patients.

A major breakthrough occurred by accident in 1942 when one of Dr. Kempner's patients, a 33-year-old North Carolina woman with chronic glomerulonephritis (kidney disease) and papilledema (eye disease) failed to follow his instructions. Because of Dr. Kempner's heavy German accent she misunderstood his instructions to return in two weeks, and after two months, she finally returned, with no signs of deficiency, but rather with robust health. The woman had experienced a dramatic reduction of her blood pressure, from 190/120 to 124/84 mmHg, resolution of eye damage (retinal hemorrhages and papilledema), and a noticeable decrease in heart size.

After this experience Dr. Kempner began treating his patients for extended periods of time, and expanded the indications from only serious troubles (glomerulonephritis and malignant hypertension) to patients with relatively minor illnesses, such as routine hypertension (160/100 mmHg), headaches, chronic fatigue, chest pains, edema, xanthoma, pseudo tumor cerebri, and psoriasis.

Walter Kempner's Medical Records

During his career, fellow professionals wanted Dr. Kempner to set up randomized, controlled studies. However in studies designed this way, half of the patients are treated and half go untreated. His medical ethics would not allow him to deny his proven diet therapy to anyone; therefore, he declined. Furthermore, he correctly pointed out that each patient served as his own control.

Dr. Kempner documented the benefits of his treatments by tracking their changes in cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, and body weight, as well as with pictures. For example, his records showed that 93% of patients with an elevated cholesterol benefited with an average reduction from 273 mg/dL before treatment to 177 mg/dL after. These reductions in cholesterol are greater than those usually seen with powerful statin drugs, and without the costs and risks. His numbers also showed how a high-carbohydrate diet improved blood sugars and often cured type-2 diabetes.

Reducing Massive Obesity:

In one article the results of 106 massively obese patients treated as outpatients with the Rice Diet, exercise, and motivational enhancement under daily supervision were reported. The average weight loss was 63.9 kg (141 pounds). Normal weight was achieved by 43 of the patients.

Curing Severe Hypertension.

In the beginning, Dr. Kempner treated only patients with near-fatal conditions, like malignant hypertension (blood pressures in the 220/120 mmHg range). In this emergency condition people often suffered from heart and kidney failure, and eye damage (with retinal hemorrhages, exudates, and papilledema). Today such patients are treated with powerful medications and laser eye surgery, with far greater risks and costs, and far fewer benefits. The safe and effective Rice Diet treatment for eye damage and kidney damage has been largely forgotten.

Stopping Hemorrhages and Exudates.

The eyes are a window to the condition of the blood vessel system and major organs throughout the body. By looking (with an ophthalmoscope) into the back of the eye (retina) a physician can actually see ongoing damage, which is not limited to the eye, but is also happening in the kidneys and all other tissues. Photos of the retina show how the Rice Diet stops the bleeding (hemorrhages) and leaking (exudates) from blood vessels. This serves as a dramatic demonstration of the body's ability to heal given the supportive environment of a healthy diet.

Reversing Heart Disease.

Narrowing of heart (coronary) arteries due to atherosclerosis (a result of the Western diet) causes chest pains (angina) and changes in the electrocardiogram (EKGs showing inverted "T" waves). The Rice Diet relieves chest pains and corrects EKG abnormalities. In other words, the Rice Diet can cure common heart disease, which affects more than half of Americans. Modern-day heart doctors routinely prescribe heart surgery for blocked arteries, with far greater costs and risks, and far fewer benefits.

Treating Heart and Kidney Failure.

In late stages of disease, the Western diet causes the failure of major organs, including the heart, kidneys, liver, and brain. Enlargement of the heart, as seen on a chest x-ray, is a classic sign of heart failure. The Rice Diet causes enlarged (failing) hearts to revert to normal size and function. Kidney function also dramatically improves, as does the patient in general.

The Rice Diet Components

*Dry rice of 250 to 350 grams daily forms the basis of the diet. Any kind of rice is used as long as it contains no milk or salt. The rice is boiled or steamed in plain water or fruit juice, without salt, milk or fat. (One cup of dry white rice weighs about 200 grams, and contains about 13 grams of protein, 150 grams of carbohydrate, 1 gram of fat, and 700 calories.)

*Calorie intake is usually 2,000 to 2,400 calories daily. Intake varies based upon the patient's condition: underweight people are fed more calories, and vice versa.

*Fruit and fruit juices are allowed.

*Dried fruits can be used as long as nothing but sugar has been added.

*White sugar may be used as desired (ad libitum); on average a patient takes in about 100 grams daily (400 calories) but, if necessary (to maintain body weight), as much as 500 grams (2000 calories) daily has been used.

*No avocados, dates, or nuts.

*No tomato or vegetable juices.

*Supplementary vitamins are added in the following amounts: vitamin A 5,000 units, vitamin D 1,000 units, thiamine chloride 5 mg, riboflavin 5 mg, niacinamide 25 mg, calcium pantothenate 2 mg. (However, none of the Rice Diet patients during five months of treatment showed any signs (epithelial, neural or metabolic) to make one suspect any vitamin deficiency.

*Adaptation to the diet takes about two months.

*Exercise is encouraged. Bed rest is only advised with severe conditions.

*Water intake is restricted in some severely ill patients to less than 1.5 liters (6 cups) a day to prevent water intoxication and electrolyte imbalances.

*A few patients with kidney disease cannot tolerate the diet because of their inability to retain minerals.

*Once the patient's health has returned, then small amounts of non-leguminous vegetables, potatoes, lean meat or fish (all prepared without salt or fat) may be added. However, if these additions result in adverse consequences (elevated blood pressure, enlargement of the heart, abnormal EKG changes, worsening kidney or eye conditions, etc.), then the basic Rice Diet, without modification, must be continued.

*A physician competent in diet therapy should follow anyone in need of the Rice Diet. Sicker patients need closer supervision.

The nutrient breakdown is about 2,000 to 2,400 calories per day (depending on the patient's body weight): 95% carbohydrate, 4 to 5% protein (20 to 25 grams), 2 to 3% fat (rice is relatively high in the essential fat linoleic acid), 140 milligrams of calcium, and 150 milligrams of sodium daily. For more rapid and effective weight loss, the calories are restricted.
Why White Rice And Table Sugar?

One reason Kempner chose rice was because he believed that rice proteins were easily assimilated and there was no concern about getting sufficient amounts of the essential amino acids. (This adequacy and completeness of protein is not limited to rice, and is true for all starches, including corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.) He chose rice rather than another starch because in his day, nearly half of the world's population consumed large amounts of rice (sometimes rice made up 80% to 90% of their diet).

White rice, as opposed to brown whole-grain rice, was used because it was considered more palatable to the general public and was more readily available. Plain white rice contains about 8% of calories as protein. The addition of simple sugars brings the protein content of the Rice Diet down to 5% or fewer of total calories. The body only needs a small amount of protein daily (fewer than 5% of calories from food). The liver and kidneys must process and excrete any protein consumed beyond the basic requirements, causing extra work and often organ damage.

The addition of white table sugar adds calories without protein and fat. Fruits and juices are also high in sugar (carbohydrate) calories and low in fat and protein. The primary benefits of the Rice Diet are accomplished by easing the workload on compromised tissues and organs by providing them with clean-burning energy from carbohydrates and avoiding common dietary poisons such as salt, fat, cholesterol, and animal protein. In such a supportive environment the body's healing powers can outpace the damages once caused by unhealthy foods. Dr. Kempner added multivitamins, which may be necessary because of all the refined foods served. Using whole foods (specifically the McDougall starch-based diet), rather than white rice and sugar, provides all necessary vitamins and minerals. No supplements are recommended other than vitamin B12.

The Rice Diet Today

After nearly 70 years, in 2002 Duke University severed its relationship with the Rice Diet. The Rice Diet program, however, continued to run independently until the fall of 2013 under the direction of Robert Rosati, MD, when it closed for business. Kitty Rosati (with her husband, Robert) has published several national best selling books on the Rice Diet.
Francis Neelon, MD, the Rice Diet's former medical director, has joined with business interests to reestablish the Rice Diet, and they plan to open an outpatient facility in Durham, NC beginning in February of 2014.

