A traditional touch, alongside an allopath

After practising medicine for seven years in India, London returned neuropsychiatrist Dr E S Krishnamoorthy understood that while Indians had total trust in modern medicine their heart was often in traditional systems. If an ayurvedic medicine would work or if a series of yoga sessions seemed to help, they would rather go for that. Like most allopaths, Dr Krishnamoorthy , was initially dismissive but soon realised that he should investigate the science behind “alternative medicine.“

After some years of diligent research and efforts, he launched a small clinic called Trimed, as a pilot, near his house in Sri Nagar Colony in 2009. With seed money from family and friends, Trimed sought to weave allopathy with ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy and pilates.

The first task for the integrated medical therapy centre was drawing up treatment protocols that integrate diverse genre whose practitioners have typically worked in silos ­ with each being mostly dismissive of the other. “In most such integrated centres, we realised that treatment was mostly left to patients' choice. Many times patients aren't guided through choices. Ours was a clinic and we decided that treatment protocols will be decided by the doctor,“ said Dr Krishnamoorthy , one of the founders of Trimed. For nearly 40 conditions including pain, disability and mental health issues the team has standardised treatment practices.

Patients coming to Trimed meet an allopathic practitioner first, but they are also evaluated by at least four other specialists including a physiotherapist, naturopath, ayurveda practitioner and a psychologist. The specialists then discuss the treatment plan for each case sheet.“Sometimes treatment plans take more than two hours to formulate,“ said Dr Rema Ragu, an epidemiologist, who is one of the core members.The aim is to bridge the limitations of allopathy with the wisdom in traditional medicine. “We made a conscious choice that all medicines prescribed will be only allopathic. Massages and therapy from other traditional streams are integrated with modern medicine. But with every case it is important to offer holistic care,“ she adds.

The cloud-based electronic medical records of each patient stored at the hospital showed substantial progress in most patients. For instance, a 92-year-old a wheelchairbound patient walked out of the hospital after 15 days of intensive therapy and young IT professional was taken off the bench and put on projects after he was able to control mood disorders. Soon, Trimed, with its mobile therapy unit -an ambulance converted to therapy centre -extended services to homecare. “When people come to us they realise that almost everyone in the family needs holistic medical management," said Gayathri Krishnamoorthy, a core administrator at Trimed. The centre, which was exclusively for medical management, is now expanding to offer rejuvenation therapy .

The company received funding of $300,000 from an Indian businessman living abroad. It is planning to start another centre in Coimbatore. “When I first heard about it I was impressed about the holistic approach concept. In fact some members in my family tried and benefited from it. I don't think such centres should mushroom all over, but I certainly believe they have a place,“ said A Vellayan, executive chairman, Murugappa Group, who has invested in his individual capacity.

(This series profiles innovative startups in the state)