One of the most effective and natural way of detoxification is water fasting. In fact, it has been a popular and powerful health recovery treatment since ancient times. It is a procedure wherein the body is allowed to heal by itself. With the absence of food, the body is left to exhaust all of its natural resources in order to harvest sufficient fuel for its functioning. Consequently, it tends to consume everything that it can, even those that are not essential to its functioning including wastes produced by the blood, bacteria, viruses, stored fats, and fibroid tumors. In short, through fasting the body naturally cleanses the body of accumulated toxins and as a result heals itself.

The period of fasting depends on the person. It may take several days, several weeks, up to a month or even more than a month. It basically depends on the person's health condition and what he intends to achieve. The primary beneficial effect of water fasting is detoxification, and second is weight loss.

Many of the most notable physiological changes in the body during fasting take place during the first three days. Generally, the body's main source of energy comes from glucose, a type of sugar harvested from the food we eat. The liver is capable of storing excess sugar or glycogen. Normally, the stored glycogen is enough to fuel the body for half a day. But while fasting, the stored glycogen is exhausted within the first 24 hours.

At that point, since glucose is no longer sufficient, the body improvises. The body starts to undergo ketone production or use fatty acids for fuel. This shift usually starts on the second day as the body begins to convert glycerol and amino acids into glucose. However, the body's protein must be tightly conserved in order to protect muscle tissue and vital organs from being damaged during times when not enough food is taken in by the body. Thus for the rest of the period of water fasting, the body uses fatty tissues for energy due to protein sparing.

And since the body is solely taking in water during fasting, the bowel is also given a good cleansing. Moreover, the digestive system is given ample time to recuperate, strengthening the mucosal lining of the intestines, keeping toxins from entering the bloodstream.

So for the entire fasting process, not only do the organs of the body undergo repair and strengthening, the body is also undergoes detoxifications and weight loss. However, it must be noted that water fasting is not a cure all treatment and must be performed with precaution. Distilled water is most advised for cleansing due to the water's natural magnetic properties and ability to absorb more toxins to be flushed out of the body. Spring and filtered water are also good to use.

Virtually any one person can fast. However, exceptions are those people with inherent metabolic disorder as well as those having a rare genetic disease characterized by the lack of essential enzyme needed to process fatty acids. Also, people who are malnourished and in a state of starvation are excluded from this treatment for it will not give the desired healthful effects. People who are suffering from anorexia, bulimia, severe anemia, or diabetes are also not advised to fast. Furthermore, pregnant