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Abstract:
Our hypothesis is simply that fasting for 24 hours when the first symptoms of Ebola appear – headache,
sore throat and fever – could weaken the development of the Ebola virus in the body and abort the full
development of the disease. Our research interest in Africana Drug-Free Alternative Medicine derives
from lifelong research and documentation on this theme reflected in the book of the same title.1 Some of
the symptoms of Ebola are similar to the symptoms of other viral infections successfully treated with
ADAM methods.
The Idea:
Our idea is an unconventional approach to Ebola treatment because our hypothesis is both counterintuitive and intuitive. Counter-intuitively, it could be argued that Ebola weakens the body of the patient
and so fasting for 24 hours would make the patient weaker. To prevent harm to the human subjects, the
kind of fasting we anticipate is only fasting from solid carbohydrate and protein food without salt and
sugar (but those who are strong enough to try a water-only fast should be encouraged to do so). Hence the
volunteers could feast on fruits and or drink lots of water during the 24 hours fast. This kind of fast is
called the white fast by groups in West Africa but they usually break the fast at dinner (after 12 hours or
less) by eating large quantities of white rice, eating white bread or consuming huge portions of garri (a
cassava paste that is rich in carbohydrate), yam, millet or corn meals. The call by the President of Liberia
for a three-day fast for divine intervention may be dismissed by scientists as fatalism but there is evidence
that periodic fasting is indeed therapeutic.2
Across West Africa, religious leaders and politicians alike are calling for fasting and prayers while a
professor of Pharmacology and member of the six-person Nigerian government team tasked to research
possible solutions to the EVD outbreak, Dr. Maurice Iwu, suggested that his research for the US army in
the 1990s indicated that the high anti-oxidant quality of bitter kola nuts could reduce the rate of the
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replication of the virus in laboratory conditions.3 We are calling for randomized trials as part of the
intervention without assuming that the ingestion of a drug or herb is the only possible solution, it could be
the case that abstinence from food is what is needed for 24 hours but without starving the people.
We plan to recommend abstinence from carbohydrates and proteins but indulgence in liquids and or fruits
for 24 hours for the patients contrary to the convention that patients should be well fed to give them
strength to fight the virus because it may be the virus that they are feeding.4 The Liberian American,
Patrick Sawyer, who died in Nigeria was reported to have infected the Nigerian nurse, Obi Justina Ejelonu
who later died, while she was trying to feed him when he was too weak to feed himself.5 This is one of
the reasons why it has been reported that more women were dying from Ebola, perhaps because they are
more likely to be the ones to care for the sick at home and in clinics. 6 What if Patrick Sawyer and other
EVD patients were routinely asked to fast for 24 hours when diagnosed? The result may be quick
recovery. The risk of harm to human subjects, from a 24 hours fast that is enriched with fruits and water,
is very low and any risk will be promptly addressed by the hospitals by breaking the fast at any time. Our
hypothesis is supported by the observation of the Chief Medical Officer in Nigeria who organized the
effective control of the Ebola infection through contact tracing and fluid therapy without drugs.7
Intuitively, the Ebola patient throws up much of the food that is eaten when suffering from the disease and
we hypothesize that this might be the way that the body tries to send bio-feedback communication to the
patient that abstinence from food would help with the healing process. Since fasting is recommended by
many cultural communities as beneficial for cleansing the body and the spirit, we anticipate that our
hypothesis will make sense to patients and to the public.8
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We do not envisage any serious harm to human subjects as a result of 24 hours of fasting mediated by a
feast of fruits and lots of water. Once this bio-feedback mechanism is learned as effective, wellbeing is
sustained because this is a drug-free and therefore cost-free method that is accessible to all.
The following research reports provide some scientific support for our fasting-Ebola hypothesis:
Known as ‘Dr. Fast’ for his medical practice based on the efficacy of supervised fasting as the panacea for
viral infections and many auto immune diseases, Dr. Adrian Kruger has published his findings as Health
Won and the ebook strongly supports our hypothesis that Ebola could be combated through fasting. 9 In a
correspondence to the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, Ariel Sobarzo (2013) observed that
patients infected by Ebola displayed a significant increase in tumors, among other persistant immune
responses.10 It has been reported that short-term starvation or fasting in rats helps to treat cancer tumors
and that this suggests that human beings could benefit from fasting as part of the healing process.
