Home LivingWellnessI went to Austria’s leading gut health clinic and lost 5kg in a weekFocusing on gut health and digestion was the key to becoming healthier – improving my skin, mood and sleepWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Home LivingWellnessI went to Austria’s leading gut health clinic and lost 5kg in a weekFocusing on gut health and digestion was the key to becoming healthier – improving my skin, mood and sleepWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Focusing on gut health and digestion was the key to becoming healthier – improving my skin, mood and sleep
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Gut health is underrated.
These days, too many people associate being healthy with weight loss and put themselves on strict diets that involve counting calories and cutting out all carbs to make less of an impact on the scales, assuming it’s the key to healthy living.
Buthowyou eat can be just as important as what you eat, and what you eat is way more important than how much. All these things have a profound impact on the gut, which is full of trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi, collectively known as the microbiome. While some bacteria are associated with disease, others are actually needed to ensure a strong immune system, healthy heart and many other aspects of health.
Don’t just take my word for it. As of late, an increasing number of scientists have come forward with research that proves our digestive system is a great focal point for solving many of our health concerns, with some going as far as saying the gut isour “second brain”.
Take Giulia Enders, for instance, a doctor and author of the bookGut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Under-rated Organ. Enders talks extensively about how we are only just discovering how much the gut has to offer, referencing fresh research about gut bacteria and its role in everything from obesity to allergies and even Alzheimer’s.
But what does this mean for our diets? And how can these findings about the importance of gut health be put to use, in a practical way?
Introducing MayrLife: Modern Mayr Medicine
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It wasn’t until the early 2000s that a general practitioner called Dr Harald Stossier and his partner Dr Christine Stossier, a specialist in holistic medicine – who already celebrated Dr Mayr’s efforts – brought the method into the modern world. They did so in the form of a clinic calledVivamayr, which was established in 2004 in Maria Wörth, Austria.
Image1of3Vivamayr clinic MayrLife in Altaussee(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Image1of3Vivamayr clinic MayrLife in Altaussee(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Image1of3
Vivamayr clinic MayrLife in Altaussee(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Vivamayr clinic MayrLife in Altaussee(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Vivamayr clinic MayrLife in Altaussee(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Vivamayr clinic MayrLife in Altaussee(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Vivamayr clinic MayrLife in Altaussee(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Vivamayr clinic MayrLife in Altaussee(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Vivamayr clinic MayrLife in Altaussee(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Over the years, the Vivamayr brand was expanded to several clinics and gained notable popularity, attracting guests from around the world – not only for its beautiful surroundings but for the positive results patients report to have experienced. Better skin, weight loss, reduced bloating, and better sleep, to name a few. It’s also become known for its celebrity following,including Rebel Wilson(who I actually happened to bump into a few times during my visit!).
But what’s it like at a Vivamayr clinic? What does it consist of? And do these gut-focused, innovative treatments really work? I visited the recently rebranded, former Vivamayr clinicMayrLife in Altaussee, to find out.
The Mayr Mission
It’s through this very doctor that you’re introduced to the Mayr cure, which you’re encouraged to follow from the get-go, somewhat intensely, in the form of a detox program. This includes a personalised diet as well as an array of prescribed medicines, supplements and treatments.
Your experience at the clinic comes down to your schedule, which is determined on the back of a number of assessments – from blood tests to urine samples – that help to give your doctor an insight into the current state of your health.
Image1of2Food at the Vivamayr clinic MayrLife(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Image1of2Food at the Vivamayr clinic MayrLife(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
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Food at the Vivamayr clinic MayrLife(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Food at the Vivamayr clinic MayrLife(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Food at the Vivamayr clinic MayrLife(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Food at the Vivamayr clinic MayrLife(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Food at the Vivamayr clinic MayrLife(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Food at the Vivamayr clinic MayrLife(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Food at the Vivamayr clinic MayrLife(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Once your doctor has a clear, all-rounded vision of your health, nutrition and any grievances/ailments you might have, and your intolerances are determined, a personalised schedule is put together. What’s more, everyone that goes to MayrLife will get a different course of treatment since the cure is not a one-size-fits-all kind of program.
The health professionals at the clinic recommend that the program should be followed for at least a week, so I spent seven nights there. This involved seeing my doctor on a daily basis to check how I was getting on with the detox and analyse any of the results from the various treatments during my stay.
