YOUR BODY’S MANY CRIES FOR WATER
F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.DISCLAIMER
The information and recommendations on water intake presented in this book are based on training, personal
experience, very extensive research, and other publications of the author on the topic of water metabolism of the
body. The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use or the discontinuance of any
medication as a form of treatment with out the advice of an attending physician, either directly o r indirectly. The intent
of the author, based on the most recent knowledge of micro-anatomy and molecular physiology, is only to offer
information on the importance of water to well-being, and to help inform the public of the damaging effects of
chronic dehydration to the body—from childhood to old age. This book is not intended as a replacement for sound
medical advice from a physician. On the contrary, sharing of the information contained in this book with the
attending physician is highly desirable. Application of the information and recommendations described herein are
undertaken at the individual's own risk. The adoption of the information should be in strict co mpliance with the
instructions given herein. Very sick persons with past history of major diseases and under professional supervision,
particularly those with severe renal disease, should not make use of the information contained herein without the
supervision of their attending physician. All the recommendations and procedures herein contained are made without guarantee on the part of the author or
the publisher, their agents, or employees. The author and publisher disclaim all liability in connection with the use of
the information presented herein.CONTENTS
Preface ........................................................................................................................……..........xi
Introduction: Don't Treat Thirst With Medication ............................................................……. ......1
Chapter 1
Why "Medicine" Doesn't Cure Disease ........................................................................…… .........3
The Basics .........................…….................................................................................……. ..........5
The Paradigm That Needs To Be Changed .........................……..........................................…...   8
The Source of Error in Medicine .........................……..........................................…… …………. ..8
Chapter 2
The New Paradigm .......................................................................................................…….........13
Water Regulation at Different Stages of Life ................................................................…….........15
It Should Be Thoroughly Understood ...........................................................................…….........17
Water Has Ot her Important Properties .........................................................................…….........18
Chapter 3
Dyspeptic Pa in ......................................................................................................................….…25
Colitis Pain .........................................................................................................................……. ...   34
False Appendicitis Pa in .................................................................................................................35
Hiatus Hernia .........................................................................................................................….…35
Chapter 4
Rheumatoid Arthritis Pa in ..............................................................................................................  41
Low Back Pain ..........................................................................................................................……48
Neck Pain ............................................................................................................................…..….50
Anginal Pain .........................................................................................................................……. .51
Headaches .........................................................................................................................……....51
Chapters
Stress and Depression ..................................................................................................…… .........55
The Initially Silent Compensation Mechanisms Associated with Dehydration  ..............…….........57
Endorphins, Co rtisone, Prolactin, and Vasopressin .......................................................……........59
Alcohol .........................................................................................................................…… ...…....63
Renin-Angiotensin Activity ........................................................................................................….65
Chapter 6
High Blood ....................................................................................................................…….........71
Water Shortage: Potentials for Hypertension ...............................................................…….........72
Chapter 7
Higher Blood Cholesterol  .............................................................................................................83
Testimonials Th at Make You Ponder ............................................................................…….........88
Chapter 8
Excess Bo dy Weight .....................................................................................................................   99
Overeating Further Explained .......................................................................................................100
Diet Sodas Can Cause Weight Gain .................................................................................…… .....104
Chapter 9
Asthma and Allergies .....................................................................................................................115
Chapter 10
Insulin-Independent Diabetes ........................................................................................……. ........123
Trypt ophan and Diabetes ...............................................................................................…… .........125
Insulin-Dependent Diabetes ...........................................................................................................130
Chapter 11
New Ideas on AIDS . .......................................................................................................................133
The Unfolding of Events in AIDS Re search ...................................................................…… .........143
Chapter 12
The Simplest of Tre atments in Med icine ........................................................................................151
Ease of Sleeping .........................................................................................................................…157
Prevent Fainting .......................................................................................................................…..157
Prevent Heart Attacks . ...................................................................................................................157
Color of Urine .........................................................................................................................…….158
Hopes for Curing Already Esta blished Disease .............................................................……. ........158
Salt Free Diet Is Utt erly Stu pid ......................................................................................…… ......…. 160
The Health Care System and Our Resp onsibilities ........................................................…….........163
Cost Savings to the Nation .............................................................................................…… .........163
Finally .........................................................................................................................…… ......…… 165Chronic cellular dehydration painfully and prematurely kills. Its initial outward man ifestations have until
now been labeled as diseases of unknown origin. PREF ACE
One of the more obvious reasons why medicine has become so complicated and costly is the fact that the research
and production of pharmaceutical products—and eventually their patient evaluation—has become monumentally
expensive. To boost the sale of regularly and heavily advertised products, not only do highly paid medical
representatives present their sales pitch, but doctors are also enticed into promoting the drugs by the "perks"
offered. Patients continue to use them because they are not cured. They are not supposed to be cured! They are
only treated! This is the ideal way that commercialism in medicine can thrive. This is not the only sha meful loose
end in medicine. Techniques-oriented advancements in medicine are made possible as a result of "gadgets" production. This, too,
