Physician and entrepreneur Dietrich Grönemeyer is considered the «father of microtherapy. In an exclusive interview with finews.asia he reveals his plans as an investor. He also explains how he is dealing with COVID-19 and what connects him with his brother, acclaimed singer and composer Herbert Grönemeyer to this day.

Dietrich Grönemeyer, the lockdown, or circuit breaker in Singapore, has brought many people to their psychological limits and has exhausted questions about their well-being. Where does health begin with you?

It starts with small things, such as leaving the house for some fresh air or having the courage to do nothing. Basically, nutrition and daily exercise are central – if possible for an hour, no matter how busy I am.

In connection with healthy food, our intestines play a very important role. This is because most acute or chronic illnesses – cellulite, acne, skin problems, frequent colds, sometimes depression or back pain, apart from the usual suspects such as bad breath, allergies and constipation – are directly or indirectly related to this organ.

What is your dietary advice?

Eat as healthy as possible, with little or no meat, and ensure you have enough fiber. And incorporate into your diet spices such as turmeric, ginger, thyme or garlic and medicinal plants such as chamomile or rockrose, for example as tea for antibiotic prevention or therapy.

«For many foods there is also a healthier alternative»

People who eat too little fiber grow the wrong bacteria in their intestines. Fiber is plentiful in vegetables, pulses and nuts, especially pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, peanuts, linseeds, walnuts or cashews. We generally eat too little of these.

For many foods there is also a healthier alternative: cooked lentils or peas are full of fiber and provide almost as much protein as eggs, but they have many more calories from fat and contain zero fiber.

Today, vegetarians and vegan diets are in vogue. Do you eat meat?

Personally, I eat meat from time to time, but out of respect for nature, very rarely. And when I eat a steak, I hold it like the Indians and bow down devoutly and ask for forgiveness.

«I'm also getting less and less tolerant»

Also with bees by the way, when I enjoy their honey. It's just a great remedy. It works as an antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory agent – internally and externally.

What about alcohol?

I very rarely consume alcohol. I'm also getting less and less tolerant. In the past, doctors used to say that a glass of red wine had health benefits. However, new studies have shown different findings. Because alcohol weakens the immune system and can cause cancer and increase the risk of diabetes, it is best avoided.

That sounds pretty strict.

No. It's just the facts. But I don't want to talk about dogmatism or dogged asceticism. It's all about moderation, like with food.

The name Grönemeyer is also internationally known through your brother Herbert Grönemeyer, an accomplished musician and actor. In the background, if you want to put it that way, you have built up a medical empire. How did this come about?

After graduating from high school in 1972, I first studied Romance languages and Sinology in Bochum. It was not until 1976 that I began studying human medicine in Kiel, where I received my doctorate in 1981.

«In 2002 the term ‹microtherapy› was even included in the Pschyrembel medical dictionary»

I then worked as an assistant doctor in radiology and later held the chair of radiology and the world's only chair of microtherapy at the University of Witten/Herdecke until my retirement in 2012.

You are considered the «father of microtherapy.» What did you establish?

In simple terms, it is about the merging and further development of radiology, endoscopy and pain therapy. In 2002 the term «microtherapy» was even included in the Pschyrembel medical dictionary. By nature, I am a high-tech physician and radiologist.

I have learned to make precise diagnoses from computer tomograph (CT) and MRT scans. So the step was obvious that what I see diagnostically is also treated specifically. This is how I started microtherapy in the 1980s. Despite great medical resistance, I began to treat patients with image-controlled tomographs: intervertebral discs, cancer, pain, and abscesses.

«So my entrepreneurial activity flourished»

Microtherapy is interdisciplinary and is spreading worldwide. Today, we control the interventions more closely with a quasi GPS-controlled on a laser beam, which – as at the University of Basel – is projected onto the body with pinpoint accuracy to define the precise direction to the target location.

You have established a medical company around your activities. You have written bestsellers on medical issues, you run a magazine and a television show in Germany under your own name, and you act as an investor. What is your entrepreneurial motivation for this?

Wherever I have seen a deficiency in my environment, whether in examinations, therapy or medical care, I have always tried to contribute my know-how or financial means. This was the case, for example, with the development of probes and needles for microtherapy – there was a lack of these on the market at the time, as well as diagnostic software on laptops at the end of the 1980s. There were also hardly any devices for navigation. So my entrepreneurial activity flourished.

At the beginning of the 1990s, as a 38-year-old chief radiologist, I completed the first medical management buyout deal of a radiological unit from a Protestant hospital in Germany because I was dissatisfied with the working conditions there.

How do you manage the balancing act between being a trusted doctor and a businessman?

A good question! First and foremost, I am a doctor and adhere to the relevant code of conduct. However, where I see the potential for development and improvement, I get involved as a businessman.

As an investor, you recently founded the company Grönemeyer Swiss Health. What are your plans in Switzerland?

I come to Switzerland regularly and enjoy being there. One of the things I associate with the country is the demand for the highest quality and precision, which runs through many areas of life and work.

«We are currently looking at further investments together with our partners»

The company invests in Germany and Switzerland both in high-tech medicine and in companies that use naturopathic methods in the treatment of diseases. My family has already invested in a company that produces ecological microplastic-free green medicinal plant products for the treatment of back pain, as well as in Seven Sundays near Basel, which is active in sleep technology, including the development of modular mattresses and orthopedic pillows.

We are currently looking at further investments together with our partners. We want to combine the high-tech and IT approach as well as that of conventional medicine with natural therapies. In addition, we will implement a digital platform in Switzerland.

Could you elaborate on that a bit?

The corona pandemic has accelerated digitization enormously. This also applies to medical or healthcare services, which in many parts of the world already operate digitally to a very large extent.

People are increasingly obtaining information about health in digital form and are also looking for products and services in this way. As we already publish the magazine «Grönemeyer - Medizin mit Herz & Seele» (Medicine with Heart & Soul), it was obvious to think about a digital platform where we could both offer content with high utility value, but also communicate interactively, offer products and services.

«I think it is great that we have both gone our own way»

Launching this from Switzerland has to do with the reliability and high degree of digitization of the country. I am very confident about this.

What kind of relationship do you have with your brother Herbert?

A very good one! We visit each other frequently and exchange ideas and experiences. I think it is great that we have both gone our own way. We have great respect for each other and are fans of each other’s work. We are both still connected with Bochum, and with Switzerland.

Born in 1952, Dietrich Grönemeyer is a German doctor and entrepreneur. Until 2012, he held the chair for radiology and microtherapy at the University of Witten/Herdecke and is considered the «father of microtherapy.» He pleads for a new way of health, in which orthodox medicine and naturopathy go hand-in-hand and traditional healing arts are recognized on par with modern high-tech procedures.