One of Dr. Kempner's closest collaborators, Barbara Newborg, MD, recently published an extensive biography on the father of modern day diet therapy, Walter Kempner and the Rice Diet: Challenging Conventional Wisdom.

The McDougall Diet vs. The Rice Diet

Walter Kempner, MD was very influential on my career. His published work showed me the power of diet therapy and that nutritional deficiencies do not occur with simple plant-based diets (even with the addition of lots of sugar). Even before I was born, Dr. Kempner had disproven concepts that are still held as true by most medical doctors today, such as, "diet has little to do with heart disease," "additional protein improves health," and "carbohydrates cause diabetes."

I find myself recommending the Rice Diet several times a year to the few patients I see who are on the verge of complete heart or kidney failure. Otherwise, I recommend the McDougall Diet (a starch-based diet with fruits and non-starchy-vegetables along with some salt and sugar for flavorings) to almost all of my patients.

No apology needs to be made for serving pasta and marinara sauce, bean burritos, or rice and Chinese vegetables. The diet I recommend, the McDougall Diet, is for the living. The Rice Diet is one that I reserve for the "nearly dead." I am grateful every day for Walter Kempner's contributions to medical science. Unfortunately, because profits, rather than patients' welfare, dictate common medical practice, diet therapy remains unappreciated and practically unknown.

中国重大突破 癌细胞用这种方法弄死了

他和研究团队一起发现了“饿死”癌细胞的新疗法，并发表在国际生物和医学领域权威杂志elife上，得到了国际著名肿瘤学者的肯定。

　　“癌细胞也需要‘吃’东西才能生存，剥夺它的食物，癌细胞就会死亡。”浙江大学肿瘤研究所教授胡汛说，就是循着这个看似简单的原理，他和研究团队一起发现了“饿死”癌细胞的新疗法，并发表在国际生物和医学领域权威杂志elife上，得到了国际著名肿瘤学者的肯定。

　　经过多年基础研究，胡汛发现葡萄糖是癌细胞必需“吃”的东西，照理看剥夺葡萄糖癌细胞就会死亡。但实际上葡萄糖供应不足时，肿瘤没有饿死还不断生长。

　　胡汛教授道出了其中奥秘：肿瘤中有大量的乳酸，乳酸解离成乳酸阴离子和氢离子，成为癌细胞的两位“帮手”，让其自身能够根据“食物”的多少决定“消耗”多少。
两位“帮手”协同作用，使得癌细胞在葡萄糖含量很少时，非常节约地利用葡萄糖；在没有葡萄糖的情况下进入“休眠”状态；当有葡萄糖供应时即刻恢复生长状态。
因此，若想有效“饿死”癌细胞，不仅要剥夺葡萄糖，还需同时破坏乳酸阴离子和氢离子的协同作用。在葡萄糖饥饿或缺乏的前提下，只要去除这两个因子中的任何一个，癌细胞就会快速死亡。
　　研究人员用碱如碳酸氢钠（小苏打）来去除肿瘤内的氢离子，就可破坏乳酸根和氢离子的协同作用，从而快速有效地杀死处于葡萄糖饥饿或缺乏的肿瘤细胞。

　　将基础科研成果快速转化成肿瘤临床治疗，让更多患者受益是关键。

　　2012年起，拥有30年临床经验的浙江大学医学院附属第二医院放射介入科医生晁明和胡汛团队一拍即合，投入到对原发性肝细胞肝癌新型疗法研究中，并将这种方法命名为“靶向肿瘤内乳酸阴离子和氢离子的动脉插管化疗栓塞术”，简称“TILA-TACE”。
临床上，晁明给出解释：“常规动脉插管化疗栓塞术（cTACE）切断了肿瘤的‘食物通道’，然后我们再用碳酸氢钠去除肿瘤内的氢离子，相当于不仅不给肿瘤‘吃饭’，还让它去健身房快速消耗，迅速‘饿死’。”

　　令人欣喜地是，他们进行的临床研究结果显示：用cTACE治疗了37例病人，18例有效；用TILA-TACE治疗了40例病人，40例有效。

　　而且在这个临床研究中用TILA-TACE治疗的肝癌都是难治型肝癌。

　　而国际上综合报道，cTACE治疗的平均客观有效率位35%。35%到100%，这样巨大的对比，不仅让国际同行在接受这篇文章时，非常慎重，就连两位教授也一直是带着怀疑在进行这项研究。

　　“目前初步统计，病人的中位生存期，已超过三年半；后续还需要大样本的随机对照研究，如果证实有效，对肝癌治疗来说，确实是一个飞跃。”两位专家表示。

Fasting Diets Are Gaining Acceptance

Mark Mattson, a neuroscientist at the National Institute on Aging in Maryland, has not had breakfast in 35 years. Most days he practices a form of fasting — skipping lunch, taking a midafternoon run, and then eating all of his daily calories (about 2,000) in a six-hour window starting in the afternoon.

“Once you get used to it, it’s not a big deal,” said Dr. Mattson, chief of the institute’s laboratory of neurosciences. “I’m not hungry at all in the morning, and this is other people’s experience as well. It’s just a matter of getting adapted to it.”

In a culture in which it’s customary to eat three large meals a day while snacking from morning to midnight, the idea of regularly skipping meals may sound extreme. But in recent years intermittent fasting has been gaining popular attention and scientific endorsement.

It has been promoted in best-selling books and endorsed by celebrities like the actors Hugh Jackman and Benedict Cumberbatch. The late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel claims that for the past two years he has followed an intermittent fasting program known as the 5:2 diet, which entails normal eating for five days and fasting for two — a practice Mr. Kimmel credits for his significant weight loss.
Fasting to improve health dates back thousands of years, with Hippocrates and Plato among its earliest proponents. Dr. Mattson argues that humans are well suited for it: For much of human history, sporadic access to food was likely the norm, especially for hunter-gatherers. As a result, we’ve evolved with livers and muscles that store quickly accessible carbohydrates in the form of glycogen, and our fat tissue holds long-lasting energy reserves that can sustain the body for weeks when food is not available.

“From an evolutionary perspective, it’s pretty clear that our ancestors did not eat three meals a day plus snacks,” Dr. Mattson said.

Across the world, millions of people fast periodically for religious and spiritual reasons. But some are now looking at the practice as a source of health and longevity.

Valter Longo, the director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, initially studied fasting in mice that showed that two to five days of fasting each month reduced biomarkers for diabetes, cancer and heart disease. The research has since been expanded to people, and scientists saw a similar reduction in disease risk factors.

Dr. Longo said the health benefits of fasting might result from the fact that fasting lowers insulin and another hormone called insulinlike growth factor, or IGF-1, which is linked to cancer and diabetes. Lowering these hormones may slow cell growth and development, which in turn helps slow the aging process and reduces risk factors for disease.

“When you have low insulin and low IGF-1, the body goes into a state of maintenance, a state of standby,” Dr. Longo said. “There is not a lot of push for cells to grow, and in general the cells enter a protected mode.”

Critics say that health benefits or not, various forms of intermittent fasting are too impractical for most people.

The 5:2 diet, for example, advocates eating without restrictions for five days and then consuming just 500 calories — roughly the equivalent of a light meal — on each of the other two days of the week. Another regimen, called alternate-day fasting, involves eating no more than 500 calories every other day.

A third regimen, which Dr. Mattson follows, is known as time-restricted feeding. The idea is to consume all of the day’s calories in a narrow window, typically six to eight hours, and fasting for the remaining 16 to 18 hours in a day. Studies of time-restricted feeding practices in both animals and humans have suggested that the practice may lower cancer risk and help people maintain their weight.

The scientific community remains divided about the value of intermittent fasting. Critics say that the science is not yet strong enough to justify widespread recommendations for fasting as a way to lose weight or boost health, and that most of the evidence supporting it comes from animal research. Advocates say the body of research on intermittent fasting is growing rapidly and indicates that the health benefits are striking.