adds to the cost of medicine. Teaching hospitals and research institutions depend heavily on funding from the
industrial side of the health care system. Thus, research in medicine has traditionally been directed accor ding to the
wishe s of health care industrialists w ho release funds for their own profit-generating projects. Now comes a moment of great rejoicing. It has been discov ered that the human body possesses a variety of
sophisticated indicators whe n it runs short of water—emergency indicators of dehydration and thirst. The body has
many more than the one "dry mouth" indicator of water shortage. Equally obvious, the greatest tragedy in medical
history is the fact that medical professio nals have not understood the human body's v ariety of cal ls for water. They
have traditionally resorted to using chemicals and "procedures" to deal with chronic dehydration of the body. A
monumental mistake, but a blatant fact! The unkindest cut of all is the way the mainstream medical community still prefers to adhere to business as usual
and ignores the good news. Fundamentally, this basic ig norance of the manifestations of the water needs of the
human body is the primary reason for the high cost of health care in our society, without a hope of Improvement in
the way it is presently designed—a very bad design that only serves its operators and not the health-care-needing
public. If you will look at the letters exchanged with the American Medical Association (AMA), printed at the end of the
book, you will realize that well before the publication of this book, the AMA was invited to become the harbinger of
the good news, "you are not sick, you are thirsty," to the public. Their ultimate silence clearly exposes their flagrant
violation of public trust. The National Institute of Health (NIH),  the most advanced center of medical research in the world, has fai led society
even more miserably. Firstly, why has it not studied the medicinal effects of water? Why has it not separated the
possible positive impact of water taken to swallow a  pill from the "medication" itself? Why has it not studied what
happens to a person who does not regularly drink water? These are their initial mistakes. Why do you think the NIH
converted these mistakes into a sting operation? In May of 1989,1 wrote to Dr. James Mason, Assistant Secre tary of Health and Human Services, explaining that a
paradigm change that looked at water needs of the body would expose many solutions to the health problems of our
society. I sent him much supportive material which he referred to Dr. John T. Kalberer, NIH Coordinator for Health
Promotion and Disease Prevention, to review and discuss w ith me; obviously the right Office for the evaluation of
my physiology-based revolutionary views. Not so! I was invited to visit with Dr. Kalberer. After one hour's discussio n, Dr. Kalberer informed me that the NIH
was n ot in a position to handle my "broad" medical views. He explained that the NIH could not fund research in
other than university settings. I indicated that the reason for my contact with Dr. Mason and himself was to explain
dehydration as the cause of so many degenerative diseases of the human body, so  that the NIH could begin its
study and take the result to the public. He then told me that the NIH was only interested in molecular aspects o f
biological and pharmaceutical research. He indicated my views wer e so broad based that they did not fit into the
way th e research institution functioned. When he realized I was unhappy with his pronouncement, he advised me to
continue my work and publish my v iews. He told me this would be the only way they would get heard. I did not give up. Every time a health article appeared in the newspapers based on pronouncements from someone
at the NIH, I wro te a letter and explained the basic problem. I even wrote to the Office of Scientific Integrity at the
NIH and com plained about some pieces of misinformation that would have established only a particular product on
the medical market. I did not hear from them, but the issue  appears to have died and the photogenic spo kesman
seems n ot to hold court as often as before. For a while, I became excited when Dr. Bernadine Healy became the director of the NIH. She appeared to be the
right type of person who wou ld change the NIH. As a n MD/sc ientist, she obviously understood what I was saying. She referred me to Stephen Groft, Ph.D., who had just become a temporary director of the newly established Office
of Alternative Medicine until a permanent MD director could be found. He seemed a very sincere person. After a long meeting and having provided him with some of my published
materials, he invited me to make a short presentation at the first Al ternative Medicine Conference to be convened bythe NIH. His t emporary position was too temporary to do any good. Dr. Joseph Jacobs took over. He is a doctor of
medicine with Native Indian culture and influence. I am positive that Dr. Groft had passed my information and
materials to him. The next Alternative Med icine Conference was con vened by Dr.  Jacobs and his second in command, and I was at
that time to be introduced to them by Dr. Groft. Naturally, at that moment, Dr. Jacobs did not have the time to
conduct a serious discussion. It was agreed that he take a look at what I had sent the Office and for us to meet at a
time soon. At our meeting in his office, I asked him if he had looked at what I had previously sent to their Office. He
began to make the excuse that he was sh ort of time, and at the same time, they were changing office location and
he had not had the opportunity to see what I had sent. I told him if he were not awar e of the content of the materials
I had sent, this meeting was a waste  of his time and mine and we should defer our discussion until he had read the
information I had provided. I got up to leave. I had to cut through his "pr ima donna" stance. He told me he wou ld take a look at what I had sent, but since we were both intelligent professionals, there was not
much that could not be clarified in one hour's discussion. He invited me to sit down and explain my views. I did. Before I left, he asked me for another set of supportive materials. I had them in my case and gave them to him. Among the materials supplied was a copy of the first edition of this book. I explained to him that this information is
becoming public knowledge. I invited him for the sake of socie ty and advancement of medical science to begin the
study of its topic through his Office. I did not hear from Dr. Jaco bs or see him until the next Alternative Medicine Conference. Nothing about chronic
dehydration was on the agenda. Even when Col. Robert Sanders, who is very well versed with the topic, made a
five-minute philosophic presentation on dehydration, no steps were taken to put the issue before the Advisory
Board. It became clear that the Office of Alternative Medicine had its own agenda, and serving the public was not on
its list of priorities. Accor ding to Rita Mae Brown, "The definition of insanity is d oing the same tiling over and over again and expecting
the results to be different." One would assume that accor ding to this definition, I am one of the insane ones. I often
think myself to be a simpleton. I question myself: Why do I spend time and personal resources to bring about a
science-based transformation of medicine in, of all places, America? In the next breath I console myself by th inking I
am privy to vital health and wellness information that has to reach the innocent and trusting people who become
sick and do not know they are only thirsty for water. With this thought I go the next str etch of my weary way. In the meantime, Dr. Bernadine Healy left the NIH. Sh e is a medical doctor. The NTH i s a "science" institution. Obviously there must have been a conflict of purpose; she had to leave. Nobel Laureate Harold Varmus took over. Once again, on the 23rd of November 1993,1 wrote to him. I started my le tter, "Welco me to the position th at you
can now make a greater contribution to advancemen t of medical science and our society. Today's Washington Post
article on you prompted me to write this letter and bring a breakthrough of significance in med ical science to your
attention. 'It is chronic dehydration that is the root cause of most major diseases.' I have in the past tried to get the
NIH to take a serious look at this sim ple 'paradigm shift' and make  the future practice of med icine patient-friendly!" I
sent him one of my books and som e supportive materials. To tins date, February 1995, I have not heard from this
gentleman, not even a letter of thank you . Obviously, the only way to take the message of "dehydration" to the public was t o write. That I did. After sending
letters to various journals and newspapers and not hearing from them, I decided, in 1989 to create
our own journal at the Foundation for the Simple in Medicine. We called it Scienc e in Me dicine Simpl ified. A special
