Detoxification therapy

Detox for the body

Now the nice, peaceful Christmas season is behind us and normal life has resumed. You’ve probably found yourself carrying a few extra pounds on the scales. The holidays involve eating plenty and not just at home. Visits to the grandparents, aunts and uncles, parents and friends often involve a fine feast at the table.

Often, a meal or two too many are consumed over the holidays. You can hardly be blamed though with all of that delicious festive food around. Grandma’s roast goose, the huge Christmas meal with the parents, the tasty biscuits at your aunt’s and often all with plenty of wine and prosecco. How are you supposed to say no to that? Then New Year’s Eve arrives with more in the way of doughnuts, cheese fondue, and burnt punch. Not to mention the numerous desserts consumed during the holidays.

Despite good intentions not to gorge over the holiday season, many of us succumb to gluttony. But too much is too much. The pain then starts when you step on the scales in the new year. But how do you now lose those extra pounds? And how do you cleanse your body?

That’s where we recommend detox therapy

Detoxing is still very much in fashion, but what lies behind this health trend? A detox is designed to cleanse the body. A new health trend has even emerged involving detox parties without any alcohol or fizzy drinks.

A detox diet often involves a period of fasting. This means eliminating acidic foods such as meat, cereals, coffee, alcohol, and sugar. Home detoxes typically last one to two weeks.

A healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetable juices, relaxation exercises, and baths are thought to remove toxins from the body. Normally, the human body detoxifies itself and removes undesirable substances via the liver, kidneys, intestines, and skin according to health insurance company Barmer. However, advocates of detoxing believe that even healthy people need to detoxify their bodies.

The reason for accumulating toxins is said to be due to over-acidification of the body. Supporters of detox therapy believe that our bodies absorb so many toxins nowadays that it is unable to completely rid itself of them. This is thought to be caused by an unhealthy diet, excessive additives, too much sugar and fat, alcohol, and environmental toxins.

Fruit and vegetables form the basis of a detox diet as they primarily consist of water. The following can be eaten during a detox: plenty of fruit and vegetables, pulses, soya and tofu, potatoes, carrots, spinach, gherkins, buckwheat, spelt, barley flour, and soy flour. Fresh shoots and salad. Almond and dried fruits (apricots, plums, cranberries and dates).

The following drinks are recommended:

Water, apple juice, and lemon juice. Lemon juice in the morning, lemonade during the day. Apple and parsley smoothie, vegetable juice (or broth), beetroot smoothie, organic juice therapy, green tea, herbal and ginger tea.

Fresh fruit such as kiwis, pears, berries, bananas, and grapefruit are also detoxifying: their many vitamins and high water content make fruit the perfect companion for detox therapy. Other foods that cleanse the body: chili, ginger, onions, squash, garlic, and kale.

These foods don’t belong on the table

The following should be eliminated during a detox: coffee, alcohol, and black tea. Consuming meat and sausages, cheese, white flour, sweets, poultry, fish and seafood, eggs, milk and dairy products, mustard, and vinegar should also be avoided. You will feel healthier if you remove many of these foods from your diet during the detox phase. Whether foods are acidic or alkaline has nothing to do with their taste.

Starting a detox isn’t for everyone as it requires emptying the intestines. This is followed by juice days consisting of lots of water, herbal teas, fruit, and vegetable juices. This is designed to boost metabolism and digestion. The next step involves a high-fibre diet, which typically comprises fruit and vegetables or raw fruit and veg. After several days, solid foods are gradually reintroduced into the diet.

A detox can be accompanied by baths and massages, sauna sessions and yoga or long walks in the fresh air. These are thought to intensify the detoxification process.

A frequently asked question is how much weight can be lost during a detox. This depends on the previous calorie intake. On average, you may lose between 250 and 500 grams per day in weight, or even a kilo in the best-case scenario.

Intestine regeneration through fasting according to F. X. Mayr.

We recommend a Mayr cure for anyone who has overeaten during the holiday period to help them restore balance in the intestines. This treatment isn’t for everyone as it requires time and patience. The costs for a one-week treatment staying in smaller facilities is around 1,200 euros, or from 500 euros as an outpatient with a doctor.

The Mayr cure

FX. Mayr cure (also: Franz-Xaver-Mayr cure) is a method of promoting health and detoxification named after its founder, Franz Xaver Mayr (1875–1965). The main goal is to ‘cleanse’ the intestine. The therapy is not a diet for weight loss, although many people undertake this therapy to lose weight.

Mayr Medicine is officially represented by the International Society of Mayr Doctors based in Gröbming, Austria, Dr F. X. Mayr’s birthplace. Doctors train and become certified Mayr doctors there.

The Mayr cure involves a holistic natural healing process, flushing out of toxins, intestinal cleansing, health preservation, and de-acidification of the body. “CHRONIC DIGESTIVE DAMAGE IS WHAT MAKES PEOPLE ILL, AGE PREMATURELY AND BECOME UNSIGHTLY.” (F. X. MAYR)

The four pillars of the Mayr cure

Nowadays, we know that many typical diseases of civilisation are rooted in the digestive system. It can even be assumed that 80 percent of all illnesses originate in the intestine. Dr F. X. Mayr learned that overeating has a negative impact on our gut and our general health. According to Dr F. X. Mayr, regenerating the intestine is based on four pillars. The four pillars: Cleansing, rest, education, and substitution. 

Cleansing involves detoxification of the intestine in multiple ways: each morning, dissolve 1 teaspoon of Epsom salt in water and drink. If this no longer works, Glauber’s salt can also be used. The aim is to cleanse the intestinal system and any buildup of connective and fatty tissue. The skin is cleansed by showering or bathing, and the lungs energised by brisk walking. Tap water, mineral water, and herbal teas are permitted between meals.

The digestive system is rested through fasting or an individually tailored diet and letting the mouth undertake the majority of the digestive work: The most common type of Mayr cure is the ‘milk and bread roll diet’: 250 ml of milk and stale bread made of cake flour morning and afternoon. In the evening, only tea with honey is consumed. The rest concept is designed to prepare for the cure and involves a reduction in food intake.

Education involves mindful chewing. After chewing a piece of bread 50 times, a tablespoon of milk is then drunk. This is designed to adapt you to mindful chewing. Distractions and conversations should be avoided during mealtimes. Education is designed to teach proper chewing and eating behaviour, and a tailored daily diet forms the basis for the long-term regeneration of disrupted functions. By chewing for longer, food is well prepared for the digestive process. Drinks can be consumed up to half an hour before or at least one hour after a meal, but never during.

Substitution is designed to prevent malnutrition, which is often the case in modern lifestyles and diets. Since the milk and bread roll diet is also a form of malnutrition, essential alkalis, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements missing in the body during the therapy are additionally supplemented.

As with all other diets, the F. X. Mayr cure puts emphasis on a healthy body. It should never be carried out without medical supervision. It is not suitable as a weight loss diet as its involves modified fasting. Find out more on this page about which Mayr cure costs are reimbursed by health insurance/social security providers.

This article deals with a health topic. It should not be used for self-diagnosis, and is no substitute for diagnosis by a doctor.

Always remember the old saying: “You are what you eat”.

Sebastian Kneipp
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Nachhaltiger Neujahrsvorsatz 2023