TY - JOUR T1 - Ramadan: what it means for general practice JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 356 LP - 356 DO - 10.3399/bjgp14X680605 VL - 64 IS - 624 AU - Faraz Mughal Y1 - 2014/07/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/64/624/356.abstract N2 - Ramadan is the month of fasting, one of five pillars of Islam, and is ordained for Muslims in the Qur’an.1 In the Arabic language the word for fasting ‘sawm’ means abstinence, and this applies to eating, drinking, sexual relations, and all immoral vices from dawn to sunset.Islam exempts the duty of fasting for pregnant or nursing women where there is reason to fear harm to the mother or child, prepubescent children, older people, those with a mental illness, the sick, and those with chronic illness if there is medical concern that harm may occur. Despite this flexibility, many patients still choose to fast.2 This year, Ramadan begins at the end of June, with daily fasts exceeding 18 hours in length. It is therefore helpful for GPs to know how to counsel individuals when making such decisions.Fasting has many … ER -