Against a clinical white background is a plate, and on it a pill; steel fork and knife set on either side. “People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food,” reads the meme-style caption on it.
This is one of Rachna Chhachhi, nutrition therapist and certified cancer coach’s tweets, which she hashtags with #foodismedicine and #refusetofallill. In line with this, her organisation RachnaRestores, is holding a “Health Over Hospital” workshop on April 5 in Mumbai, focusing on preventive care, and reversing or remission of lifestyle and chronic diseases like hypertension, type II diabetes, ALS, and certain types of cancers.
The event brings together 11 women, former patients, from all over the world, as well as a scientist, an immunologist, and workshop participants.
Chhachhi — whose clients include actor Manisha Koirala who successfully battled late-stage ovarian cancer — is also making sure to livestream the event via her Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. This taps into her already-existing audience base of 2 lakh followers.
“These 2 lakh followers aren’t just curious about weight loss. It’s a serious audience that has suffered something specific.” Chhachhi was one such person herself. Having suffered from debilitating rheumatoid arthritis 13 years ago, and finding no cure in medical science, she turned to food, yoga and meditation. “I did this through unimaginable levels of pain. But later, I quit my job, studied nutrition therapy, and began my practice,” she recalls.
One of the key risk factors for non-communicable diseases (such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes) is inflammation within the body. This can be caused by stressors such as pollution, junk food, the lack of exercise, and other lifestyle habits. Combined with obesity and consistently high levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), this is “a welcoming environment for diseases” like cancer, she says.
The workshop will outline nutrition, exercise, and other suggestions that help lead to an anti-inflammatory lifestyle. Chhachhi is currently working on a book about on the prevention and management of cancer. She aims to highlight the side effects of cancer medication and the importance of nutrition in recovery.
On 5th April, from 1:30pm - 5:30pm, Taj Land’s End, Bandra West. Register on racharestores.com or +91 9833710731. Follow live on @rachnarestores on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
