By Mahatir Ahmed Tusher 
I was traveling on a midnight train from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to Howrah in West Bengal. Sitting across from me was a gentleman from Bangladesh, who had been to Vellore, Tamil Nadu, for his son’s medical treatment. The boy, about 9 or 10 years old, wore two large amulets around his neck. The man’s name was Twaha. With his son now on the mend, he was in high spirits, frequently offering me snacks.
During our conversation, Twaha mentioned that while medical treatment had helped, he believed that a significant part of his son’s recovery was due to the “blessed water” he had brought from their home country. I tried to offer a polite smile. He added, “Don’t laugh. This concept has now been scientifically proven.”
Twaha then pulled out a book called The Hidden Messages of Water by Masaru Emoto1. From the selection of books he carried, it was evident that Twaha was an avid reader. He pointed out a particular essay that claimed water holds memory, is influenced by human emotions, and can be affected by words. Twaha asserted that these findings prove practices such as the evil eye and exorcism have scientific merit. While some pseudoscientific2 studies have attempted to present such claims as fact, they remain widely criticized within the scientific community. Many experts consider them far removed from genuine science—a mixture of exaggeration and unsubstantiated claims.
Escaping Reproducibility: Masaru Emoto
In the 1990s, a Japanese researcher named Masaru Emoto claimed that water crystals could change shape based on words, music, and images. According to Emoto, water could perceive beauty and ugliness, responding with orderly crystals when exposed to positive influences, like beautiful pictures or kind words, and forming distorted structures when confronted with negative imagery or harsh words. For example, when water was exposed to phrases like “Thank you,” it supposedly formed well-structured crystals, while exposure to insults like “You are a fool” resulted in distorted ones. Emoto asserted that even prayer and cartoons could cause water to take on different forms.
Emoto’s work did not gain acceptance in mainstream science, but it found a place within the pseudoscientific Quantum Consciousness Movement.
To better understand why Emoto’s claims are widely rejected, it is essential to grasp the scientific process. Any discovery must go through rigorous testing, careful examination, and peer review. In order to be accepted, it must demonstrate reproducibility, meaning other scientists must be able to obtain the same results through independent experimentation. Without this, even the most intriguing claims will be dismissed.
Consider the example of Jacques Benveniste, a French immunologist who mixed a diluted solution of antibodies in water until no antibodies were detectable. He claimed that despite this, the water still caused a reaction, as if the antibodies were present. Though initially published in the prestigious journal Nature, Benveniste’s findings could not be consistently reproduced by other scientists, leading to the rejection of his work. Nature even issued a statement titled “High-dilution experiments a delusion.”.3
Similarly, Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier attempted experiments on DNA and pathogenic bacteria, echoing Benveniste’s ideas about “water memory.” Like Benveniste, Montagnier’s claims also failed reproducibility tests and were dismissed4.
Turning back to Masaru Emoto, his findings, too, were subjected to scrutiny. James Randi, a renowned skeptic, challenged Emoto to replicate his results under double-blind conditions, even offering a million-dollar prize. Emoto declined the challenge. Rather than submitting his findings to peer-reviewed journals and adhering to rigorous scientific standards, Emoto self-published his work as Message from Water.
Despite lacking peer-reviewed publication or adherence to double-blind procedures, Emoto published his findings in his own publication, “Message from Water”. In an interview with Maui News, theologian John Woodhouse, Emoto stated,
“I didn’t start with a modern scientific background. Because I didn’t know the limits of science, I didn’t stop myself from doing this research.”
This candid admission highlights why his claims remain on the fringes of scientific acceptance.
In response to a question about how scientific his research was or whether it fell within the realm of science, Emoto responded in broken English during another television interview:
“It is not science. Because as long as science needs a double blind system, no new science appeared. Because.. you know, we have two eyes. Why we need to… you know, to be the double blind.” 5
‘Dr. Emoto’, A Quack Turned into ‘Doctor’: A Deep Dive into Pseudoscience
A closer look at Masaru Emoto’s academic background, particularly his disregard for scientific methodology, reveals a man driven by fame. After graduating in “International Relations” from Yokohama Municipal University in Japan, he spent a few years in India. There, he enrolled in the “Open International University for Alternative Medicine” and awarded himself the title “Dr.” in 1992. Shortly after, the university was shut down due to allegations of selling fake medical degrees and operating as a “diploma mill”. 6
It’s important to note the dangers of alternative medicine. In conventional medicine, the effectiveness and healing properties of any treatment must be validated through plausibility, testability, reproducibility, and clinical trial evidence. However, alternative medicine tends to disregard these standards, bearing similarities to homeopathy7.
