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| Dr. Batmanghelidj's report on treating dyspeptic pain with water was published in the June 1993 Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology and several physicians have recommended his methods in their health newsletters. Dehydration is a serious consideration in treating any digestive or intestinal disorder. As Dr. Batmanghelidj cautions, other fluids like coffee and colas don't count; you should drink plain room-temperature water, up to a gallon a day with a pinch of salt added, for best results. This treatment has been successfully used to relieve migraine headaches, back pain, allergies, stress and other ailments as well. |
| No discussion of water would be complete without a caution regarding American tap water, which has received much negative publicity in recent years. Concerns over water safety have made bottled spring water a growth industry along with home water filters and distillers. Whatever you can do to improve the quality of the water you drink will help improve your digestion. |
| Reconsidering Salt |
| Americans are so used to hearing physicians' warnings against salt that Dr. Batmanghelidj's advice to add a pinch of salt to drinking water sounds strange at first. But he's right. While refined table salt causes serious problems, natural salt improves every body function. |
| All popular brands of table salt have been bleached, then treated with stabilizing agents and dehydrating chemicals. Whether coarse or finely ground, this salt is between 98- and 99-percent pure sodium chloride (NaCl), and it was dried at temperatures high enough to change its crystalline structure. Its structural changes, nutrient-stripping and added chemicals make table salt difficult for the body to assimilate, contributing to electrolyte imbalances, trace mineral deficiencies and digestive problems. The sodium content of nearly every processed food derives from refined salt. |
| Unfortunately, most sea salt is as processed as table salt and contains added chemicals as well. Nearly all are 98- to |
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