A time to kick the habit By Hesham Hassaballa,

Ramadan is a month of cleansing: a month during which the believer is spiritually and physically cleansed from the impurities that are an inevitable fact of life on earth estranged from the Lord God. It is fitting to fast to achieve this goal. As physicians, whenever we want an accurate picture of the health and actions of the body's metabolic pathways, we ask the patient to fast before having their blood drawn. Before I do a procedure called a bronchoscopy, in which I place a small camera into the patient's lungs, I ask the patient to fast the night before. Fasting helps the body be in a state of equilibrium, which we call "homeostasis." So does the fast of Ramadan: it helps the spirit reach its state of homeostasis. [read on]