issue and a regular issue of the journal were published in a period of one year and freely distributed to some
research centers and medical libraries at some universities. We also applied to the National Library of Medicine for the journals to be indexed in the Index Medicus computer
system so that their content could be accessed by other researchers. We appealed to them to afford us an equal
opportunity to present our "paradigm shift" researched views in medicine. They got back to us and said two volumes
of a publication was n ot enough, but once another volume was put out and we were sure there was g oing to be
continuity, they wou ld consider indexing the journals. The third volume of the journal was i n the works at this sta ge and, whe n it was published in 1991, we sent our
application and two volumes of each publication to the NLM. Journals are evaluated two to three times a year for
their possible inclusion in the Index Medicus. The committee consists o f mainly NIH scientists. W hen they met at
the end of the year and reviewed our new information in medicine, we were refused. They did not wan t to give us an
equal opportunity for our views to be heard. The NIH "thinkers" did not wish our new thoughts to enter the scientific
arena and eventually reach the public. We were deftly cen sored. This is when I decided to write the first edition of
this book and go public. About six months after the NLM re fusal, my book was o ut and being reviewed. I now had a simple language
explanation of where mainstream medicine had gone wrong. This was the book I sent, in addition to the scientific
publications, to Drs. Healy, Groft and Jacobs at the NIH. I wanted them to know I did not need them for my v iews to
reach the public. I had realized that the NIH was self-ser vingly satisfied with the insanity of conducting and repeating
the same types of research without finding a cure for any of the degenerative diseases of the human body. In April of 1993, there was a n International Bio-Oxid ative Medical Conference in Reston, Virginia. I was invited to
speak following the President of the Association. This is one of the conferences co nvened by the practitioners of
Alternative Medicine. I was introduced to one of the NIH Scie ntific Se cretariats, Dr . Edmund Sargent Copeland, whowas i nvited to review the conference. Afte r my ta lk on the role of histamine as the main water regulator of the body,
he very graciously discussed  how I could succeed in getting my views evaluated. I sent him most of my p ublished
materials. We met at their Westbard Avenue office. He did his best to get me invited by th e program manager of
their lectures to speak before their members. Th e invitation never came. It is obvious m y thoughts are a threat to the continuation of some of the NIH approaches to medical research. Naturally, m y views will not be allowed to echo within the NIH wal ls. They wan t me automaton-like to present my
findings in a way th at is acceptable to them only. That is how they have it their own way. I have tried to give you detailed information about my e fforts to get the people who are entrusted with the
responsibility of looking after the nation's health interests to  work on your behalf. As y ou see, they chose their own
advantageous way of business as usual. It is now dear that the institutions that use your tax dollars and a major
portion of your hard-earned income do not care one iota for your health and well-being. It is now obvious that those
who purport to be solution seekers are promoters of your problem. From here on, you, the readers of the
information in this book, have to become a part of the force behind the transformation of the health care system in
America. Obviously, funding for the evaluation of water as a natural medicine seems not to be readily available. Furthermore,
even if funds were to be made available, research of the topic seems not attractive enough to the universities and
nationally recognized research centers. An d yet, to show others, patient response to treatment with water as a
natural medicine in diseases produced by chronic dehydration is necessary. It is necessary to convince the
clinicians within the health care system to change their present approach to treatment. Students in medical schools
are not taught anything about the many roles of water in the human body. The way I see it, we will need many "simple and direct" observations, like those whose letters are published in this
book, to report their findings before the mainstream medical practitioners would abandon their method of treatment. Their present method is only suited to promotion of chemical products. "Double-blind randomized trials" are only
suited to the evaluation of one chemical product to another, less-known substance. This particular methodology is
not suited to the clinical evaluation of "deficiency disorders," in this case the effects o f water on the variety of
dehydration-produced diseases. Physiological states of each individual's body determines the initial symptoms and complications of dehydration. That is why these symptom-producing dehydration states have traditionally been labeled as many different disease
conditions. When you are into the book, you will understand what I am sayin g. You  will also read some letters
whose writers had more than one of the early signs of recently recognized water shortage in the body. We are now at the dawn of a new era in medical scie nce. 'It is chronic water shortage in the body that causes most
of the diseases of the human body." The original design of the human body is more com plete than you can Imagine. If we have not known how to maintain it until now, it is our own fault. We have not stopped to think, if the body is
mainly water, where will it get its top-up if we don't drink water on a regular basis? We now know w hen it is calling
for its urgent intake. We need to dwell on this information. Push ing water is not a personal gimmick. There is no
hidden agenda to its promotion. If you share this information with your loved ones, you are its beneficia ries. At present this book is the only sou rce of easy-to-read-and-understand information on chronic dehydration. You
need to read it a few times and understand the profoundness o f the indispensable role of water in the human body. If you do this, you will become a healer too. In this book, you will also get to learn that "fluids" and "water" are not
necessar ily the same. You will learn about the detrimental effects of diet sodas. If you find the information in this book useful, please raise your voice and cry out against the dark and ugly side of
medicine as it is practiced at present. Docto rs are supposed to be healers. Th ey have taken an oath to serve
mankind. It is true that the "business of Am erica is business," but my business-minded colleagues have no right to
obstruct the simple message of 'you are not sick, you are thirsty,"  from reaching a wider cross-section of the public. They have no business converting the pain and suffering of their fellow man into accumulative commercial practices
that we have noticed in the recent past. I most humbly acknowledge that not all doctors put their own gain before the welfare of those who seek their honest
advice. You  only need to take a look at the number of doctors in the small list of reviews of the book to see this fact. Only a very sma ll minority, unfortunately in steering positions, have shed a bad light on our sacred profession. However, "when light comes, darkness has to go." When people begin to understand that water by itself is the best
natural medicine in many "disease" conditions of the body, the black sheep in the sacred profession of medicine will
take their business elsewhere. Traditionally, doctors have been thinkers and philosophers. It is only recently that they have been forced to
memorize pre-digested information to get through the curriculum in teaching hospitals. In reality, books are created
to store information, and the brain is designed to "think." Once we get rid of the burden of having to remember so
much misinformation generated around the conditions that are complications of chronic dehydration, the new
doctors will once again become scho lars and thinkers. That is whe n their pronouncements will be truly respected
and worth their wei ght in gold, and no less th an surgeons' scale of fees. In the hope of a new era of bright lights in medicine, I wish the readers of this book luck for their indispensable part
in the transformation of the present structure of medicine. Each letter that is published in the book is but a sample of
what "water as medicine" can  do in millions who present sim ilar outward manifestations of chronic dehydration. The
arrogant and the ignorant in medical practice will label these letters as "anecdotal" and brush them aside. Infinitelygreater in number, seeing eyes co nnected to thinking brains will recognize in each one of them the new truth, 'you
are not sick,  you are thirsty," that heralds an end to the prese nt medical sting against the publi c.
