Don't Disturb the Body

Have you ever encountered a father, mother, or grandmother who worries when they see their child sick with a fever or the flu and has no appetite at all, and they search for every way to make them want to eat? They want them to eat meat or different foods. And if they are not willing - their determination will cause them to look for creative ways, such as getting them to eat ice cream and the like. The main thing is that they eat something "to have strength to fight the illness".

Natural medicine, on the other hand, has a different approach. It states that Hashem preempted the cure before the ailment and gave our bodies natural healing powers, and we should not interfere with those forces. Natural medicine argues that during illness, the body needs rest and should not be burdened with food to have enough strength to enter the healing process without any disturbance. When we burden the body with food, instead of dealing only with the disease – now it also has to handle the food we burden it with, which might delay the recovery process.

Since the body knows this, it enters a state of "loss of appetite", and indeed, there is no desire to eat. It's a mistake to fight this! Indeed, observing the behavior of animals when ill shows that when they have a fever, they find a shady place, retreat within themselves to rest, drink water – but certainly do not eat yet, they recover quickly.

Here are some practical conclusions: A. The best thing during illness, such as fever, flu, etc. – is to avoid eating and only ensure drinking water, preferably mineral water. B. If something beyond water is needed, one can drink date-water, meaning water sweetened with soaked dates, or fruit juices like apple juice, or even fresh fruits. C. In any case, if it is decided to eat fruits – it is preferable they are organic. D. After recovery, in any case, do not immediately return to consuming regular foods but rather gradually.