FASTING
Fasting and feasting related to customs, cultures and religions ignite debates on the good and bad of them. As part of religious rituals, fasting and feasting have been in vogue since time immemorial. The recent surge in the popularity of fasting is a health promotional activity, especially as a means to reduce body weight (click on https://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/04/diabetes_29.html to know a little about the problem of excess weight). Fasting is a practice that dates back to centuries and plays a central role in many cultures and religions. Fasting from sunrise to sunset is the one type which is relegiously practised in some communities. And, some fast from sunset to sunrise. There are various types of fasting, related or unrelated to traditional customs. Some do 'water-fasting' (taking only water during the fasting period), 'fat-fasting' (only fatty items), 'fruit fasting' (only fruits), etc.
The old practice of ritual fasting may do good. And may even be scientific. Researchers from the University of Southern California found that fasting can slow down ageing, add years to lifespan, boost the immune system and cut the risk of heart disease and cancer. Scientists found that a gene called LOS1 is linked to a genetic master switch which has long been associated with calorie restriction through fasting which is related to increased lifespan. Deleting this gene itself may increase the lifespan by 60 per cent.
Fasting is believed to provide several health benefits, including weight loss, good blood sugar control, and protection against medical conditions like cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. The benefits of fasting seem to be even documented through scientific research science" -- go to https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fasting-benefits#inflammation .
THE FASTING BUZZ
Of late, a lot is being discussed and written about fasting which is defined as abstinence from all or some foods or drinks for a specific period of time. Fasting has now entered everyday conversation. While one should not over-pitch the benefits of fasting, it may be scientific to say that fasting triggers 'autophagy', the body's natural self-cleaning system that removes damaged cells and regenerate new ones. There are many different ways of fasting. Generally, most fast over 24–72 hours.
INTERMITTENT FASTING (IF)
On the other hand, 'Intermittent Fasting (IF)' involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting, ranging from a few hours to a few days at a time. In recent years, the IF is being increasingly recommended, the '16:8 plan' being one of them -- fasting for 16 hours from 8.00 pm to next day's noon & 8 hours of eating window from noon to 8.00 pm. Like the "16:8 IF", many novel things have come into vogue to maintain good weight and good health. Some of the related subjects of conversatkon are : starving diets, Chrono Nutrition, unlimited non-vegetarian Paleo Diet, Atkins’ Diet, Detox Diet, Paleo Vegan Diet, nutraceuticals, trace-elements, amino-acids ultra-processed foods, health beverages, fruits only diet, fruits only on empty stomach, only olive oil, organic milk, organic vegetables and chicken, lab chicken, non-animal computer-printed meat, fifteen tumblers of water per day, 100 gram of dark chocolate a day, plenty of tea, 4 cups of coffee a day, virgin coconut oil, whey proteins, fat burners, ergogenic products, avocado, kale, brown rice, tofu, cold-pressed juices, CITY calorie apps, treadmill until exhaustion, Fitbit / Fuel Band pedometers, yoga and meditation, aerobatics, cable crossover, lats pulldown, seated row, leg curls, pilates, cardio-(toxic) exercises, heart arrhythmia (inducing) exercises, musical pillows. therapeutic music, massages, hypnotherapy, LED light and CFL light sleep disorders, ‘shift work’ morbidity – the list is endless -- confusing, contradictory, vague, pseudo-scientific -- looks very authentic with a ring of promise of results, yet a dicey business ! Influencers and social media over-pitch the benefits of most of these, and even the well-educated people become gullible victims.
THE GOOD OLD FASTING
In the earlier times when there was no electricity at homes, taking dinner would happen before sunset, which means fasting until sunrise, aligning with the body's circadian rhythm. This itself is 'Intermittent Fasting'. In fact, 'breakfast' means breaking the overnight fasting next morning which is 'Intermittent Fasting'. Some of the Indian customs got scientific validity now.
THE GOOD AND THE BAD
If the fasting time is not too long, it may be transformative, otherwise, it would be just another diet disaster. Long fasting periods may disrupt hormones, and disruption of the circadian clock may lead to intestinal inflammation, while proper meal timings can help maintain gut health.
Some argue that fasting can reset and synchronise the body's internal clock genes and enhance their performance. These clock proteins regulate the expression of of many genes involved in intestinal health.
Without knowing that they are scientifically sound, our forefathers were generally following certain customs and rituals. Many of these things have been proved to be good to a reasonable extent by scientific research. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that ‘Idli and Sambar’' of south India is the most nutritious breakfast in the world (http://tamilnadu.com/food/idly-most-nutritious-breakfast.html). The ‘Roti and Daal’' of north India is equally good. American Nutrition Association said that cooked rice soaked in water overnight would be the best for breakfast next morning, as was the practice in South India in good old days. And, our earlier generations practised a reasonably good lifestyle, good habits, good customs, good culture and good tradition.
Anyway, IF is not suitable for people having certain diseases like diabetes and gut diseases. In some people, fasting may prove to be hazardous to health. Some may be benefitted. Moreover, there are a variety of fasting plans. There is no incontrovertible evidence for or against a particular plan. A health consultant may give the right advice in individual cases taking into consideration the specific situations of the person.