This book is intended to be read as a "novel" about the love relationship of water and the human body. It is not
designed to be read for "soundbites." This is t he reason why it  does not have an index. I would like to thank my  wife Xiaopo for her loving support and help. I would like to thank Col. Robert T. Sanders for his tireless efforts in the past five years at getting my v iews on
chronic dehydration to be heard by the people he thinks might wish to help in its spread. I would also like to thank all of those who  have been exuberant supporters and have encouraged me to continue
and not get tired. Finally, I would like to thank Mrs. Dorothy Heindel for her editorship of all of my manuscrip ts and
books. F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. February 1995
Introduction
DON'T TREAT  THIRST WITH M EDICATIONS
The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them." -Albert Einstein
In December of 1990, Dr. Louis Sullivan, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, reported a rise of 11 percent
in the cost of providing health care to the nation. This cost is estimated to reach $1.6 trillion by the year 2000 and to
consume 28% of the GNP b y the year 2010, if allowed to continue the present trends. The Washington Post, in one of its recent health care analyses, has estimated the 1994 health care costs w ould
reach $1,029.6 billion. Of this amount, $934.8 billion is personal health care costs incurred by the public. Th e federal
government is sa id to be responsible for only $94.8 billion of expenditure. However, this vast expenditure becomes
taxable income for the 9.5 million people employed  at present in the health care system in America. It is dear that
the government stands to gain from the rise in the health care costs o f the nation. Thus, there exists a conflict of
interest betwee n the needs of the public and the intention of the government to preserve its income base. In light of this understanding, we can see why the government would not be interested in taking steps to reduce the
health care
costs of the American people, even though they are by now aware of the basis of the problem. It becomes obvious
that the people are responsible for their own health. They have to protect themselves from commercial
considerations of the health care operators and the government that wishes to maintain health care costs at present
levels. You see, the health care crisis of America that will bankrupt the nation if permitted to continue in its present trend, is
not caused by th e way it  is operated. Nor is it entirely the result of greed-based pricing. It is caused by a most
primitive mistake in the basic premise in the science of physiology that is foundation to all medical and scientific
knowledge of the human body. It is caused because the public and the prof essionals don't yet  know when th e
human body is thirsty fo r water! This situation does not need to remain, or become as desperate as it seems. Very extensive clinical observations
on dyspeptic pain and evaluative research into the physiology of chronic pains sh ow a simple and fundamental
solution to the health care problem of the nation is available. The beauty of this solution is that it is entirely science-
based. It involves a new physiologic understanding of the human body. Th e new information about the human body,
as you must have guessed  from the title of the book, follows. WHY "MEDICI NE" DOESN'T CURE DISEASE
Medical professionals of today do not understand the vital roles of water in the human body. Medications are palliatives. They are not designed to cure the degenerative diseases of the human body. In this book, we will discuss the role of water in the body and how a brief understanding of this topic can transform
the health needs of our society. We will learn how p reventive medicine can become the main approach to health
care in any society. In this book, and in the discussions that follow, the hero is water. We will look at every
explanation with the view that water is the primary substance and the leading agent in the routine events that take
place in the human body. With the primary role of water in mind, we will look at som e disease conditions. The
missing role of water in physiological situations that will eventually become disease conditions will be discussed. In the "diseases" that will be discussed , a possible initial role of water metabolism disturbance will need to be
excluded before we assume these conditions to have been caused through other processes. This is the true
meaning of a preventive approach to health care. We should first exclude the simpler causes for disease
Emergence
in the body and then think of the more complicated. The simple truth is that dehydration can cause disease. Everyone knows that wat er is "good" for the body. Th ey seem not to know how essential it is to one's well-being. They do not know what happens to the body if it does not receive its daily need of water. After  this short book is
read, you will have a clearer understanding of this issue. The solution for prevention and treatment of dehydration-produced diseases is wat er intake on a regular basis. Th is
is what we will define in this book We will discuss why, i n a majority of case s, the conditions that will be mentionedare to be viewed  as dehydration-produced disorders. If, by the simple intake of an added amount of water every day
you can get better, you will not need to worry. You  should seek professional help if the adjustment to dietary needs
of your body does not help and a medical problem continues to trouble you. What is offered is the needed
knowledge for disease prevention and cure of dehydration diseases. At the end of the book, when the relationship of chronic dehydration and disease emergence has become clear to
the reader, information will be provided on the needed adjustments to daily water intake, and the complementary
diet to prevent "dehydration diseases," o r even cure them, if a totally irreversible situation has not developed. THE BASICS
When the human body developed from the species that wer e given life in water, the same dependence on the life-
giving properties of water were inherited. The role of water itself in the body of living species, mankind included, has
not changed since the first creation of life from salt water and its subsequent adaptation to fresh water. When life on land became an objective for advancement beyond the immediate vicinity of water supply (even
beyond amphibian life)—the stressful adventure beyon d the known boundaries—a gradually refined body water-
preservation system had to be created for further species development. This process of temporary adaptation to
transient dehydration also became inherited as a well-established mechanism in the human body and is now th e
infrastructure to all operative systems within the body of modern humans. For the earlier water-dwelling species, adventure beyond their known boundaries would constitute great stress,
because they would dry up. This "stress " would establish a domin ant physiology for crisis management of water. In
the now "stressed " humans, exactly the same translation and the physiology of crisis m anagement of water
becomes established. The process primarily involves a strict rationing of the water "reserves" of the body. It is
assumed that water supply for the immediate needs of the body will be limited. Management of the available
reserves of water in the body becomes the responsibility of a complex sy stem. This complex m ulti-level water rationing and distribution process remains in operation until the body re ceives
unmistakable signals t hat it has g ained access to adequ ate water  supply. Since every function of  the body is
monitored and pegged to the flow of water, "water  managem ent" is the only way of making sure that a dequa te
amounts of water and its transported nutrients first reach the more vital organs that will have to confront and deal
with any new "stress." This mechanism became more and more established for survival against natural enemies
and predators. It is the ultimate operative system for survival In fight or flight situations. It is still the operative
