Fereydoon Batmanghelidj (1930 or 1931 – 15 November 2004) was an Iranian doctor and writer. He is best known for believing increased water consumption is the cure for most disease, which is considered

quackery Quackery, often synonymous with health fraud, is the promotion of fraudulent or ignorant medical practices. A quack is a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, ...

by medical experts.

Life and family

Fereydoon Batmanghelidj was born in Iran in 1930 or 1931. He attended secondary school in the United Kingdom, at Fettes College in Scotland, and later graduated from

St Mary's Hospital Medical School St Mary's is the youngest of the constituent schools of Imperial College London, founded in 1854 as part of the new hospital in Paddington. During its existence in the 1980s and 1990s, it was the most popular medical school in the country, wit ...

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...

. He then practiced medicine in the United Kingdom, before returning to Iran. There he became a wealthy entrepreneur, helping in the development of hospitals and medical centres, and in sports projects, including the Ice Palace ice skating rink in Tehran. In 1979, after the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

, he was sent to Evin Prison in Tehran, which housed political prisoners; he was incarcerated there for two years and seven months. Following his release in 1982, he moved to the United States. He married Lucile, a Belgian, and they had four children: Ardeshir, Babak, Camila, and Lila, who committed suicide while he was imprisoned. His first marriage ended in divorce. He later married Xiaopo Huang Batmanghelidj. He died from complications related to pneumonia on 15 November 2004.

Medical career

Batmanghelidj was trained at St Mary's Hospital Medical School, and practised medicine in the United Kingdom before his return to Iran. He claimed that he discovered the medicinal value of water in treating the pain of peptic ulcers during his detention in Evin Prison by treating inmates with water when medication was not available. He advanced this position in a guest editorial in the

Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology ''Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology'' is a peer reviewed medical journal covering gastroenterology and hepatology, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. It was established in 1979 and the current editor-in-chief is Ronnie Fass, MD (Case We ...

in 1983. In 1992, he wrote ''Your Body's Many Cries for Water''. In this book, Batmanghelidj asserts that chronic dehydration is the root cause of most pain and many ailments, opposing the use of drugs to cure conditions that he claimed could instead be addressed by increased water consumption. He has claimed elsewhere that water provides energy for the body and brain, by splitting into its components hydrogen and oxygen.

Criticism

Batmanghelidj's ideas about water curing all diseases have been criticised as

by medical experts. Hall, Harriet. (2010)
"The Water Cure: Another Example of Self Deception and the “Lone Genius”"
'' Science-Based Medicine''. Retrieved 22 November 2018. He also drew criticism for his HIV/AIDS denialism. Physician Harriet Hall has described Batmanghelidj as a "crank who believed dehydration is the main cause of disease. He promoted his Water Cure, which was not based on any scientific evidence." Hall, Harriet. (2017)
"Do I Really Need to Drink 200 Ounces of Water Every Day?"
'' Skeptical Inquirer''. Retrieved 22 November 2018. His ideas have been criticised by Stephen Barrett, co-founder of the National Council Against Health Fraud and the webmaster of Quackwatch, on several grounds, including a lack of any documented peer-reviewed research and exaggerated claims about the number of patients treated successfully. He further questions that Batmanghelidj has practiced medicine in the United States, pointing to his lack of registration as a physician. He was licensed as a naturopath.

Books

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

References

External links

Papers by Batmanghelidj
{{DEFAULTSORT:Batmanghelidj, Fereydoon 1930s births 2004 deaths 20th-century Iranian physicians Health and wellness writers HIV/AIDS denialists People educated at Fettes College Physicians from Tehran Iranian emigrants to the United Kingdom Iranian emigrants to the United States Naturopaths Prisoners and detainees of Iran Pseudoscientific diet advocates