Dr Batra's clinics have launched a new genetics-based therapy that predicts future diseases

Mitchelle D’Souza, Sub-editor/Reporter

The founder and chairman of Dr Batra’s group of companies, Dr Mukesh Batra’s name has become a byword for homeopathy.

The pioneering Indian doctor-cum-entrepreneur has built a legacy which includes a network of clinics, day-care aesthetic centres, and health and wellness products.

We caught up with Dr Batra at his Healthcare City clinic in Dubai, where he spoke at length about the workings of homeopathy and introduced us to the new Geno-Homeopathy treatment launched by the brand.

Can you explain what homeopathy treatment is for those who don’t have a clear understanding? How does it work in comparison to conventional medicine?

There’s actually a misconception that it’s not well known. For emergencies and conventional problems, allopathy is the go-to. Like a heart attack, surgeries, gunshot wounds and so on.

However, homeopathy is safe for anything that is chronic and long lasting such as psychosomatic problems like stress, anxiety, and depression related issues; allergies, skin and hair problems.

We treat a wide range of illnesses such as asthma, arthritis, anxiety, depression, backache, cervical spondylitis, kidney stones in primary stage, warts, piles, PCOD, nasal polyps etc.

It has no side-effects and is completely painless and non-invasive. It goes to the root of the problem, nipping it in the bud, rather than just supressing it temporarily with pain killers.

Is it true that homeopathy is slower in addressing an ailment in comparison to allopathy?

It’s partly true, but not entirely. If you come to allopathy for a chronic sinus problem, you pop a pill and supress it. Similarly for a skin allergy, an ointment will supress the symptoms. The moment you stop, it flares up again.

So when you look at suppression, it is quick in allopathy, but that’s not a cure. In conventional medicine, treatment is as slow as homeopathy or maybe even slower

For instance, a patient may be supressing his/her migraine or skin problem for the last 10 years with allopathy by taking pain killers and anti-inflammatories but without a proper solution.

However, if he/she were to take homeopathy for just 10 months, it would cure it, and hence that makes it much faster and effective as it gets to the root of the cause.

The reason it may feel seemingly long is because most illnesses are chronic, long-standing and deep-rooted.

Geno-Homeopathy treatment employs a gene test to predict, pre-empt and treat an illness. Charles Bertram/TNS

Can you give us an insight into the new Geno-Homeopathy treatment launched in the UAE?

As you may be aware, genetic DNA studies have been around for some years and have become more popular off late, thanks to Angelina Jolie creating awareness by positively testing herself for a cancer gene.

This helps predict and pre-empt an illness. How this works is that you have genes that are inherited, with 99.9 per cent of them being normal. But 0.1 per cent genes can be faulty and that percentage decides what diseases we carry.

A gene is like a finger print, it never changes. So just like you would use your finger print or pupil for identity, this is used for gene mapping through a simple sputum test. Now that 0.1 percentage gene decides how healthy I can be and which diseases I am likely to suffer from.

So with Geno-Homeopathy we can now analyse those 0.1 per cent genes. We completed one year in India in September and did 15,000 cases of genetic mapping.

This technique gives you your disease propensity and can tell you, for example, whether you’ll go bald five or 10 years from now; if you’re prone to heart attack or diabetes it will tell you when you’re likely to get it.

Post an analysis, a homeopathic treatment is offered to the patient to treat a condition. So this can be almost life-saving and is now within people’s reach in the UAE.

Angelina Jolie found out through genetic testing similar to Geno-Homeopathy that she is at a high risk of developing breast cancer. Marechal Aurore/TNS

There are a lot of cynics out there who question the scientific basis of homeopathy. What do you have to say to that?

A research we conducted three to four years ago found that a majority of people in Indian metros were taking homeopathy as the first choice of treatment. Pharma is growing at 10 per cent while homeopathy is growing at 30 per cent all over the world.

People are getting disillusioned with chemical medication, its side effects and opting for substances that are natural and safe, and holistic remedies, which homeopathy includes.

To give you a little perspective, there are around 300 people dying of drug reaction in America alone everyday which is equal to a Boeing crash. But it doesn’t get as much attention, which can be pinned on the strong medical lobby.

So there’s a gradual shift happening from allopathy to homeopathy not just in India but all over the world.

That being said, there are a lot of cynics and the lobbies that plant various stories. In spite of all this homeopathy is growing exponentially. The proof of the pudding is in eating it, so people should give it a try before denouncing it.