Fairy tales, fiction, and pseudoscience have always captivated the public. In 2004, Masaru Emoto’s book Message from Water became a New York Times bestseller. This popularity, however, led to severe criticism of his work from mainstream academia. Stanford University’s Emeritus Professor Dr. William Tiller remarked,
“It’s extremely easy to manipulate the crystalline structure of water, especially by adding contaminants or tinkering with the cooling rate of water.”
In this context, water crystals refer to ice. A basic understanding of school-level chemistry suffices to explain why such crystals are typically symmetrical and hexagonal in shape.
The Chemistry Behind the Hexagonal Shape of Ice Crystals
In simple terms, two hydrogen atoms share their single electron with two electrons in the outer shell of an oxygen atom, forming a water molecule through a covalent bond. The two pairs of unbound electrons in the outer shell of oxygen repel each other, distorting the tetrahedron and creating a V-shaped molecule with a bond angle of 104.5° between the two hydrogen atoms.
While water molecules are overall neutral, the oxygen atom is slightly negative due to polarization, and the hydrogen atoms are slightly positive. This is because oxygen has a higher electronegativity than hydrogen, causing the electron cloud to be denser around the oxygen atom. In liquid or vapor state, water molecules are usually scattered in a random pattern. However, when they form ice crystals, the negatively charged oxygen part of one water molecule bonds with the positively charged hydrogen part of another water molecule through hydrogen bonds. This bonding between molecules creates a hexagonal pattern. This is the basic science behind the hexagonal structure of ice crystals.
Interestingly, no two snowflakes on Earth are identical. This is because the developing shape of ice crystals is highly influenced by atmospheric conditions like humidity and temperature, not by listening to Led Zeppelin or sacred chants. Even minor changes in weather can lead to significant differences among ice crystals formed at the same time. When created artificially, it’s easy to manipulate their shape, as pointed out earlier by Emeritus Professor Dr. Tiller. He further remarked:
“In Dr. Emoto’s experiments, (supercooling) was neither controlled nor measured, a necessary requirement to be fulfilled if one wanted to prove that it was the new factor of specific human intention that was causative.”
When reviewing Emoto’s bestselling book Message from Water for the renowned science magazine Skeptical Inquirer, Dr. Harriet Hall described it as scientifically credible as the fairy tale “Alice in Wonderland.” This physician, who has spent decades fighting pseudoscience and quackery, stated,
“This book holds the title of worst book I’ve ever read on my bookshelf. It’s as scientific as Alice in Wonderland.”
Water does not have a nervous system capable of storing memories. Such a notion is impossible. The pseudoscientific claim of atoms possessing consciousness is equally baseless. Atoms combine to form molecules, and different combinations of molecules form different organisms. The concept of consciousness arises from the complex nervous systems of living beings. These pseudoscientific claims may sound fascinating, but they are more improbable than fairy tales. Much later, in 2008, Emoto approached Dean Radin, another promoter of pseudoscience. Together, they published a paper on Emoto’s crystal claims in Radin’s own journal, Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing, which lacks peer review or double-blind systems. The journal’s impact factor is a mere 2.358, indicating an average of only 2 citations9. Not to mention, this journal itself has been widely criticized for its content and editorial stance. It openly promotes pseudoscientific ideas that are not recognized by mainstream medicine. Critics have pointed out its tendency to publish studies lacking scientific foundation, labeling it a “quack journal” that goes beyond the usual pseudoscience, such as homeopathy. It has been described as a publisher of “truly ridiculous studies” and a “sham masquerading as a real scientific journal.”10
Our pseudoscience writers don’t have time for such scrutiny. If they delve too deep, their books will become shorter. Their main approach is to search Google, find information that aligns with their personal beliefs, and fill their books with these half-truths.
Pseudoscience and Absurd Nonsense
To liven things up a bit, here is something worth mentioning. According to this “Dr.” Emoto of alternative medicine fame, cigarettes are not actually as harmful as one might think. What really harms people, he claims, are the negative phrases like “smoking kills” printed on cigarette packets. In his words, “The word itself has energy to kill people.”
He suggested that writing something positive on cigarette packs could reduce the harm. Funny, isn’t it? If you need more laughs, check out the linked interview with Emoto in the referenced video11.
Various pseudoscience authors also attempt to claim that practices like “blessed water” or “faith healing” are scientific(!) and real(!) using similarly laughable explanations. According to them, since approximately 70% of the human body is water and Emoto has claimed that religious chants produce beautiful hexagonal ice crystals, it follows that “blessed water” and “faith healing” must be scientific. Another of their claims is that “the hexagonal structure of water is the most perfect shape.”
I find it ridiculous that these pseudoscience proponents think that water in the human body remains in the form of ice crystals!
