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Concept
Inedia
Summary
Inedia (Latin for 'fasting') or breatharianism (brɛˈθɛəriənɪzəm) is the claimed ability for a person to live without consuming food, and in some cases water. It is a pseudoscientific practice and several adherents of these practices have died from starvation or dehydration as not having followed security guidelines (especially forcing change, change too fast). A good basic health is one of the pre-requisites taught by experts in the field. Multiple cases where this practice was attempted have resulted in failure or death.
Breatharians claim that food (and sometimes water) is not necessary for survival. The terms breatharianism or inedia may also be used when it is practiced as a lifestyle in place of a usual diet.
Documented studies on the physiological effects of food restriction clearly show that fasting for extended periods leads to starvation, dehydration, and eventual death. In the absence of food intake, the body normally burns its own reserves of glycogen, body fat, and muscle. Breatharians claim that their bodies do not consume these reserves while fasting.
Some breatharians have submitted themselves to medical testing, including a hospital's observation of Indian mystic Prahlad Jani appearing to survive without food or water for 15 days. However, the hospital Jani attended has not published official documentation about the event. In other cases, people have attempted to survive on sunlight alone, only to abandon the effort after losing a large percentage of their body weight.
In a handful of documented cases, individuals attempting breatharian fasting have died. Scientific societies such as the British Dietetic Association strongly disadvise the breatharian diet, qualifying it as "dangerous", and stating that "the basic fact is we all need food and liquid in our diet to live."
The 1670 Rosicrucian text Comte de Gabalis attributed the practice to the physician and occultist Paracelsus (1493–1541) who was described as having lived "several years by taking only one half scrupule of Solar Quintessence".
Official source
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