The 5:2 diet, in particular, is backed by “promising” studies that show that it lowers weight and improves blood sugar, inflammation and other aspects of metabolic health, said Joy Dubost, a registered dietitian and a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the country’s largest organization of dietitians. She noted that fasting isn’t appropriate for pregnant women, people with diabetes and people on medications.

“Most people who do this understand that it’s not about binge eating,” Dr. Dubost said. “But they like that it gives them the freedom not to worry about calories, carbs and other restrictions on days when they’re not fasting.”

Krista Varady, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has studied the effects of alternate-day fasting on hundreds of obese adults. In trials lasting eight to 10 weeks, she has found that people lose on average about 13 pounds and experience marked reductions in LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, triglycerides and insulin, the fat-storage hormone.

Dr. Varady found in her research that intermittent fasting was easiest when people ate a moderately high-fat diet and were allowed to consume up to 500 calories on their fasting days. In her studies, 10 percent to 20 percent of people usually find the diet too difficult and quickly stop. Those who stick with it typically adjust after a rocky first few weeks.

“We’ve run close to 700 people through various trials,” Dr. Varady said. “We thought people would overeat on their feast days to compensate. But people for some reason, regardless of their body weight, can only eat about 10 or 15 percent more than usual. They don’t really overeat, and I think that’s why this works.”

In 2011, Dr. Mattson and his colleagues reported a study of the 5:2 program that followed 107 overweight and obese women. Half of the subjects were assigned to eat no more than 500 calories each on two consecutive days each week. A control group was assigned to follow a low-calorie diet.

After six months, both groups had lost weight. But the intermittent fasting group lost slightly more — about 14 pounds on average — and had greater reductions in belly fat. They also retained more muscle and had greater improvements in blood sugar regulation.

Dr. Mattson’s interest in intermittent fasting grew out of work on animals that showed that alternate-day fasting protected mice from strokes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and consistently extended their life spans by 30 percent. Dr. Mattson and his colleagues found that alternate-day fasting increased the production of proteins that protect brain cells, enhancing their ability to repair damaged DNA. Fasting, he said, acts as a mild stress that makes cells throughout the body stronger, shoring up their ability to adapt to later insults.

In this way, intermittent fasting is like exercise, which causes immediate stress and inflammation, but protects against chronic disease in the long run. Eating fruits and vegetables may have a similar effect. While very large doses of antioxidants can cause cancer in humans, moderate amounts of exposure can make cells more resilient, Dr. Mattson said.

“There is overlap between the way cells respond to exercise, to fasting, and even to exposure to some of the chemicals in fruits and vegetables,” he added.

Dr. Mattson is now starting a rigorous clinical trial of people 55 to 70 years old who are prediabetic and at high risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. He plans to study whether intermittent fasting may slow cognitive decline.

Dr. David Ludwig, a professor of nutrition at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, said one benefit of fasting is that it forces the body to shift from using glucose for fuel to using fat. During this process, the fat is converted to compounds known as ketones, a “clean” energy source that burns more efficiently than glucose, like high-octane gasoline, Dr. Ludwig said.

The same process, known as ketosis, occurs when people go on extremely low-carb, high-fat diets. Dr. Ludwig said ketones seem to have unique effects on the brain. High-fat diets, for example, have been used for years to treat people who suffer from epileptic seizures.

“There are extensive reports of children who had debilitating seizures who were cured on ketogenic diets,” Dr. Ludwig said. “If it benefits the brain to prevent seizures, then maybe it benefits the brain in other ways.”

Dr. Ludwig noted that the long-term effectiveness of fasting had not been well studied. He cautioned that for many people, fasting is simply too difficult and may slow metabolism. A potentially more practical approach is to limit sugar and other processed carbohydrates, replacing them with natural fats, protein and unrefined carbohydrates, he said.

“It takes a very disciplined person to skip a couple meals every day,” he added.

But Dr. Mattson, who has been skipping meals for decades, said the adjustment to skipping breakfast and lunch was a lot like the change that occurs when a couch potato starts exercising.

“If you’ve been sedentary for years and then you go out and try to run five miles, you’re not going to feel very good until you get in shape,” he said. “ It’s not going to be a smooth transition right away. It takes two weeks to a month to adapt.”

LOW-CALORIE DIET FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES

In 2013, we awarded our largest ever research grant of £2.4 million to understand the impact of a low calorie diet on Type 2 diabetes.

Professor Roy Taylor at Newcastle University and Professor Mike Lean at the University of Glasgow are comparing the long-term effects of a new weight management approach to the best diabetes care currently available.

The aim is to find out if an intensive weight management plan can help people put their Type 2 diabetes into remission for the long term.

The DiRECT study

What is the background to this research?

Not everyone with Type 2 diabetes is overweight, but weight gain and obesity are the most important risk factors for Type 2 diabetes and the reason why Type 2 has become a global epidemic that affects overweight people of all ages.

Surgical operations, such as gastric banding and gastric bypass, are potential solutions because they lead to dramatic weight loss, which can put Type 2 diabetes into remission for up to 80% of patients. But these treatments are expensive, invasive and carry a risk of surgical complications, which mean they can only be offered as a last resort.

What do we know already about low-calorie diets?

In 2011, a Diabetes UK research trial at Newcastle University tested a low-calorie diet in 11 people with Type 2 diabetes, which helped us to understand how Type 2 diabetes can be put into remission.

After the 8-week diet, volunteers had reduced the amount of fat in their liver and pancreas. This helped to restore their insulin production and put their Type 2 diabetes into remission. Three months later, some had put weight back on, but most still had normal blood glucose control.
This study was only a first step. It was designed to tell us about the underlying biology of Type 2 diabetes, and it followed the participants for only three months.

Another study, published in 2016, confirmed these findings and showed (in 30 people) that Type 2 diabetes could be kept in remission 6 months after the low-calorie diet was completed. It also suggested that the diet was effective in people that had had Type 2 diabetes for up to 10 years.

Both of these studies were very small, and were carried out in a research environment. We don't yet understand the long-term effects of these diets, or how a low-calorie diet might be used to bring about and maintain Type 2 diabetes remission in a real-life setting, as part of routine GP care.

What is the aim of the current research?

The DiRECT (Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial) study aims to find out if intensive weight control can bring about the remission of Type 2 diabetes and be maintained long-term through routine NHS care.

The trial will compare the long-term effects of a low-calorie diet and weight management programme to bsst available care for Type 2 diabetes.

What will the research involve?

A number of GP practices across Scotland and Tyneside are recruiting people aged 20-65 who are overweight and have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in the last six years. Participants at half of the practices will receive the current best-available Type 2 diabetes care, while those at the other half will receive a low-calorie diet for between 8 and 20 weeks.

Afterwards, those on the low-calorie diet will be gradually re-introduced to normal food over a period of two to eight weeks and will receive expert support to help them maintain their weight loss in the long term.

Participants receiving best-available care will get weight loss support in accordance with the latest clinical guidelines, but won't receive the low-calorie diet.

The researchers will test metabolisms and measure fat deposits inside the body, to reveal exactly how major weight loss can put Type 2 diabetes into remission. They'll also carry out psychological assessments with  the participants and healthcare professionals taking part in the study, to work out how this approach to weight management might form part of routine GP care.

Where is the research taking place?

This study will take place at around 30 GP practices in Scotland and Tyneside. The research will be carried out and the data analysed by researchers at the University of Glasgow and at Newcastle University.

Who can take part?

Only people invited to take part by their GP practice can get involved in this study. Recruitment is only taking place at selected GP practices in Scotland and Tyneside. Individual patients are not being recruited.

How will it benefit people with diabetes?

If this study shows that a low-calorie diet can safely put Type 2 diabetes into remission for the long-term, it could completely transform the way this condition is viewed and treated.

If the diet can be used practically and effectively, it could lead to significant changes in the way that Type 2 diabetes is managed by the NHS. It could also help people with this condition live for longer, improving quality of life and reducing the risk of serious health complications, without the need for invasive weight loss surgery.

If a low-calorie diet can be used within routine GP care , it could ultimately be of enormous benefit to millions of people living with Type 2 diabetes in the UK.

When will results be available?

This study will last until October 2018, and the overall results will be released once all of the data has been analysed. We'll report the results in Diabetes UK publications and on the website.

The low-calorie diet

What will the diet used consist of?

The diet used in DiRECT will last for between 8 and 20 weeks and provide around 800 calories a day. It will consist of four diet soups or shakes per day, providing all essential vitamins and minerals and lots of fluids.

Will the diet cure Type 2 diabetes?

The diet being studied isn't a 'quick fix' for Type 2 diabetes. It should help people taking part in the study to lose weight – specifically, the fat in and around their liver and pancreas. This should, in turn, help to put their Type 2 diabetes into remission.

It's likely that some people who take part in the research will find the diet challenging, and every participant will have to work hard to keep weight off in the long-term to maintain Type 2 diabetes remission.

Is the diet used in this research available now?

Low-calorie diet foods are not available on prescription from the NHS. They're marketed by a range of private companies, but can be expensive and come with limited evidence of long-term benefit.

This research is the only way to tell if weight management using a low-calorie diet is practical and more effective than the current best-available treatments for Type 2 diabetes.

Should people with Type 2 diabetes follow the diet used in this research?

Until we have evidence that a low-calorie diet is more effective than the current best-available treatment, Diabetes UK recommend that people with Type 2 diabetes only attempt to lose weight in this way after they have spoken to their GP.

We're confident that DiRECT will answer important questions and give the NHS enough evidence to decide whether low-calorie diets should be offered as a routine treatment option. People with diabetes should always consult their GP before making changes to the way that they manage their condition.

What diet does Diabetes UK recommend for people with Type 2?

Diabetes UK recommends that people with Type 2 diabetes eat a healthy, balanced diet that is low in sugar, salt and fat and includes plenty of fruits and vegetables. For information on living a healthy lifestyle and eating well with Type 2 diabetes please see our guide to diabetes.

FASTING: BACK TO THE FUTURE

Although the notion of electing to go without food for prolonged periods of time to improve one's health has not been something commonly considered in recent times, fasting has a long and important history. In fact, fasting played a vitally large part in early human survival. Fortunately, this ancient knowledge is making a dramatic comeback and is beginning to transform the way modern healthcare providers view their responsibilities to patients.

Human beings have the capability to survive extended periods of fasting. This was certainly known in our hunter-gatherer days, since many humans were forced to live through periods when little or no food was available to them. However, since the advent of agriculture and increasing technological advancement, modern humans have largely lost their awareness of this powerful, innate capability.

For example, the 1937 edition of The New Standard Encyclopedia stated that for humans, "Generally death occurs after eight days of deprivation of food." By 1956, this grim pronouncement inched somewhat closer to reality. That year's edition of the American Peoples Encyclopedia stated that survival time in men during water-only fasting ranged from 17 to 76 days.

In actuality, the "authorities" writing in these encyclopedias had no idea what they were talking about, but their conclusions are consistent with what most people might think. However, if we go back in time to earlier writings, we see that more "primitive" cultures were often more aware of the extent of our fasting capability. In the Bible, for example, Moses, David, Jesus, and Elijah were said to have fasted for up to 40 days.

Physiological Benefits of Fasting

Fasting can be thought of as a period of profound rest, during which time your body is free to rapidly undertake a wide variety of beneficial physiological activities, some of which are described below.

1. Neuroadaptation

Fasting helps your taste sensors adapt to a low salt intake. By allowing your body to "neuroadapt" to low-salt food, fasting rapidly facilitates the adoption of a health- promoting diet. This process of neuroadaptation appears to take place more rapidly during fasting than merely eating a low salt diet.

2. Enzymatic Recalibration

During fasting your body induces enzymatic changes that can affect numerous systems ranging from detoxification of endogenous and exogenous substances to the mobilization of fat, glycogen and protein reserves. These changes seem to persist after the fasting process, which may explain some of the dramatic clinical changes seen in patients after fasting.

3. Weight Loss

Although fasting is not generally recommended as a primary weight loss strategy, weight loss is a predictable consequence of fasting. Most people average a loss of approximately one pound per day over the course of a fast.  (When weight loss is your primary concern, a health- promoting diet coupled with exercise is usually your best approach.)

4. Detoxification

Fasting is generally thought of as a tool to facilitate detoxification, promoting the mobilization and elimination of endogenous substances such as cholesterol and uric acid and exogenous substances such as dioxin, PCBs, and other toxic chemical residue.

5. Insulin Resistance

Fasting appears to have a profound effect on insulin resistance, which is thought to be intimately involved with diabetes and high blood pressure. When your body produces adequate insulin, but it is ineffective due to resistance at the cells in the liver and elsewhere, your blood sugar levels rise. This can lead to serious clinical consequences.  Fortunately, after a period of fasting, this problem is often dramatically improved.

6. Natriuresis

Water-only fasting induces a powerful natriuretic effect, which allows the body to eliminate excess sodium and water from your body. This process allows for the resolution of chronic problems with edema and helps reduce the increased blood volume associated with high blood pressure.

7. Reducing Gut Leakage

When chronic inflammation involves the intestinal mucosa, a condition arises whereby small particles of incompletely digested foods can be absorbed into the blood stream. This introduction of foreign peptide molecules to the blood stream may stimulate an immunological cascade of effects collectively known as gut leakage. In genetically vulnerable individuals, gut leakage may be associated with the aggravation of numerous clinical entities including arthritis, colitis, asthma, allergies, and fatigue.

8. Sympathictonia

Hypersympathictonia (increased tone of the sympathetic nervous system) is thought to be associated with many problems ranging from digestive disturbances to anxiety disorders. Fasting appears to have a profound normalizing effect on the overall tone of the autonomic nervous system.

In all there are many mechanisms through which fasting may be having its profound effect. Further research into these and other areas should prove illuminating.

A Serendipitous Survival

In light of the clear misunderstanding of fasting by the medical profession, the unexpected, successful fasting experience of Henry Tanner, M.D., is truly remarkable. In 1877, Dr. Tanner was a respected, middle-aged physician living in Duluth, Minnesota. He had suffered for years with rheumatism and had consulted with seven fellow physicians, all of whom considered his case to be "hopeless." He also suffered from asthma, which chronically disrupted his sleep. He spent his waking hours in constant pain.

Tanner had been taught in medical school that humans could live only ten days without food and in this knowledge he found solace. Not believing in suicide, he determined that he would simply starve himself to death. As he stated later, "Life to me under the circumstances was not worth living... and I had made up my mind to rest from physical suffering in the arms of death." But fate had an agreeable surprise for Dr. Tanner. By unwittingly invoking a constellation of health-promoting responses associated with water-only fasting, he rapidly recovered.

By the fifth day of his fast, he was able to begin to sleep more peacefully. By the eleventh day, he reported feeling "as well as in my youthful days." Fully expecting that by this point he should be near death, he asked a fellow physician, Dr. Moyer, to examine him. Not surprisingly, Dr. Moyer was amazed.

According to Tanner's recollection, Moyer told him, "You ought to be at death's door, but you certainly look better than I ever saw you before." Henry Tanner continued to fast, under Dr. Moyer's supervision, for an additional 31 days, a total of 42 days in all.

When fellow physicians heard his story, which was sensationalized in the press, they responded with disbelief and intense criticism. Though widely rebuked as a fraud, Tanner at least had the last laugh. After his fast, Tanner had no symptoms of asthma, rheumatism, or chronic pain and lived a full life until he died at the age of ninety.

Human Fasting Capabilities

Many fasts of longer than 100 days have been documented in recent scientific literature, the longest of which was 368 days. At the TrueNorth Health Center in California, we routinely supervise water-only fasts of up to 40 days, and in certain circumstances, even longer.

In our experience, fasting has never been lethal and is often remarkably helpful. During our 20 years of supervising the care of more than 5,000 patients, fasting has proven to be both safe and effective. It has provided many patients a new lease on life.

