Breatharianism

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Pfeiffer, 55, whose films have included Dangerous Liaisons and Batman Returns, said she became involved with a “very controlling” couple when she was starting out in Hollywood.

They believed in breatharianism – the ability to live without food and water – and put her on a diet “nobody can adhere to”.
Full article: Michelle Pfeiffer: The day I realised I was part of a cult (The Telegraph, 9:00PM GMT 02 Nov 2013)

Pfeiffer says the way she got out of it was by talking to an ex-Moonie and suddenly realised she was part of a cult herself.

What makes people think they can live on sunshine alone? I seem to remember there was an account of a breatharian in An Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. Also, the Supreme Master Ching Hai (the "Loving Hut Lady") has supposedly advocated it. I seem to remember a few other sects have advocated it too.
 
Breatharianism will catch on once someone has figured out how to do it right.

It's just a little bit unlucky that anyone who has ever been just on the brink of getting it right has then mysteriously died.
 
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if people want to get their veggie burgers via hyperspace straight into their body, that's their business.
 
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I love reading about stuff like breathatarianism, and really love reading about people getting caught out. I didnt realise it was a cult though (thought it was just good old fashioned quackery/pseudoscience). At a guess, saying you can live on air and sunshine alone sounds very egotistical, and the person believes themselves better than everyone else or somehow 'special'. I think they also need a science lesson, as plants dont live on water and light (and humans arent green).

I had a little google and found this : http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/breatharian.htm

Jasmuheen volunteered to appear on Australia's "60 Minutes" to prove her claims of living on light. After 48 hours, her blood pressure increased and she exhibited signs of dehydration. She attributed these symptoms to polluted air. The program moved her to a location further from the city, but as her speech slowed, pupils dilated and weight loss continued, the doctor supervising the observation advised the program to quit the experiment before she lost more kidney function, and they did so [Source: Yahoo News via Rick Ross]. Jasmuheen maintains that "60 Minutes" stopped the test because "they feared [she] would be successful" [Source: Jasmuheen].
 
I think some yogis can live on very little food and water, but a lot of it is because they spend most of their hours sitting in a meditative pose; not much movement involved there and so not a lot of metabolism needed.
 
I think some yogis can live on very little food and water, but a lot of it is because they spend most of their hours sitting in a meditative pose; not much movement involved there and so not a lot of metabolism needed.

You can actually water fast for extended periods and still live normally. I haven't done it yet myself but I know several people who have that suffered no ill consequences as a result. In fact, their prolonged fasts (over 30 days) served as a total body 'reset', helping to relieve or completely reverse certain medical conditions.
 
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I went 7 days without eating once....I was living in the countryside...and just drank out of cow troughs....I was fine....a bit dizzy-tired maybe, but ok....I'm not sure how long I could have done that, it didn't feel like I was getting worse.
 
Studies have shown the health benefits of brief periods of intermittent fasting, but one couple has gone one step further and claim they live a “food-free” life.

Camila Castello, 34, and Akahi Ricardo, 36, are what is known as “Breatharians” - they eat just three times a week, and only ever a piece of fruit or some vegetable broth at a time.
More: Couple claim they 'live food-free lifestyle' since 2008 and survive on 'cosmic nourishment' (16. June 2017)

The claim they don't remember what hunger feels like, and the woman claims to only have eaten five times during her first pregnancy. I guess food just isn't that important :rolleyes: This couple sounds like fraudsters. I would love to put them in a controlled environment where they couldn't cheat and see how long they lasted :D
 
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I was in treatment with a few anorexics who ate less than 200 calories per day for years, and let me tell you they were in very very bad shape. They were physically unable to eat solid food and had to walk around with tubes going into their stomachs where food was placed. One used a walker due to loss of muscle mass. Another spent a month in the hospital after a heart attack. Not even close to funny.
 
Liars and scam artists. You go for long periods of time without food or water, you get sick and die. It's pretty much been proven by science for quite some time now. Why do you think political prisoners who go on a fast to protest something are often forcibly fed?

And don't forget the Holocaust victims who were intentionally starved to death. The ones who were rescued before dying looked like walking skeletons because they weren't eating anything.
 
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I was in treatment with a few anorexics who ate less than 200 calories per day for years, and let me tell you they were in very very bad shape. They were physically unable to eat solid food and had to walk around with tubes going into their stomachs where food was placed. One used a walker due to loss of muscle mass. Another spent a month in the hospital after a heart attack. Not even close to funny.

I usually think of the singer Karen Carpenter, who died of heart failure after years of anorexia.

And then there's this woman:

WARNING: Potentially triggering

Woman Dying From Anorexia Speaks Out About Her Battle With The Illness, Asks The World For Help | HuffPost

Those people who advocate breatharianism look way too freaking healthy to have gone without food or water for any significant length of time.
 
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Those people who advocate breatharianism look way too freaking healthy to have gone without food or water for any significant length of time.
Yes, and you could compare the pictures of Castello and Ricardo in the news story above to pictures of Mahatma Gandhi who was on several hunger strikes, and looked like skin and bones as a result, yet he was a spiritual man surely more connected to 'the universe' than said fraudsters.
 
Hi there,

I'm writing a book about Breatharianism, and am looking for people to share their story/experiences of the practice with me.

Shoot me a message if you'd be interested in potentially doing an interview with me and sharing your story.

Cheers