Lifestyle Asia’s Editor in Chief experiences a luxurious and diagnostic wellness service at The Farm at San Benito
Discover the ultimate holistic wellness escape at THE FARM AT SAN BENITO
Ieat clean—at least I try to, eighty percent of the time. I workout 6 days a week, sometimes two times a day. I sleep 6-8 hours a day. I thought I was perfectly healthy. To further elaborate, my days are full of meetings, calls, messages, and events, but I still manage to insert a workout in between appointments. My mind works the moment I wake up at around eight in the morning, constantly reading through my email inbox with endless messages up to the time I tuck myself in bed. So basically, I work 12 hours a day, or at least my mind is. I thought I was giving myself enough self-care and love, but apparently, it wasn’t enough. This, and many realizations in just two days of being away from the metro.
I’ve always been fond of The Farm at San Benito. It’s always been my quick and easy escape from the stresses of city living. Leave in the morning from Makati, it would take about two to two and a half hours to get there. It really is a much-needed getaway. Before you reach it, I suggest you open the window and inhale the freshness of Batangas' air while your eyes feast on the tranquil picture of abundant verdure. When I go to The Farm, it is always to rest, detox, rejuvenate, and of course, to tan. But this time, my sole purpose was wellness. The Farm at San Benito, after all, is a world leader in holistic medical wellness.
The moment we arrived, after a quick check-in process, we went immediately to Alive! Restaurant, The Farm's source of organic and vegan nourishment. I was very hungry from my intermittent fasting daily routine. The food that they serve here effectively prepared me for my intended detox and cleansing. Plant-based, wholefood, vegan cuisine is their specialty. It may sound bland and boring, but I can attest that it is actually quite the opposite. I was always looking forward to my meals. And since it has been a while since I went to The Farm, I noticed that the menu has changed a lot. There are more diverse choices on the menu. I am neither vegan nor vegetarian—I love meat, especially steak, but having tried their dishes made me feel like I can stay longer than two days just eating their vegan food fare. Honestly.
Since my focus was really about wellness—on how I can further become healthier in all aspects, I wanted a complete diagnosis not only of my body but of my mind as well. I went to the Holistic Sanctuary and stayed there the whole afternoon. The Farm partnered with European Wellness to complement its health programs, thereby providing evidence-informed holistic diagnosis and solutions. I was met by Dr. Annie Akiyama, who is as beautiful as she is intelligent. She gave me an orientation and discussed my program for my wellness weekend.
MY WELLNESS DIAGNOSIS
My wellness journey started with a wellness consultation and health assessment. I went through the Bio-Med Scan, Bio Medi Pulse Body Check, and the Oligo scan (or the Heavy Metal Testing). The Bio-Med Scan and Pulse Body Check are the latest biological diagnostic devices that efficiently and reliably monitor the overall health status and well-being of patients.
My results reveal that I’m normal and my autonomic nervous system is balanced. However, my energy levels are low and I have accumulated stress with my brain assessment highlighted in red at 70-80%. I may sleep around six to eight
hours but perhaps the quality of my sleep is poor. To top it all, my biological age is higher than my chronological age! I may look ten years younger than my real age (and so I say) but my internal is actually older than my real age. I was beyond surprised because as I have mentioned, I thought I was perfectly healthy.
After this, I did the Oligo Scan, which revealed my heavy metal toxicity and mineral deficiencies.
The most distressing is the fact that I have too much aluminum, which might be because of my water and food consumption which are both high in additives, and various cosmetics like toothpaste and deodorant with high aluminum content. I am deficient in magnesium, and physiologically, my intestines are not in the best state which explains my digestion difficulties. My test results warrant repair, rejuvenation, and regeneration. What an enlightening experience.
Since my time at ‘The Farm’ is just only for two days, we had to cramp all the treatments I needed in the given time. But I suggest three days will be best for this kind of wellness journey, giving also enough time to do the plethora of fitness activities they have daily.
HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY
It is a sealed chamber that may seem daunting especially if you are claustrophobic. But it is the most efficient method of transporting oxygen to the cells throughout the body. You are placed inside a pressurized chamber for forty minutes to breath oxygen under pressure. The main objective is to deliver oxygen in body fluids in the different organs, therefore, providing them with tremendous healing benefits.
RASHA MORPHOGENIC SCALAR FREQUENCY
After being in the Hyperbaric chamber, I was led to another room where I was told to relax, sleep, and meditate. A pair of headphones were placed over my head as I laid down the bed. The Rasha treatment is an energetic machine device that transmits Rasha Morphogenetic Frequencies that destroy detrimental foreign materials like cancer cells, parasites, bacteria, viruses, and other organisms. Basically, when a cell is resonated with the same frequency, the cell is destroyed. As for me, my ‘Rasha’ frequency provided ample stimulus to relax and calm my brain, and frequencies that have been studied to promote lymphatic drainage and decrease free radical build up in the body to detox my system. Wow, technology seems to have really gone a long way.
IV LASER THERAPY
While I was doing Rasha, IV Red light therapy was administered to me. Low-Level laser light is introduced directly into my vein. Benefits of such include improvement in overall performance, improvement in sleep, and a positive impact on the general mood. It gives the cell capacity to perform its function, regenerates damaged tissue, strengthens the immune system, and improves oxygen circulation without any pain at all.
IV MYER’S ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT DRIP
A special mix of different vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, and homeopathic remedies tailor-fit to my mineral and vitamin deficiencies. The goal is to supplement and correct my nutritional deficiencies. It also contains essential amino acids that my body needs to help sustain muscle mass since I workout a lot. Imagine, based on my results, they concocted this special cocktail of nutrients to correct my imbalances and deficiencies instantly.
Overall, the Rasha, Laser Therapy, and the IV drip took about one and a half hours while I just slept. The room is wrapped in a glass wall facing the forest. It was indeed complete relaxation. I took a break after and relaxed by the pool area, which was followed by a sumptuous healthy dinner. With a sixty-minute break, they then recommended me to avail of The Farm's signature massage.
‘HILOT’ MASSAGE
It was an hour and a half of pure bliss. The therapist applied the perfect amount of pressure I wanted—hard, but still relaxing enough, concentrating on my upper and lower back. The masseuse was very professional and really knew what she was doing. My muscles felt totally relaxed through the nourishing strokes of the therapist and this put me into a deep sleep.
I woke up rejuvenated, felt more energetic and lighter. I normally don’t eat breakfast as I do intermittent fasting to reduce fat in my body, as recently, my body fat percentage increased. And this increase is one of the reasons why I wanted to have a wellness retreat.