The discussion about the hexagonal shape of crystals is only applicable to ice. Water molecules can only form a lattice structure when water is in a solid state. Otherwise, the molecules are in a random state12. So, there’s no such thing as “hexagonal water” in this world. Since H2O in our bodies is in a liquid state, there’s no connection between us and the lattice structure of ice crystals. With a little knowledge of chemistry, no one can mislead you with these pseudosciences.
By promoting these ideas, pseudoscience proponents sell flashy books, while certain companies sell fake electronics. Deceiving science and reality, dishonest businessmen are making huge profits by selling fake machines that claim to turn ordinary water into “hexagonal water”.13
Debunking The Concept of ‘Fourth Phase of Water’
Let’s conclude this article by debunking Gerald Pollack’s “Fourth Phase of Water”. Pollack describes the fourth phase of water in a manner suggesting that when water is placed on a hydrophilic surface (like Teflon), the water molecules split into positive and negative charges. The negatively charged portion then aligns itself along the hydrophilic surface. The negatively charged part aligns itself with the wall of the hydrophilic substance. According to Pollack, this (negatively charged water) part is the fourth phase of water. He has given it a specific name, the Exclusion Zone, or EZ for short. Pollack has given the chemical formula for this fourth phase of water as H3O2.
Now, take note of something interesting. We refer to H2O as water because it is only through this specific chemical bonding and structure that a substance is recognized as water. But, take a look at Pollack’s imagined fourth phase, H3O2. Is it possible to create a molecule with such a structure that can still be called water?
The answer is, “No”.
Such a chemical configuration would result in a solvated hydroxide ion—that is, an extra hydroxide ion bonded to a water molecule. This does not form a new molecule or substance but merely an altered state. Importantly, hydroxide itself is not water. It is the conjugate base formed when water loses a proton.
Pollack’s ridiculous research was published in a journal called Water. The journal’s impact factor in 2012 was 0.973; and on average, the journal received less than one citation per article. With even a basic understanding of school-level science, you can debunk such conspiracy theories. Interestingly, Wikipedia doesn’t even have a page for Gerald Pollack. Today, Gerald Pollack’s proposed “fourth phase of water” is as infamous as the “Water fluoridation controversy” of the 1950s and 1960s. And people with little knowledge of science believe it like it’s a divine message from the sky. Especially in our third world countries, when these clever writers see that a foreign conspiracy theory aligns with their thinking, they fill pages of their books with such pseudoscience to increase sales [14].
Footnotes and References:
[1] Huppke, Rex W. (June 10, 2014). “Does water have feelings? Paltrow says it does.” Chicago Tribune. Link: https://www.chicagotribune.com
[2] According to the Oxford English Dictionary (2nd edition, 1989), pseudoscience is defined as “A pretended or spurious science; a collection of related beliefs about the world mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method or as having the status that scientific truths now have.”
[3] Pincock, S. (2004). “Jacques Benveniste.” The Lancet, 364(9446), 1660. Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(04)17339-X
[4] Ledford, H. (2022). “Luc Montagnier (1932–2022).” Nature, 603(7900), 223. Link: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00653-y
[5] Video Source (from 2 minutes and 50 seconds onward). Link: https://youtu.be/QFDjHZKruPU
[6] TNN. (2019, January 11). “Fake university ‘VC’ targeted only quacks to issue degrees.” The Times of India. Link: https://m.timesofindia.com/city/trichy/fake-university-vc-targeted-only-quacks-to-issue-degrees/articleshow/67495657.cms
[7] Wikipedia contributors. (2024, October 5). “Alternative Medicine.” Wikipedia. Link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_medicine
[8] Hall, Harriet (November 1, 2007). “Masaru Emoto’s Wonderful World of Water.” Skeptical Inquirer. Link: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2007/11/masaru-emotos-wonderful-world-of-water/
[9] Explore Journal. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/explore
[10] Gorski, D. (January 19, 2017). “Getting NCCAM’s money’s worth: Some results of NCCAM-funded studies of homeopathy.” Science-Based Medicine. Link: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/getting-nccams-moneys-worth-some-results-of-nccam-funded-studies-of-homeopathy/
[11] Video Source (from 4 minutes and 11 seconds onward). Link: https://youtu.be/QFDjHZKruPU
[12] N/A N/A. (2024). “Types of Solutions.” In Chemistry. Link: https://ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/lech101.pdf
[13] Rowe, A. (March 17, 2008). “Video: Hexagonal Water is an Appalling Scam.” WIRED. Link: https://www.wired.com/2008/03/chem-lab-hexago/
[14] “EZ-Water – Fraud or breakthrough?” (n.d.). Chemistry Stack Exchange. Link: https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/5925/ez-water-fraud-or-breakthrough
