But more important than the relief of my condition, I began to notice a change of lifestyle. I drink much less coffee and less alcohol. I've practically eliminated carbonated beverages. And, I feel much better. I've also lost weight.

Although I've given you the bottom line, you should read the entire book to appreciate how it applies to specific conditions from which you and your loved ones may suffer. Dr. Batman addresses how water can help everything from Asthma to ulcers. You will be amazed.

The best part of this book is its plain spoken advocacy of common sense. The Author doesn't sell bottled water. He isn't promoting a spa. He doesn't conduct seminars. He is a man with a simple message. Your body needs water, drink it!

I love to read and read voraciously. This may prove to be the most important book I've ever read.

Buy it, read it and follow Dr. Batman's advice. You won't be sorry.

235 of 240 found the following review helpful:


One of the Few Most Important Health Books Written  Jun 23, 2004 By Kent Ponder
Without condescending to read it, I had pooh-poohed the idea of this book for years. "Who needs to be told to drink water?" I thought. "Everyone already knows that." Then one afternoon, by accident, I saw it on a reshelving cart at a bookstore, and flipped through it. My new reaction was, "Oh, my God!" There I stood, as a Ph.D. scientist, looking at the book I'd made fun of, and I felt like a fool as I read key sections in several chapters.

I bought two copies (one to underline, with marginal notes; the other to lend out), and read through it in one sitting, after which I looked up Dr. Batmanghelidj in Virginia and phoned him for an extended conversation. I found him very congenial, unpretentious and blazingly competent. Since that day several years ago I have recommended this book to hundreds of people, and I've provided free copies to many doctors, dentists and youth counselors.

Cocky, presumptuous health practitioners, even more arrogant than I had earlier been about this subject, find this book easy to dismiss if they haven't read it, and I identify with their foregone-conclusion mentality, having been there myself prior to understanding this book. To the rest of you, whether you believe you're knowledgeable about health issues or not, I can only plead with you to read this book and take it seriously. In my case, I had been repeatedly plagued by headaches and lower-back pain before reading it, but not once since applying its recommendations. The orthopedic section alone is worth the price of the book. If you know anyone with asthma, it would be tragic not to buy a copy of this for them.

In short, though I have read literally hundreds of books on health and nutrition, I consider this book to be, without doubt, one of the very few most important and immediately practical ever written.

265 of 278 found the following review helpful:


Being a rational woman I ask "What do you have to lose?"  Jul 08, 2000 By MotherLodeBeth "MotherLodeBeth"
As Reviewer: Michael Foudy (mlf2@erols.com) from Falls Church, VA noted Dr Batmanghelidj advise is very simple: "to drink one ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight plus one and one half additional ounces of water for every ounce of beverage I consume containing caffeine, carbonation or alcohol. Do this every day."

Being an educated, rational woman I am not prone to ideas that border to the skeptic on quackery. But this book is serious medical and science information and should be in every community library and every home library. It is that basic and that simple.

Add to the fact I had been diagnosed with Lupus and beginning stages of Fibromyalgia. Then when I sought information in order to make informed decisions on treatment and lifestyle changes all I got was either major pity party and victim mode information or it is mental and one just needs to learn to live with it. Well I refuse to allow anything to stop me from living a full and healthy life so I started to seriously look into lifestyle changes and came smack dab to this wonderful book.

Like way to many Americans I thought if the beverage was "wet" that it was akin to water. And yes I am embarrassed to admit that I have worked in third world countries re: Peace Corps and Doctors Without Borders and know firsthand that clean water projects are #1 as far as preventative health care goes. So this book basically spells this simple fact out. Our bodies need water and as Americans we have such easy access to water with filter systems if needed, and as such we are looking at one of the least perhaps the least expensive preventative as well as healing gift around.

