Climate chaos in India, with the ever-soaring temperature, heatwave, lack of rain, heat rashes, heat stroke and migraines, are just a few of the everyday unpredictable physiological strains humans are enduring. While modern science and medicine are what we exemplify as the sole remedy, homoeopathy, the more than 200-year-old system of alternative medicine, truly has in store some remarkable solutions that support the notion that the body can cure itself. One visionary leader who has become the face of homoeopathy not just in India but globally is Dr Mukesh Batra, founder and chairman of Dr Batra’s ® Group of Companies. With more than five decades of experience in the field of homoeopathy, Dr Batra has brought forth homoeopathy’s efficacy in treating various physical and mental ailments.
The Statesman caught up with Padma Shri recipient Dr Batra to learn about his humble yet rewarding journey as a homoeopath and how this field of alternative medicine, complementary to modern medicine, is still a much-debated topic.
Q. From being a first-generation entrepreneur to having your first clinical setup at Chowpatty, the journey mustn’t have been easy. Walk us through being India’s only revolutionary visionary towards making homoeopathy visible in front of everyone globally.
I graduated college in 1974, and it’s been almost 50 years since I started practising. During my initial years of practice, I observed how people did not take homoeopathy seriously; it lacked social acceptance. From social to commercial acceptance, people were not ready to leap forward with homoeopathy. In fact, when I started my first clinic in 1982, I had to borrow money at 36 per cent per annum, which took me 10 years to repay.
It was a really difficult period, and I used to call it the first mover disadvantage because it required educating the market and development costs, but then you are also opening doors for the next generations to benefit from it. It’s a challenge and not an easy task to build something new, but I would say that I am blessed. Now we have clinics in six countries, with 225 clinics all over, so that’s reaching out to almost 75,000 patients every month. Hence, you know you feel satisfied at the end, knowing that even though the journey has been difficult, it has been fruitful. In fact, according to WHO, homoeopathy is now the second-largest system of medicine globally.
Q. Was becoming a homoeopathy expert a passion you had inculcated from your very childhood?
No, it was never something I was interested in during my childhood. My father was a homoeopath, while my mother was related to allopathy. They were always so busy balancing roles at home and outside that I thought I would never become a doctor, but fate had other plans. I actually had planned on doing hotel management and went to my uncle’s hotel, where I was given jobs like washing the dishes and cleaning the toilet, and I realised that hotel management is not as glamorous as one would think.
I then joined homoeopathy and realised it was not a piece of cake. One had to work hard for several years, and the practical applications that I had inculcated from my father have enriched me as well. During my first practice, I used to change three buses to reach my place of work, and from zero patients on day one, it gradually grew to 325 patients every day. Everything I have achieved in this life is because of my profession.
Q. Homoeopathy has been a subject of dispute in the modern medicinal world. How do you think homoeopathy is transforming the course of healthcare in the modern world?
In today’s world, NCDs, or noncommunicable diseases, are increasing in number day by day. Lifestyle disorders like high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and cardiac problems are extremely common, and modern medicine does not provide a cure for them; it helps you manage them. This is where homoeopathy comes in. Being a form of holistic medicine, it can actually treat these problems well.
In terms of prevention, antibiotic consumption in the modern world has increased, which results in medicines not working during severe infections when they should have worked because your body has already built resistance against them. Homoeopathy, I believe, can help in this regard as well.
Homoeopathy focuses on mental health too. In India, there are almost 60 to 70 million people suffering from mental disorders, especially among the youth, and homoeopathy focuses on the roots rather than just providing a cure. There was a case of a young girl who used to get asthma attacks whenever her father used to travel abroad for business, and as we know, asthma can get triggered by anxiety and stress. Homoeopathy, being a holistic medicinal approach, cured her of her asthma. Homoeopathy focuses on the root of the problem, which is extremely crucial for such lifestyle disorders.
In fact, there has been a new branch of homoeopathy emerging called agro-homoeopathy, which is related to the agricultural field and is used on soil and crops for them to reap the benefits of homoeopathic science. Homoeopathy is no longer a part of archival science; from AI to machines, several modern aspects have been incorporated into this field of medicine.
Q. There are several myths out there when it comes to homoeopathy. Can you help us identify a few of them and break those myths?
Today’s generation wants everything fast, and they consider homoeopathy to be slow, which is a big myth. For example, if you are suffering from diarrhoea or even a cold and cough, you can get results by using homoeopathy in just a few hours. And because homoeopathy is holistic, you do not feel weak like you would after consuming antibiotics. For chronic problems, the result can take a bit of time because this field of medicine tries to cure it from the root.
Many believe that diet restrictions accompany homoeopathy. But I would say that it is the easiest medicine to take. There are several other misconceptions out there, but in true words, it’s just word of mouth, and there’s not much sense behind it.
Q. In the modern world, hectic schedules and monotony in everyday life have become the most mundane factors in an individual’s life. A modern life is pretty much equivalent to a busy life. How important do you think holistic healing is in managing and balancing one’s emotional, physical, and spiritual attributes? How do you think homoeopathy can aid in this?
Homoeopathy, as we know, is a holistic form of medicine, and sickness is not just a disease; ultimate health stands for a balance of every aspect together. Homoeopathy is mind, body and medicine. Homoeopathy is cost-effective, easily available, safe, and non-addicted, making it far more important in today’s world than it was in earlier times.
Q. Your recent book launch, Feel Good, Heal Good, Staying Happy with Homeopathy at the Cannes Film Festival is an important milestone. While the book talks about mental health and creating awareness, what role do you think homoeopathy plays in striking a fine balance when it comes to one’s mental health?
My earlier book was on physical health; the latest one is on mental health, while the next book I am working on will be on spiritual health. Hence, health is not just an absence of disorder; it’s a balance of all the aspects. So, even if you think you are physically fit, if you cannot surpass the negative thoughts and are not mentally alert, trust me, your health is in jeopardy. There are so many misconceptions out there regarding mental health, and there is very little open space to strike up a conversation about it. There’s a lot of stigma out there, and I wanted to break it and create awareness. And unfortunately, even with the presence of various treatments, people do not opt for it. Homoeopathy is safe, without side effects, and one does not need to consume it throughout their life; rather, only until they get better, and I wanted to highlight that as well. My book delved into emotional well-being and how homoeopathy can aid in it as well.
Q. India has reached new temperature records this year, with heatwave warnings now becoming a constant in several parts of the country and with experts warning of hotter days ahead. Can homoeopathy be a way of managing heat stress, exhaustion, dehydration and preventing heat stroke?
There are several medicines out there when it comes to handling heat stroke and heat stress. One such medicine would be Belladonna. However, it’s better to prevent it than to find cures. So make sure to stay hydrated and take the necessary measures to combat heat waves.