Fasting

"Fasting increases the inner fire and helps purify the emotions. Many have acquired

magical powers by fasting and by the practice of other austerities. Just as you, Parvati,

attracted my attention during your time of austerity in the high Himalayas, so humans can

awaken their own godly qualities by carefully controlled fasts. Fasting tones the psycho-organism,

develops the Subtle Body, and helps concentrate the mind. It helps awaken a

sense of detachment and opens up an awareness of one's innermost desires. It is part of the

true Yogic tradition and is a valuable aid in the understanding of transcendence. In moderation,

fasting acts as a potent virilific and aphrodisiac.

"Abstinence is a kind of sexual fasting. Abstinence from sex for up to a month at a time

strengthens the body and aids the focusing of life energies and emotions. If after a prolonged

time spent together an intimate relationship breaks up, a period of sexual abstinence will

help heal emotional and psychological wounds. Abstinence from sex is traditionally a part of

mourning; after the death of one's sexual partner, one may abstain for three months or even

a year. There is a natural tendency toward periods of abstinence as old age approaches

because abstinence helps strengthen and revitalize sexuality.

"Short periods of sexual abstinence, such as for three, five, seven, or nine days at a time,

can help concentrate sexual energy and increase sensitivity; it may even be recommended

prior to the performance of certain sexual rites. Also, if a couple wishes to ensure conception

of a strong and healthy child, a few days of abstinence before a prolonged bout of lovemaking

will help them achieve their goal. However, prolonged sexual abstinence is not

recommended by the Tantras since it causes unnatural sexual currents to build up within the

body.

"During periods of sexual abstinence a person should practice Hatha Yoga and breathing

exercises more often than normally. It is very important to eat healthy food and take sufficient

exercise during times of abstinence. Sexual energy should be consciously drawn upward

through the subtle channels and psychic centers; creative visualization and breath

control will help this process of sublimation.

"Sexual abstinence normally means abstinence from all forms of sexual contact. Another

way of defining abstinence is to divide it into two types: total abstinence from all kinds of

sexual contact, and abstinence from orgasm while maintaining sexual contact. In the latter

case Tantric techniques for retention and sublimation of sexual energy should be used.

Many have gained magical powers by abstaining from orgasm while drawing in and sublimating

sexual energy during physical contact with the opposite sex. However, this type of

sexual abstinence is not advisable for periods of more than a month at a time since physical

and subtle energies should be free to exchange and complete each other if true transcendence

is to be achieved

"Contrary to popular belief, celibacy is not a sign of spirituality. Celibacy is unnatural

and is not a suitable practice for healthy individuals. Brief periods of abstinence from sex and

total celibacy are completely different in their effect. The celibate lives of monks and nuns

are a form of spiritual hypocrisy, since they are denying their natural sexual functions any

mode of expression and at the same time separating themselves from the very act that

brought them into existence. Celibacy leads to bigotry, fanaticism, and narrow-mindedness

because of the unnatural restrictions placed on sexual expression."

Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system

In the first evidence of a natural intervention triggering stem cell-based regeneration of an organ or system, a study in the June 5 issue of the Cell Stem Cell shows that cycles of prolonged fasting not only protect against immune system damage — a major side effect of chemotherapy — but also induce immune system regeneration, shifting stem cells from a dormant state to a state of self-renewal.

In both mice and a Phase 1 human clinical trial involving patients receiving chemotherapy, long periods of not eating significantly lowered white blood cell counts. In mice, fasting cycles then “flipped a regenerative switch,” changing the signaling pathways for hematopoietic stem cells, which are responsible for the generation of blood and immune systems, the research showed.

The study has major implications for healthier aging, in which immune system decline contributes to increased susceptibility to disease as people age. By outlining how prolonged fasting cycles — periods of no food for two to four days at a time over the course of six months — kill older and damaged immune cells and generate new ones, the research also has implications for chemotherapy tolerance and for those with a wide range of immune system deficiencies, including autoimmunity disorders.

“We could not predict that prolonged fasting would have such a remarkable effect in promoting stem cell-based regeneration of the hematopoietic system,” said corresponding author Valter Longo, Edna M. Jones Professor of Gerontology and the Biological Sciences at the USC Davis School of Gerontology and director of the USC Longevity Institute. Longo has a joint appointment at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

“When you starve, the system tries to save energy, and one of the things it can do to save energy is to recycle a lot of the immune cells that are not needed, especially those that may be damaged,” Longo said. “What we started noticing in both our human work and animal work is that the white blood cell count goes down with prolonged fasting. Then when you re-feed, the blood cells come back. So we started thinking, well, where does it come from?”

Fasting cycles

Prolonged fasting forces the body to use stores of glucose, fat and ketones, but it also breaks down a significant portion of white blood cells. Longo likens the effect to lightening a plane of excess cargo.

During each cycle of fasting, this depletion of white blood cells induces changes that trigger stem cell-based regeneration of new immune system cells. In particular, prolonged fasting reduced the enzyme PKA, an effect previously discovered by the Longo team to extend longevity in simple organisms and which has been linked in other research to the regulation of stem cell self-renewal and pluripotency — that is, the potential for one cell to develop into many different cell types. Prolonged fasting also lowered levels of IGF-1, a growth-factor hormone that Longo and others have linked to aging, tumor progression and cancer risk.

“PKA is the key gene that needs to shut down in order for these stem cells to switch into regenerative mode. It gives the OK for stem cells to go ahead and begin proliferating and rebuild the entire system,” explained Longo, noting the potential of clinical applications that mimic the effects of prolonged fasting to rejuvenate the immune system. “And the good news is that the body got rid of the parts of the system that might be damaged or old, the inefficient parts, during the fasting. Now, if you start with a system heavily damaged by chemotherapy or aging, fasting cycles can generate, literally, a new immune system.”

Prolonged fasting also protected against toxicity in a pilot clinical trial in which a small group of patients fasted for a 72-hour period prior to chemotherapy, extending Longo’s influential past research.

“While chemotherapy saves lives, it causes significant collateral damage to the immune system. The results of this study suggest that fasting may mitigate some of the harmful effects of chemotherapy,” said co-author Tanya Dorff, assistant professor of clinical medicine at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital. “More clinical studies are needed, and any such dietary intervention should be undertaken only under the guidance of a physician.”

“We are investigating the possibility that these effects are applicable to many different systems and organs, not just the immune system,” said Longo, whose lab is in the process of conducting further research on controlled dietary interventions and stem cell regeneration in both animal and clinical studies.

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