Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - No food or drink for decades?

- General Discussion (https://thetfp.com/tfp/general-discussion/)

- - No food or drink for decades? (https://thetfp.com/tfp/general-discussion/37196-no-food-drink-decades.html)

No food or drink for decades?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3236118.stm

Quote:

Doctors and experts are baffled by an Indian hermit who claims not to have eaten or drunk anything for several decades - but is still in perfect health.

Mr Prahlad Jani under surveillance in hospital

Prahlad Jani, a holy man, or fakir, who is over 70 years old, has just spent 10 days under constant observation in Sterling Hospital, in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad.

During that time, he did not consume anything and "neither did he pass urine or stool", according to the hospital's deputy superintendent, Dr Dinesh Desai.

Yet he is in fine mental and physical fettle, say doctors.

Most people can live without food for several weeks, with the body drawing on its fat and protein stores. But the average human can survive for only three to four days without water.

Followers of Indian holy men and ascetics have often ascribed extraordinary powers to them, but such powers are seldom subject to scientific inspection.

Mouthwash

"A series of tests conducted on him show his body mechanism is that of a normal person," said Dr Desai.

Mr Jani spends most of his time in a cave near the Ambaji temple in Gujarat state.

He has never fallen ill and can continue to live like this

Bhiku Prajapati, Mr Jani's devotee

He spent his 10 days in hospital in a specially prepared room, with a sealed-off toilet and constant video surveillance.

To help the doctors verify his claims, Mr Jani agreed to avoid bathing for his time in hospital.

The only fluid he was allowed was a small amount of water, to use as mouthwash.

One hundred millilitres of water were given to him, and then collected and measured in a beaker when he spat it out, to make sure none had been drunk.

Thank goddess

A statement from Ahmedabad's Association of Physicians says that despite no water entering his body, urine nonetheless appeared to form in his bladder - only to be re-absorbed by the bladder walls.

Hungry for blessings: Mr Jani receives a devotee in hospital

At the end of his confinement, doctors noted no deterioration in his condition, other than a slight drop in his weight.

"I feel no need for food and water," says Mr Jani, who claims he was blessed by a goddess at the age of eight and has lived in caves ever since.

He grew up in Charod village in Mehsana district and wears the dress of a devotee of the goddess Ambaji - a red sari-like garment, nose ring, bangles and crimson flowers in the hair.

He also wears the vermilion "tika" mark on his forehead, more often seen on married Hindu women.

His followers call him "mataji" or goddess.

More tests

He says he has survived several decades without food or water because of a hole in his palate.

Drops of water filter through this hole, he says, sustaining him.

"He has never fallen ill and can continue to live like this," said Bhiku Prajapati, one of Mr Jani's many followers.

"A hole in the palate is an abnormal phenomenon," says Dr Desai.

His colleague, Dr Urman Dhruv, told the BBC a full medical report is being prepared on Mr Jani's 10 days under observation.

Doctors say they cannot verify his claim to have not eaten or drunk for decades - but by observing his feat under laboratory conditions, they hope to learn more about the human body.

It is likely that doctors will want to examine Mr Jani again in order to solve the medical mystery he has presented them with. \

I dont know what to think, looking up some more information on him as i type this, but very intruiging, David Blaine's got nothing on this guy. Locked in a room for 10 days and monitored, no water and still in perfect health, could this lead to food/drink being unnecessary in the future? Hopefully it will lead to a deeper understanding of the body and not turn out to be just a clever hoax.

thoughts?

If this guy's for real, he's practically a perpetual motion machine violating laws of thermodynamics.

I'm highly doubtful. That part about his bladder walls reabsorbing urine is just weird though.

Quote:

He says he has survived several decades without food or water because of a hole in his palate.

This I found really strange, especially (and I can't see it in this article but it was written down somewere else) that 'Doctors are still looking for that hole'

A palate isn't that big, is it???

Quote:

Originally posted by lordjeebus
If this guy's for real, he's practically a perpetual motion machine violating laws of thermodynamics.

Unless he's got, um, solar panels or something.

Er, I really got nothing.

Very, very strange. The world is an amazing place.

Quote:

Originally posted by Macheath
Unless he's got, um, solar panels or something.

It would be really cool if it turned out that he had evolved chloroplasts or something. It would take a lot of solar energy to run a man though -- he'd probably have to be more efficient than plants.

After reading about Hindus that have stood for 15 or so years or kept an arm above thier head for a decade or two I am not shocked in the least bit that a fakir has managed to stay alive without food or water.

I doubt that science will learn much more than this guy is a genetic freak.

Whenever my dad used to hear things about the "World Oldest Human" or some other human feat, he wasn't very impressed. Instead, he would tell me of someone he knew, or knew of back in India who was far older, or had accomplished far more. They simply hadn't been picked up by the newspapers or North American television shows.

I don't know about this case in particular, but I do believe that there is a lot out there that we don't know, simply because we haven't seen it.

