Obesity Cancer & Depression: Their Common Cause & Natural Cure

by F. Batmanghelidj

This book, the result of over 20 years of research, looks at the conditions of obesity, cancer and depression through a new physiological perspective and offers a new approach in preventing and treating these conditions

Genres: Health, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published April 1, 2005

About the author

Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, M.D., an internationally renowned researcher, author and advocate of the natural healing power of water, was born in Iran in 1931. He attended Fettes College in Scotland and was a graduate of St. Mary's Hospital Medical School of London University, where he studied under Sir Alexander Fleming, who shared the Nobel Prize for the discovery of penicillin.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have already read two of Dr. Batman's books on water. I picked up this book because depression runs rampant in my family and also because I enjoy the show the Biggest Loser and I'm concerned about how much of our population is obese.

This book is organized in four sections. 1-Obesity 2-Depression 3-Cancer 4-Their Natural Cures. Each section has his explanations followed by letters he has received from numerous people who have benefitted from implementing the water cure.

I began reading this book with skeptisism, even though I have previously read his works and believe in the ability of water to cure many diseases. I'll discuss this as I go.

The first section on obesity I was ready to accept. I know that if you drink water a half hour before eating like he recommends, that you will eat less. Also, if you are consistently drinking water throughout the day, you will not have the desire to graze either. Also, substituting water for colas and caffenated drinks has a positive effect on body weight. Well, along with these things, water helps with your digestion, so you get more energy out of the food you consume. This means you will want to consume less and you will not have all that excess food building up in fat deposits. There were also many other reasons and a lot of testimonials about how proper hydration and salt intake have caused weight loss without any drastic dietary changes. I personally lost about 30 pounds recently and I didn't drastically change my lifestyle, but I did increase my water intake.

The second section on depression I was more skeptical about. I figured if your body is functioning better, then you are less likely to feel poorly about yourself, but that's about all I could figure. Well, in dehydration, your body uses its available tryptophan to compensate for the lack of available water. Tryptophan is normally used in the creation of seratonin. As anyone versed in depression knows, lack of seratonin equals depression. So, if the tryptophan is needed to compensate for lack of water, then there is not enough to create an adequate supply of serotonin. People genetically prone to depression show signs of dehydration in the form of depression where others show the first signs of dehydration in the form of migranes, heartburn, etc. I have not been suffering from bad depression lately, but I do notice if I am having a difficult day and I increase my water intake I start to feel a lightening of my mood.

The third section on cancer I was highly skeptical about. It got very technical at the beginning of that section although the end of that section was better. I admit that I got a bit bored of the beginning and started skimming until the section got better. What I understood is that the body has immense capacities to heal itself and prevent harmful changes as long as it is properly taken care of. When you are dehydrated, your immune system does not function as well and is less able to expel harmful agents. Also, cancerous cell are anaerobic meaning they dislike oxygen. If your blood is well hydrated, then it is less acidic and will carry plenty of oxygen around your body and it will kill off cancerous cells. He goes on to discuss how cancers can be reversed with the use of proper interior hydration to flush away harmful cells and the use of warm water soaks on the skin at the sight of a tumor or melanoma. By soaking the spot in warm water, the skin sweats and the body sends excess water to that area to compensate for the sweating. This means an increase of water flow to the cancerous area to remove the harmful cells. Now, I have never seen it take place and I am still have some skepticism about it, but there are testimonials about it helping people become cancer free. All I know, is increased water and salt intake with some warm water soaks sounds a whole lot better than chemotherapy.

The final section was about living a healthy lifestyle. It gave his water cure which recommends taking your body weight and dividing that number by 2 then drinking that number of ounces a day. So, a 200 pound person would drink 100 ounces of water a day. He also recommends adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt for every 64-80 ounces of water consumed. This will help replaces the salts expelled from your body during urination. He also discusses other important minerals and what foods you can find them in. Lastly, he talks about the importance of sunlight and exercise for a happy, healthy body.

Although Dr. Batman was not the most gripping of writers, I found the information in this book important. I have seen so many people on multiple perscriptions and having to deal with all the chemical side effects. I am grateful for medication, but I like to avoid it when possible. This book advocates your basic word of wisdom. Eat a variety of foods in moderation. Drink water instead of all the manufactured drinks we have nowadays. Get exercise and exposure to sunlight. I like these and so, I am very grateful I have become familiar with his books and realize a lot of common ailments actually point to a lack of water and not something that requires a pill a day for the rest of your life.

[Gita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read his 2 other books& find each one, including this, a goldmine of scientific information presented in simplest possible way. Dr. Batman's advice, when followed judiciously , never lets you down! And all this at no cost too. A must read. All of his books are a must read. Real eye openers.

[Mark Stephenson]

Batmanghelidj died in 2004 and this was published in 2005 so I assume these are some of his final thoughts. The first few pages are a response to a widely disseminated group of reports asserting the very unsound notion that one should drink only when prompted by thirst. How grotesquely unsound this notion is, especially for folks over 50, is demonstrated very well by ensuing chapters. Several of these chapters end with testimonials of people who have benefited from adding more plain water to their daily intake. The chapter detailing the consequences of caffeine, aspartame and alcohol consumption is convincing - and chilling. It is very easy to become dehydrated - every time we exhale we become more so - so consuming sufficient water, along with salt and minerals which tend to exit our bodies when we urinate is a wise course for anyone who values their health.

[Mark Stephenson]

I believe this is an important book for anyone interested in preserving their health!