And if you are a woman and have any type of menses pain before during or after, or have had bouts with skin flare ups and urinary track infections and yes yeast infections this book will be the best medicine you ever gave yourself. Not only do I have no signs of the Lupus or Fibromyalgia but since drinking even more water than Dr suggests (because I like water) my joint pain is no more, my skin is healthy,my hair is healthy and my insomnia is gone. And yes, because I drink more water my kidneys function better, thus the toxins are flushed out more and so I have been losing weight easier and faster. My muscle tone is better and the only thing I have had to do was shower twice a day since I sweat from my workouts and need to wash the toxins in my sweat away. And I often ask myself "why did it take me so long to discover such a simple secret to health?"

As a side note, stop and think about how often water is mentioned in history as a healing tool. One need not be religious to realize that water is a basic need in life. That our bodies being mostly water, are akin to a river that needs fresh water flowing thru it at all times.

My only question is this. What do you have to lose and what do you have to gain by trying his simple suggestion?

121 of 128 found the following review helpful:


This is a book the whole world needs to read.  Sep 27, 1999 By dwightppp@yahoo.com
I cannot emphasize strongly enough how important the information in this book is to humanity. It is an unbelievable travesty to the world's life and health to not have this simple but lifesaving info made public. Countless millions of people are suffering and dying as a result of no one ever telling them the truth. Everyone is either a victim of a serious illness or will be at some time in their life, many of which can be cured or prevented if they could learn of the essential value of drinking enough water. I am so grateful that I found this book, as after only a few days of changing my water consumption habits, I feel a drastic improvement in agonizing back pain. It has been the most revealing health related book I ever read, and I have read many . After you read this book you will only regret that you did not know about this a long time ago. Giving it to a relative or friend who is suffering and taking dangerous medication would be the greatest favor you could do for them. Highest recommendation for better health and a pain free life.

81 of 85 found the following review helpful:


Just plain old common sense  Feb 08, 2002 By Michael Mendenhall "september17th"
I have a friend who drinks practically no water at all and eats very little if any fresh fruits and vegetables, yet she gives water to her dog and she waters her plants. She complains constantly about pain, and she's on about a half dozen medications. One day I asked her if she would ever consider stop feeding water to her dog. The obvious answer was "no." I was waiting for her to ask further questions, but alas, nothing. That's the problem with human nature. We just don't get it sometimes. If a plant dies without water or even too little water, why do human beings not consume adequate water? If you don't consume adequate water, you might want to tell your friends you're on the "slow suicide diet" because that's what insufficient water intake is.

As for the book, it was a little hard to read because it is technical and scientific. Much of the terminology was over my head, but a lot of the content was quite simple to understand in terms of how water affects food digestion, ulcers, our brain functions and so forth. Simply put, the author concludes that most disease and discomfort in the body is due to inadequate water intake. That's all. That sounds credible to me because I don't see any way the author could possibly make more money off his theories. He's not pushing food supplements or anything to sell. He's pushing water, and he even recommends tap water (no thanks).

When I first read the book, I immediately increased my water intake. I started drinking one to two glasses of water at least one-half hour before each meal to prepare my digestive system. Within a day or two I noticed an immediate change in my digestion. No more "brick" feeling in my stomach all afternoon while my food digested oh so slowly.

My only criticism of the book is that the author did not take into account that water can be ingested by eating fresh fruits and vegetables. He makes excellent points about how coffee, sodas and juices (canned) are not a substitute for water. There is no mention about fresh fruits and vegetables and the importance of consuming lots of these foods for their water content as well.

I highly commend the author for this book. The part about salt intake really surprised me. I have always heard that salt is "bad" for the body, yet the author says the exact opposite and explains it in convincing detail. All I can say is that I need to read and reread the book to remind myself to consume water regularly.

I'm giving this book five stars because it is worth it's weight in gold. It's mostly common sense mixed in with scientific and technical information which can be hard to follow at times unless you're into that stuff. I would be surprised if anyone read this book and was not convinced that drinking water was essential to health and well being.

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