The miraculous medicine man

"Forty years ago when I started out as a homeopath, homeopathy was not well accepted either medically or socially. Today, WHO has acknowledged it as the world’s second largest system of medicine and one that is growing at a faster rate than allopathy. In this book, I have drawn upon my forty years of clinical experience to provide safe and sure health solutions for over 100 different diseases. The aim is to reach the benefits of homeopathy to the maximum number of holistic health seekers,"said Dr Mukesh Batra at the launch of his book, Healing with Homeopathy, in the city.

Published by Jaico, the book covers 100 illnesses arranged alphabetically from A-Z. We catch up with the author.

What made you come out with this book?
This is my third book, and I have written it 13 years after my previous one. There are many reasons why I wrote this book. First of all, I want to reach out to people. Only a few people come to our clinics. I want people to benefit from this book. Secondly, some people doubt homeopathy. They say that it doesn’t work. Through this book, I have cleared those pressing questions. I have put across things scientifically and also busted the myths and misconceptions about homeopathy. Also, in my 40 years of experience as a medical professional, I wanted to record whatever I’ve seen. This is primarily a handbook for doctors as well as laymen.

We heard that the proceeds from the sales of the book will go for People for Animals. You recently turned a vegetarian. Has it improved your health in any way?
Turning vegetarian has worked well for me. I have lost weight and my cholesterol level has come down. Homeopathy is a ‘humane’ medical stream. And being vegetarian is also a humane thing to do. I am an animal lover, an environmentally conscious citizen and being vegetarian, I believe is a humane act.

From the present Prime Minister to film personalities, your client list is expansive as well as impressive. What is the most successful case study you’ve had so far?
That is difficult to answer. I want to mention this categorically. A film star is as good as his or her last film. For a doctor, it’s not like that. Every patient is important. I have learnt from every patient and learning is an ongoing process. Quality of life is what is important.

Talking about quality, don’t you think there is a dire need to check the quality of the homeopathy clinics that are mushrooming in the country?
Yes, absolutely. There are 500,000 homeopathy doctors in the country, but only about 60,000 are institutionally qualified. It is a fragmented industry. Also today, there might be very good doctors, but very few quality institutions.

In the book, you have picked 100 ailments, arranged them alphabetically and explained each in detail. Why did you zero in on these 100 illnesses?
I took two factors into consideration while deciding the diseases. Firstly, the commonness of the disease. A disease like jaundice is very common in India. Also, something like chickenpox can affect every household. I’ve also focused on those diseases where homeopathy has an edge over other methods of treatment. Battling diseases is not just through medicines but also though will power.

As a doctor who believes in addressing the root cause of diseases more than giving temporary solutions, what do you have to tell people?
I would say, 90 per cent of the diseases comes through the mind. Modern medicine has also accepted that today. We are living in a restless world. A study shows that 46 per cent of the people in the country are depressed. Quiet a lot of problems stem as a result of stress — hair loss, respiratory problems, cervical pains, eczema and so on. Today, mind has a bigger role to play in physical and mental health. And because homeopathy is a mind-body medicine, it has an important role today.