According to the researchers, fasting could be good for human beings.11
Following research by Ancel Keys and colleagues on the effectiveness of fasting for reducing infections,12
Joel Fuhrman reported that there is abundant evidence that clinically supervised fasting can be a part of
the healing process against viral infections.13 Fuhrman, Sarter and Calabro also reported in 2002 that
medically supervised water only fast helped patients with autoimmune diseases.14 Randi Fredericks
supports these findings.15 Further support is found elsewhere: “Fasting is an exceptionally ancient, and
powerful, approach to healing many common disease conditions.”16
Further indirect support for our hypothesis is found in the following report on yellow fever:
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“In previous studies, patients consuming a protein-sparing modified fast (PSMF) did not develop
the expected increase in nitrogen excretion following incidental infectious illness. To assess the
catabolic response with a controlled infection in such patients, 17-D yellow fever vaccine was
administered to four young obese adults after 3 weeks of this hypocaloric regimen (PSMF),
essentially carbohydrate-free and providing 1.5 g protein/kg ideal body weight.’17
Although yellow fever is different viral infection compared to the Ebola Viral Disease, the fact that
‘essentially carbohydrates-free diets and reduced protein modified fast, adherence to rest, and lots of fluid
intake are recommended for yellow fever patients encourages us to explore the hypothesis that fasting,
lots and lots of fruits and water would be beneficial for Ebola patients too. As the above study indicates,
fasting and abstinence from carbohydrates are recognized as part of the response to the viral infection of
yellow fever.
A similar intervention with emphasis on fasting may be effective for Ebola patients. It was reported that
the two US medical officials evacuated from Liberia with the infection were fed only liquid food which
may be an indirect support for our recommendation of increased fluid intake plus fasting.18 According to
the CDC, ‘No specific vaccine or medicine (e.g., antiviral drug) has been proven to be effective against
Ebola. Symptoms of Ebola are treated as they appear. The following basic interventions, when used
early, can increase the chances of survival.

Providing intravenous fluids and balancing electrolytes (body salts)

Maintaining oxygen status and blood pressure

Treating other infections if they occur’19
The recommendation of ‘intravenous fluids’ by the CDC indirectly supports our hypotheses that increased
fluid intake may be a useful intervention at the early stages of the infection when the addition of fasting
would make for more effective healing. Unfortunately, the fact remains that medical facilities in most
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poor parts of Africa where the Ebola outbreak started may lack the above ‘basic interventions’ of the
CDC and Liberain health workers went on strike for lack of safety equipmentds.20
It has also been reported that there is food shortage in the areas quarantined by misguided officials in
West Africa with the result that some patients under surveillance have attempted to escape from clinics to
go in search of food21 but if our study proves that fasting is essential to the healing process, many of the
patients would endure the abstinence from food more heroically and voluntarily. If our hypothesis is
supported by the evidence, then a rapid response to the current outbreak may be possible without a huge
increase in costs to the patients nor to the community by trying fasting with lots of fluid once the early
symptoms of fever, headache and sore throat manifest.
Methods:
The methodology will be consistent with Rubin’s Counterfactual Model of experimentation according to
which:
–
An observed treatment (fasting and bowel-movement skills tips) is given to an
experimental group of 100 volunteers (50 may try water-only fast and 50 may try water
and fruits fast). The outcome of that treatment is Y(1)
–
The counterfactual is the outcome that would have happened Y(0) if the group did not
receive the treatment, control group of 100 volunteers (no fasting).
–
An effect is the difference between what did happen to the experimental group and what
happened to the control group (measured in intensity of Ebola infection):
–
Effect = Y(1) – Y(0) (cited in Shadish, Cook and Campbell, 2002).22
Evaluation:
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Scholarly panels of experts will evaluate the scientific merit of this trial and the wider impacts of the
project. Also, the papers to be presented at professional meetings and articles to be submitted to peerreviewed journals will attract evaluations from experts. In the absence of funding for this hypothesis,
citizen scientists and organizations are welcome to conduct the experiment and report their findings.
There is no great risk of harm to human subjects from a brief fasting period and there is evidence that
it is beneficial.
Endnotes
1
Agozino, B. (2006) ADAM: Africana Drug-Free Alternative Medicine, Cheyney, Iva Valley Media.
