The Mayr Clinic, Austria

They say: Dr Franz Xaver Mayr concluded that a healthy bowel is the key to health and beauty. The toxins that accumulate in the bowel as a result of a poor diet and bad habits not only impair the digestive system but eventually your whole body. The therapy for digestive detoxification and regeneration at our centre is a natural method. The PreMayr detox combines a consultation and health assessment, and focuses on minimising toxins and strengthening the organs before arriving at the Mayr.

We say: The Organic Pharmacy’s pre-Mayr programme (following a nutritionally balanced diet, including supplements) was a gentle way of introducing a detox before the real thing. I arrived at the Mayr with a bloated and gassy stomach. After assessment, I was put on a tea and broth fast that gradually built up to include corn cakes and organic spreads, which we were instructed to chew each mouthful about 40 times (properly insalivating food with digestive enzymes encourages it to break down more readily). You’re requested to rest as much as possible and anything too physical is discouraged. The first few nights were tough and I went to bed famished. Strangely though, I never felt hungry in the mornings and, as the week progressed, I enjoyed an increasing feeling of lightness and calm.

After six days of the “cure”, combined with abdominal massage, kniepping (dipping your feet first in hot then in cold water), I had lost 5lb (2.3kg) and my skin looked the clearest it had in ages. Energy levels (due to a low-calorie intake) were quite low, though, so it was harder to get back into a fitness routine. A few months on and the bloat stil hasn’t returned. A great annual MOT.

A week at the Mayr Clinic costs from £1,500 and the Organic Pharmacy’s PreMayr detox costs £150. To book, call Ilana on 020-7439 4319 or e-mail book@360travel.co.uk; The Organic Pharmacy, www.theorganicpharmacy.com, 020-7228 2852

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