Woman dies after trying to live on sunlight alone

The NY Daily News is reporting (via the Tages-Anzeiger) that a Swiss woman died after deciding to embrace the philosophy of breatharianism and live on sunlight alone:

Swiss woman dies after attempting to live on sunlight; Woman gave up food and water on spiritual journey
nydailynews.com

The Zurich newspaper reported Wednesday that the unnamed Swiss woman in her fifties decided to follow the radical fast in 2010 after viewing an Austrian documentary about an Indian guru who claims to have lived this way for 70 years.
Tages-Anzeiger says there have been similar cases of self-starvation in Germany, Britain and Australia.
The prosecutors' office in the Swiss canton (state) of Aargau confirmed Wednesday that the woman died in January 2011 in the town of Wolfhalden in eastern Switzerland.

Here's the trailer of the documentary she was inspired by:

Food Health/Medicine

Posted on Thu Apr 26, 2012



Comments

You'd think not having green skin would be a tipoff that sunlight wasn't going to be enough.
Posted by Mark  on  Thu Apr 26, 2012  at  04:47 PM
Not to sound absolutely callous - someone has died after all - but I think this is a solid Darwin Award winner.

*sigh* Mind over matter can accomplish a lot.. but I will enjoy a cheeseburger, thankyouverymuch.
Posted by Robin Bobcat  on  Thu Apr 26, 2012  at  07:48 PM
I've heard this claimed before but I'm afraid I don't believe it. Meditation does not somehow produce nutrient osmosis from just the air or sun via eyes or skin.

I can believe that there are those, who, after going 21 days of fasting, believe they can or have no more need to eat at all. I went just over 2 weeks with no food but did have bare sips of water. My tongue developed a thick, almost concrete white plaque and I was no longer hungry which is common after that length of time because the brain, which is sustained by glucose becomes lethargic, in bare working order and near comatose.

Perhaps someone could travel a long distance in time without eating if they were able to draw nutrients from what they drink if that 'beverage' was very rich in vitamins/minerals and they didn't exercise or strain the body.

As the lady points out in the video, if this were true there would be no more hunger and no need for farming of any kind.



Posted by hulitoons  on  Thu Apr 26, 2012  at  11:22 PM
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