BOSTON– Suraja Menon Roychowdhury has an unusual career path. She holds a PhD in Pharmacology and an MBA and had an interesting career in the pharmaceutical industry working mainly in the areas of drug development in psychiatric conditions.
“I am always interested in the intersection of these two worlds because it presents a unique blend of Eastern and Western medical perspectives. Acupuncture, rooted in traditional Chinese medicine, focuses on restoring balance and stimulating the body’s natural healing mechanisms through the manipulation of energy pathways, or meridians,” says Ms. Roychowdhury.” Meanwhile, pharmacology delves into the biochemical interactions of drugs, providing a deep understanding of molecular mechanisms, drug efficacy, and potential side effects.”
This helps her understand the treatments that a patient might be receiving, potential side-effects of medications etc and allows her to integrate evidence-based drug therapies with acupuncture to optimize patient outcomes.
“It also increases the level of trust when someone is seeking acupuncture treatment to know of my background in human biology,” says Ms. Roychowdhury, who is a Chinese medicine practitioner and the founder of Crossing Point Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine in Lexington, MA.
On March 8, 2025, Ms. Roychowdhury will be honored as one of the 10 Outstanding Women of the Year 2025 during the 22nd Annual Woman of the Years Awards Gala at Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA. Organized by INDIA New England News and produced by the Mishra Group, the gala is attended annually by about 400 business and community leaders, philanthropists, healthcare professionals and academicians.
To buy a ticket, please click here.
In addition, Ms. Roychowdhury served as the Massachusetts State Chapter Chair for Wholistic Health Alliance. She currently serves on the board of Vision-Aid, a nonprofit organization providing Vision Rehabilitation Services in the under-served areas in India. She is the founding member of the India International Film Festival of Boston and has served as a judge for the festival for the past six years.
Ms. Roychowdhury loves Japanese short form poetry. She is an award-winning published poet, teaches Advanced Haiku online and is Associate Editor for the Japanese short form poetry journal haikuKATHA. She continues to train in Hindustani classical music, a life-long passion.
Here is a Q/A with Ms. Roychowdhury:
INDIA New England News: Please tell our readers about your work and what you enjoy most about it?
Suraja Menon Roychowdhury: I am a Chinese medicine practitioner. This means that I use the physiological framework, diagnostic methods and treatment modalities prescribed by this ancient medical system. I practice from my clinic in Lexington, MA, called Crossing Point Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. My tagline, that I wholly believe in, is to help people move ‘from illness to wellness’. February 18th, 2025 marks the 10 year anniversary of my clinic opening.
I use acupuncture and herbal remedies as primary treatment tools, but will supplement with other tools such as cupping, gua sha, lifestyle advice etc. Chinese medicine is a holistic approach to health, so we try to understand the person as a whole versus focusing only on the symptom(s) that they are currently presenting with. This helps us understand the root disharmony, which arises when the person’s energy is not in alignment with their environment. Once we arrive at a diagnosis then it becomes a question of selecting what we call the acupuncture ‘point prescription’ and or the herbal remedy that will help resolve it. Additional, good ‘side-effects’ may be that other issues that the patient had not identified as problems, such as sleep disorders, digestive disorders etc may resolve concurrently.
An important thing to keep in mind with acupuncture is that we are not introducing any medications into the body through the needles. The needles are inserted into points along the acupuncture channels that have been classically described. Somehow, these needles will then induce the body to heal itself. This is a very powerful concept, that the body has an innate ability to heal, which is enabled by the needles.
The commonest reasons for people seeking out my services is for treating pain. Pain from any causes- musculoskeletal, headaches, menstrual pain etc, and acupuncture is excellent at treating these conditions. Other common reasons people come for treatment: mood disorders such as depression, anxiety; insomnia; digestive issues; vertigo; side-effects of cancer treatments such as nausea, fatigue, anxiety, depression, peripheral neuropathies etc; fertility and pregnancy related issues etc.
Although I see patients with a wide variety of complaints, I have a special interest in degenerative eye diseases, such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy etc. These are diseases where there can be progressive loss of vision and there aren’t too many treatments available.
INE: If you’re engaged with any charity or non-profit, please tell us why this organization and what do you do for them?
SMR: Vision Aid: I am an advisory board member for Visionaid, and my husband and I have supported them financially for the past several years. I believe strongly in the mission of this organization to educate, enable and empower the visually impaired in India. I have taken part in fundraising efforts by bringing in potential donors, providing encouragement to visually impaired graduates from the various programs run by VisionAid, using an app called BeMyEyes that helps a visually impaired person with daily hands-on tasks such as buying groceries, etc. As I have mentioned earlier I have a special interest in the treatment of visual disorders and the mission of VisionAid aligns very well with it.
India International Film Festival of Boston: I am a founding member of the India International Film Festival of Boston, which has been bringing independent films from around the world to Boston, with a focus on films made in India or about India or by the Indian diaspora. I have served as a judge for the past six years, in addition to playing various roles within the organization. This involves a significant time commitment; as one of 3 judges we watch about 60-70 films over a period of 2 months or so to select films for screening and then more time for picking the award winners. In addition to this primary, and time-consuming role, I have also helped out in various other ways such as writing press releases, running panel discussions with directors and actors, fundraising, sponsorship etc.
Hindustani classical music: I have been a regular sponsor for our local classical music organizations, Learnquest and Shadaj for the past several years.