mechanism in the competitive environment of modern life in the socie ty. One of the unavoidable processes in the body water rationing phase is the com plete cruelty with which some
functions are monitored so that one structure does not receive more than its predetermined share of water. This is
true for all organs of the body. Within these systems of water rationing, the brain function takes absolute priority
over all the other systems—th e brain is l/50th of the total body weight, but it receives 18-20 percent of blood
circulation. When the "ration masters" in charge of body water reserve regulation and distribution become more and
more active, they also give their own alarm signals to show that the area in question is sh ort of water, very much like
the radiator of a car giving out steam whe n the cooling system is not adequate for the uphill drive of the car. In advanced societies, thinking that tea, coffee, alcohol, and manufactured beverages are desirable substitutes for
the purely natural water needs of the daily "stressed" body is an elementary but catastrophic mistake. It is true that
these beverages contain water, but what else they contain are dehydrating agents. They get rid of the water they are
dissolved in plus so me more water from the reserves of the body! Today, m odem life-style makes people
dependent on all sorts of beverages that are commercially manufactured. Children are not educated to drink water;
they become dependent on sodas and juices. This is a  self-imposed restriction on the water needs of the body. It is
not generally possible to drink manufactured beverages in full replacement of the water needs of the body. At the
same time, a cultivated preference for the taste of these sodas will  automatically reduce the free urge to drink water
when sodas are not available. Currently, practitioners of medicine are unawar e of the many chemical roles of water in the body. Beca use
dehydration eventually causes loss of some functions, the various sophisticated signals given by operators of the
body's water rationing program during severe and lasting dehydration have been translated as indicators of
unknown disease conditions of the body. This is the most basic mistake that has deviated clinical medicine. It has
prevented medical practitioners from being able to advise preventive measures or offer simple physiologic cures for
some major diseases in humans. With the appearance of these signals, the body should be provided with water for these rationing systems to
distribute. However, medical practitioners have been taught to silence these signals with chemical products. Of
course they have zero understanding of the significance of this most gross error. The various signals produced by
these water distributors are indicators of regional thirst and drought of the body. At the onset, they can be relieved
by an increased intake of water itself, yet they are improperly dealt with by the use of commercial chemical products
until pathology is established and diseases a re born. It is unfortunate that this mistake is continued until the use of
more and more chemicals to treat the other developing symptoms and complications of dehydration becomes
unavoidable, and then the patient dies. The irony? They say th e patient died of a disease. What a clearance for their
conscience! The error in silencing the different signals of water shortages of the body with chemical products is immediatelydetrimental to the cells of the body of the person being treated. The established signal-producing chronic
dehydration also has a permanently damaging impact on subsequent descendants of the person. I take pleasure in bringing to your attention a breakthrough knowledge in medicine that can benefit every person
who may fall ill, and especially the elderly. In short, my paradigm change in basic human applied science will
establish a physiology-based approach to future human research and simplify the practice of medicine all over the
world. The immediate outcome of this paradigm shift will be to the health advantage of the public. It will expose the
newly understood signs of dehydration in the human body. It will also decrease the costs of falling ill. THE PARADIGM  THA T NEEDS TO BE CHANGED
What is a paradigm and how does it change? A paradigm (para-di me) is the most basic unde rstanding on which
new knowledge is generated. As a n example, the earlier understanding was t hat the Earth is flat. The new
understanding is that the Earth is round. The roundness of the Earth is the basic p aradigm to the design of all maps,
globes, recognition of stars in the sky, a nd calculations for space travel. Thus, the earlier paradigm for holding the
Earth to be flat was inaccurate. It is the correct understanding of the Earth as a sphere that has made advancement
in many fields of sc ience possible. This change in paradigm is basic t o our progress in  many fields of science. The
shift in that paradigm and the transformation it brought about did not occur easily. Ad option of a fundamentally
significan t new paradigm in the science of medicine is more difficult even if the outcome is highly desirable and
desperately needed by the society. THE SOURCE OF ERROR I N MEDICI NE
The human body is composed of 25 percent solid matter (the solute) and 75 percent water (the solvent). Brain
tissue is said to consist of 85 percent wat er. When the phase of inquiry into the workings of the body began,
because the scientific p arameters and a very broad knowledge of chemistry had already become well-established, it
automatically became the assumption that the same understandings that wer e developed within the discipline of
chemistry applied to the body's so lute composition. It was therefore assumed that the solute composition is the reactive regulator of all functions of the body. At the very
onset of research into the human body, the water content of the body was a ssumed to act only as a solvent, a space
filler, and a means of transport—the same views that were generated from the test-tube experiments in chemistry. No other functional properties were attributed to the solvent material. The basic understanding in today's "scientific"
medicine—which has been inherited from an educational programs established at the dawn of systematic learning
—also regards solutes as regulators and water as only a solvent and a means of material transport in the body. Th e
human body is even now re garded as a large "test tube" full of solids of different nature and the water in the body as
a chemically insignificant "packing material." In science, it has been assumed that it is the solutes (su bstances that are dissolved or carried in the blood and
serum in the body) that regulate all the activities of the body. This includes the regulation of its wat er (the solvent)
intake, which is assumed to be well-regulated. It is presumed, because water is freely available and one does not
have to pay for it, that the body has no business in falling short of something that is available! Under this erroneous assumption, all the human applied research has been directed toward identification of one
"particular" sub -Stance that can be held responsible for causing a disease. Therefore, all the suspected possib le
fluctuations and variation of elemental changes have been tested without a clear-cut solution to a single disease
problem. Accordingly, all treatments are palliative and none seems to be curative (except for bacterial infections and
the use of antibiotics). Hype rtension is not generally cured; it is treated during the lifetime of a person. Asthma is not
cured; inhalers are the constant companion of the afflicted. Peptic ulcer is not cured; antacids have to be nearby all
the time. Allergy is not cured; the victim is always dependent on medication. Arthritis is not cured, it eventually
cripples, and so on. Based on this preliminary assumption of the role of water, it has become a practice to regard the "dry mouth" as a
sign and sensation of body water needs, which is further assumed to be well-regulated if the sensation of "dry
mouth" is not present, possib ly because the substance water is abundant and free. This is an absur dly erroneo us
and confusion-generating view in medicine and entirely responsible for the lack of success in  finding perman ent
