The Allergy Cure

Written by Raymond Salas

I went through a two-year period in my life where everything I consumed caused some type of allergic reaction. No matter what I ate, I soon had a “stuffy” nose and difficulty breathing minutes after eating. Initially, I tried to change my diet. No relief. I tried different herbs and supplements. For example, I heard that stinging nettle was good for allergies, but it brought little relief to me. I was becoming frustrated. I researched and experimented with many different approaches. Still, no relief. I did not want to return to my childhood ritual of weekly allergy shots and booster shots every six weeks, but I was running out of ideas.

One morning during this period, soon after awakening, I had a really strong feeling and “hunch” to go to my favorite bookstore The Bodhi Tree. “Why?” I wondered. Logically, I had no need for a book. I was already reading one book and saw no use for another one. Besides, I never liked to buy more than one book at a time because often after finishing the first one, I had little or no desire to read the rest of my books in a multiple book purchase. Through many trials with this personal phenomenon (does this ever happen to you?), I learned that it was more satisfying for me personally to buy one book at a time and proceed from there.

Yet, the desire to go to the Bodhi Tree that morning was strong and would not go away. So, I dressed myself begrudgingly and drove over to the store. I literally had kind of an attitude with my Higher Self or whatever else was nudging me to do this. “O.K. I’m here. Now what?” I asked out loud, sort of waiting for some type of guidance from somewhere. I still did not know why I was there. I started to look around casually and soon “found” myself reading some book called "Your Body’s Many Cries For Water" by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. I had never heard of it before (or Dr. “Batman” for that matter).

In this book, this medical doctor explains his theory, research, and findings that many diseases and conditions, such as allergies and asthma, are actually signs of thirst and chronic dehydration in the body. Now, this was not a big revelation to me because I have always been a big water drinker, or so I believed. As I skimmed through the book, I found the “recipe” the doctor recommends daily:
  1. Drink ½ of your body weight in ounces every day. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, drink 80 ounces of pure water every day (ideally consumed in 8 -10 ounce portions spread throughout the day). Dr. B. recommends that you drink your water daily before each meal and a couple of hours after each meal, upon awakening every morning, before exercise, and any other time you are thirsty. Also, Dr. B. points out that it is important not to meet this minimum daily requirement for water with juices, soft drinks, or other beverages. Although they may contain water, he says to drink pure water only.
  2. Add ¼ teaspoon of pure, unrefined sea salt to your diet for every quart of water. According to Dr. B., the sea salt helps your cells absorb water better and has many other health benefits for your body. He recommends adding it liberally to your food or adding it to water when drinking.
  3. He also recommends avoiding alcohol and caffeine because they will only dehydrate you further. In fact, for every 6 ounces of alcohol or caffeine consumed, he recommends adding an additional 10-12 ounces of water, to your minimum daily intake.
For some reason, after reading all of this, I felt compelled to try it. The hardest part for me would be adding salt to my diet. Typically, I never added salt to any meal or knowingly consumed it as part of my diet. Yet, I took his suggestions and applied it as follows:
  • I consumed two 8-ounce glasses of water and a pinch of sea salt upon arising every morning and at bedtime.
  • I consumed one 8-ounce glass of water and a pinch of sea salt before and after each meal.
  • I consumed one 8-ounce glass of water and a pinch of sea salt before, during, and after exercise and every other time I felt thirsty.
  • I added sea salt liberally to my meals, wherever possible.
  • I stopped drinking coffee every day. I don’t drink alcohol.
As I acknowledged, consuming the sea salt was definitely an adjustment for me, but I stuck to it. I used Celtic Sea Salt, which is unrefined and contains all of the original trace elements and minerals. Not drinking coffee every day was also a challenge for me, especially for the first couple of days. In addition, I noticed with the initial increase in my daily fluid intake, I was running to the bathroom all of the time. It looked like water in and water out, but Dr. B. says when you are properly hydrated, your urine should be clear (unless you also consume things like “B” vitamins which can color it). Eventually, my body adjusted to the higher fluid intake and frequency was no longer an issue.

The first benefit I noticed, almost immediately, was that my breathing felt much deeper than ever before. I never realized that I was breathing so shallowly all of the time. In some ways, I felt like I was taking my first deep breaths of my life because I always had allergies or breathing issues of some sort, beginning in my childhood. Maybe, this Dr. B. was on to something.

I stuck with my daily water regimen just to see what else might happen. Maybe, I would grow gills or something. Who knows? Finally, around the seventh month or so, I noticed that I no longer had any “stuffy” noses or allergy symptoms of any type. Yes, my stuffy noses were completely gone (and no, I was not taking anything else to relieve or help my allergy symptoms in any way.)

I have continued with my water consumption using Dr. B.’s suggestions and my allergies have not returned to me in any form.

If you are interested in learning more or reading further, Dr. B.’s book has been updated and is now also published as "Water for Health, for Healing, for Life." In this book, he details further the role of water and the effects of dehydration in many conditions and diseases.

I don’t know if others have had the same or similar experiences with this “water cure,” but I am grateful to Dr. B. for his research and findings. More importantly, I am grateful that I listened to my intuition early that one morning, when my logical mind when was arguing all of its opposing points (oh so rationally).


Disclaimer: This article is intended as educational information only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The author is not engaged in rendering medical or other professional services. If expert assistance is required, please seek the services of a competent professional. You are 100% responsible for what you do (or don’t do) with it.