By addressing issues every day, and providing access to care when patients need it, unnecessary emergency department visits are minimized and overall health is improved. PHN is a partnership between Geisinger hospitals, its primary care network, and its insurer, Geisinger Health Plan (GHP).
Most people would likely die within 3 -4 days without drinking or eating anything, and rarely one would survive over a week. A 97 year old woman survived 8 days without drinking or eating anything under the rubble of her home after earthquake occurred in Iran in January 2004 (1).
The question of how long you can go without food depends on a lot of factors. Will and determination definitely play a part. Political prisoners on hunger strikes and fasting religious leaders have been known to go for weeks at a time without any food. Gandhi fasted for 21 days while in his 70s. People lost in the wild have also survived for long periods of time without eating. Medically speaking, most doctors agree that healthy humans can go up to eight weeks without food as long as they have water. People have gone longer and been fine, and people have starved to death in less time. Being strong and in good physical shape can help you survive longer, but so does having extra body fat.