RISHON Seegopaul, a health coach and wellness therapist, has always subscribed to an integrative medicine approach, meaning that she’d prefer to treat a person holistically than fix just one aspect of a problem.

She found that she did not agree with the approach taken in conventional medical school and so opted to switch over to naturopathic medicine and complementary therapy.
“Whatever the service being offered, we try to make it as holistic as possible, treating not only the body but also the mind and the spirit as well,” Seegopaul said during an interview with the Pepperpot Magazine recently.

Now in the field of practice for 15 years, Seegopaul studied and trained in Malaysia – her mother is Malaysian and her father is Guyanese. “So I was fortunate to be able to go back to Malaysia and to study there. Since childhood, I have always seen the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of a person as entwined,” she said.

Also a registered massage therapist, Seegopaul specialises in rehabilitation, an Usui Reiki Master and as a counsellor. “Work for me involves different types of therapeutic massage, mainly looking at rehabilitation, restoring function and relieving pain. I also do dry needling, foot reflexology, fire, air and wet cupping, Usui Reiki and counselling,” she explained.
As a health coach, on many days she also works with patients who want to learn how to manage chronic illnesses through lifestyle changes and diet, which also includes emotional eating. Not included in the therapy side of things, she also offers non-surgical fat-removal services, in the form of cryolypolysis, lipolaser and lipocavitation.

“I have always subscribed to an integrative medicine approach – this is where conventional medicine is combined with complementary and alternative therapies that have been proven to be safe and to work. So it is essentially holistic treatment of the whole person – the physical, the mental, the emotional and the spiritual,” she explained.

Speaking about the benefits of a therapeutic massage, she said it’s one important facet in integrative medicine. The obvious first benefits that therapeutic massage brings, she notes, are physical — helping to reduce pain, soreness and tension, improving circulation and increasing mobility.

“Massage has also been found to be helpful in treating issues like anxiety, insomnia and stress. Some people enjoy massage because touch produces feelings of caring, comfort, compassion and connection. There is actually a condition that is called touch starvation – this is exactly as the name suggests, being starved for compassionate touch,” she said.
Seegopaul, whose wellness centre, Moksha, is located in Campbelville, Georgetown, cautioned that while massage therapy is not a replacement for regular doctors’ visits, in many cases it can complement the treatment plan that a doctor has in place for the patient.

She said it is also very important for a person to ensure that they are being treated by a trained therapist. “The school that I studied at also gave me the opportunity to work while learning. Since coming back to Guyana, I have worked in my private practice, but also with numerous national sports teams.”