preventive solutions to disease emergence in the body, despite so much costly research. I have already published an account of my clin ical observations when I treated more than 3000 peptic ulcer
sufferers with water alone. I discovered for the first time in medicine that this "classical  disease" of the body
responds to water by itself. Clinically, it became obvious that this condition resembled a thirst "disease." Under the
same environmental and clinical settings, other "disease" conditions seemed to respond to water by itself. Extensive
research has proven my clinical observations that the body has a variety of most sophistica ted thirst signals—
integrated signal systems during regulation of the available water at times of dehydration. The com bination of my clinical and literature research has sh own that the paradigm that has until now g overned all
human applied research must be changed if we wish to conquer "disease." It has become clear that the practice of
clinical medicine is based on a false assumpti on and an inaccurate premise. Otherwise, how could a signal system
for water metabolism disturbance be missed or so blatantly ignored for such  a long time? At the moment, the "dry
mouth" is the only accepted sign of dehydration of the body. As I  have explained, this sig nal is the last outward sign
of extreme dehydratio n. The damage occurs at a level of persistent dehydration that does not necessarilydemonstrate a "dry mouth" signal. Earlier researchers sh ould have realized that, to facilitate the act of chewing and
swallowing food, saliva is produced even if the rest of the body is comparatively dehydrated. Naturally, ch ronic dehydration of the body means persistent water shortage that has become established for some
time. Like any other deficiency disorder such as vitamin C deficie ncy in scur vy, vitamin B deficie ncy in beri-beri, iron
deficiency in anemia, vitamin D deficiency in rickets, or you name it, the most efficient method of treatment of the
associated disorders is by supplementation of the missing ingredient. Accordingly, if we begin to recognize the
health complications of chronic dehydration, their prevention, and even early cure, becomes simple. Although my sc ientific views in medicine were peer reviewed, before I presented my paradigm change information
as a guest lecturer at an international cancer conference in 1987, Dr. Barry Kendler's letter on page 12 (printed by
his kind permission) further confirms the validity of my scientific views on chronic dehydration as a disease
producer. As you will see, he has even studied some of the important references that I have referred to to explain
that chronic dehydration is the root cause of most major degenerative diseases o f the human body; the diseases
whose cause was not clear until now. Refer ring to any medical text-book, you will see over a thousand pages of
verbiage, but when it comes to giving the reasons for the major diseases o f the human body, the statement in all
cases is uniform and very brief: "Etiology unknown! "THE NEW PARA DIGM
"A new scientific truth is not usually presented in a way to convince its opponents. Ra ther, they die off, and a rising
generation is familiarized with the truth from th e start." Max Planck
The new scientific truth and level of thinking abou t the human bod y that will empower p eople to become
practitioners of preventive medicine for themselves is as follows: It is the solvent— the water content—that
regulates all functions of the body, including the activity of all the solutes (the solids) that are dissolved in it. The
disturbances in water metabolism of the body (the solvent metabolism) produces a variety of sig nals, indicating a
"system" disturbance in the particular functions associated with the water supply and its rationed regulation. Let me repeat: every function of the body is m onitored and pegged to the efficient flow of water. 'Water distribution"
is the only way of making sure that not only an adequate amount of water, but its transported elements (hormones,
chemical messengers and nutrients) first reach the more vital organs. In turn, every organ that produces a
substance to be made available to the rest of the body will only monitor its own rate and standards of production and
release into the "flowing water," according to constantly changing quotas se t by th e brain. Once the water itself
reaches the "drier" areas, it also exercises its many other most vital and missing physical and chemical regulatory
actions. Within this view, water intake and its priority distribution achieve paramount importance. The regulating
neurotransmitter systems (histamine and its su bordinate agents) become increasingly active during the regulation of
water requirements of the body. Their action should not be continuously blocked by the use of medication. Their
purpose should be understood and satisfied by drinking more water. I have made exactly the same statements to a
body of scientists that had gathered from all over the world in Monte Carlo in 1989 for a conference on the topic of
inflammation, analgesics, and immune modulators. The new paradigm permits an incorporation of the "fourth dimen sion of time" into scientific research. It will facilitate
an understanding of the damaging effect of an establishing dehydration that persists a nd continues to increase
during any duration of time. It will make it possible to forecast the physiological events that will lead to disease
states at som e later years, including wha t at present appears as genetic disorders. It will transform the present
"shot-in-the-dark, symptoms-treating" approach to the practice of medicine into a scientifically accur ate medical art;
it will make preventive forecasting possib le. It will establish excellent health and reduce health care costs t o
individuals and to any society that foste rs its sp read. Since water shortage in different areas of the body will manifest varying symptoms, signals, and com plications now
labeled as diseases, people may think water could not be offered as a natural solution. Water cures so many
diseases? No way! Speaking thus, they shut their minds to the new possib ility of preventing and possibly even curing so many different
"diseases" that are dehydration produced. It does not occur to them that the only remedy for conditions that come
about whe n the body begins to get dehydrated is water and nothing else. A number of sample testimonials are
published in different sections of this book to open the eyes of skeptics to the fact that the greatest health discovery
of all times is that wat er is a natural medication for a variety of health conditions. Water Regulation at Different Stages of Life
There are basically three stages to water regulation of the body in the different phases of life. One, the stage of life
of a fetus in the uterus of the mother (left of B in Figure 1). Two, the phase of growth  until full height and width is
achieved (approximately betwee n the ages of 18 to 25). Three, the phase of life from fully grown to the demise of
the person. During the intrauterine stage of cell expansion, wat er for cell growth of the child has to be provided by
the mother. Howev er, the transmitter system for water intake seems to be produced by th e fetal tissue, but registers
its effect on the mother. The very first indicator for water needs of the fetus and the mother seems to be morning
sickn ess during ' the early phase of pregnancy. Morni ng sickness of the mother is a th irst sig nal of both the f etus
and the mother.IT SHOUL D BE THOROUGHL Y UNDERSTOOD
It is now becoming obvious that because of a gradually failing thirst sensation, our body becomes chronically and
increasingly dehydrated, from an early adult age. With increase in age, the water content of the cells of the body
decreases, to the point that the ratio of the volume of body water that is inside the cells to that which is outside the
cells changes from a figure of 1.1 and becomes almost 0.8 (see Figure 2). This is a very drastic ch ange. Since the
"water" we drink provides for cell function and its volume requirements, the decrease in our daily water intake
