Sujok: The way forward?

Sujok therapy, an alternate form of medicine in which seeds, colours, magnets and acupressure are used to treat patients’ problems, is becoming increasingly popular in Hyderabad. This therapy, which was developed by Korean philosopher Dr Park Jae Woo, is based on the belief that all the organs of the body can be treated via a person’s palms and feet.

Soma Vijaya, a woman in her 60s, has discovered the therapy only recently and is stunned by the results. “For ages now, I have had trouble sleeping. I couldn’t sleep for more than two hours a day, and while it didn’t affect my functioning, I was afraid that it would affect my memory in the long run. I tried everything allopathy, homoeopathy but nothing worked. I heard about this therapy and thought that I’d try it. If it didn’t work, I was planning to go to Kerala to get another kind of treatment. I was desperate for a solution. The doctor said he would try a few different treatments. For the first three days, he experimented with acupressure, colour therapy, and magnet therapy, and magnet therapy worked like a miracle! I just had to fasten a small magnet to the tip of my fingers for two hours a day, and I slept beautifully that night,” she says.

Vijaya is just one of Dr Anand Goel’s several happy patients. The Sujok practitioner and clinical psychologist explains, “In India, we have something called the Nadi Shastra. Sujok is a simplified version of that. Vijaya’s case was a very minor one. Practitioners have treated more serious ailments such as diabetes as well.”

He says that business has picked up greatly over the past four-five years, “We do not have any support from the government, nor do we do any advertising. Lately, the business has increased by nearly 40 per cent only through word-of-mouth recommendations. Now, there are about 60 centres in Hyderabad.”

Dr Alka Sodhani, a homoeopathic doctor who has practised Sujok for the past 20 years, says that it is not too difficult to pick up the basics. “If you want to learn about the pressure points and remedies for basic ailments such as cough, cold and headache, just a 24-hour class is enough.”

Dismissing allegations of it being a pseudo-science, she says, “This branch of medicine is based on science. The very first papers containing proof of its efficacy were published almost 37 years ago. This therapy has no side effects, and people who have been open-minded about it have had a great experience. My daughters, Chhavi and Pragya Sodhani, had never resort to allopathy in their whole lives.” Endorsing her mother’s statement, Chhavi says, “Maybe it’s because we were introduced to homeopathy and Sujok from the very beginning that our bodies have adapted to respond to it quickly. I’ve seen patients suffering from serious conditions like gallbladder stones and diabetes, come to our home and leave having been treated.”

Her sister, Pragya, recalls, “I suffered from a slipped disc. I called up my mother and she suggested a few pressure points. My grandfather helped me out, and I was able to walk immediately. Usually, at least a few days of bed rest and painkillers are required to recover from a slipped disc.”