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“One in every five women in India are suffering from lifestyle disorders such as PCOS, thyroid, and hormonal imbalance. As the global awareness of these issues is quite low, my focus has been to cure them without medication. I started programmes, uploaded videos on our Instagram page and website, based on diet and nutrition, yoga, naturopathy, acupuncture, acupressure, and exercise therapies for achieving short and long-term health benefits,” says Dr. Akhila Joshi, Founder, Akhilasoukhya.

Founded in 2014, the Bengaluru-based healthcare and wellness centre treats PCOS, thyroid, infertility, weight management issues, and other health concerns caused due to an unhealthy lifestyle. So far, Akhilasoukhya has created almost 17,000+ success stories spanning 20 countries.

How healthy living can cure lifestyle disorders

The company was formed with the belief that what we are today is a result of the lifestyle we follow. “Our health reflects our lifestyle, and in turn, our lifestyle influences our health,” adds Dr Akhila. “The biggest inspiration we draw from is our patients who believe in our philosophy and decide to change their lifestyle, in a way joining us in our mission to achieve a healthy lifestyle,” she says.

The online consultation started only in 2017, which roughly gained momentum during the post COVID scenario, and has increased from 5 percent to 95 percent of the total online patients served by the centre.

“We carefully examine each individual’s current lifestyle habits, health diseases under medical supervision, their work, and sleep patterns. Based on this information, we individualise programmes where we work on their food, diet, sleep, and ways of managing stress by yoga, pranayama, acupuncture, acupressure, diet, and exercise,” explains Dr Akhila.

Of course, patients often look for shortcuts like that one magical pill, powder, superfood, or that particular exercise that can solve these issues overnight. “But, we strictly refrain from using medicines, rather stress on the changes in lifestyle management for betterment,” she adds.

Stress is one of the major issues of lifestyle disorders, according to Dr Akhila. “While some would take to unhealthy eating, others would rather get glued to sleepless nights to manage stress. So, without compromising on our overall health, we need to think of ways that make us happy to manage stress. Secondly, the easy availability of online food delivery apps has tempted us to think of all the unhealthy food options. Healthy eating, along with physical exercise, and sound sleep are the best stress-busters,” she says.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of technology in healthcare delivery, thereby leading to an increase in the number of online patients who mostly prefer video consultations. “It’s a win-win situation for both parties, where a larger portion of our ongoing patients are online, with different geography and demography,” adds Dr. Akhila.

Gaining recognition and credibility

Dr. Akhila feels that for a business located in India with an aspiration to serve the entire country, a .in domain gives a sense of credibility and recognition. “The .in domain gives you space to depict your story in front of people, thereby engaging users to the feeling of Indianness, that helps in amplifying the overall business growth,” she adds.

A majority of online bookings are generated through the website. “Today, 90 percent of our decision to opt for any product or service is based on the research we do online. Hence, every business needs to have a proper online presence where people can get to read and know you well. A website serves that purpose the best,” she adds.

The National Internet Exchange for India (NIXI) is helping many businesses across the country to get a .in or .Bharat domain. Enterprises irrespective of their scale and size can avail a .in domain with the help of NIXI. It is affordable and can be availed in more than 22 languages for businesses coming from all regions of the country.

Growth and vision

Akhilasoukhya was a platform of 100 people when it started, which has now reached over 17,000+. “This is how we have measured our growth from past years. Presently, if you would ask what our growth plan is, it would be like reaching to every individual person other than those 17,000 while creating awareness on the health issues that they are not even aware of,” added Dr Akhila.

“We envision to become the number 1 healthcare center in all perspectives starting from receiving patients to giving the best service to them in all the means possible. Patient satisfaction is a crucial aspect important in the healthcare sector. Hence our vision is to achieve that satisfaction with happy patients by our side,” conjectures Dr Akhila.

The ‘Shaping India Inc’s Online Growth’ series chronicles the journeys of startups and SMEs in India and how creating an online presence on the .in or .Bharat domain powered their success stories.