"Holistic medicine made in the UAE is the solution for evolution of humanity"

When Dr Ludmila Vassiliev first brought the idea of holistic healing to Dubai more than three decades ago, many told her that it would not work.

“I still remember,” she recalls, with a smile that holds both amusement and quiet triumph. “A friend told me, ‘Holistic medicine won’t become popular here. Nobody will come to you.’”

She looked him in the eye and replied with conviction: “I am convinced of its value and benefit. In just a couple of years, it will be highly sought after.”

Time proved her right.

A model for the world

Today, the UAE’s vision for healthcare has expanded further with the creation of the Emirates Council for Integrative Medicine, chaired by Sheikha Salama bint Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan. As announced by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the council will work to integrate modern medicine with complementary and traditional practices, focusing on the health of body, mind, and soul, to develop unified treatment protocols, build new specialisations, and raise awareness nationwide.

Holistic and integrative medicine is not just gaining popularity in the UAE but is enshrined in law, woven into the country’s healthcare system, and embraced by doctors and patients alike.

“Holistic healing medicine is fast developing in the UAE, and the country is pioneering this line of medicine which is recognised as a model for the world,” says Dr Ludmila, the founder of Holistic Healing in Dubai, and who has been recognised as the best doctor, and her clinic as the best in its field in 2024 and 2025. “The UAE is going to great lengths to ensure that its visitors, residents and citizens enjoy quality holistic health care system in the country.”

Although she is a qualified cardiologist, she shifted her focus to holistic medicine recognising its immense benefits. “Essentially, I opened my mind to two parallel lines of medicine — one that cares for sickness, and another that cares for people’s overall health.”

She’s quick to clarify that her approach doesn’t oppose conventional medicine. “I don’t challenge modern medicine. Not at all,” she says. “What I offer is another option, one that works on a much deeper level — a dimension that medicine was always meant to include. There’s no need to replace it; modern medicine has made incredible progress and brought immense benefits. But yes, it also has its side effects. I simply provide two perspectives from one qualified doctor — modern and holistic — to help patients choose the most effective path to health.”

For her, the goal is harmony, not conflict. “There’s a place for both — modern medicine and holistic medicine,” she says with conviction. “In the 21st century, we should unite Western science with Eastern wisdom. This point is very important,” she adds with a smile. This is exactly what she is practising and advocating. “Practices like ayurveda and acupuncture have existed for more than 5,000 years; they come from East. We need to bring these ancient insights together with today’s scientific advances. The fact the UAE is supporting holistic medicine with adequate legislation is praiseworthy.”

Born into a family of doctors and later marrying one, medicine was never merely a career choice for Dr Ludmila. It was a way of life. A gifted student and scientist, she trained as a general practitioner and cardiologist, earned a PhD that uniquely merged mathematics and cardiology, and went on to work in Ukraine. With scientific discovery of principle of optimal disease that any disease is not supposed to be suppressed or managed, because the body has tremendous capacity for regeneration and healing as life always likes to leave!! This scientific discovery was the foundation to later develop holistic medicine made in UAE

But even then, she sensed something was missing. “Doctors were being paid for sickness, not for health,” she says. “Modern medicine has become about controlling disease, not about healing people.”

Driven by this realisation, she set out to master disciplines that sought to restore balance to the human mind, body and spirit - Iridology, Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine, and Homeopathy. That led her to conceive the Holistic Healing Approach in Medicine, one that unites Western science with Eastern wisdom. She opened her first homeopathy centre in Donetsk, later expanding to Kiev, before eventually bringing her vision to Dubai.

The first doctor in Ukraine to obtain a legal license to practice homeopathy, the doctor repeated that achievement a few years later in the UAE, becoming the country’s first registered homeopathy consultant.

Dr Ludmila is quick to point out that holistic healing does not replace modern medicine; it complements it. “I am a doctor of two lines of medicine,” she explains. “Modern medicine, which is essential for interventions like surgeries or emergencies, and holistic medicine, which restores health and helps people move beyond sickness.”

Can holistic approaches complement mainstream medicine without compromising scientific rigor or evidence-based practice? I ask.

“I’ve been complementing the two for more than 30 years now,’’ says the doctor, a recipient of the Sheikh Zayed International Award for Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicine (TCAM), bestowed on professionals in recognition of their distinguished services in the field of medicine. “I know exactly where each belongs. If there is an accident outside my clinic, I call an ambulance immediately. I don’t prescribe natural pills.”

In the course of her consultation, if she feels there is need for an MRI, X-ray, ultrasound, or laboratory test for a patient, she doesn’t hesitate to order them. “My patients’ conditions are proven by investigations. I use all the tools of modern medicine, but I complement them with holistic treatments. My approach is academic, and evidence-based.

“I hold two medical licenses and practise both modern and holistic medicine in full compliance with UAE law. In diagnosis, I rely on modern medical tools for accuracy; in treatment, I focus on holistic methods that heal the cause rather than manage symptoms.”