affects t he efficiency of cell activity. It is the reason for the loss of water volume held inside the cells of the body. As
a result, chronic dehydration causes symptoms that equal disease when the variety of emergency signals of
dehydration are not understood—as they are until now not understood. You  see, these urgent cries of the body for
water are treated as abnormal and dealt with by the use of medications. The human body can become dehydrated even when abundant water is readily available. Humans see m to lose
their thirst sensation and the critical perception of needing water. Not recognizing their water need, they become
gradually, increasingly, and chronically dehydrated with progress in  age (see Figures 1 & 2). Further confusion lies
in the idea that whe n we're thirsty, we can substitute tea, coffee, or alcohol-containing beverages. As y ou will see,
this is a  common error. The "dry mouth " is the very last sign of dehydration. The body can suffer from dehydration even when the mouth
may b e fairly moist. Still worse, in the elderly, the mouth can be seen to be obviously dry and yet thirst may not be
acknowledged and satisfied. WATER HAS OTHER I MPORTANT  PROPERT IES
Scientific research shows that water has many other properties besides being a solvent and a means of transport. Not having paid attention to the other properties of water in the regulation of different functions in the body has
produced the pitiful confusions that are infrastructure to our so-called, scie nce-based modern medicine. •Water has a firmly established and essential hydrolytic role in all aspects of body metabolism—water-dependent
chemical reactions (hydrolysis). Similar to the chemical powers of water that make a seed grow and produce a new
plant or a tree: the powe r of water that is used in  the che mistry of life. • At the cell membrane: the osmotic flow of water through the membrane can generate "hydroelec tric" energy
(voltage) that is converted and stored in the energy pools in form of ATP and GTP—two vital cell battery systems. ATP a nd GTP a re chemical sources of energy in the body. The energy generated by water is used in the
manufacture of ATP a nd GTP. These particles are used as "cash  flow" in elemental exchanges, particularly in
neurotransmission. • Water  also forms a particu lar structure, pattern and sh ape th at seems to be employed as the adhesive materia l in
the bondage of the cell architecture. Like glue, it sticks t he solid structures in the cell membrane together. It
develops the sticki ness o f "ice" a t higher body te mperature. • Produ cts manufactu red in the brain cells a re transported on "waterways" to their destination in the nerve endings
for use in the transmission of messages. There seem to exist small waterways or microstreams along the length of
nerves that "float" the packaged materials along "guidelines," called microtubules (see Figure 3). • Proteins and the enzymes o f the body function more efficiently in solutions of lower viscosity; this is tr ue of all the
receptors (receiver points) in the cell membranes. In solutions of higher viscosit y (in a dehydrated state), proteins
and enzymes become less efficient (possib ly includes the recognition of thirst of the body). It follows that wat er itself
regulates all functions of the body, including the activity of all the solutes it carries around. The new scientific truth
(paradigm shift)—"Water, t he solven t of the body, r egulat es all functions, inc luding the acti vity of the solutes it
dissolves a nd circulates"—should become the basis of all future approach to medical research. When the body is d ehydrated, apart from the establishment of a "locked-in" drive for wat er intake, a rationing and
distribution system for the available water in the body becomes operative according to a predetermined priority
program—a form of drought management,
It is now scientifically clear that the histamine directed and operated neurotransmitter system becomes active and
initiates the subordinate systems that promote water intake. These subordinate systems also redistribute the
amount of water in circulation or that can be drawn away from other areas. Subordinate systems employ
vasopressin (vays o-press-in ), renin-angiotens in (RA), pro-stagland ins (prosta-gl an-din, PG) and  kinins (ky-nin) as
the intermediary agents. Since the body doe s not have a reserve of water to dr aw on, it operates a priority
distribution system for the amount of water that is already available or has been supplied by its intake.In the amphibian species, it has been shown that histamine reserves and their rate of generation are at minimal
levels. In the sam e species, histamine generation becomes established and gets pronounced whenever the animal
is dehydrated. A proportionate increase in the production rate and storage of the neurotransmitter histamine for rationing regulation
of the available water in dehydrated animals—d rought management—becomes established. Hista mine and its
subordinate water intake and distribution regulators, prostaglandins, kin ins, and PAF (another histamine associated
agent) also cause pain when they come across pain-sensing nerves in the body. The above "view shift" in medicine establishes two major points that have been disregarded until now. One, the
body can become dehydrated as we progress in age. At the same time, it disregards "dry mouth" as the only
indicator of body thirst. Two, when t he neurot ransmitter h istamine generation and  its subordinate water regulators
become excessively active, to the point of cau sing allergies, asthma, and chronic pains in different parts of the body,
these pains sho uld be translated as a thirst signal—one variety of the crisis sig nals of water shortage in the body. This "paradigm shift" will now make it possib le to recognize many different associated signals of general or local
body dehydration. The adoption of the "view shift" (new paradigm) dictates that chronic pains of the body th at cannot be easily
explained as injury or infection should first and foremost be inter preted as sig nals of chronic water shorta ge in the
area where pain is registered—a local thirst These pain signals should be first considered and excluded as primary
indicators for dehydration of the body before any other complicated procedures are forced on the patient. Non-
infectious "recurring" or chronic pains should be viewed as indicators of body thirst. Not recognizing the thirst signals of the body will undoubtedly produce complicated problems in the present way of
treatment of these conditions. It is all too easy to assume these signals as co mplications of a serious disease
process and begin to treat signal-producing dehydration with complicated procedures. Although water by itself will
alleviate the condition, medications or invasive diagnostic procedures m ay be forced on the person. It is the
responsibility of both patients and their doctors to be aware of the damag e chronic dehydration can cause in the
human body. These chronic pains include dyspeptic pain, rheumatoid arth ritis pain, a nginal pain (heart pain on walking, or even at
rest), low back pain, intermittent daudication pain (leg pain on walking), migraine and hangover headaches, colitis
pain and its associated constipation (See figure 4 on page 23). The "view shift" dictates that all these pains sh ould be treated with a regular adjustment to daily water intake. No
less than two and a half quarts (two and one half liters) in 24 hours should be taken for a few days prior to the
routine and regular use of analgesics or other pain-relieving medications such as antihistamine or antacids—well
before permanent local or general damage can establish and reach an irreversible disease status. // the problem
has persiste d for many years, those who wish to test the pain relieving property of water should make sure their
kidneys can make sufficient urine so that they do not retain too much water in the body. Urine output should be
measured against water intake. With increase in water intake, the urine output should also increase. This new understanding of the physiology of pain production in dehydration will shed light on cause of disease in
