Dubai: A psychic healer who claims that he can treat illnesses, including HIV/Aids, diabetes and cancer, has drawn flak from health authorities, who are warning the public not to fall for his claims.
The Dubai Department of Health and Medical Services (Dohms) and the Ministry of Health are warning the public against Mohammad Ali Akbari, a psychic healer from Iran, brought in by Nili Health and Wellness Centre, an alternative medicine centre.
Akbari claims he is able to heal or treat any illnesses through the "supernatural" power of his mind as a complement to mainstream medical treatment.
"The energy comes from my brain and I channel it through my hands," he said, adding that his treatment worked best on patients who were open-minded.
Sahel Nazari, vice chairman of the Nili Group, said Akbari would start meeting patients at the clinic in September. The centre also plans to hold public healing sessions, which he believes will attract hundreds of people at the same time.
However, Dohms and the Ministry of Health said Akbari was not allowed to practice in Dubai or the rest of the UAE.
Mohsen Saad Basaalah, director of licensing at Dohms, told Gulf News that Dohms has rejected Akbari's application for a licence as there was no way to verify his ability.
"[Dohms] does not allow a licence for psychic healing for the time being [because] what he's talking about cannot be proven. What is the evidence that your hands have the power?" he asked.
"If the clinic advertises him in the newspapers, we will close the clinic," he added.
He said the public should not put their faith in "magicians" who claim to improve their health through intangible ways, adding that four other psychic healers have applied for a licence, but were rejected.
"People should not believe, they should not go and they definitely should not pay for [such services]," he told Gulf News.
Health laws in the UAE do not recognise psychic or faith healing.
Mohammad Ali Akbari claims his powers worked best on those whose mainstream medical treatment has failed and those "receptive" to his energy. "If the patient is a good receiver for my energy then it will work," he said.
He added that belief in his powers was not required in order for it to work, however, saying that an open mind was enough.
He said his "power therapy" works as a complement to medical treatment and that patients should never stop seeing their physicians.
Akbari also claims that he has been the subject of more than 9,000 tests by prestigious universities in the United States and France.
When a Gulf News search for the studies turned up nothing, Akbari said the studies were kept "a secret" and not made public due to jealousy from the medical community and pharmaceutical companies.
In an attempt to report impartially, Gulf News volunteered for a healing session.
Akbari waved his hands close to my body but did not touch it. I could feel warmth from his hands, but that could be from the friction of rubbing his hands together before the session.
He touched my shoulders and back a few times and then said that I had back pain and some problems with my shoulders.
I do not suffer from back pain and other than a tendency to slouch when I sit, I do not have a problem with my shoulders either.
The one illness I had, Akbari failed to detect or heal. I had a headache during the press conference and when I went to sleep that night, I still had it.
