FIRST DAY OF FASTING

I was woken up by a phone call. A friendly voice in the other end wished me good morning and reminded me that my meeting with the nurse was in fifteen minutes. The night before the receptionist had given me a jug in which I had to give a urine sample. I did the necessary procedures, put on my underwear, a soft dressing gown and white slippers and paced to the nurse’s consulting room.  

They gave me a long questionnaire that inquired my motivation for the fast and, deducing from the questions, they wanted to make sure that I didn’t suffer from any eating disorder. The doctor was really nice and expert. The nurse listened and advised me in everything essential.

When I returned to my room there was tea, a natural yoghurt and different waters waiting for me. Today I also got to go to the downstairs restaurant to eat some fruit salad. Downstairs they guided me to a table where two men and a woman were sitting. They were already on the finishing line of their fast. Hilarious people.

I felt terribly guilty when I got a delicious fruit salad and they only had a watery broth. My table company insisted on that they didn’t even want to eat food. They could have eaten upstairs with the other fasters but they were delivered the fast soup downstairs on request. It was hard to believe that they didn’t feel like eating. The green, watery broth was so filling that it was enough, they said.

I took a tour around the clinic. A lovely yard, library, gym, spa with saunas, hair dresser, beauty salon, massage, yoga, different gym classes etc. were offered to the clinic residents.

I went for a swim in the heated outside pool, read a book, sunbathed, took a little walk in the garden and enjoyed myself in different saunas of the spa area. I also planned a fast activity program. They recommend doing lots of exercise in different forms during the fast although they only give you 200 kcal of nourishment.

It wasn’t hard to catch sleep at night because I had eaten a tasty but light vegetarian meal at 8 pm. I had a headache, though. The doctor believed it to originate from coffee which I had clearly gotten addicted to. I wanted to fight against the headache by not accepting the caffeine tablets they offered me in the evening as a relief.

Thus the first fasting day was preparation for the fast. The actual fast begins tomorrow.

The fasting clinic called Buchinger Wilhelmi

I just booked a room for two weeks at the fasting clinic in Marbella Spain.  I know nothing about the clinic nor have I ever fasted before. I am so exited to go through this fast! I will write an honest diary about my experiences at the clinic.

This is how the clinic itself tells about the fasting program:

"Dr. Otto Buchinger did not invent fasting. He experienced it at a time when nothing else could help him. But he didn’t leave it at that; he initiated a development that resulted in Buchinger therapeutic fasting becoming a method with a much greater impact than just weight loss or short-term relief.
Therapeutic fasting – a holistic method

Dr. Otto Buchinger supplemented water fasting, which was popular in his day, with juices and vegetable consommés, homeopathy, gymnastics and walking tours. But above all, he recognised that fasting releases a vital force, known by Hippocrates and Paracelsus as archeus, and today referred to as the body’s self-healing powers. He was also convinced that to unleash this force, it not only matters what we eat or don’t eat, but also our spiritual nourishment and general lifestyle: Not only are physical fitness and healthy nutrition essential for health, happiness and vitality, but also relaxation and creativity, and beyond that, music, literature, art and spirituality.

Philosophy of self-empowerment

Buchinger therapeutic fasting is therefore not just a physiological method, but deals holistically with the underlying questions of humanity: What is necessary for a fulfilled life, what is dispensable and what is indispensable? It focuses on the principle of self-empowerment, in other words raising people’s awareness of their own needs – especially in the face of an increasingly complex world – and strengthening their self-healing powers.

Therapeutic fasting today: Indications

Buchinger therapeutic fasting today combines traditional fasting methods with integrative medicine and various stimuli to enhance personal development with the aim of improving a patient’s physical well-being and inner harmony in the long term.
The spectrum of therapeutic objectives ranges from prevention to treating metabolic diseases as well as chronic states of exhaustion and depression.

Less is more

Apart from the medical indications and theoretical descriptions, our guests experience Buchinger therapeutic fasting as both less and more: Less, because it allows them to literally discard excess ballast and stand back from their everyday concerns and occupation with unimportant things in an atmosphere of security and concentration; and more, because they see things with greater clarity and experience themselves more intensely, because their ability to enjoy is revived and, along with the desire to grow personally that many thought they had lost, their satisfaction and lust for life also increases overall.

A path, and an invitation

The combination of fasting, integrative medicine and inspiration therefore not only helps to alleviate chronic suffering and prevent fatigue syndromes, it also enables patients to follow the path step by step to a more fulfilled and healthy life. On the next pages, we would like to give you a first impression of how your path might look. We would also be delighted to discuss with you in person or by telephone which treatments best suit your individual situation, the costs involved and what your private or statutory health insurance will cover."

Buchinger Wilhelmi