By Brian Alexander
Prahlad Jani, an 82-year-old Indian yogi, is
making headlines by claims that for the past 70
years he has had nothing -- not one calorie -- to eat and not one drop
of liquid to drink. To test his claims, Indian military doctors put him
under round-the-clock observation during a two-week hospital stay that
ended last week, news reports say. During that time he didn’t ingest any
food or water – and remained perfectly healthy, the researchers said.
But
that’s simply impossible, said Dr. Michael Van Rooyen an emergency
physician at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, an associate
professor at the medical school, and the director of the Harvard
Humanitarian Initiative – which focuses on aid to displaced populations
who lack food and water.
Van Rooyen says that depending on
climate conditions like temperature and humidity, a human could survive
five or six days without water, maybe a day or two longer in
extraordinary circumstances. We can go much longer without food – even
up to three months if that person is taking liquids fortified with
vitamins and electrolytes......................................................................................................................
http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/05/10/2299480.aspx?GT1=43001
Last edited: 15-May-10 03:10 AM