Japanese Poetic Forms: I have been teaching Advanced Haiku for several years online on allpoetry.com. Haiku is a poetic form from Japan, called by many as the smallest poem, consisting of 3 lines written in under 17 syllables. While this may sound very simple there are various elements to it that merit a deeper study. Teaching haiku is a volunteer activity, and over the years several of my students have gone on to publish in excellent journals, win international awards etc. For the past 3 years I have been an Associate Editor for the enormously successful Japanese short form poetry journal haikuKATHA. We accept haiku, tanka, haibun, tanka prose, haiga etc, which are all Japanese poetic forms. This is a monthly journal that attracts submissions from top poets around the world. As one of the editors I provide feedback to poets on a regular basis, as well as help in curating the monthly selection of poems that go into the journal for publication.
I strongly believe that art needs a platform and patronage, and am extremely happy that I can support these endeavors both locally and globally.
Pine Street Inn and Rosie’s Place: We have been regular financial supporters, and also volunteer there in the kitchen when needed.
INE: What are your hobbies and interests?
SMR: I love writing Japanese short form poetry like haiku, tanka, haibun, tanka prose, haiga, shahai etc. I stumbled upon a free class on writing haiku in our local library in Lexington in 2010, and have been hooked since. I have had my poems published in most of the major journals of this genre and have won prizes in international competitions for my work. I believe I was the first person of Indian origin to win the grand prize in the prestigious haiku competition conducted in Japan, the Vladimir Devidé Competition in 2016, and 3rd prize in the Sanford Goldstein International Tanka Contest run by the Tanka Society of America in 2022. It gives me great joy that there are now many poets from India who excel in these genres.
I have been teaching Advanced Haiku on allpoetry.com for the past several years, and have had many of my students go on to become published writers and award winners. I am also an Associate Editor for tanka for the journal haikuKATHA for the past 3 years.
I love Hindustani classical music and have trained on and off for several years with various amazing teachers. I consider myself an eternal beginner!
I am a voracious reader and have been one since childhood when I was often yelled at for always having my nose buried in a book! I like reading all genres, both fiction and non-fiction, and am very thankful to the various book clubs that I’ve been a part of over the years for expanding my reading vocabulary and some wonderful friendships.
Travel has always been of particular interest, and we have traveled a lot. Of all the places we’ve been to, my favorite is Egypt for the history, and the Serengeti for its wildlife.
I can’t say that I’m a great cook, but I really enjoy exploring easy forms of cooking such as the air fryer, OPOS (One Pot One Shot) etc.
INE: What is your rare talent—something people don’t know about?
SMR: I don’t know if it is a talent, but I am a certified hypnotherapist! Very few people know about this. I am also extremely, extremely good at losing my way – I have no sense of direction whatsoever…
INE: Your favorite books
SMR: I have loved many books but my absolute favorite books, from my young years (early teens), have been the Mahabharata (any English translation) and The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein. Both books have had a profound impact on me. Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth was an important book when I was at a crossroads in my life.
INE: Your favorite quotes?
SMR: ‘All that is gold does not glitter; not all those who wander are lost’- JRR Tolkein
‘Our knowledge is finite, but our ignorance is infinite’ Karl Popper but I heard it from Sadhguru
‘Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious.’― Brendan Gill but I read it in my daughter’s room on a post-it note.
INE: Who inspires you the most?
SMR: Various people have inspired me through the stages of my life. My earliest inspirations were my parents and grandmother. My grandmother was, quite simply, a really cool person. She was well-read, spoke excellent English, was an amazing cook, passionate about gardening, music, used to do cool art projects like weaving bags, used to be a swimming instructor in her youth (imagine!) and generally gave off the vibe that anyone could do anything.
My mother is a chip off the old block. Also an amazing cook, she speaks several languages, is passionate about gardening and home decor, with a wicked sense of humor. Back in the day when women didn’t take on much responsibility outside the house, she managed our family affairs in India when my father was working in the UAE. She was also a very supportive parent- never said no to anything I wanted to do and helped me as much as she could, including with raising my children. There was never a problem that she wouldn’t address head on, and I wish I had half of that drive :).
My father was a content and happy man who believed that his family was the best :). He was a journalist with the highest ethical standards, and loved K L Saigal songs. I learned a strong sense of ethics from him.
My husband has shown me the value of hard work, and has supported all my career decisions. My kids inspire me with their thinking, knowledge and sense of adventure. My mother-in-law is a self taught homeopath and very good at it too – another inspirational figure!
My career in Chinese medicine would have never happened had it not been for my friend Dr. Kalpana Patankar, who is a pediatrician turned Chinese medicine practitioner. She was the one who told me “Boston has an excellent acupuncture school, the New England School of Acupuncture (NESA)”. She went on to tell me that Chinese medicine is like raga music- there is a framework, but then the treatments are individualized, like the improvisational nature of the music. ‘It’s a journey. It’s something you will have with you for the rest of your life’.
INE: Your core value you try to live by?
SMR: Try to do the right thing and be straightforward without hurting anyone’s feelings.
INE: If you get a chance to meet, who is the one person you would like to meet and why?
SMR: I’m assuming that this question transcends time. There was an ancient Chinese physician and pharmacologist called Zhang Zhongjing around 200AD. His concepts for the basis of disease as well as his many, many herbal formulations are used effectively to this day, almost 2000 years later. I always wonder – how did these early sages come up with their theories? How did he recognize the properties of herbs and create such effective remedies? I would love to meet him, pick his brain and follow him around – of course there are several obstacles to overcome with this wish, including time travel, and understanding ancient Chinese …
INE: If you have to pick one, which one will you choose: Love or trust and why?
SMR: I will pick Trust. I think if there is trust then love follows automatically.
