Water: For Health, for Healing, for Life: You're Not Sick, You're Thirsty! (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The greatest tragedy in medical history in my opinion is the assumption that dry mouth is the only sign of the body's water needs..." (more)
Key Phrases: watery bicarbonate solution, persistent dehydration, rheumatoid joint pain, Lou Gehrig, The Water Cure, Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The author, a physician trained in Iran (Your Body's Many Cries for Water), not only believes that drinking water is healthy, but makes extravagant claims for its curative powers. He recounts here how he first discovered the healing abilities of water, when he was a political prisoner more than 20 years ago. While incarcerated, he successfully treated with plain water the stress-induced peptic ulcers that afflicted some of his fellow prisoners. According to Batmanghelidj, most people rely on dry mouth to signal thirst and as a result are seriously dehydrated. He posits that symptoms like fatigue, anxiety or depression indicate dehydration, which may result in serious conditions such as asthma, hypertension, brain damage, cancer, constipation, allergies and obesity. In order to compensate for fluid lost through urination, respiration, and perspiration, Batmanghelidj suggests drinking a minimum of two quarts of plain water daily (not alcohol, caffeine beverages or juices). In order to maintain good health, he also advises ingesting half a teaspoon of salt to balance water intake. In addition, a diet consisting of 80% fruits and vegetables and 20% protein should be followed along with an exercise program. To back up his theories, the author presents a wealth of somewhat confusing medical data as well as patient anecdotes that testify to water as a cure for various diseases. Batmanghelidj does state, however, that those diagnosed with specific conditions should not stop taking their medications abruptly, nor should they embark on a water regime until they have consulted with their physician. This controversial program will have the greatest appeal for devotees of alternative medicine.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

From the author of the self-published sensation Your Body's Many Cries for Water comes an all new book expanding on the healing powers of water. Asthma, allergies, arthritis, hypertension, depression, head-aches, diabetes, obesity, and MS. These are just some of the conditions and diseases that are caused by persistent dehydration. But there is a miracle solution that is readily available, all natural, and free: water. In WATER: FOR HEALTH, FOR HEALING, FOR LIFE, Dr. F. Batmanghelidj reveals how easy it is to obtain optimum health by drinking more water and supports his claims with over 20 years of clinical and scientific research. Thirsty readers will discover what they never knew, that water can actually: ï Prevent and reverse aging ï Cure asthma in a few days, naturally and forever ï Eliminate pains, including heartburn, back pain, and migraine headaches ï And much, much more.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (June 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446690740
• ISBN-13: 978-0446690744
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,535 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

140 of 141 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink!", April 7, 2005

By	Nalin Nirula (India) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Dr B's book is one of the most useful detailed observations about wellness and disease relating to our relationship with water, well correlated and compellingly illustrated with concurring scientific findings--all of which are available in any good medical text on the human physiognomy.

The book covers detailed understandings of water shortage in the body related to asthma, allergies, blood pressure disorders, diabetes, constipation, auto-immune diseases, pain, heartburn, hiatal hernia, colitis, ulcers, rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, depression, gout---the list goes on and contains practically all the well-known and well-experienced villains of ill-health!

Although there are no clinically detailed case studies, for a book of this nature these are not needed. Dr B's observations and references to the relevant current medical teaching make for a solidly convincing case for reversing with water therapy what Dr B calls "Chronic Unintentional Dehydration". Most of our body is composed of water (about 75%). To think that dehydration takes place only when severe symptoms and bodily reactions take place is one the greatest single errors anyone can make as far as health and wellness is concerned. Like Coleridge's ancient mariner, in the present day we seem to be marooned upon a painted ocean going nowhere, losing our health because we have forgotten what it means to drink enough water.

Many people have knocked this finding of Dr B's without going into the merits of the findings that water is a fundamental nutrient for the body, chronic shortfall of which leads to serious dysfunction and disease. A key observation by Dr B is the pointing out the distinction between 'free' water availability in the body and the water that is priority-wise tied up with the body's metabolic functions, and the results of lack of free water in the body.

One reviewer took exception to Dr B's conclusion that morning sickness of pregnancy was not a sign of dehydration. Observation and results must guide any scientific search or research, not linking apparently similar end-points of 'dis-ease' under differing conditions--in this case: nausea-vomiting of long-distance cycling exertion (or some other cause) equated to the nausea-vomiting (morning sickness) of pregnancy.

