Man claims to have had no food or drink for 70 years

[ailamos]

Mr Jani, who claims to have left home aged seven and lived as a wandering sadhu or holy man in Rajasthan, is regarded as a 'breatharian' who can live on a 'spiritual life-force' alone. He believes he is sustained by a goddess who pours an 'elixir' through a hole in his palate. His claims have been supported by an Indian doctor who specializes in studies of people who claim supernatural abilities, but he has also been dismissed by others as a "village fraud."

India's Defence Research Development Organisation, whose scientists develop drone aircraft, intercontinental ballistic missiles and new types of bombs. They believe Mr Prahlad could teach them to help soldiers survive longer without food, or disaster victims to hang on until help arrives.

"If his claims are verified, it will be a breakthrough in medical science," said Dr G Ilavazhagan, director of the Defence Institute of Physiology & Allied Sciences.

"We will be able to help save human lives during natural disasters, high altitude, sea journeys and other natural and human extremities. We can educate people about the survival techniques in adverse conditions with little food and water or nothing at all."

So far, Mr Prahlad appears to be standing up to scrutiny. He has not eaten or drunk any fluids in six days, and similarly has not passed urine or a stool in that time. He remains fit and healthy and shows no sign of lethargy. Doctors will continue observing him for 15 days in which time they would expect to see some muscle wastage, serious dehydration, weight loss,and fatigue followed by organ failure.

Prahlad Jani is being held in isolation in a hospital in Ahmedabad, Gurjarat, where he is being closely monitored by India's defence research organization, who believe he may have a genuine quality which could help save lives.

He has now spent six days without food or water under strict observation and doctors say his body has not yet shown any adverse effects from hunger or dehydration.

It is common in India for Jains and Hindus to fast, sometimes for up to eight days, without any adverse affects, as part of their religious worship. Most humans cannot survive without food for 50 days. The longest hunger strike recorded is 74 days.

According to Dr Sudhir Shah, who examined him in 2003, he went without food or water for ten days in which urine appeared to be reabsorbed by his body after forming in his bladder. Doubts were expressed about his claim after his weight fell slightly at the end of the trial.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/7645857/Man-claims-to-have-had-no-food-or-drink -for-70-years.html

[Chocolate and Honey]

Waa wax waalan. If people can live on air, Nabi Mohamed(CSW)would've as he used to tie stones around his stomach to put pressure because of hunger. So I say, sheekoy ku nacay.

[Maxaatiri]

The urine became reabsorbed did it? Yes, and I'm Guru Nanak. So I guess he doesnt sweat either, and the weightloss was also a 'miracle' was it?

 

And what kind of sick doctors would stand by and watch his organs fail? If I'm not mistaken, there are laws against allowing clearly mentally ill persons from dying for mere entertainment and curiosity's sake. There is no way this is humanly possible, they will learn nothing for their troops and whatever else they claim to want to use to justify this sick medical trial for. He should be force fed by the 2'nd day of observation if they are sick enough to monitor this.

[General Duke]

Yeah right..

[Ibtisam]

An 83-year-old Indian holy man who says he has spent seven decades without food or water has astounded a team of military doctors who studied him during a two-week observation period. Skip related content

 

Prahlad Jani says he was blessed by a goddess, which gave him special powers

 

Enlarge photo Prahlad Jani says he was blessed by a goddess, which gave him special powers Enlarge photo For 15 days, Jani neither ate nor drank and did not go to the toilet Enlarge photo

 

Prahlad Jani spent a fortnight in a hospital in the western India state of Gujarat under constant surveillance from a team of 30 medics equipped with cameras and closed circuit television.

 

During the period, he neither ate nor drank and did not go to the toilet.

 

"We still do not know how he survives," neurologist Sudhir Shah told reporters after the end of the experiment. "It is still a mystery what kind of phenomenon this is."

 

The long-haired and bearded yogi was sealed in a hospital in the city of Ahmedabad in a study initiated by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the state defence and military research institute.

 

The DRDO hopes that the findings, set to be released in greater detail in several months, could help soldiers survive without food and drink, assist astronauts or even save the lives of people trapped in natural disasters.

 

"(Jani's) only contact with any kind of fluid was during gargling and bathing periodically during the period," G. Ilavazahagan, director of India's Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), said in a statement.

 

Jani has since returned to his village near Ambaji in northern Gujarat where he will resume his routine of yoga and meditation. He says that he was blessed by a goddess at a young age, which gave him special powers.

 

During the 15-day observation, which ended on Thursday, the doctors took scans of Jani's organs, brain, and blood vessels, as well as doing tests on his heart, lungs and memory capacity.

 

"The reports were all in the pre-determined safety range through the observation period," Shah told reporters at a press conference last week.

 

Other results from DNA analysis, molecular biological studies and tests on his hormones, enzymes, energy metabolism and genes will take months to come through.

 

"If Jani does not derive energy from food and water, he must be doing that from energy sources around him, sunlight being one," said Shah.

 

"As medical practitioners we cannot shut our eyes to possibilities, to a source of energy other than calories."