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Fasting is being used as a therapeutic and cultural practice for millennia. There are numerous reports available on beneficial effects of fasting on various disease conditions. Despite the mounting evidence on fasting, little is known on its physiological effects in humans as most of the studies on physiological effects are done in animals.Twenty healthy female volunteers (mean age ± SD, 21.95 ± 2.52 years) participated in a 10-day fasting program, which has 1 preparatory day and 1 refeeding day (1,000 kcal) and 8 fasting days (500 kcal). All the participants consented to participate in the study. Blood parameters like complete blood count, renal function test, total iron binding capacity, lipid profile, liver profile, vitamins D and B12, thyroid function tests, glycated hemoglobin, and air blood gas test along with anthropometric measurements were taken on the first and last day.All the parameters under the study have shown statistically significant changes (p 0.05) except hemoglobin (p = 0.7) and non-high density lipoprotein (p = 0.32). Notable changes were the significant increase in vitamins D and B12 levels that signifies the homoeostatic potential of a fasting regimen.The result depicts the positive impact of fasting on various physiological parameters that warrants further studies on the safety of fasting in diverse diseases, especially the ones that have metabolic disarray as the root cause. Despite the limitation of the smaller sample size and lack of a control group, the results are encouraging to devise disease-specific fasting programs.

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is becoming a pillar in the rehabilitative efforts for many people living with HIV AIDS (PLWHA). The efficacy of naturopathic and yoga intervention, a CAM therapy is an area to be explored in rehabilitation of PLWHA. Aim: The present study, a parallel matched control study to was designed to compare the efficacy of naturopathic and yogic interventions as an adjuvant therapy with standard Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) to PLWHA. Methods: Twenty matched subjects were screened for the study based on the criteria: HIV positive subjects aged between 25 to 55 years, both sexes, no secondary infections, under ART care, last CD4 estimate done on June 2014. The intervention group (IG) underwent Naturopathic and yogic intervention along with ART in a HIV sanatorium for a month followed by periodical follow up and control group (CG) received only ART. The outcome measure was a change in CD4 count. Results: After the end of 6 month, the IG showed significant changes CD4 cell count (p=3.96E-05). The CG also showed a significant improvement in CD4 cell counts (p= 0.024) but not of the same magnitude as of IG. An independent t-test between the groups has shown that the IG was more significant (p=0.047). Conclusion: The improved levels of CD4 cells in the intervention group suggests that naturopathy and yoga can augment the efficiency of ART care and can be safely prescribed to PLWHA and prescribed as a adjuvant therapy.