People may find it odd that after almost five years of running his hospital Dr Vishnu Vignesvaran has tended to exactly 94 patients. However, if one were to look at the various ‘incurable’ conditions he has managed to rectify in these patients, then his measured pace of treatment will make sense. “We treat only a few patients at a time. In fact we only have one patient visit us in a day, after which we do a battery of tests and then prescribe a treatment schedule,” says the naturopathy specialist who has made a name and reputation for himself in South India.
As the medical director and chief scientist of the Denaturals Hospital and Research Centre in Velachery, Dr Vishnu reveals that his naturopathy and herbal cures are derived from knowledge that his grandfather passed on to him. “My grandfather used to practise herbal medicine in a small village near Kovilpatti, and most of my art is what I have learnt from him,” he says. Now he relies on five families from all four South Indian states to courier him fresh herbs as and when he requires them. “The curing ability depends on how fresh the herbs are,” he says.
From a child with juvenile diabetes to two gentlemen over 80 whose feet were afflicted by gangrene – he has seen patients who had little hope of recovery, “Most of my patients come to me only when they have tried various streams of medicine, when allopathy has failed them or suggested amputation,” he says. He has also cured patients who came with diabetic retinopathy and appeared to have no way out barring a transplant, “After our treatment the person is completely cured and barely needs dialysis now,” he says happily.
Dr Vishnu says that, contrary to popular perception, their processes are quite integrated with the standard practice of medicine, “We have all the modern methods like scans and blood tests and radiology and we use it all to ensure that we diagnose and treat in a wholesome manner,” he says. Though naturopathy includes the use of the five elements – earth, water, wind, fire and air – and has treatment methods including ozonotherapy, mud therapy and hydrotherapy, using herbs is where the focus lies.
“Whether the herbs are ingested or applied externally, we first test the herbs with their blood sample, remove the toxins, test them on animals and only then start the treatment,” he adds.
Having treated people with chronic conditions like ulcers and in the initial cancer stages Dr Vishnu lets us in on a little secret – as much as 40 per cent of non-communicable conditions can be eradicated by just working on the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe,
“There are several food rules that we follow: don’t eat tomato and brinjal together, don’t eat oranges and grapes together and so on. This goes a long way in keeping people healthy,” he reveals.