Fereydoon Batmanghelidj
Iranian doctor who claimed water cures most disease.
Last updated
Fereydoon Batmanghelidj was an Iranian doctor and naturopath who promoted the idea that increased water consumption could cure most diseases. His views, which included HIV/AIDS denialism, are not supported by clinical evidence and are regarded as quackery by medical experts.
Life and family
Batmanghelidj was born in Iran in 1931 and attended secondary school at Fettes College in Scotland before graduating from St Mary's Hospital Medical School of London University. He practiced medicine in the United Kingdom, then returned to Iran, where he became a wealthy entrepreneur involved in hospitals, medical centres, and sports projects such as the Ice Palace ice skating rink in Tehran. Following the Iranian Revolution in 1979, he was imprisoned in Evin Prison for two years and seven months. After 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 died by suicide while he was imprisoned. His first marriage ended in divorce, and he later married Xiaopo Huang Batmanghelidj. He died from complications related to pneumonia on 15 November 2004 and is buried at National Memorial Park.
Medical career
Batmanghelidj trained at St Mary's Hospital Medical School and practiced medicine in the United Kingdom before returning to Iran. During his detention in Evin Prison, he claimed to have discovered the medicinal value of water for treating peptic ulcer pain by using water when medication was unavailable. He published this position in a guest editorial in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology in 1983. In 1992, he wrote Your Body's Many Cries for Water, asserting that chronic dehydration is the root cause of most pain and many ailments, and opposing drug use for conditions he believed could be addressed by increased water consumption.
He argued that water provides 'hydro-electric' energy for the body and brain by splitting into hydrogen and oxygen, a claim unsupported by scientific evidence. Medical experts have criticized his ideas as quackery, and he also drew criticism for his HIV/AIDS denialism. Physician Harriet Hall described him as a 'crank who believed dehydration is the main cause of disease' and noted his Water Cure lacked scientific evidence. Stephen Barrett, co-founder of the National Council Against Health Fraud and webmaster of Quackwatch, criticized Batmanghelidj for lacking documented peer-reviewed research, making exaggerated claims about patient numbers, and questioned whether he had practiced medicine in the United States, as he was licensed only as a naturopath.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Fereydoon Batmanghelidj born?
Fereydoon Batmanghelidj was born in 1931 in Tehran, Imperial State of Iran.
When did Fereydoon Batmanghelidj die?
Fereydoon Batmanghelidj died on 15 November 2004 in Virginia, U.S.
More in Pseudoscientific Diet Advocates
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Fereydoon Batmanghelidj (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced