SPA DOCTOR
treats... POOR DIGESTION
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
Like many others, I have been abusing my digestive system for years. I don’t chew food properly, my diet is too sugary and acidic, and I burden my liver with too much alcohol. I feel bloated after eating because my food is not being properly digested. Long-term results of my poor digestive habits are weight gain, poor sleep, acid indigestion and low mood.
WHERE’S THE SOLUTION?
Lanserhof Tegernsee, a superluxury resort in Waakirchen, Germany. The resort’s treatments are built on the principles of Dr Franz Mayr. He developed the ‘Mayr cure’ in the 1920s: a programme to treat digestive issues through fasting, drinking Epsom salts and chewing all food at least 40 times.
WHAT’S THE TREATMENT?
The principle of chewing all food 40 times is a rigid staple of the Mayr method, which states that half the digestive process should take place in the mouth to ease the pressure on the gut.
Lanserhof serves up buckwheat toast for breakfast and dinner, accompanied by one other item – for me it’s mashed avocado for breakfast and a bowl of hearty soup for supper.
Lunch, the main meal, consists of boiled potatoes with smoked trout or salmon tartare for the first two days, and thoroughly cooked game meat or fish later in the week. The only liquid served on the side is linseed oil, as even water with meals is prohibited because it dilutes the digestive juices.
Each day begins with a dose of Epsom salts and ‘awakening’ exercises. This is followed by abdominal massages to soothe my inflamed gut, alkalising capsules between meals to neutralise the acid in my food and hot hay packs applied to my liver half an hour before lunch to stimulate its detox powers. Not to mention yoga, Qi Gong (Chinese posture exercises) and cooking demonstrations.
THE VERDICT?
Surprisingly, I am never hungry yet I shed 5lb in four days, and kept losing weight after I left. I no longer bloat after eating. Some habits are easy to keep up – such as avoiding foods that are hard to digest at night and chewing my food more – but giving up dinner in favour of a cooked lunch is socially impractical unless you live alone.
WHAT’S THE COST?
A whopping £3,408 is the starting price for the required minimum seven-night stay and basic programme, which includes full board, medical supervision with massages and a few therapeutic treatments.