Author: Batmanghelidj, F

Dr. Batmanghelidj received his formal medical education at St. Mary's Hospital Medical School of London University. He provides for the layman a clear and comprehensive book on the origins of chronic pain. His clinical and scientific research exposes, for the first time, that recurring "chronic pains" are a signal system of the body indicating severe general or local dehydration. Most of these pains can be relieved simply by drinking water. Instead, however, the patient often receives costly pharmaceutical medications which treat rather than cure.

In this book, back pain and rheumatoid joint pain as indicators of local chronic dehydration are explained. The mechanisms involving the important role of water in holding the spinal column together are discussed. Based on years of detailed study of the human anatomy and the science of physiology, Dr. Batmanghelidj has devised a new exercise approach for the successful hydration of the disc core, the retraction of the displaced discs, and immediate relief of pain, even sciatica. These exercises are clearly explained and demonstrated, and may be the only way to save yourself from the surgeon's knife.

This book is unlike any other "how-to" book on the market. It is an instructive presentation about the very simple way of finding comfort and relief from two of the most commonly occurring pains of the body low back pain and rheumatoid joint pain.

Dr. Julian Whitaker's Health and Healing: Tomorrow's Medicine Today Newsletter
Back pain is an enormous problem in this county. Half of Americans have at least one day of back pain a year which interferes with their daily routine, and the average for such back-related incapacity is six days. Over 40 million people over 15% of our population suffer from chronic back pain. The medical costs for treating back pain total $80 billion a year. That is about $9 million an hour, 24 hours a day! Much of the cost is for the 200,000 operations performed annually to remove discs from spinal vertebrae.

I just can't believe the design of the human body is so faulty that some 15% of us should wind up crippled with back pain. I am convinced that our conventional treatment with drugs and surgery is not only NOT helping the problem but is probably making it worse--like swatting flies in a china shop with a baseball bat! Surely there is a simpler, less expensive, less dangerous, more effective approach to this enormous problem, and it is likely sitting there right under our noses.

Well, I may have just found it, and I want to share it with you. Simply put, your back hurts because it is thirsty. In his incredibly easy-to-read book, How to Deal with Back Pain and Rheumatoid Joint Pain, F. Batmanghelidj, M.D., of Falls Church, VA, outlines and convincingly supports a seemingly preposterous theory. He writes that a lot of our back pain, and even rheumatoid pain, is due to an insufficient amount of water, a symptom of chronic dehydration. In the most simplistic terms, our backs hurt because our bodies are thirsty.

Once you understand the mechanics behind your spinal column and how it supports your body, the connection between hydration and back pain is quite straightforward.

If you or someone close to you suffers from acute or chronic back pain, I suggest getting hold of Dr. Batmanghelidj's book. The words on the front cover say it all: "a preventive and self-treatment manual for those who prefer to adhere to the logic of the natural and simple." For acute or chronic pain caused by a disc compressing on a nerve, I recommend Dr. Batmanghelidj's back exercises.

The Book Reader
The book explains simply and professionally for the layman what back pain