Reawakening to an Ancient Truth

Throughout most of the 20th century, which witnessed a period of remarkable medical innovation in surgical techniques, radiation therapies, and new "miracle" drugs, the self-healing mechanisms that are unleashed during water-only fasting were largely unappreciated. 

However, as the century drew to a close, something extraordinary began to occur. After decades of collective awe of modern medicine and its purveyors, a strong undercurrent of disillusionment began to appear. There came the beginnings of a philosophical revolution that would lead health science in a promising new direction.

This new direction centers on the realization that health and healing are best supported when the biological roots of our nature are understood and respected. This new philosophical approach is based on the awareness that health and healing are natural processes. As a result, the focus of attention has increasingly shifted away from the traditional medical emphasis on drugs and surgery toward an exploration of the circumstances and requirements necessary to unleash and enhance these natural processes.

Fortunately, unlike health problems in the past, including such phenomena as water-borne diseases, nutritional deficiencies, and epidemics of tuberculosis and pneumonia that at one time were confusing puzzles - our present day epidemics of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer are not nearly so mysterious. It is becoming increasingly clear that the majority of present day health problems are the result of modern dietary excesses.

Simply put, most of our health problems are the result of our eating too much of the wrong things. We ingest too much fat and protein (especially animal fat and animal protein); too much refined sugar and other refined carbohydrates; and too many drugs, including tobacco, coffee, tea, alcohol, and soda. It is not surprising that nearly 50% of American teenagers are overweight when you consider that the average teenager consumes 25% of his or her calories from soda pop.

In the face of the current unprecedented epidemics of disease caused by dietary excess, it is understandable that the ancient healing method of water-only fasting is beginning to make intuitive sense to many people. Going without food for a period of time provides the ultimate opportunity for the reversal of the consequences of dietary excess, a chance to let an overfed and overburdened body take steps to restore health.

Rest assured that the appeal of fasting is not based solely on mere intuition. With the recent publication of the first-ever large-scale study conducted on the use of water-only fasting with life-threatening illness, what was previously considered intuitive has become scientifically apparent. Water-only fasting offers extraordinary potential for health and healing, and for some conditions it appears to be the most effective treatment available.

Fasting and High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) is the leading contributing cause of morbidity and mortality in industrialized societies, and is the leading reason for visits to doctors and for the use of prescription medication. It is diagnosed when a patient's pressures exceed 140/90 mm Hg. The human and financial costs of this condition are staggering.

In 1984, doctors at the TrueNorth Health Center began to investigate the use of fasting in the treatment of this devastating condition. Our study involved 174 high blood pressure patients, all of whom were admitted to the Center for treatment involving water-only fasting.

The results of the study were astonishing. Every patient experienced blood pressure reductions sufficient to eliminate the need for medication, and over ninety percent of patients achieved completely normal blood pressure. A stunning reduction of over 60 points in systolic (upper) blood pressure was noted in those patients with highly elevated pressures (known as Stage III Hypertension), where systolic pressures are greater than 180 mm Hg. These results represent the largest effect size ever shown in lowering blood pressure, and they are estimated to be five times the effect expected from medications alone.

With assistance from our colleagues at Cornell University, our study, "Medically Supervised Water-only Fasting in the Treatment of Hypertension" was completed and accepted for publication by the peer-reviewed and indexed Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. It appeared in the June, 2001 issue of JMPT.

A second study, also conducted at the Center, was recently accepted for publication in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. In this investigation, we evaluated the effect of water-only fasting on 64 patients admitted with so-called "borderline" hypertension. These are individuals who have systolic blood pressures between 120 and 140 mm Hg.

Patients with blood pressures in this range are often led to believe that their blood pressures are "normal." For example, a patient with a systolic blood pressure of 138/88 would be considered "normal" by conventional medical standards, despite the fact that they are five times more likely to die from a heart attack or stroke than an individual who has a systolic blood pressure of 110 mm Hg. Sixty-eight percent of all deaths attributed to the effects of high blood pressure occur in individuals whose systolic blood pressure is in this range.

The patients in our second study had a mean reduction in systolic blood pressure of 20 mm Hg. The average patient in the study, beginning with a systolic blood pressure of nearly 130 mm Hg, ended his stay with systolic blood pressure of just below 109 mm Hg. This represents a very substantial improvement in health. As just stated, he is now five times less likely to die from a heart attack or stroke than he was before.

Fasting Studies Draw Attention

As a result of the publication of these studies, the fasting program at TrueNorth Health Center attracted the attention of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), a large, national labor union. In March 2001, the Center's residential health education program, including the supervision of water-only fasting, became a fully covered medical benefit for all union members and spouses who have high blood pressure or diabetes.
 
In conjunction with this association with IUOE, the doctors at the Center are conducting a third fasting study. It is a prospective study with long-term follow-up to evaluate the use of fasting in the treatment of high blood pressure and diabetes. We are looking not only at the clinical outcomes of the patients (improved health and reduced morbidity), but also the effect on long-term costs of care for the patients who undergo fasting compared to those who choose conventional medical care.

The initial results are outstanding. Based on data from the first group of subjects with one-year follow-ups, the average cost reduction for fasting patients compared to patients receiving conventional medical care appears to be substantial. Once a large enough number of patients have completed the program and the long-term outcomes are calculated, we expect to publish additional papers documenting what appears to be a tremendously cost effective approach to managing these high risk, high medical cost, high blood pressure and diabetes patients.

Hope for the Future

Hopefully, these results of the TrueNorth Health Center's studies will be a contributing force in both a philosophical and practical revolution in health care. With clear and convincing evidence to guide them, and substantial cost savings to motivate them, other unions and insurance companies may decide to encourage and support the use of fasting for those they serve. In doing so, they could make available to the millions of sick and suffering patients the most profound health rediscovery of our time: the understanding that fasting allows the body to heal itself without the risk and excess cost associated with conventional medical care and drug use.

Do You Need to Fast?

Throughout history, people have noticed that when they become acutely ill, they lose their appetites.  The early Hygienic physicians reasoned that there must be some physiological reason for this loss of appetite.  Through observation and experimentation, they discovered that fasting - the complete abstinence from all substances except pure water, in an environment of complete rest - allows the body to make a unique physiological adaptation.

In the fasting state, the duration and intensity of the symptoms of illness, such as inflammation, mucus production, fever, diarrhea, etc., are often dramatically reduced.  Fasting has been found to be the most efficient and powerful means available to facilitate self-healing.

Further experimentation and observation found that fasting is also effective in the resolution of chronic disease.  Chronic disease, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, respiratory illness, autoimmune disease, etc., can be the result of several different factors. These factors include inappropriate diet, such as the consumption of animal products and refined foods, the use of drugs, including tobacco, alcohol, coffee, etc., a lack of adequate sleep or exercise, or exposure to environmental stressors such as pollution, radiation, excess noise, etc., or excess psychological stress and hereditary factors.

Fasting is an important tool in resolving the symptoms of acute illness and chronic disease, but its benefits are not limited to dealing with symptoms.

Making the transition to healthful living

It is difficult to break habits and patterns of behavior established over many years. The typical Western lifestyle leads to taste buds acclimated to stimulating foods, muscles that are flabby, and a nervous system that depends on stimulatory drugs (such as caffeine) to keep it going despite a lack of sleep. Often, as people attempt to change their diets and lifestyles, they find healthful foods unappetizing, exercise painful, and the symptoms of withdrawal from stimulants unbearable. The slow process of detoxification that accompanies the cessation of bad habits can cause unpleasant symptoms that persist for weeks or months.

Speeding up the process

Fasting is a method of speeding up the detoxification process.  It can be an intense and sometimes unpleasant experience, but it is highly effective. After fasting, healthful foods often taste delicious, and pernicious habits often have much less appeal.  Fasting is the most efficient means available to overcome dependencies of a variety of drugs, including caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, marijuana and others.  Educational programs available at institutions specializing in fasting supervision help people to develop the skills necessary to select and prepare healthful foods, develop a sensible exercise program, and find emotional support.

