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Argumentative Essay On Fasting

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Accounts of fasting can be traced back thousands of years. The primary purpose of fasting in those days was to flee from the distraction of eating, to give your full attention to something else, often through the form of prayer. However, fasting is becoming increasingly popular in a different kind of way. Today many scientists and doctors are studying fasting as a type of healing process, not just mentally, but also physically. These beneficial effects have been seen in the treatment of weight loss, mental health, cancer, skin disease, and a host of other ailments. While fasting may not be safe for a select few, the possibility of life changing benefits warrants everyone’s consideration.
Many people refer to the problem of overweight Americans as an epidemic, and rightfully so. “The National Center for Health Statistics (2002) estimated that in 1999, 61% of U.S. adults were overweight” (Dean 303). The main reason so many Americans are overweight is that food is everywhere. We see advertisements for food constantly, such as commercials, billboards, food trucks, restaurants, and grocery stores. With so much food around us, it can be hard not to want to eat all the time. This reality of food everywhere is a very new concept. People have not had access to food in the way they do today ever before in history. Fasting has been shown to quickly and effectively get weight off.
Dr. Rex Russell describes a three week fast conducted by Dr. George Thampy, a biochemist at the

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