Fasting is a cheap therapy, effective  for a wide range of conditions, including hypertension, headaches, allergies, and arthritis. By relieving the body of the task of digesting foods, fasting allows the system to rid itself of toxins while promoting curing.

  Evarts G. Loomis, M.D., co-founder of the American Holistic Medical Association (AHMA) and founder of the Meadowlark clinic in Hemet, California, America's first live-in health retreat, considers the fast one of the most forgotten and yet valuable modes of curing. In recent years, few physicians have seriously thought that the fast is worthy of study, and most have used it in the treatment of obesity. Over a period of eighteen years at Meadowlark, Dr. Loomis successfully guided more than one thousand patients through a fast as part of their therapeutic regime.

  For many people fasting can be used as an addition to the curing process, and is an invaluable aid for those seeking enhancement of their overall physical, mental, and spiritual health. Short fasts (two to five days) can be performed at home as part of a personal health maintenance program. Longer fasts, undertaken with medical supervision, can serve to strengthen the immune system, alleviate food allergies, and reduce or expel medications for certain health conditions.