In my own practise I confirm that Dr B's findings are perfectly correct, and the reason for it is quite straightforward. It is a signal that 'food/nutrition' other than water must not be taken, (water being a major nutrient for the body). This is because the digestion of food (even juice or milk) requires the body to tie up water resources at the cost of reduced functionality of other areas of the body where there is already a water shortfall. Morning sickness is entirely and quickly reversible by adding a proper water intake as well as a pinch of unrefined sea salt. Plain water intake acts very significantly different to watery foodstuffs in the bodily metabolism--again a fact available in any standard medical text.

In the relatively brief period of time I have systematically applied this knowledge to my practise, I have observed remarkable cures with just the addition of the water rehydration therapy to whatever other measures were being taken. In my own practise as a healer, based on Dr. B's findings I use the water requirement guideline for everyone who comes for treatment. (I give my rehydration protocol at the end of this review).


2+ Years Chronic periodic high fever (up to 105 F) in a female child of 9 years living in New Delhi, which was undiagnosed by all modern clinical tests and was over the past two and a half years variously treated as: repeated tonsillitis/acute strep infection (no medicine helped except homeopathy), Typhoid fever, tuberculosis, and of course 'Pyrexia of Unknown Origin' (PUO)and 'NAD' (not able to diagnose). The mother had been giving the child fruit juices and milk more or less as a 'healthy' alternative to water while the child had no more than 8-12 ounces of water per day.

All juices were stopped. In this particular episode, all antibiotics that had been given continuously for 10 days were stopped in the morning (fever 103 F) and increasing the water intake to between 800-1000 mls for the day, plus 2 pinches of unrefined sea salt on the tongue directly started bringing down the fever within 1 hour; fever gone in 3 more hours with no repetition of fever since then. All fruit juices were stopped. The liver and spleen enlargement disappeared in a few days.

Beginnings of arthritic knees in a 74 year old male from Nepal hitherto healthy, with inability to walk usual distances reversed by 30% in 15 days by his own report with the water rehydration protocol. He continues to improve slowly, where all painkillers and anti-inflammatories failed--he has stopped using anti-inflammatories on his own. If we factor in the fact that he has improved by 30% in distance walkable and pain after having given up the painkillers taken so far, I would think his improvement rate is actually much greater than 30% as a comparable situation.

Other results with rehydration therapy--Many cases of acute constipation reversed/cured; burning in urine with no infection and days later urinary infection diagnosed reversed and cured where antibiotics failed; chronic migraine headaches with nausea, vomiting---reversed/cured. Skin infections, pimples--cured. Angina pains--reversed/healed/cured. (Too early to say what is the clinical/pathological picture--it is under observation). Tear in the meniscus of knee requiring surgery healed with water therapy (and other energy healing methods) not now needing surgery according to the surgeon. Back aches and pains(slipped discs, sciatica) reversed= pain-free within days of water therapy (+ simple exercises in Dr B's book on backaches and arthritis--"How to deal simply with Rheumatoid joint pain & Back Pain"). Acidity and indigestions--healed. Irritable bowel syndrome with bleeding--healed alongwith addition of sugar water as recommended by Dr.B. For the auto-immune disorder, vasculitis (Behcets disease), the symptoms improved in 2 weeks on water +salt +vitamin regimen and continue to do so.

Conclusions: (1)The rehydration therapy works as a stand alone protective, preventive measure against disease. (2)The water therapy reverses many serious disease conditions. (3)Other therapies work much better with the water therapy, and in many cases additional medicinal/surgical measures are not needed where previously considered essential or inevitable. (4)The Ayurvedic dictum "indigestion is the mother of all disease" is fully proven here as all disease arise from three indigestion conditions:(a)Inability to digest (transform) the intake of food/liquids, emotions and thoughts; (b) Inability to expel/excrete indigestible matter or toxic matter (material or emotional), leading to: (c)Storage and accumulation in body fat and body tissues distorting the structures and functions of the body's organs and working systems.

Summary of the Rehydration protocol that I use based on Dr B's work is as follows:

Body weight in kilograms multiplied by 35 milliliters=Standard Total Plain water requirement per 24 hours. (Wt.KG x 35 mls or: Wt.Pounds x 0.55 ounces).

