The Cure

A dispatch from Mayrlife in Austria

First, sorry for the delay this week…I was slammed.

As you may have read here before, Yolanda and I like to take a week (annually if possible) to indulge in a bit of a clinical detox. A time to take a break, immerse ourselves in self care /health care, reduce our calories by eating less and not drinking (booze that is), and focusing on a reset plan for the year. We normally go to our favorite fasting clinic, Buchinger, either in Germany or Spain, but this year we decided to try something new—a place in Austria about an hour drive from Salzburg on the lake of Altaussee. Mayrlife is medical health resort of sorts known for the Mayr Cure developed around a 100 years ago (like Buchinger) by Dr. Franz Mayr, and the focus here is on digestion, gut health regeneration and all that begins with CHEWING, LOTS OF CHEWING. More on that later.

After a delightful stay in Salzburg (my junior year college town) at the Sacher Hotel filled with schnitzel, leberkase and beer, we took a snowy drive to the little town of Altaussee. The clinic is located on the lakeshore (it must be magical there in summer), and if you’re a Bond fan, there’s a great scene in Spectre filmed on the lake—Bond takes a small motorboat across the lake to meet Mr. White in a small cabin where (SPOILER ALERT) White kills himself. We arrived to the wooden modernist hotel, unpacked in our very well-appointed room and were given the schedule for the week. Day one began with a visit to the doctor for a full examination, blood work, weigh-in, and to develop a week-long game plan for us that involved treatments and diet. Mayrlife is not just fasting, you do eat solid foods there based on a carefully designed