Overcoming signs of illness

Some individuals appear and feel healthy but still manifest abnormal signs, such as high blood pressure, elevated blood levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, uric acid, or liver enzymes, etc.  Fasting is often extremely effective at allowing the body to eliminate the signs associated with disease.

Prevention

Many individuals have adopted a health-promoting diet and lifestyle to overcome disease. They may be completely free of all signs and symptoms of disease but choose to use fasting as a preventive measure to allow the body to eliminate the metabolic products that can accumulate within the cells of the body despite our best efforts. Fasting may offer its greatest potential in the prevention of disease.  Fasting also can be used as a diagnostic tool in uncovering sub-clinical pathology that may exist.

Doing it right

Whether fasting is used in the transition to a healthful diet and lifestyle, to overcome the signs and symptoms of disease, or as a preventive measure, it is a powerful tool for helping sick people to get well and healthy people to stay healthy.

The most important advice about fasting is: Do it right or don't do it.  Complete rest, a supportive environment, and professional supervision are required to ensure that fasting will be a safe and effective experience.

Case studies

The following case studies will give some insight into the many ways people can benefit from fasting.

J.W., a 36-year-old female, 5 feet 4 inches tall and 215 pounds, decided that she wanted to quit smoking, lose weight, overcome her "food addictions," and resolve a 15-year history of chronic constipation.  She also suffered from severe back pain and sciatica.  She had, in her own words, tried "everything," and in desperation came to the Center for Conservative Therapy's residential health care program on the advice of a friend who had undertaken a fast there two years earlier.

After her initial examination and two days of preparatory feeding, J.W. underwent a fast of 12 days.  She experienced numerous symptoms during her fast but did not experience any significant craving for cigarettes despite her one-pack-per-day habit of over 20 years duration.  She also did not experience any hunger after the second day of fasting.  She did experience nausea, a foul taste in her mouth, headaches, and low back pain.  After 12 days of fasting, J.W. underwent a 14-day re-feeding program.  By the fourth day of re-feeding, she was having normal bowel movements for the first time in many years.  She lost a total of 31 pounds.  During her re-feeding time, she received chiropractic manipulation and physiotherapy for her joint dysfunction, in conjunction with instruction on stretching and proper body use.  At the time of her release, she was free of sciatica and felt prepared to face the "real" world.

At her six-month follow-up, J.W. had managed to lose an additional 15 pounds, had successfully become an ardent non-smoker, had completely normal bowel function, and had remained free of back pain and sciatica.

M.T., a 46-year-old male, was suffering from macular degeneration [loss of central vision], high blood pressure, joint pain, and fatigue.  Despite his efforts at making dietary changes, his symptoms continued to progress, which was upsetting to him.  Blood pressure medications were only successful at reducing his blood pressure to 180/110, and they seemed to be interfering with his sexual function.

After three weeks of fasting and two weeks of re-feeding, M.T. was a "new" man. His blood pressure normalized without medications at 114/74, and his joint pain completely resolved.  At his follow-up a year later, he reported no return of the visual problems from macular degeneration, and his blood pressure was 120/74.

S.S., a 34-year-old female, had been ill for several years. She had been previously diagnosed as having chronic fatigue immune deficiency syndrome, Epstein-Barr viral infection, and chronic candidiasis.  She reported a history of depression, panic attacks, palpitations, and sleep disruption.  She seemed sensitive to everything she ate, including fruits and vegetables.

S.S. underwent a fast with the hope of reducing her extreme hypersensitivity.  Her fast was quite difficult, and after just 12 days it had to be discontinued due to extreme emotional volatility.  She had a slow recovery, but within four months of her fast she reported substantial improvement.  She was much less fatigued, was sleeping better, and could tolerate a wider variety of whole natural foods. S.S. will undergo another fast soon.

A.S., a 74-year-old female, had been diagnosed as having breast cancer 10 years ago.  She had undergone a lumpectomy, but had refused all other medical treatment.  Since then, she has been totally committed to healthful living and has been absolutely compliant with all the diet and lifestyle recommendations.

Once each year she comes to the Center for "preventive" fasting.  She usually fasts for 10 days without significant symptoms.  On her most recent fast, although she arrived feeling great, by the second day she had a fever of 101 degrees and was in extreme discomfort.  It was not until the eighth day that her fever broke and she felt wonderful again.  I believe that this represented a significant healing crisis, since all her laboratory results were within normal limits.  She has had no recurrences of cancer and continues to do well.

禁食饥饿疗法

禁食或者说饥饿疗法，属于食疗范畴，在中医被称为辟谷疗法。如广州有个习惯，小儿发热时，老人会让孩子禁食，这样可以不用药物治疗，饿两顿饭就好了；还有患急性胃肠炎的病人，也是不吃饭为好，配合药物治疗有利病情康复。轻度疾病的可单独应用禁食即饥饿疗法，往往能奏效。至于外科手术后的禁食，那是在情理之中的，更容易理解。人们为了治病健身而主动在短期内辟谷，使肌体在饥饿状态下靠自身机能治愈某些疾病或强身健体，这就是辟谷疗法。

许多人认为自然辟谷不就是饿肚子，不吃饭，其实自然辟谷与绝食（饥饿疗法）表面上殊途同归，都是不吃饭，但是却有着本质的区别，因为在辟谷期间，通常都要配合一定方法，通过吸气，意念调控，心理能量的一系列方法来调理身体，治疗疾病，健身强体。

自然辟谷与饥饿不同

绝食都能激发潜能，但程度深浅不一；自然辟谷或绝食期，当人体处于某一生理极限的时候，生理系统应急性反应，竭力维持生命活动的正常运行，必将不惜一切，拿出老本---原气（潜能），供生命活动的需要，灵性激活，潜能激发。但自然辟谷通过一定方法或者有一定修为，或慧根颇佳；潜能开发，元气固秘，不依赖于食源，而是通过方法采吸自然能量来维持人体所需要的能量，也可以通过调动潜能配合自身能量合成物质供生命活动需要。这样可坚持一月、二月，一年、二年，甚至更长时间。饥饿疗法虽能开发潜能，但元气不固，营气涣散，合成物质的能力很薇弱，体能主要来自身体的物质分解，一般不能超过七天左右。时间太长，势必造成严重的营养不良，甚至加重病情。

行气者不一定要辟谷，但辟谷者必须要兼练行气之功，故“辟谷服气”每则相提并论。具体方法可参见自健养生的系列服气方法，特别强调的一点是应该强化吞津纳气，吸气，入静法。吞津、采气、静养应相辅相成，如此通过这一系列方法不会造成对身体的伤害。

自然辟谷有能量作为基础

苏联从事体育生命科学研究的，作了这样一组长跑实验：有一组是按照正常运动员的标准补给，因为消耗大，吃的也比较多；另一组运动量同样大，但补给不按标准，而且仅给予极少量，接近辟谷形式。但苏联人不懂辟谷，而称之为减食。几天跑下来，吃东西少的这一组，精力充沛，体质基本如前；大吃大喝那组体重反而下降。苏联人从生理解剖进行探讨，发现人体胃里有一种固氮菌。这种东西把人体从空中摄入胃中的氮气固定下来，制成氨基酸蛋白质，以供人体需要。而这个理论恰恰与古代中国养生实践相吻合。

我们古人，尤其是道家，很多人都经历了服气辟谷这样一个养生阶段，他们不但不象绝食的人昏昏迷迷的，反而生命力更旺盛，而且还能延年益寿。中国的实践和国外的科学研究，证实人体具有直接从宇宙中吸收营养，补充自己的能力。这一观念确定之后，再也不会担忧辟谷不吃饭会饿坏自己，就可以在很自然、很轻松的状态下度过你的辟谷期。从宇宙中摄取能源的渠道不全是通过鼻和口，古人将把全身的穴位都打开后，穴位从宇宙中直接摄取能源，摄取的成分有多少，量有多大，全凭心意用功夫，道家佛家的秘中之密就是意密。在服气辟谷期间，该怎么想，这是最关键的问题。怎么想呢？比如说你要采宇宙间的能源，你就不要光想说采宇宙的真气，那这个范围就小了。你就想光、电、声、能、气，全被你采来，凡是人体需要的养分、能源、凡是你需的，你都往里送。只要按照一定的方法就完全能够成功。