At first, the program can seem a little intimidating. Here are some of the basic Mayr detox ‘rules’ (and their benefits), for example:
When technology and traditional methods collide
While diet is a major focus at MayrLife, it’s not the only thing you’ll find yourself doing at the clinic.
Every treatment you’re prescribed offers various benefits to complement your new diet, gut health and general detoxification goals. Take Interval Hypoxic-Hyperoxic Training (IHHT), for instance. Similar to altitude training, IHHT consists of a 45-minute treatment wearing a specialised breathing mask. Throughout the duration of the treatment, you’re fed a combination of oxygen-rich air and oxygen-reduced air in intervals. This stimulates the production of healthy mitochondria in your cells, which helps enhance your energy production and increase the concentration of red blood cells, which help oxygenate the organs.
Interval Hypoxic-Hyperoxic Training (IHHT)(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Interval Hypoxic-Hyperoxic Training (IHHT)
Interval Hypoxic-Hyperoxic Training (IHHT)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Another holistic MayrLife treatment is the Liver Compress. This method is said to be useful for supporting liver function, which aids in the overall healing process of the body. At MayrLife, they use a heated herb sack and strap it to your abdomen with several layers of cloth, right above where the liver sits. You then lay on a high-tech waterbed on top of heated mud packs, which creates a liberating floating sensation. It might sound a little far-fetched, but this is something that scientists have hypothesised could reduce the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and therefore increase hepatic blood flow, improving circulation.
These were just a few of the many different treatments I tried at MayrLife in the name of detoxification. I also experienced a handful of medical massages, colonic irrigation, cryotherapy, and body composition tests. Most were fun, some were tiring and few felt invasive or challenging, thankfully. And while you have 3-4 different treatments a day, they’re easy and (mostly) enjoyable to do, especially while knowing they’re in the name of good health.
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
My MayrLife experience
During my seven nights at MayrLife, I followed a pretty rigorous diet and treatment schedule, including no gluten, no cow’s milk, no eggs, no caffeine, no sugar, no raw fruit, and no yeast. Instead, I was prescribed lots of root vegetables, oils such as hemp seed and flax seed, and local organic animal produce such as goat’s cheese and freshwater fish. It might sound intense – and for the first few days it certainly feels that way, especially while you adjust – but after the sugar cravings dissipate and the tiredness and headaches from withdrawal lift, you feel on top of the world.
While the results on paper were satisfying to see, they were nothing compared to how I felt in my mind and body. I had great energy levels and found it much easier to get off to sleep come nighttime, for the first time in a long time. Anxiety levels were at an all-time low, and I generally felt less stressed, too. Many of the little aches and pains I felt from time to time, such as my tennis elbow from too much squash playing, had been relieved. It was nothing short of remarkable to feel this way.
Liver Compress(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Liver Compress
Liver Compress
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Final thoughts
When I tell people what I experienced during my time at MayrLife, the first thing they always say is “great but it’s not really sustainable long term”. And yes, I agree; this detox isn’t something you can do in its entirety on a permanent basis. But that’s not the point. Going to MayrLife is like hitting the reset button. It helps you get your health back on track when you’ve lost your way and once you’re in the swing of it, the people there help you figure out how you can implement what you’ve learned into your everyday life in a realistic way. This all helps you to activate the healthy habits you know you should and want to have but simply can’t because… life.
Upon returning home, I was advised to continue my prescribed diet as closely as possible for another 21 days. You’re able to purchase some of the food items from the clinic’s restaurant to help you with that alongside a recipe book and you can take home the medication your doctor prescribes you. You also have an appointment with a nutritionist before you go home, who gives advice on how best to implement your new diet into normal life. While I wasn’t able to follow it perfectly due to limitations on what’s available in my local supermarket, I did stick to it as best I could (with the exception of a friend’s birthday party on day 15, whoops).
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
(Image credit: Lee Bell / T3)
Despite my best efforts to eat healthy before going to MayrLife, I’d not been able to get anywhere near my “ideal weight” for several years. And since I’d undertaken so many tests and treatments during my time at the clinic, I knew my goal wasn’t really related to a number on some scales, it could be quantified in other healthier ways, such as the vibrancy of my skin, or how my bloating had reduced significantly.
For more gut advice, take a look at5 ways to support your gut healthand ourSymprove experience.
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