The renunciation of food or certain luxury foods has existed as long as mankind. Regular cures help the immune system, can alleviate diseases and have a positive influence on eating habits.

Every day the human body produces waste products that have to be disposed of. In most cases, the organism can regulate this important task independently. However, over time it can happen that the detoxification organs are overtaxed with their work and are not able to remove all substances from the body. The resulting so-called waste products, i.e. acid residues neutralised by the body, lime particles, cholesterol compounds or heavy metals or nanoparticles absorbed from the outside, put a strain on the body and in the worst case can even damage it. It is therefore advisable to support the body in its task of freeing itself from the waste products in a natural way on a regular basis.

People have been fasting since the beginning of their existence - the reasons for this are manifold: Due to meagre harvests, there was a lack of food at times, and wars often caused famine. Religious or medical reasons have also always played a role in people giving up food. Derived from the Gothic "fastan" ("to hold", "to observe") or from Old High German ("to adhere to the commandments of abstinence"), fasting was already a religious act in ancient times. Cathartic fasting was a religious act of preparatory purification, while apotrophic fasting was intended to ward off evil.

Sloth and gluttony as causes of obesity

Hippocrates had already recognized fasting as a medical therapy. In particularly bad cases he even recommended to drink only honey water. He regarded laziness and gluttony as causes of obesity, which one should counteract by abstaining. But this is not in the human genes at all: Even when man was still a hunter-gatherer, he ate copiously whenever he had food available, for he sometimes had to live on his own substance for months on end.

Whether classical food fasting, juice cures or the renunciation of individual foods such as chocolate or alcohol - fasting is a trend that takes many forms. In addition, for some time now, people have been consciously abstaining from using their smartphones or social media - digital detox means fasting in times of digitalization and constant accessibility.

"The basis of therapeutic fasting" was laid by Otto Buchinger, who published his main work "Das Heilfasten und seine Hilfsmethoden" in 1935. When the trained physician fell ill with rheumatism due to an unhealed tonsillitis, he underwent a fasting cure lasting almost three weeks and defeated the disease. This laid the foundation for his research in the field of naturopathy with a focus on fasting. Already he emphasized at that time that therapeutic fasting is not suitable for those who are interested in weight reduction, because it is "only a nice side effect". In addition everyone should let examine its health condition, before it strengthens the body-own purification and decontamination processes.

Successful with regular fasting cures

In those for whom therapeutic fasting is suitable, the positive effects of regular cures have already been impressively proven by a whole series of clinical studies. Neurodermatitis, psoriasis, allergies and asthma can be treated or alleviated just as successfully with regular chamfering cures as back pain up to rheumatic diseases, headaches and migraines, stomach and intestinal problems, cardiovascular diseases, sleep disorders, diabetes or obesity. Researchers all over the world now even believe that a temporary lack of food is beneficial to health in the long term and prolongs life.

Therapeutic fasting has a massive influence on the processes in the body. It strengthens the immune system, which is heavily involved in the digestive process in regular everyday life. During the fasting phase it can turn more to its most important task and eliminate invaders that cause illness. Therefore, therapeutic fasting is often referred to as the "inner body's own doctor".

A positive side effect is the effect on the psyche, which should not be underestimated. If the first few days are still arduous, those who persevere are rewarded for their efforts with a true burst of energy. This additionally lifts the mood.