The human body is capable of amazing things, and this guy really might have been able to go that long without food or water. Though, I believe it's very unlikely unless he really does have magical powers and such. It will be interesting to see what develops with the story.

wow thats crazy stuff... even just the 10 days without food and especially water is impressive...
definently interested in learning what develops with this story...

OK...Just suposing he can do this? (which I doubt)

What can you DO with this?

Just sit around & think?

How boring.

Kinda takes purpose of drinking beer and eating snack during a sport event away doesn't it?

*shudders at the future of no mcdonalds*

THAT's NOTHING, I went witout pizza for a week once.

Very intriguing, would be great if anyone finds anything more on this story. I would like to know what the doctors have found, if anything.

Being very into food and drink, and understanding how the body metabolizes this food for energy, I don't understand how this is possible. Where does he get his energy from? Or, does he have energy? It just doesn't seem plausible that this can go on for a sustained period of time. WTF???

Maybe a genetic mutation that allows him to surive for long periods of time without nutrition?

That would make him like one of those test engines that can go for hundreds of miles on less than a gallon of gas.

Quote:

Originally posted by lordjeebus
If this guy's for real, he's practically a perpetual motion machine violating laws of thermodynamics.

Hmm, not exactly. He still takes on energy, like heat or light. He could even be running on chemical energy taken from the air.
So, only if he was able to survive in absolutely dark free space, he'd violate the laws of thermodynamics.
And no, I do not believe in solar powered humans, I only wanted to point out that there are other means of aquiring energy that solid/fluid fuel.
I know, capillary fission...

Am I the first one to call bullshit? Why do all of these supposed claims come out of India? No one else knows the human body better? Then why does disease and starvation run rampant through India? People will say anything to get a little attention. Plus, he claims to have been blessed by a goddess. You throw religion into the mix, and you can't trust anything that comes out of people's mouths.

I'll second that bullshit. I'd like to see some real tests run on him, this just seems way too unlikely.

I do belive that mind over body can do amazing things- but I want more data- I do know that some guru in the 70's let accredited docs do a bazillion tests on him and could do several things that they said were impossible- sparked a lot of research into biofeedback- this is just plain wierd though- I want more info, and better tests.....let us know if anyone finds more.

You have to love someone who violates the second law of thermodynamics...

Ill believe it when.... well, I wont. I would believe that he can go an incredibly long time, but not decades, not even years.

Yeah, I'll say he's a faker.

Sorry: fakir.

Quote:

Originally posted by rogue49
OK...Just suposing he can do this? (which I doubt)

What can you DO with this?

Just sit around & think?

How boring.

You can realize that your body is capable of much more than you use it for and begin to harness the potential that is consistently wasted.

THIS IS THE MEDICAL REPORT, i'M NOT MEDICALLY INCLINED SO IT DOESN'T MEAN MUCH TO ME.
http://www.amazingabilities.com/amaze5b.html

there have been dozens of claims like this made in the past. All of them turned out to be hoaxes. I have no reason to believe that this one is any different.

Why did he end up in the hospital in the first place? If he was in fine mental and physical health, did he go in just to show off his ability?

Quote:

Originally Posted by CSflim

there have been dozens of claims like this made in the past. All of them turned out to be hoaxes. I have no reason to believe that this one is any different.

Ditto.

India is up to its armpits in fake holymen. Its something of a cottage industry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ustwo

Ditto.

India is up to its armpits in fake holymen. Its something of a cottage industry.

Yes, very true.

I just watched a National geographic show on this last night... these Medicine Men just go from villiage to villiage, taking the money of the extremely poor for their 'cures' which include chanting and waving and then breaking a coconut that they injected red dye, which the villiage inviduals believed was a bad spirt being released, they were total fakes... i am highly skeptical that this gentlemen is any different....

Sweetpea

I'm willing to accept certain amounts of biofeedback (walking on coals, etc..) and also that many humans are SUPERspecialized, like Lance Armstrong..

Quote:

He's discovered that the cyclist has an oversized heart that has grown through training to become 30 per cent larger than the average man's.

His heart can pump nine gallons of blood per minute, compared to five for the average person. In fact, Coyle estimates that the 5-foot-10 Armstrong had a heart proportional to the size of a 6'6 man.

Armstrong's lungs can absorb twice as much oxygen. His muscles produce half as much lactic acid and expel it faster, allowing him to ride harder up the Tour's notoriously brutal hills and then recover quickly.

An average person turns 20 per cent of the oxygen he breathes into muscle power. Armstrong gets 23 per cent -- close to the highest ever recorded in a human. So with each breath he delivers more power to each push of the pedal.

But no food for a DECADE? No way.. unless he started out like pre-subway Jarred. India mysticism indeed..

