There are many reasons people may choose to fast – to detox, boost the immune system, lose weight, for healthy living, to clear the mind, for a reboot…
Modern Mayr Medicine can ensure your fast is a source of health and wellbeing so we spoke to Dr Peter Gartner, Medical Director at Park Igls - a multi-award winning health retreat and medical spa specialising in Modern Mayr Medicine - to find how our Mayr fasting can benefit our health:
We are seeing a general, upward trend in fasting and in particular, Modern Mayr Medicine. When we overload our body’s ‘waste collection system’ with unhealthy habits such as eating too quickly or too late, the body stores residual toxins in the connective and fatty tissue. Drinking large quantities of water under medical supervision together with the ingestion of certain bitter compounds can get rid of these surplus substances via the kidneys, liver and intestines. To avoid producing new ‘garbage’ during the process, we seriously reduce food intake during detoxification by fasting. Preferably with Mayr fasting.
The principles of healthy fasting at Park Igls
At the heart of the Modern Mayr method is that it teaches people how to eat, chew, salivate properly and thereby predigest their food. The condition of the digestive tract is reflected in a person’s state of health. No other detoxification method teaches so much for everyday life!’ After all, it was Austrian physician Franz Xaver Mayr who early in the 20th century recognised that the causes of many classic lifestyle diseases lie in the digestive system.
FX Mayr famously advocated a diet of bread rolls and milk, but Modern Mayr Medicine has come a very long way since then. At the Park Igls Mayr clinic, we have developed Modern Mayr cuisine, a gourmet concept with an eight-step plan of diet-friendly and utterly delicious meals. Special attention is paid to their acid-base composition and the use of organic and regional products. But Mayr fasting is as much about emotional wellbeing as it is about physical health. Therapeutic fasting can also be an impetus for emotional healing. A medical spa retreat can also lead to self-discovery within the scope of consultations with our physicians or with the help of specialist psychologists.
What is the best way to prepare for a fast?
A week before embarking on your Mayr fast, cut down on your intake of acidic foods and beverages: avoid sugar, meat, alcohol and coffee as well as raw and fatty, hard-to-digest foods. This small change is enough to improve your quality of life and will make the treatment programme to come all the more welcome!
How often should we undergo a fast?
Ideally, we recommend repeating a treatment programme after six months, but an annual therapeutic fasting programme lasting two or three weeks is more realistic for most people.
What are the contraindications to fasting and when is caution advised?
The gentler the diet prescribed by the Mayr physician, the less rigid the contraindications: caution is advised in untreated cases of thyroid disease and cancer as well as in cases of mental illness such as schizophrenia, psychosis, dementia, debility or severe autoaggressive behaviour.
Any other tips?
Drinking plenty of fluids is extremely important during a Mayr fast and detox, and you should have around 3 litres of fluids over the course of each day. Chronic acidification is the root cause of many lifestyle diseases, which is why the chief purpose of a Mayr fast is to restore the body’s acid-base balance.
BEWARE
We absolutely advise against unsupervised fasting. On the other hand, we do recommend fasting as an in-patient or at home but under the supervision of a Mayr physician. He or she is able to favourably affect the course of therapy by means of two or three checks each week that also include the manual abdominal treatment, an indispensable part of any Modern Mayr Medicine therapy.
Who is Modern Mayr Medicine at Park Igls best for?
Anyone who values top-level medical expertise combined with a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic options.
Anyone suffering from metabolic disorders, issues affecting digestion, allergies, food intolerances, burnout, insomnia, discomfort in joints and musculoskeletal system, heart and circulation problems, high blood pressure, obesity and many other conditions.
Food lovers – after all, this is gourmet fasting!
Fitness fans who appreciate the well-designed exercise programme.
And anyone with an interest in being – and staying – healthy.