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Treating spinal problems has been the speciality of Avurveda doctor Visaka Dias Suriyanbandara. In the past 26 years, since she began her practice in 1979, Dr. Suriyabandara has cured several complications of the spine that could not be cured through modern medicine.

She has had a remarkable success rate in treatment of diseases such as cervical spondolosis, scoliosis as well as osteoporosis. She has also successfully treated patients suffering from slipped disc as well as diseases of the spinal cord.

A common condition that Dr. Suriyabandara sees in Sri Lanka is scoliosis or bending of the spine, which she has been able to correct in numerous cases with the treatment period varying, depending on the severity of the condition. “There are many young people who have this condition. Sometimes treatment can take upto six months, but I guarantee the correction of this condition,” she says, confidently.

At the Jeevaka Medical Centre, that she and her husband D. P. G. T. Suriyabandara run, she has the able assistance of Dr. P. K. Asoka, an Avurveda doctor from Kerala, India, who has been with her for the past three years.

At their Wellawatte medical centre, there is a constant stream of patients. One of her latest patients had fallen from a two-storey building and was bedridden for several months. Now three weeks into treatment, he is able to walk assisted by two of his friends.

The Kerala doctor is a qualified ‘Panchakarma therapist’, who uses special oil massages to treat conditions ranging from paralysis to skin disorders. It is a very popular form of treatment in Kerala and since his arrival here, Dr. Asoka has found a clientele of patients, who have placed their faith in him. “This is a form of treatment for which you have to have a good discipline, and this is more important on the part of the patients,” he says. This means refraining from consuming certain types of food and drink, while undergoing treatment. The treatment includes diagnosing the root cause of the illness and treating it, he said.