2
See more at: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/foreign/166133-ebola-liberia-declares-three-days-of-
fasting-prayer.html#sthash.XqrTduSG.dpuf
3
Olawale, G. (2014) ‘Nigeria: Bitter Kola Not a Cure for Ebola – Iwu’ in Vanguard, 21 August 2014:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201408220604.html
4
http://www.liberianobserver.com/news/health-min%E2%80%99s-son-brings-%E2%80%98nutritional-food%E2%80%99-
ebola-patients - a well-intentioned charitable project to collect and ship high-caloric food donations from the US but this does
not have any room for the possibility that 24 hours fasting might work better as we hypothsize. The Daily Dawn (Monrovia)
reported that two women thought to be dead from Ebola in Liberia may have ‘resurrected’. According to the report on one of
the patients: ‘Ma Kebeh had reportedly been in door for two nights without food and medication before her alleged death.’
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/ebola-victims-african-village-rise-4320414
5
http://www.nigerianmonitor.com/2014/08/10/photos-meet-nigerian-nurse-infected-with-ebola-after-treating-liberian-victim-
patrick-sawyer-what-she-has-to-say/
6
Moore, J. (2014) ‘Ebola Is Killing Women in Far Greater Numbers Than Men: A Liberian Health Official Estimates that 75%
of Ebola Deaths Are Women – That’s because they are the nation’s caregivers’, http://www.buzzfeed.com/jinamoore/ebola-iskilling-women-in-far-greater-numbers-than-men#39seouc
7
How we treated Ebola patients with no drugs or vaccines - Prof. Akin Osibogun, CMD, LUTH
http://odili.net/news/source/2014/sep/28/501.html This apears to support the conclusion by
Hewlett and Hewlett (2008) Ebola, Culture and Politics, (New York, Wadsworth) that
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indigenous knowledge systems should be given more credit in the attempts to control the spread
of Ebola. Our hypothesis is based on indigenous knowledge systems.
8
Bragg, P. and Bragg, P.C. (2004) The Miracle of Fasting: Proven Throughout History for Physical, Mental and Spiritual
Rejuvenation, 50th Edition, New York, Bragg Health Science Publications: http://bragg.com/books/mof_excerpt.html
.
See also http://healthylivingresources.motherearthworks.com/fasting-your-way-to-health/
9
Kruger, A. (2014) Health Won, http://www.hoogland.co.za/
Sobarzo, A. et al (2013) ‘Persistent Immune Responses After Ebola Virus Infections’ in NEJM, 369:5, August 1, 2013, p.
10
492: http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMc1300266
11
C. Lee, L. Raffaghello, S. Brandhorst, F. M. Safdie, G. Bianchi, A. Martin-Montalvo, V. Pistoia, M. Wei, S. Hwang, A.
Merlino, L. Emionite, R. de Cabo, V. D. Longo, Fasting Cycles Retard Growth of Tumors and Sensitize a Range of Cancer
Cell Types to Chemotherapy. Sci. Transl. Med. 4, 124ra27 (2012).
12
Keys, A., Brožek, J., Henschel, A., Mickelsen, O., & Taylor, H. L., The Biology of Human Starvation (2 volumes),
University of Minnesota Press, 1950.
13
Fuhrman, J. (1995) Fasting and
Eating for Health: A Medical Doctor’s program for Conquering Disease,
New York, St. Martin’s Griffen
14
Fuhrman J, Sarter B, Calabro DJ. Brief case reports of medically supervised, water-only fasting associated with remission of
autoimmune disease. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2002 Jul-Aug;8(4):112, 110-1
15
Fredericks, R. (2013) Fasting:
16
Buhner, S.H. (2003)
17
An Exceptional Human Experience, San Jose, All Things Well Publications
‘The Health Benefits of Water Fasting’ http://www.gaianstudies.org/articles4.htm
Bistrian BR, Winterer JC, Blackburn GL, Scrimshaw NS. (1977) ‘Failure of yellow fever immunization
to produce a catabolic response in individuals fully adapted to a protein-sparing modified fast.’ Am J Clin
Nutr. 1977 Sep;30(9):1518-22.
18
Levs, J and Wlison, J (2014) ‘Miraculous Day’ as American Ebola Patients Released’,
http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/21/health/ebola-patient-release/index.html
19
CDC, Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/treatment/
20
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/02/ebola-liberian-nurses-strike-lack-protective-equipment
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21
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29039041 See also http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/news/national-news/177527-
ebola-puts-w-africa-harvests-at-risk-increases-food-prices
22
Shadish, W., Cook, T., and Campbell, D. (2002) Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for
Generalized Causal Inference, Boston, Houghton-Miffen.
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