Fereydoon Batmanghelidj

Fereydoon Batmanghelidj (1931 – November 15, 2004) was born in Tehran, Iran. He was best known for his book, Your Body's Many Cries for Water, and his writings related to health and wellness. His ideas have not been adopted by the medical community.

Life and family

Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, nicknamed "Dr. Batman", or "Dr. B", was born into a wealthy Persian family in 1931. His family's support of the Shah would bring them into conflict with later regimes.

He attended the fee-paying Fettes College in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1946.

After studying in London, Batmanghelidj's medical practice in England ended when he relocated to Iran to help in the development of hospitals and medical centers.

In 1979, he was sent to the Evin Prison when the Iranian Revolution broke out. Charges were leveled against him, and he was scheduled to be executed. His execution was delayed so that he could serve as a resident doctor among the prisoners.

In 1982, he was released from prison, and later escaped from Iran and went to the United States to further his medical research.

He died from complications related to pneumonia on November 15, 2004, in Virginia, U.S.A.

His own family background was Muslim, but he later married a Roman Catholic woman from Belgium who bore him Camila Batmanghelidjh. She is well known in the UK for her regular appearances on the BBC in eccentric and flamboyant outfits. Despite being severely dyslexic and not able to read or write (she works by dictation) with so called "learning difficulties", she runs "Kids Company" and is a social entrepreneur. He also had another daughter, who committed suicide due to the stress of being separated from her father during his imprisonment.

Medical career

Batmanghelidj graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School of London University^{[citation needed]}, where he studied under Sir Alexander Fleming. Many believe he conducted research in the field of gastroenterology, and subsequent books garnered media coverage in the nineties. A search of scientific literature on Medline is only able to locate two papers ever published by him in scientific journals; a three page editorial and a lecture, neither of them can be considered research.

Batmanghelidj claims that he discovered the medicinal value of water during his detention in Evin Prison by treating inmates with water when medication was not available. His methods and ideas ascribing common disease symptoms to dehydration have not been adopted by the medical community. The report of his findings was published as an editorial in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, June 1983. The New York Times Science Watch reported this on June 21, 1983.

He authored Your Body's Many Cries for Water in 1992. In this book, Batmanghelidj asserts that chronic dehydration is the root cause of all physical diseases and explains the damaging effects of dehydration. He discusses the role of water in the body and his belief that water can transform the health needs of society. His writings related to the treatment of diseases and conditions with water have been considered controversial.

Batmanghelidji believes that a dry mouth is not the first symptom of thirst but one of the last. In fact, as people age, their ability to recognize thirst decreases. This means they drink less and age even faster. Based on his research, he claims that water can protect people from the following conditions:

1. Asthma and allergies
2. Obesity
3. High blood cholesterol
4. Heart disease and stroke
5. Diabetes
6. Hypertension
7. Infection
8. Depression and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
9. Sleep disorders
10. Lack of energy
11. Addiction
12. Osteoporosis
13. Leukemia and Lymphoma
14. Attention Deficit Disorder
15. Hot flushes
16. Gout
17. Kidney stones

More controversially, Batmanghelidj claims that dehydration can be a contributing factor to cancer and auto-immune disorders, including AIDS.

Batamanghelidj claimed elsewhere that water provides energy for the body and brain, by splitting into its component hydrogen and oxygen. There is no corroborating evidence for this claim.

Batmanghelidji's writings have been translated into fifteen languages, and are sold in countries around the world.

Criticism

Dr Batmanghelidj's theories have been criticised by Dr Stephen Barrett M.D. on two main grounds, namely a lack of any documented peer-reviewed research and apparently exaggerated claims about the number of patients treated successfully.

Books

• Batmanghelidj, Fereydoon, Your Body's Many Cries for Water (1992), Global Health Solutions, ISBN 0-9629942-3-5
• Batmanghelidj, Fereydoon, How to Deal with Back Pain & Rheumatoid Joint Pain (1991), Global Health Solutions; ISBN 0-9629942-0-0
• Batmanghelidj, Fereydoon, Water: Rx for A Healthier, Pain-free Life (1997), Global Health Solutions; Cas&Bklt edition, ISBN 0-9629942-7-8
• Batmanghelidj, Fereydoon, ABC of Asthma, Allergies and Lupus: Eradicate Asthma - Now!, (2000), Global Health Solutions, ISBN 0-9629942-6-X
• Batmanghelidj, Fereydoon, Water For Health, For Healing, For Life (2003), Warner Books, ISBN 0-446-69074-0
• Batmanghelidj, Fereydoon, You're not sick, you're thirsty! (2003), Grand Central Publishing, ISBN 0-446690740
• Batmanghelidj, Fereydoon, Water Cures: Drugs Kill: How Water Cured Incurable Diseases, (2003) Global Health Solutions, ISBN 0-9702458-1-5
• Batmanghelidj, Fereydoon, Obesity Cancer Depression; Their Common Cause & Natural Cure, (2005) Global Health Solutions; ISBN 0-9702458-2-3

See also

• Hydrotherapy

External links

• Biography at watercure.com
• Papers by Batmanghelidj
• Fereydoon Batmanghelidj on Quackwatch (critical site)