You know, I'll never say never...but I'm going to say I highly doubt that this could be true. I'll give the guy 10 days...10 years? Ha! I fart in his general direction. It seems that he would have to sit very still, be in a highly meditative state, as in functionally braindead, for a majority of every day to minimize energy consumption, and have a boatload of algae or bacteria coming in through those drops in his palate. As for never peeing or "passing stool,".....I just really...umm..hell no. Feces is toxic. Whatever his body would doing to make energy, it would have some waste. That would slowly build up somewhere. This sounds kind of like trepanation or something. I practice yoga, and in my opinion these guys give eastern meditative practices a bad name. Thanks whackjob!!!

ps. sentimental: that page is great. guys flying, esp, x-ray vision, the works. i wouldn't trust those medical reports too much if i were you: just text on an html page. might be interesting to find in a refereed journal. heck, i might even just look for that. back in a flash!!!

Holy crap, I'm back already and didn't even interupt my post: checked with SciFinder Scholar and ISI webofknowledge. No refereed journal articles on homeboy Prahlad Jani with either. I'm thinking if these doctors checked the guy out for 10 days, they'd publish the results somewhere. Crap, they'd a least get a letter to the editor, a conference presentation, a poster session...I mean, something. Here's some Journals it could be in. It's not.

Journals
Advances in Free Radical Biology & Medicine
The American Journal of Emergency Medicine
The American Journal of Medicine
The American Journal of Medicine Supplements
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Annals of Emergency Medicine
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
Biochemical Medicine
Biochemical Medicine and Metabolic Biology
Biochemical and Molecular Medicine
Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy
Cardiovascular Radiation Medicine
Cardiovascular Revascularization Medicine
Clinical Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Complementary Therapies in Medicine
Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine
Computer Programs in Biomedicine
Computers in Biology and Medicine
European Journal of Internal Medicine
Evidence-based Cardiovascular Medicine
Free Radical Biology and Medicine
Gender Medicine
Integrative Medicine
International Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Biology
International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine
International Journal of Radiation Applications and Instrumentation. Part B. Nuclear Medicine and Biology
Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine
Journal of Emergency Medicine
Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery
Journal of Free Radicals in Biology & Medicine
Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine
Journal of Osteopathic Medicine
Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology
Legal Medicine
Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine
Molecular Aspects of Medicine
Molecular Medicine Today
Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine
The Netherlands Journal of Medicine
Nuclear Medicine and Biology
Operative Techniques in Sports Medicine
Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology
Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontology
Phytomedicine
Preventive Medicine
Preventive Veterinary Medicine
Prostaglandins and Medicine
Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Medicine
Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
Respiratory Medicine
Respiratory Medicine Extra
Respiratory Medicine: COPD Update
Seminars in Anesthesia, Perioperative Medicine and Pain
Seminars in Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine
Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery
Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine
Seminars in Integrative Medicine
Seminars in Nuclear Medicine
Seminars in Pain Medicine
Sleep Medicine
Sleep Medicine Reviews
Social Science & Medicine
Social Science & Medicine (1967)
Social Science & Medicine. Part A: Medical Psychology & Medical Sociology
Social Science & Medicine. Part B: Medical Anthropology
Social Science & Medicine. Part C: Medical Economics
Social Science & Medicine. Part D: Medical Geography
Social Science & Medicine. Part E: Medical Psychology
Social Science & Medicine. Part F: Medical and Social Ethics
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Transfusion Medicine Reviews
Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine
Trends in Molecular Medicine
Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology

If I were from India, I'd learn to fly like superman.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogue49

OK...Just suposing he can do this? (which I doubt)

What can you DO with this?

Just sit around & think?

How boring.

Just imagine all the money you can save never having to buy ramen noodles ever again.

You know I thought that whole Bretharianism was a joke kinda interesting though to say the least

Guys, it's a hoax. Simple question: did the Australian newspaper ever check the story out?

It's possible for a person to make themselves physically sick or even kill themselves with just thier mind. In that respect it would also be physically possible to keep yourself healthy free of disease by just believing and training your mind.. but you'd still have to have food/water =p.

Quote:

Originally Posted by raveneye

Guys, it's a hoax. Simple question: did the Australian newspaper ever check the story out?

You think the BBC is Australian? :lol:

Quote:

Originally Posted by pocon1

Am I the first one to call bullshit?

You're certainly not the last. Add me to that list. Here's my reasoning:

Quote:

At the end of his confinement, doctors noted no deterioration in his condition, other than a slight drop in his weight.

Aha. Now we see what's going on. If he's been living for decades under the same no food/water conditions he faced in the hospital then he should be at constant weight. The stay in the hospital shouldn't cause him to drop weight like that. Unless, of course, he's been eating all this time and is fasting in the hospital. I call that far more likely.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hat

You think the BBC is Australian? :lol:

Nope, but they got it from an Australian paper, as did everybody else :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by pocon1

You know that despite millions of people bathing in and drinking from the Ganges, one of the filthiest rivers around, the vast majority of them never get sick from it?

shakran: He was living in a cave before. Since you are so intent on applying the scientific method to this, you should realise that by interfering with his surroundings, the scientists are likely interfering with one or more of the factors that he may have keeping him alive.