To the Standard Plain water requirement ADD the fluid amount (ounces or mls) of tea+coffe+colas multiplied by 1.1 as these fluid are diuretic as well as inducing sweating (the hot drinks)so you lose more water than you take in with these beverages.

This brings up the total plain water requirement for 24 hours. (Other fluids such as milk/juices do not count for supplementing the plain water requirement because being foods the body responds very differently to them as compared to plain water.) Add to this a couple of pinches of sea salt a day, and in a few hours/days/weeks the condition starts to reverse.

Telling people 'drink more water' or 'drink 10-12 glasses of water a day' is rarely followed, and people have a greatly erroneous idea about their actual water intake! I find a written schedule handed out to my patients works unfailingly.

The protocol I follow for adults as per Dr. B. is:

About 2 glasses of water (1 glass=8 ounces/230 mls) on waking in morning.
1 to 2 glasses of water 1/2 hour before meals.
1 glass of water 2-1/2 hours after a meal.
Other plain water during day as needed.
One multivitamin with minerals, and Vitamin B6 (50-100 mg per day) rounds off the program. (In practise I find the vitamins may not be needed after a few weeks if there is a dietary change in favor of a healthier diet which include more fresh vegetable and some fruits and nuts.)

This seems to be working very well generally. One of the first things to be noticed by all was that frequency of passing urine increased and the color became pale. (According to Ayurvedic guidelines passing urine 6 times a day is normal.) In the case of people who have water-retention/edema, a temporary salt restriction in food along with placing a pinch of sea salt on the tongue twice a day along with gradual increase of water helps in a few days to clear up such chronic conditions. The salt on tongue seems to get the brain to reorder the body's potassium-sodium-water balance when there is adequate availability of free water in the body. The need for diuretics and their attendant ill-effects was eliminated.

I do not offer any of the above as medical advice or suggestions-- I only share a summary of my observations as a results of following Dr. B's protocol. For complete details refer to his book. Anyone who understands and follows Dr. B's regimen can benefit similarly as have many patients in my practise. The man was a genius and apparently is still being greatly misunderstood. (He passed away in 2004).

Five Stars is too small a rating for knowledge of such great importance.

84 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST BOOK !!!!, January 22, 2004

By	CDig "carlaandtrevor" (Florida) - See all my reviews

Everyone should own a copy of this book!! If everyone drank the water they should, we wouldn't be feeding as much $$ to the pharmacuetical companies... water is free and our bodies need it for everything!! Very enlightening information... do not hesitate to get this book!! I paid full cover price at Barnes and Nobles (knowing I could get it here cheaper) because
I couldn't stop reading it and its worth every penny!! I can feel a big difference and I'm telling everyone about it! It's not fair keeping this kind of knowledge a secret!! And what's more-- every doctor should have a copy in his/her practice and in turn, educate their patients... but since that won't happen, we have to help eachother and educate ourselves... hope this helps.

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book with wise advise...., January 22, 2006

By	MotherLodeBeth "MotherLodeBeth" (Sierras of California) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Having bought and read the authors book Your Body's Many Cries For Water and given copies of it to friends I was interested in what he had to say in this new book and wasn't disappointed. Water is something that is written about in every religion and is depicted on cave walls thousands of years old. Early settlers here in the states sought homesteads near fresh water. Yet, American don't drink enough water and our health shows it. This is a vast contrast to the third world where fresh water projects are what people request more than any other issue.

The authors chapter 11 which details many ailments and why water is needed to reduce or remove the ailment is worth the price of the book. Chapter 12 which discusses why it has to be water and not just any liquid, is something Americans who consume more soft drinks and coffee than any other country need to read. On page 159 he discusses the importance of water in reducing obesity which is a must read in my opinion.

The author gives an excellent real life example of a woman named Shahla who would drink a glass of wine and lay pool side in order to de-stress from a hectic life and lose weight. The woman became so dehydrated from not drinking water that her body went into shock and what she ended up with was water being put into her by medical professionals and a thirteen thousand dollar hospital bill. Think of how drinking water would have prevented this from happening and ask yourself if you are making similar mistakes.

The author drives home the point that lack of water will dehydrate the brain and other organs much faster than one imagines and that one cannot wait until they are thirsty, but have to drink water throughout the day to stay totally healthy.