Dr. Batman touts miracle healing power of water
By Wendy Kale
Colorado Daily (U. Colorado)
08/07/2003

(U-WIRE) BOULDER, Colo. — Your body is crying out for water. Colorado's desert-like temperatures are taking their toll this summer. Locals are complaining about migraine heat headaches, allergies, contact lens problems and dehydration. What if you could reverse the effects of Colorado's driest season by simply drinking water?

You know the stuff — that clear, tasteless liquid that comes through the kitchen tap. Who knew that drinking water could alleviate many health symptoms and be a lot cheaper than headache and allergy medicine?

Just ask Dr. Batman.

Dr. B., or Dr. Batman, is better known in international medical circles as F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. He received his medical education at St. Mary's Hospital School of London University. The author of the book "Your Body's Many Cries for Water," the doctor has spent most of his career researching the link between disease and chronic dehydration.

Dr. Batmanghelidj has spent the last 20 years appearing at medical conferences and publishing his works to get this news out to the general public. A proponent of curing disease by merely drinking water, Dr. B. is convinced that most modern-day ills can be cured on his water regimen.

Mother is the necessity of invention, and Dr. Batmanghelidj first came upon his theories while serving time in the mother of all jail systems in Iran. Although he is now an American citizen, Dr. B. was born in Iran in 1931. In 1979 a political revolution took place in the Middle Eastern country, and although Dr. B. came from a prominent family, he was thrown in jail as a political prisoner.

While waiting to be processed by the Iranian courts, the doctor came upon his water cure. In his 31-month prison stay, Dr. B. was asked to treat the prisoners and the only method he had for curing problems was the jail's water system. Using good old tap water, the doctor discovered that his fellow prisoners were getting cured of peptic ulcer pain and other maladies simply by drinking several glasses of tap water.

"Discovering this theory gave me the time to continue to work with the patients," said Dr. Batmanghelidj. "I didn't know if I was going to live or die — they would just pull people out and randomly shoot them at the prison. However, I was useful as a doctor. The first time I saw the water treatment work was when a fellow prisoner complained of a peptic ulcer. I could only give him two glasses of water and in eight minutes his condition cleared up!"

Dr. Batmanghelidj says the experience gave him a new understanding about water. It also made him realize how ignorant the medical profession is about water's healing properties.

After Dr. B.'s prison sentence was over, he volunteered to serve extra time and discovered further water cures. However, it was the doctor's research in America that convinced him that his theories were right on the money.

"When I came to America, I went to the University of Pennsylvania as a visiting scholar and started researching water's role in the functions of the body. I discovered it was a painkiller and that its chemical properties control every aspect of the body. I found that if there is a lack of water, that's when the body produces certain symptoms — these symptoms are what modern medicine has labeled as disease," explained Batmanghlidj.

The doctor went on to explain how most basic health problems are related to the body's need for water. Among his findings: Heartburn is a signal of water shortage in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract, arthritis is caused by a lack of water in the joints, low back pain is caused by dehydration in the spinal column, migraines are a symptom of a lack of water in the brain and the eyes, and asthma is a result of dehydration in the lungs.

While many health magazines and books tout the benefits of drinking large quantities of water, most don't mention that you also need to add salt and minerals to the body to replace visits to the bathroom.

"People just don't drink enough water," emphasized Batmanghlidj. "You can tell if you've had enough water, because your urine will be colorless. The best rule is to take your weight, divide it in half, and that's how many ounces of water you should drink a day. That should be no less than two quarts — but it's not good to drink to much water either."

The doctor is talking water here — no tea or fruit juice. Batmanghlidj added that caffeine, soda, and social drinkers need to add extra ounces of water to compensate for the water loss that occurs from drinking caffeine and alcohol products.

Another product the doctor says will cause dehydration is the artificial sweetener aspartame. Used in conjunction with caffeine sodas and coffee, it could cause additional health problems in the body.

"You also need a certain amount of sea salt in your body. It's like a little ocean in every one of your cells and you need a certain amount of salt to balance the water. If you just add a little salt to the water it costs nothing and it's cheaper than a $2 bottle of Gatorade," explained Batmanghlidj.

The doctor added that one should also add the minerals magnesium, calcium, potassium, selenium, and zinc as mineral supplements to the diet. These minerals will maintain the proper chemical balance in the body.

Dr. Batmanghlidj says that drinking two or three quarts of water a day will increase the metabolism, fight fatigue, help the digestive system operate efficiently, help prevent colds, control migraines, lower bad cholesterol, and may even cure asthma.

As a special note to contact lens wearers, who have been having a difficult summer season of dryness and allergies, drinking the water and taking the minerals will take care of those scratchy eyes.

"I have seen so many cases where drinking the right amount of water can cure feelings of being tired, depression, and cravings," said Batmanghlidj. "My studies have shown that dehydration is directly related to allergies, asthma, and autoimmune diseases. I've also seen cases of heartburn and back pain be cured, as the water washes away the toxins from the body. Pain is merely a sign of dehydration in most cases."

Dr. Batmanghlidj says he is on a mission to educate the public about is water cures. He has appeared on thousands of radio and TV shows, including Art Bell's "Coast to Coast," and he is author of five other books covering dehydration and disease.

The doctor's latest crusade is against his own medical field, and his new book will detail the profit market of drug cures in the modern medical industry. Dr. Batmanghlidj says that his years of research prove that many modern drugs are more deadly than helpful, and he advocates drinking plain water over taking many prescribed medications.

"People wouldn't have many of the diseases we have today, if they learned from childhood the benefits of drinking water," said Batmanghelidj. "You can see improvements in a matter of days if you add water to your diet. This isn't my invention, but all my work is based on years of research."

Dr. Batmanghelidj's water cure may not fix everything that ails you, but used in coordination with a healthy diet, mineral supplements, and a pro-active lifestyle, the system seems to be working for many people.

Drinking water is a necessity for healthy living in Colorado and Dr. B.'s tips might just be what the doctor ordered for surviving the long hot summer. One benefit of following the water regime is that you feel degrees cooler when the body is hydrated.

"All we want to do is to inform people with health problems that they may not be sick, but may be only thirsty," said Dr. Batmanghlidj. "This is information that will convert every person who taps into it. We invite you to be in charge of your own health."

Copyright ©2003 Colorado Daily via UWire

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