A LOT OF INFO
A well-researched lengthy article is in the link below, which gives a perspective from the scientific point of view on fasting and related matters. Please go through it, if interested in details and references to literature.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fasting-benefits#inflammation
Anything connected with food is a conundrum. You will understand the complexity if you go through my writing titled "Food, Exercise and Sleep" which can be found in the link below -
Tall claims are often made of the benefits of numerous things which may gain entry into medical journals which doesn't automatically mean authenticity and robust evidence. About the frauds in research and publication, go through my article titled "COVID Medical Literature -- the Good, the Bad and the Ugly" in the link below -- https://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/03/medical-literature.html .
About the author :
Dr. T. Rama Prasad is the WORLD RECORD holder of authoring 28 articles related to COVID-19 in 30 months, published in a medical journal (The Antiseptic – www.theantiseptic.in -- Indexed in IndMED), and reporting in the same journal the WORLD’s FIRST CASE of ‘Yellow Nail Syndrome’ associated with COVID-19, PT & DM (https://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/04/yellow-nail syndrome_28.html ). He wrote his first article in the premier journal, The Antiseptic, four decades ago. Many of his articles written over half-a-century may be accessed at https://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/04/dr-t-rama-prasad.html & https://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/04/my-in-newspapers_28.html & https://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com .
He is the former MEDICAL SUPERINTENDENT (Special) of R.T. Sanatorium & Perundurai Medical College and Research Centre. Presently, he is the Senior Consultant in TB & Lung Diseases, and the Director at ‘PAY WHAT YOU CAN’ Clinic, Perundurai, He is the recipient of the “Lifetime Achievement Award” of the ‘Coimbatore Respiratory Society’, and the honorific title “Perundurai Rathinam” from the body of ‘Perundurai Public’.
The following is a list of some of my 'scribblings', including a few from the 28 articles on COVID published in a monthly medical journal in 30 months (a world record). To open them, click on any of the titles. -- T. Rama Prasad
Blog Archive
· ▼ 2017 (115)
o ▼ March (1)
o ▼ April (112)
§ OREIKLE
§ Science and Nonsense about COVID
§ WORLD CANCER DAY ..February 4, 2017
§ GRADUATION DAY -- 2018, Perundurai Medical Col...
§ "AHIMSA"
§ OMICRON
§ QUOTES
§ POLLUTION, Disease and Deepaavali
§ DOCTORS' HANDWRITING MATTERS
§ To live in INDIA or ABROAD ?
§ KMCH
§ FISHES
§ SUNDAY LUNCH ... Dec 3, 2017
§ BAHUBALI
§ DIABETES
§ MY ART
§ CANCER
§ DOGS
§ GOD-MEN
§ CODUP
§ LOCKDOWN MEDICINE -- too toxic ?
§ YOGA
§ HCQ, IVERMECTIN, CORONAVIRUS and FRAUDS
§ SWINE FLU -- A (H1 N1) influenza
§ PERUNDURAI MEDICAL COLLEGE & SANATORIUM campus
§ RAJYALAKSHMI RAMAPRASAD and PLANTS
§ GIRL CHILD : GOLDEN CHILD ; WOMEN POWER
§ ALLERGY, ASTHMA, COPD and ILD
§ RAPE
§ MARKETING TRICKS & INNOVATIONS
§ MODERN MEDICINE -- the Good, the Bad and th...
§ RAJYALAKSHMI & International Women's Day 2024
§ SHIVA, KRISHNA, Ramanuja & Ramanujan
§ OUR LOVE STORY & good old days
o ▼ May (2)
· ▼ 2019 (1)
o ▼ January (1)
· ▼ 2020 (3)
o ▼ February (1)
o ▼ April (1)
§ RAJYALAKSHMI RAMAPRASAD and RADIOGRAM
o ▼ June (1)
§ CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2)
· ▼ 2022 (1)
o ▼ October (1)
· ▼ 2023 (17)
o ▼ January (15)
§ TUBERCULOSIS -- drug-resistant
§ HEART
§ INDIAN IMMUNITY, BCG and COVID
§ WOW !!!
§ COVID vaccines -- Safe or Unsafe ?
o ▼ August (1)
§ RAMAYAAN
o ▼ October (1)
· ▼ 2024 (1)
o ▼ May (1)
Blog Archive
· ▼ 2017 (115)
o ▼ March (1)
o ▼ April (112)
§ OREIKLE
§ Science and Nonsense about COVID
§ WORLD CANCER DAY ..February 4, 2017
§ GRADUATION DAY -- 2018, Perundurai Medical Col...
§ "AHIMSA"
§ OMICRON
§ QUOTES
§ POLLUTION, Disease and Deepaavali
§ DOCTORS' HANDWRITING MATTERS
§ To live in INDIA or ABROAD ?
§ KMCH
§ FISHES
§ SUNDAY LUNCH ... Dec 3, 2017
§ BAHUBALI
§ DIABETES
§ MY ART
§ CANCER
§ DOGS
§ GOD-MEN
§ CODUP
§ LOCKDOWN MEDICINE -- too toxic ?
