“It is complementary to allopathy and other forms of medicine and a holistic approach using natural remedies like herbs, massages, acupuncture, reflexology, yoga and most importantly right nutrition. I have used these methods to heal myself and know from experience that the results are incredible” says Dr. Rishivardhini who has quite literally lived the words ‘Physician, heal thyself!’. Anything stemming from experience is credible, and beyond doubt, a fact that probably propelled her to name her naturopathy clinic seeking to make the birth process complication – free and prevent birth defects as ‘Beyond birth’. Sharing clinical space with her husband Dr. Sugan who has been using naturopathy to successfully treat children with autism and other disorders for the past 12 years in ECR Chennai, young Rishivardhini had a complication-free natural birth using naturopathy when she had her son Harshiv Krithick four years ago. She has also started treating people with infertility and is happy to note that most of her patients recorded positive results and are enjoying motherhood. Speaking to her was a revelation on how just simple diet changes like eliminating certain foods and adding others along with physical activity helped the body get rid of toxins. “I do not recommend extremely rigid diets or restrictions on the portions one consumes. We need to eat right and enjoy different kinds of foods since complete avoidance creates a craving for food and results in binge eating” she warns. Rishivardhini is confident that naturopathy can treat most diseases including life-threatening ones if diagnosed early.
Her shift in focus from treating women during pregnancy to infertility issues came about as a result of her experience in working with her husband on children suffering from autism. The trauma that parents experienced in raising special children made her aware as never before that a lifestyle recommended by naturopathy was required from conception to birth. Rishivardhini treated many patients online during the Covid pandemic and continues to treat those outside Chennai in this manner. She however prefers to meet local patients for consultation in person so that she can come up with suitable treatments with greater accuracy. Her husband’s work with autistic children is even more difficult because of the impact on parents, but he is very patient and copes with the pressure and has been a source of strength and encouragement, Rishi concedes with pride. Driven by idealism Dr. Rishivardhini and Dr. Sugan seek to bring the gift of health to a large number of people who are subjected to excessive use of medicines that bring unforeseen complications some of which are debilitating. “I want to reach out to people through effective, affordable and lasting methods of natural treatments and ensure physical, mental and emotional balance that constitute good health” says Dr. Rishivardhini who believes that naturopathy is the way forward.