future medical research. It exposes as detrimental to the well-being of the body the long-term use of pain
medications for "killing" a cardinal signal of chronic and local dehydration of the body.In their own right, these pain-killers (analgesics) can ca use fat al side effects, apart fro m the dam age th at is caused
by the ongoing dehydration that is temporarily sile nced without removing the root cause of these pains—
dehydration. Very often, these analgesics cause gastrointestinal bleeding. A few thou sand people die every year
from this complication of frequent analgesic intake. It is now (1994) clear that over-the-counter pain-killers can in
some people cause liver and kidney damage and act as people killers. The scientific background for the above views is already available to scientists in pain research. This brief is
intended to brush aside the professional resistance of the AMA and the NIH which are aware of my findings and
have, contrary to their oath and obligations to the society, refused to propagate it to the ultimate benefit of the public. This "view shi ft" on the role of water in the body can work won ders in the future practice of clinical medicine—which
is why these professional bodies, who gain by the perpetuation of their past ignorance, have not engaged in the
dissemination of information about the problems associated with lack of suff icient water in the human body. The moment medical professionals adopt this paradigm shift, the present form of "ignorance of the human body
based medical practice" w ill transform to a thoughtful, preventive approach to health care. More importantly, simple
physiology-based cures to early disease eme rgence will  become available w ell before irreversible damage can
establish. DYSPEPTIC PAIN
A newly recognized emergency thirst signal of the human body. Dyspe ptic pain is the most important signal for the human body. It  denotes dehydratio n. It is a thirst signal of the
body. It can occur  in the very young, as well as in older people. Chronic and persiste ntly increasing dehydration is
the root cause of almost all currently encountered major diseases of the human body. Of th e dyspeptic pains, that of gastritis, duodenitis, and heartburn should be treated with an increase in water intake
alone. When there is associated ulceration, attention to the daily diet to enhance the rate of repair of the ulcer site
becomes necessary. Accor ding to Professor Howar d Spiro of Yale University, i t is generally understood that 12 percent of those with
dyspepsia develop ulceration in their duodenum after six yea rs, 30 percent after 10 years and 40 percent after 27
years. It is the dyspeptic pain that is of significance, although the condition develops importance once the ulceration
is viewed through the endoscopic examination. It seems that medical practice is becoming more and more a visually
oriented discipline rather than the perceptive and thought-based art that it was at one time. It is the pain associa ted with these differently classified conditions that forces the person to consult a medical
practitioner. It is this pain that is now g etting much attention even though many different jargons are attached to the
local conditions seen through the endoscope. The common factor is the dyspeptic pain. The local tissue  change is
the descrip tive explanation for the changes brought about by the basic common f actor, name ly the initiating
dehydration. How am I able to make such claims? I have treated with only water well over 3000 persons with dyspeptic pain who
had other distinguishing characteristics to  classify them according to those jargons. They all r esponded t o an
increase in their water intake, and their clinical problems associated with the pain disappeared. The report of my
new way of treating dyspeptic pain with water was published as the editorial article in the Journal of Clinical
Gastroenterology in June of 1983. At a certain threshold of dehydration, whe n the body urgently calls for water, nothing else can substitute. No
medication other than water is effective. One of the many patients I treated with water stands out and proves this
fact. He was a  young man in his middle twenties. He had suffered from peptic ulcer disease for a number of years
before the crisis t ime, when I met him. He had the usual diagnostic procedures performed on him and received the
label of "duodenal ulcer." He  had been given antacids and brand name cimetidine medications. Cimetidine is a form of very strong medication that blocks the action of histamine on its "2nd" type receiver points,
generally known as "re ceptors" in the body, and, in this case, known as histamine 2 or Hz receptor. It just happens
that some cells in the stomach that produce the acid are sensitive to this medication. Howev er, many, many other
cells in the body that do not produce acid are also sensitive to this blocking action of the medication. That is why this
medication has many other side effects, (including impotence in the young) and has proven extremely dangerous in
the chronically dehydrated older age group.
Your_Body_s_Many_Cries_for_Water_by_Batmanghelidj.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        YOUR BODY’S MANY CRIES FOR WATER
F. Batmanghelidj, M. D. DISCLAIMER
The information and recommendations on water intake presented in this book are based on training, personal
experience, very extensive research, and other publications of the author on the topic of water metabolism of the
body. The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use or the discontinuance of any
medication as a form of treatment with out the advice of an attending physician, either directly o r indirectly. The intent
of the author, based on the most recent knowledge of micro-anatomy and molecular physiology, is only to offer
information on the importance of water to well-being, and to help inform the public of the damaging effects of
chronic dehydration to the body—from childhood to old age. This book is not intended as a replacement for sound
medical advice from a physician. On the contrary, sharing of the information contained in this book with the
attending physician is highly desirable. Application of the information and recommendations described herein are
undertaken at the individual's own risk. The adoption of the information should be in strict co mpliance with the
instructions given herein. Very sick persons with past history of major diseases and under professional supervision,
particularly those with severe renal disease, should not make use of the information contained herein without the
supervision of their attending physician. All the recommendations and procedures herein contained are made without guarantee on the part of the author or
the publisher, their agents, or employees. The author and publisher disclaim all liability in connection with the use of
the information presented herein. CONTENTS
Preface. ……. xi
Introduction: Don't Treat Thirst With Medication.
F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.
Who wrote the book "Your Body's Many Cries for Water"?
To inform the public about the importance of water to well-being and to help the public understand the damaging effects of chronic dehydration on the body.
What is the author's purpose in writing the book?
The author criticizes the medical community for ignoring the importance of water in the human body and for using chemicals and procedures to treat dehydration instead of promoting water intake.
What is the author's criticism of the medical community?
The author suggests that the public take control of their own health by adopting a preventive approach to health care and recognizing the importance of water in the body.
What is the author's proposal for addressing the health care crisis in the US?
The author claims that water regulates all functions of the body, including the activity of all solutes, and that dehydration can cause a wide range of diseases.
What is the author's claim about the role of water in the human body?
The author accuses the NIH of ignoring his research and not taking his views on chronic dehydration seriously, and instead, perpetuating the use of chemicals and procedures to treat dehydration.
What is the author's main criticism of the NIH?