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Hunger
Strikes
What
is a Hunger Strike?
A hunger strike is
a very serious and highly dangerous protest tactic in which a person simply
refuses to eat in an effort to gain attention for their cause or issue.
HUNGER STRIKES CAN RESULT IN DEATH, therefore, hunger strikes should only
be resorted to as a last resort or in very dire emergency situations.
Some Guidelines
for Hunger Strikes
- Drink lots of
water -- a healthy adult can survive without food for nearly two
months, but humans can DIE IN A MATTER OF DAYS without water.
- Consume fruit
juices and soup broths -- depending on how extreme you want to take
your hunger strike you may want to consider drinking fruit juices and
soup broth to provide your body with with a modicum of sugars, fats,
and basic nutrients.
- Consume dietary
supplements -- again, depending on how extreme you want to take
your hunger strike, you may want to consider taking vitamin and mineral
supplements daily to provide your body with basic nutrients.
- Find or make
a comfortable spot to conduct your hunger strike and remain there
-- it is crucial that you conserve as much energy as you can during
a hunger strike. Therefore, you should make a comfortable spot to rest
and avoid any physical activity beyond standing temporally and walking
short distances.
- Keep warm in
the cold and keep cool in the heat -- by engaging in a hunger strike
you will be subjecting your body to incredible abuse and severely weakening
your body's natural ability to protect itself against the elements.
Because of this it is extremely important that you have the proper clothing
and protection appropriate to the weather situation in your area. You
will be much more susceptible to hypothermia or heat stroke, take care.
Health Effects
of Hunger Strikes
Depending on the length
of a hunger strike a person can do severe, in some cases irreparable,
damage to their body. The following is a short list of the serious health
risks involved in carrying a hunger strike beyond 2-3 weeks -- this info
assumes that you are engaging in a water-only hunger strike and you are
basically healthy when you begin your hunger strike, also some of these
effects are not permanent:
- Damage to muscle
tissue (after approximately 4 weeks)
- Weakening of bones
(after approximately 4 weeks)
- Hallucinations
/ Dementia (after approximately 3 weeks)
- Potentially permanent
brain damage (after approximately 4 to 5 weeks)
- Potentially permanent
damage to internal organs (after approximately 4 to 5 weeks)
- Potential failure
of internal organs (after approximately 4 to 5 weeks)
- Death (could happen
at any time depending on the state of your health)
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