Dr Ludmila was instrumental in initiating and shaping the regulations that made holistic and complementary medicine legally recognised in the UAE. She offers a simple analogy to drive home the importance of holistic medicine: “Life today is not stressful but on high speed, and you need to train yourself on how to drive consciously. If you don’t know how to drive a fast car like a Ferrari, don’t get into its driver seat. But if you do, at least get proper training. That’s what holistic healing does. It trains people to live life fully, in resonance, with health, happiness, and success.”

The difference between modern and holistic medicine, she says, is in focus. “While the former functions on the body, the latter works with energy, life force, and vibration. Without energy, none of the body’s systems function. It’s like a mobile phone - without charge, it’s just a piece of plastic.”

Tesla’s words echo in her practice: “If you want to understand life and health, you need to understand energy and vibration.”

And yet, she insists both systems are necessary. “In the 21st century, we need doctors who are educated in both approaches. One to manage sickness, the other to regenerate health. Ultimately, people must have the choice: do you want to be sick, or do you want to be healthy?”

That dual approach has flourished in the UAE thanks to robust regulation. “Today, there are around 300 homeopathy doctors here, 200 practicing Ayurveda, and around a 100 osteopaths. This is possible because the UAE has created a legal framework. This is what makes the country unique. The UAE is the best place for humanity to realise natural medicine.

“This medicine is recognised, popular, and respected by people, the government, and by other doctors. It offers the highest possibilities. And I am proud of that.”

She sees this as a continuation of the legacy of the Founding Father the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan who strongly supported natural healing. The fact that the World Health Organisation named the Zayed Complex for Herbal Research and Traditional Medicine as a regional centre for alternative medicine in the Middle East in the early 2000s is proof of that. “This country has vision. It understands that healing is not about controlling sickness, but about restoring life.”

From inertia to intensity

For Dr Ludmila, healthcare equals prevention and regeneration. “Right now, humanity is in inertia. People focus on business, money, social activity but forget that without life, none of this exists. Life must be the first priority.”

She likens the future of healthcare to a luxury car. “If you buy a high-end automobile, you get it serviced regularly and not just when there’s an accident, correct? Likewise, health must be serviced continuously, not only when sickness happens.”

The long-time resident of UAE is convinced that the nation, with it’s decades of experience, laws, and regulations can serve as a model for the world. “We are showing that modern allopathic medicine - excellent for emergencies and life-saving interventions - can work in harmony with holistic and energy-based approaches, which restore and sustain health.

“Allopathic medicine,” she says, “suppresses symptoms which are actually signals from the body… messages that tell us something is wrong and to take action. If you ignore or suppress the signals - dizziness, headaches, fatigue, among others - eventually you will develop disease. Almost 99 per cent of modern diseases today are a direct result of lifestyle choices. Hospitals are full, yet we forget that our lifestyle is the source of much of our suffering.”

Holistic healing medicine is the panacea that supports the body’s natural regenerative ability, she says. “Hospitals should care for disease, yes, but holistic medicine should care for and serve health. Health is a balanced state of being — equilibrium that requires continuous support through natural, preventive, and regenerative practices, not chemical suppression. My vision is to help people transform from stress, suffering, and sickness to health, happiness, and success. Because without health, no one cares about success. Only when health exists can people focus on creating, realizing, and achieving whatever they want. Unfortunately, many people care only about success, neglecting health, until life itself reminds them that ‘Your health is more important than your business.”

The global problem, she argues, is that “sickness is rewarded, not health.” Insurance covers treatment for illness, but not preventive or regenerative care. “Doctors are paid for sickness, not for health. That must change.

“The UAE can be the first country to reward health. It already leads the world in happiness initiatives. And true happiness, along with success, is only possible with health.”

She envisions the UAE as a “garage for health regeneration,” a global hub where people come not to manage disease but to prevent it, regenerate, and thrive.

“Back in the 1990s, I realised the UAE was the best place in the world for health regeneration. Why? Because of three natural elements: sun, sand, and sea. These three together provide powerful conditions for Health, Happiness, Vitality and Longevity in a short period of time. Combine these with security and modern infrastructure, and you have a unique environment for regeneration,” says the doctor.

“I’ve seen tremendous success in patients with hypertension, asthma, allergies, autoimmune diseases, and more. If patients are willing to change, they improve. Holistic medicine helps people understand their body and its capacity to heal. It doesn’t just prevent disease but restores health.”

Dr Ludmila makes it clear that if you focus only on preventing disease, your focus remains on disease. But if you focus on supporting health, disease does not even need to be part of the conversation.

“Health is a continuous process that requires service and attention every day. We unconsciously do many things - eat, sleep, breathe - but if we learn to do these consciously, supporting our natural processes, we unlock our body’s full capacity,” she says, with a smile.

In conclusion, Dr Ludmila says, “As the UAE is a model for the world to follow, holistic medicine made in the UAE is the solution for the evolution of humanity.”