自然辟谷源于道家，通过一些方法积聚能量，再慢慢调理能量于体内，再修丹，练精化气，证得无漏，进入炼气化神阶段，自动出现的‘气满不思食’的现象。唐末钟离权钟“玉龙捧圣，大药过关……自然息住脉停，真炁充满而不思食……”真正的辟谷，没有饥饿感，而且食则胃不适；饥饿疗法是在主观或客观条件下，少食或不食的方法。绝食期没有强烈的饥饿感和食欲，食则胃舒神爽。

通常我们通过静坐，观想宇宙能量，或者其它方式来积聚能量；还有通过采气，吞纳自然之气来培补人体能量。具体修炼方法，在 面授时我们会系统进行心传口授。

饥饿疗法的起源

辟谷治病并不稀奇，当今世界不少国家以此方法治疗疾病。如在日本有“断食寮”，在美国、欧洲和原苏联有“断食疗养院”我国古代就有并流传至今的“辟谷”之说，实际上就是饥饿疗法。我国现存最早的辟谷资料是长沙马王堆出土文物《却谷食气》它与《阴阳十一脉灸经》和《导引图》写在同一幅帘书上。是我国目前所能见到的最早专门论述辟谷的文献之一。“辟”字在古代同“避”因此所谓辟谷就是避开五谷杂粮而不食。司马迁编写的《史记》里也记载着“汉高祖”的军师，张良晚年辟谷一事。可见辟谷养生在我国是历史悠久的。辟谷在世界宗教里也颇为流行，许多宗教和教名为“明心见性”“体悟真理”而进行辟谷。例如释迦牟尼、耶酥和穆默德都有辟谷数天，以悟道的记载，印度的瑜伽功，并有辟谷断食之说。

饥饿疗法的发展

目前世界各国对于辟谷疗法治病已有了系统而深入的探讨，如：英国的卡林顿医学博士著《活力，断食与营养的关系》；美国的洽凯博士著《完全的健康》；马克欧义博士著《断食与健康》；日本小岛八郎著《断食疗法》；以及我国台湾省段木干教授著《断食》等书均陆续问世。从应用方面来看，许多国家设有断食治疗的医院，如柏林的一家断食医院有三百多张床位；前苏联国莫斯科精神病院设禁食部；日本现在有三千多家断食寮；我国台湾省有长青断食中心。又如美国的克拉斯综合病院，澳洲的雪梨健康中心以及由名医薛尔顿，华克尔两位博士主持的美国德洲疗养所等，也都是以辟谷治病而名扬世界的。

古代中医学理论的启示

（一）阴阳与经络学说

阴阳学说认为：人体阴阳之间相对的协调平衡是健康的标志，而“阴阳失调”则是体内阴阳气血，脏腑经络失调的总称，是一切疾病发生发展的根本原因。各种致病因素作用于肌体，破坏了人体阴阳的相对平衡，造成阴盛阳衰或阳衰阴盛就会导致疾病的发生，在论述疾病的预防和发展病因时都十分强调人体正气，认为正气旺盛，邪气就不易侵入，疾病也不会发生，《素问遗篇，刺法论》提出“正气存内，邪不可干”说明增强体质，蓄养正气是抵抗外来邪气侵袭，防御疾病发生的一个重要环节。这里说的“正气”可归属为阳，而“邪气”可归属于阴。又如中医学在论述疾病的治疗原则时，不仅提到调整阴阳而且谈及扶正祛邪与治标治本的问题。如果按阴阳学说来归类，也可以把扶正和治本的“正”与“本”归属为阳；而怯邪和治本中的“邪”与“标”归属于阴。所以我们认为中医学关于疾病预防和治疗原则，均可用“调整阴阳”来概括。即人体健康是阴阳平衡的结果，人体生病是阴阳失调的结果，据此而论治疗疾病就必须从调整阴阳入手。因此说纠正阴阳的偏盛或偏衰是非常必要的、在医疗实践中发现：无论任何治疗手段虽各有特色，但他们又有统一的共性就是“刺激”肌体而治疗疾病，但通过“刺激”并不是直接治疗的，而“刺激”的结果却是一致的，它激活了人体的经络系统，促进经气沿经络正常循行，而只有经气正常，才能充分发挥“自身调控”作用，使阴阳失衡的肌体重新恢复正常平衡状态，所患的疾病也就得到痊愈。这也就是辟谷疗法的最大奇特性。

通过此法强身治病，自古就有先例，也是我国古代一种独特的养身保健方法。现在世界上有不少国家也用此法治病保健，虽然人们对饥饿治病的机理还不十分清楚，但从临床观察发现，辟谷对人体疗效比用药、针灸、推拿等疗效还非常显著。

（二）辟谷疗法的特点

疗效显著，适应广：如神精系统、呼吸系统、运动系统、内分秘系统及心脑血管系统的多种病症都有较好的疗效，收到了疗程短、见效快，比传统的疗法特别显著。除对于常见病外，还对一些疑难杂病有着难以完全解释的特殊疗效。

没有副作用，安全性强，辟谷疗法是不使用药物，故没有用药所带来的毒副作用，可又节省药费开支。所以此疗法比较安全可靠，不会发生医疗事故。

即能治病防病，又能减肥美体，特别是肥胖者更为突出。

(三)辟谷在动物实验中的结果

台湾省家禽试验所对864只产蛋能力退化的纯种来享鸡，做10天停供饲料而供水的实验，当恢复供料、供水40天后发现老母鸡中的75%再度产蛋，说明辟谷对生命的返老还童的作用。美国营养学教授马凯博士作的马凯模范实验，证实，老鼠每周禁食两天，不易生病，且寿命延长一倍。加洲大学“老化”研究中心，华福特教授，在历经30年的动物实验之后，现在自己也坚持每周禁食2天，用以健身。相信人类将来并可通过辟谷疗法治病健身。

辟谷过程中的生理变化和反应

我们吃下的食物，在消化道被吸收之后，其营养成份被肠壁吸收而入血液，这些营养成份在体内大致有三种作用：一是作为“建筑材料”被用于新细胞的构建；二是作为“能源物质”被用于躯体、脏气、运动和各种新陈代谢活动；三是作为调节物质被用于各种生理反应或维持渗透压。但是肌体吸收的营养物质，往往超过身体所需的份量，这些多余的营养成份就是通过化学转化作用，贮藏于体内，一旦辟谷这些贮存的营养成份就被肌体所动用，再次通过化学转化作用，从贮藏部位“析出”而进入血液运至所需部位被重新利用。

（一）体重的变化

在辟谷的第一天至第五天时体重减轻最为明显，一天平均会减轻1至2千克，从第五天前后，每天减轻0.5至1千克。以后几乎都以一定的递减方式在减轻体重（有时也例外）。由于肌体对辟谷的逐步适应，使肌体的消耗趋于最小限度，当体重减少到原来体重的40%时，还不至于造成死亡。但也不会有生命危险，到这种程度，大约需要40天左右，我本人两次辟谷都已超过39天，而且感觉非常好。

（二）内脏器官的变化

从脏器的体积来讲，随着断食天数的增加，肌肉减少较多。肺、骨骼神经等器官的结构不易减少。肾上腺和甲状腺反而增大，辟谷的前3天胃液照常分秘，故有饥饿感是辟谷最难的时期。3天至1周以后胃因长期没有食物，胃液分秘便会减少，饥饿感并降低。

（三）生理机能的变化

辟谷期间高血压患者的血压会显著下降，而低血压患者反而会上升。正常血压者一般也略有降低。脉搏和呼吸频率没有太大变化，但视觉、听觉、触觉会变得更敏锐，记忆力和联想力也会增强。白细胞总数量在此时第1周内没有改变，第7天后开始增加，到第11天起急速增多，日增1.57倍以上，说明辟谷能提高肌体免疫力。