§ YOGA
§ HCQ, IVERMECTIN, CORONAVIRUS and FRAUDS
§ SWINE FLU -- A (H1 N1) influenza
§ PERUNDURAI MEDICAL COLLEGE & SANATORIUM campus
§ RAJYALAKSHMI RAMAPRASAD and PLANTS
§ GIRL CHILD : GOLDEN CHILD ; WOMEN POWER
§ ALLERGY, ASTHMA, COPD and ILD
§ RAPE
§ MARKETING TRICKS & INNOVATIONS
§ MODERN MEDICINE -- the Good, the Bad and th...
§ RAJYALAKSHMI & International Women's Day 2024
§ SHIVA, KRISHNA, Ramanuja & Ramanujan
§ OUR LOVE STORY & good old days
o ▼ May (2)
· ▼ 2019 (1)
o ▼ January (1)
· ▼ 2020 (3)
o ▼ February (1)
o ▼ April (1)
§ RAJYALAKSHMI RAMAPRASAD and RADIOGRAM
o ▼ June (1)
§ CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2)
· ▼ 2022 (1)
o ▼ October (1)
· ▼ 2023 (17)
o ▼ January (15)
§ TUBERCULOSIS -- drug-resistant
§ HEART
§ INDIAN IMMUNITY, BCG and COVID
§ WOW !!!
§ COVID vaccines -- Safe or Unsafe ?
o ▼ August (1)
§ RAMAYAAN
o ▼ October (1)
· ▼ 2024 (1)
o ▼ May (1)
A brief introduction
In the words of Prof C H Sivaraman, FRCP (London):
“ ... Dr. T. Rama Prasad belongs to a distinctly different and unconventional species of doctors. He speaks sparingly and does not even display his qualifications or merits, but his innumerable published writings (he calls them ‘scribblings’ though they are ‘pearls of wisdom and knowledge’, sprinkled with a bit of humour and sarcasm) which received wide acclaim talk eloquently for him. The ‘PAY WHAT YOU CAN’ Clinic where services are available for which one may pay whatever one can is a facility run by Dr. Prasad for a very long time which could be a world record. Dr. Prasad is called a “god” by his patients, and many of them named their children after his name “Prasad” -- that is the height of recognition of goodness of a human being... ”
Service to humanity is service to God; Kindness costs nothing
An anecdote about “GORU”
During my childhood, one of my schoolmates had huge nails. Her name was Gowri. We nicknamed her as ‘Goru’ (‘goru’ in Telugu means nail of a finger or toe ). They used to say that her huge nails caused a problem in her heart. It might be a case of ‘Digital Clubbing’ (abnormal nails present in some ‘Congenital Heart Diseases’). After one summer vacation, ‘Goru’ didn’t come back to the school. It was learnt that she died due to the nail / heart problem, and that treatment could not be availed as they didn’t have money to pay for it.
Perhaps, this incident prompted me to look at everyone’s nails from that time which might have led me to report the first case from India of ‘Yellow Nail Syndrome (YNS)’ from India in 1980 and the first case in the world of ‘Yellow nails & Covid’ in 2023 (https://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/04/yellow-nail syndrome_28.html ).
And perhaps, the preventable death of ‘Goru’ due to the inability to pay for the treatment motivated me to start my ‘PAY WHAT YOU CAN’ Clinic (PWYCC) half-a-century ago where patients may pay whatever they can. No fixed fee ( http://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/06/pay-what-you-can-clinic.html ).
The credit for these case reports on YNS and the starting of my PWYCC should go to ‘Goru’. Thanks to “Goru”.
-- T. Rama Prasad
More at :
This is not an ad, it’s about an odd service.
GREETINGS from
‘PAY WHAT YOU CAN’ Clinic
“Thena thyakthena bhoojithaha”– Ishopanishad
( Translated by Prof. B.M. Hegde as: “Rejoice in giving.”)
True to this quote, I have been rejoicing at what little I could give. Defying stereotypes, this clinic has been in existence for a very long time, sans glitz, blitz, ads, microphones, speeches and noise. As a matter of my policy, publicity is shunned. The reason is simple. Good work needs no noise and nonsense. My ‘SCRIBBLINGS’ on related topics may be accessed at: http://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com
My consultation fee is not decided by me. It is the patient’s pleasure. The patient may pay (donate) whatever he can and what he wishes. If one is short of money, he or she need not pay anything. The money may just be put into the ‘hundi’ box kept outside the consultation room. And the money thus received is used for charity to help the needy, the poor and the less fortunate. If interested to know more about this facility, go to: http://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/06/pay-what-you-can-clinic.html . And, if you wish, you may also 'contribute what you can' through bank (Dr. RAMA PRASAD T, A/C No. 451075868, INDIAN BANK, IFS CODE IDIB000P155, PERUNDURAI, Erode District, Tamil Nadu - 638052 ).
"We need not run after money. If we are meritorious and compassionate, money would run after us, and it eludes us if we run after it.”
-- T. Rama Prasad
“Richness is not having lots of money. It is the feeling that one has enough of it. Contentment sans comparison is what makes one really rich.”
-- T. Rama Prasad.
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