Written by Chantal Cooke
Tiny food portions, colonic irrigation, a strict regime of herbal teas and Epsom salts – it’s hardly high on most people’s holiday lists. But Viva Mayr in Austria attracts clients from all over the world, celebrities included, to experience the benefits of the FX Mayr cure.
FX Mayr believed that almost every human health problem could be traced back to poor digestion; not just not eating the right foods, but more importantly not eating them at the right time and in the right way.
If you can solve your digestive issues, you can improve your health, your energy and your looks (yes, its anti-aging too).
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I’ve heard it’s pretty hard-core so I’m a bit apprehensive. I’m hoping I can shift some weight, de-stress and boost my energy.
As we pull up at the lakeside hotel-cum-clinic de-stressing looks very likely. The surroundings are stunning; a clear, mirror still lake, surrounded by low, pine covered hills, dotted with pastel coloured houses. And it’s quiet. All I can hear are a few excitable passerines chirping in the nearby trees.
I get settled in, take a tour around the facilities, and watch a large white egret catch its supper and then head to the restaurant for dinner.
I am handed a menu and asked to make a choice from anything on the left hand page. I choose something called “alternative supplements”. It sounds like a panoply of delicious tidbits including almond puree, avocado, salmon caviar, humus, mozzarella; this really doesn’t sound as bad as I have been lead to believe.
But when I ask the waitress for the “alternative supplement” I receive a gentle shake of the head. No, I can choose one item from the list – not the whole list! I guess I will be losing that weight.
After I have overcome the shock of the starter-sized supper, I attend a talk given by one of the resident doctors, Dr Nadja Aichbichler, who explains the importance of chewing our food thoroughly.
When we gulp down our food without chewing we don’t get the full taste of it, nor do we give ourselves the opportunity to extract the nutrients. Our teeth are designed to chew – our stomach isn’t. If we take the time to chew our food properly it will taste better, our body can use the nutrients and we’ll lose weight.
Most of the guests here are in their 40s or older. Some come just to relax, other because they have serious health issues. An attractive blonde in her late 40s has come to lose some weight and sort out a hormonal imbalance. An elderly lady in her 70s is here for the fifth time “it just makes me feel good” she explains. Another lady is here as a last ditch attempt to avoid a serious stomach operation back home in France.
My days at Viva Mayr are surprisingly busy; sessions with the doctor, regular massages, a vitamin infusion, colonic irrigation, a couple of sessions in the light chamber, personal training in addition to the exercise classes and a two pampering detox treatments. It’s a hard life here by the Austrian Lakes...
After a week at Viva Mayr I have lost weight, my skin feels smoother, I have a better understanding of my current health, and I’ve learnt some new healthy techniques that I can continue at home, I’ve met some great people, and I do feel less stressed.
There is no doubt that Viva Mayr gets results and many people come back again and again - addicted to the benefits of time spent focusing purely on their health.
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