（四）舌苔的变化

辟谷期间，口腔内粘着性增多，照镜子看舌面长了黄白色的舌苔，甚至有些出现黑色舌苔，10天以内很少清洁，若继续辟谷，舌苔会清洁，表示身心、净化可继续辟谷，效果非常理想，已达到排毒标准。

（五）排便与排尿的变化

辟谷期间大便次数一般在开始后的最初1-4天内排一次便，这种大便叫“宿便”，它的颜色一般是黑绿色，黑色或茶褐色，呈泥巴状（也有少数例外）且均有恶臭气味与正常大便差异较大。宿便的排除只见于辟谷期间，宿便一经排出体外，顿觉全身舒爽轻松愉快。在饮水不多情况下尿量会逐渐减少，颜色变浓，排尿次数并减少，如饮水正常，尿量、色，也正常，排尿次数与辟谷前无甚差异。

（六）辟谷的疗法的反应

1、出现失眠现象：在此期间多数人精神反而是振奋的，睡眠时间缩短而出现失眠现象，但不疲劳。但是失眠者在此期间睡眠时间却相对增加很多。

2、出现呕吐或腹泻症状：据观察以消化系统疾病患者出现此症状的较多。

3、出现发热、头痛症状：很少有此症状，个别也有打喷噎，流鼻涕等类似感冒的症状。

4、出现情绪反应：情绪抑郁患者，在辟谷过程中可能会出现发怒，烦躁不安，豪啕大哭等情绪反应。据观察出现此反应者，以中年女性较多，但很少见。

5、皮肤出现丘疹或瘀斑：个别有此现象，临床发现，一个身体健康没病的人参加辟谷一般没有反应，而患有疾病的人在此期间会出现反应，并且辟谷反应很明显，治病效果也就越好。似乎辟谷反应就是愈病的前兆，由于这些反应与辟谷者所患疾病有关，故把这些反应叫排毒排病反应。

6、辟谷期间，口腔内粘着性增多，照镜子看舌面长了黄白色的舌苔，甚至有些出现黑色舌苔，10天以内很少清洁，若继续辟谷，舌苔会清洁，表示身心、净化可继续辟谷，效果非常理想，已达到排毒标准。

辟谷过程中的代谢变化

它是一种人为的主动性的限制进食，属于治疗性饥饿与恶性肿瘤，昏迷或严重肠胃炎症等疾患，所致的病理性饥饿决对不同，但辟谷均可导致肌体内部发生一系列代谢改变。这些变化一般都是在激素的影响下，各组织细胞从依赖食物提供葡萄糖，逐步适应了靠自身储存的脂肪，作为主要能量来源的过程。

辟谷肌体的主要能量来源是储存于体内的蛋白质和脂肪，其中脂肪约占能量来源的85-90%，早期肌体主要靠糖异生和周围组织以脂酸和酮体为燃料，节省葡萄糖的利用，使血糖水平维持恒定，保证脑组织正常活动的需要，辟谷晚期又以脂酸氧化供能为主，而节省酮体的利用，脑则以酮体代替葡萄糖作为主要能源。减少蛋白质的消耗。但饥饿发展到最后，待储脂肪耗尽时又需大量蛋白质长期的净负氮平衡体内蛋白质丢失1/3至1/2时，则可不避免地导致死亡。在整个饥饿适应中，血胰岛素/高血糖素始终具有最重要的调节作用。

辟谷治病健身的生理生化机制　　

（一）清洁消化道，提高消化吸收能力

大家经常听到“宿便”这一术语，它实际上是指长期停滞淤积于肠内的内容物，包括食物残渣，肠道细菌及发酵食物残渣，所产生的分泌物等。它会滋生大量微生物及有毒有害物质，其结果引起肌体中毒症状。这种病情便是医学上所谓的“食物自身慢性中毒”也是致病之源，要想彻底清除宿便，唯有施行辟谷，做几次“大扫除”才能彻底清“仓”有很好的疗效，在辟谷的同时，消化道壁上的衰老或机能不健全的细胞，则会脱落而随宿便，排出消化道壁上的脂肪成份，并会分解。当进食后消化道壁上机能，旺盛的细胞相对增多，肠胃机能进一步增强，使整个消化系统的肌能状态得以改善，工作效率进一步提高，不仅能避免“食物”本身慢性中毒，而且由此而发的疾病也会自然痊愈，身体会日趋强壮。

（二）分解消耗多余的脂肪减肥降脂

辟谷可使肌体多余脂肪分解，作为能源物质供给辟谷状态下的肌体利用，较长时间的辟谷，会使肌体消耗大量的脂肪，具有明显的减肥降脂效果，由于辟谷刺激，使肌体的调解机能进一步加强，代谢活动得到改善，脂肪的合成代谢与分解代谢，趋于动态平衡，最终动态平衡，最终彻底根除肥胖症，所以采用辟谷疗法减肥降脂，是最好的良方。

（三）疏通和软化血管，避免栓塞和硬化

辟谷后，由于营养物质的匮乏而使肌体的物质合成代谢受抑，物质的分解代谢相对加快，促进物质分解的酶类的分解作用相对加强，在脂肪动员的同时，血管腔内的血栓也会被溶解而使血流畅通，沉积于动脉内膜的脂质（胆固醇）也会分解“析出”，使动脉管辟得到软化，故辟谷疗法能有效地疏通和软化血管，避免血栓塞和硬化所导致的心脑血管疾病。

（四）清除体内有害物质，净化内环境

经常运转的机器，需经常擦洗减少摩擦，才能延长机器寿命，人体需要经常不断地排除积蓄的有害物质，才能保持肌体细胞的活动，如何排除体内有害物质：一是通过正常人体的排泄作用，二是通过辟谷，它可靠肌体通过“内耗”自净作用和排泄作用，从而达到治病健身的目的，也是对细胞的一种强刺激，它可刺激细胞恢复正常代谢，从而提高细胞的活力，辟谷后肌体先消耗的是弱化、病变、衰老的组织细胞附着物等。辟谷能引起肌体的这种废物利用，医学上称为“自身融解”可以说是：辟谷疗法是不使用刀子的内脏手术，且比外科医生作得更自然、更精细、更有效，丝毫无损健康而可去除百病的特异方法。辟谷可刺激“内脏系统”一方面源源不断地向内环境补充细胞代谢所需的营养物质和氧气，同时又持续不断地由内环境向外环境排出细胞所产生的各种代谢废物及二氧化碳气体等，这即实现了细胞与外界环境之间的物质交换，也维持了内环境理化性质的相对稳定，为细胞提供了适宜的生活环境，故辟谷具有净化内环境的作用，所以能够治病，健身，延年益寿。

（五）激活免疫系统，提高肌体免疫力

辟谷作为一种良性刺激，对免疫器官同样起作用，它所造成的营养物质缺乏，会刺激构成免疫器官的细胞，使其代谢活跃。而进食、断食、再进食这种刺激方式会导致构成免疫器官的组织细胞的更新，辟谷造成肌体“内耗”使内环境内，抑制免疫的有害物质分解，并排出体外，从而解除免疫抑制，提高免疫系统的免疫功能。另一方面特别是在辟谷结束后，由于食物的不断补充，而使合成代谢“原材料”充足，合成新蛋白质速率相对加快，结果使肌体老化的组织蛋白质，得到更新和组织机能的改善，从而使肌体的整体机能得到很好的加强，“返老还童”也就在于此。

（六）增加肌体自身调节机能，使器官系统的功能协调一致

临床实践证明，辟谷3-5天之后，其神经系统的兴奋性明显提高，这是表明辟谷对神经系统具有一定的刺激作用，但从最终效果来看，这种刺激对神经系统并无伤害性，而是一种能增强神经调节机能的良性刺激。所以可使肌体调控神经，进行自我调整，使调节机能更灵活，更完善，更精确，以保证肌体各部分协调统一。