Introduction to the Mayr Method
Before Michael Pollan and his master class "deliberate food" existed, before there was "intermittent fasting" and the Wim Hof method, there was Franz Xaver Mayr, the Austrian doctor of the early 20th century. His revolutionary Mayr method is based on the conviction that the secret of health and beauty begins in the intestine. His cult-like followers led to the opening of his own clinic and finally to Lanserhof, a wellness and durability retreat.
The Retreat Experience
On the remote German island of Sylt, which is seen by some as the Teutonic version of the Hamptons, Lanserhof Sylt seems to float under the waves and heather over the dunes. The guests have to take a four-hour train ride across the Hindenburg-Damm of Hamburg from Hamburg to get to the city of the list. The whispered-straw roof structure designed by the architect Christoph Ingenhoven does not offer a check-in desk, no custom fragrance, and no chipper guidelines to take into account her fears, only 750 calories a day.
Personalized Diagnostics and Treatment
The approach of the clinic, the Lanserhof remedy, is based on what practitioners call "medicine 3.0" – a development of preventive medicine that sees aging itself as a treatable disease. This leads to personalized diagnostics, individual consultations, and daily interventions that are calibrated on your own genes, cells, and metabolism. A one-week stay begins with a series of tests, including blood plates, body composition scans, and fragility score evaluation, and meets medical directors Jan Strizke and Christina Haeggberg, who led me through my data with clinical openness.
Protocols and Treatments
The protocols were equally hardcore, including an infusion of some yellow substance, two cellgymus sessions that are supposed to imitate altitude training and increase mitochondrial health, and five stints in a crystal chamber cooled to -110 ° C. My massage therapist insisted that I was too tight for a conventional massage, and instead, I needed Abyanga, something deeper. Nutrition was no exception, and I met with the tacit nutritionist at the clinic, who not only analyzed what I took but how.
Nutrition and Digestion
Dr. Mayr believed that every bit of groceries requires 30 to 40 chewing, and Dr. Haeggberg had to teach me pretty shamelessly how to really chew. "The digestion begins in the mouth," she insisted. Other pearls of wisdom included no talking while eating, no water for thirty minutes on both sides of a meal, and nothing but tea after dinner, which should end until 7:30 p.m. To ensure that my large intestine was cleared by the end of the week, every day started with a touch of bitter salt.
Sleep and Mindfulness
Not everything revolved around food or fascia, and I spent a lot of time with Heide, a therapist who gently suggested a daily “concern window” to contain my fear of falling asleep. In her strategy for retraining sleep disorders, I was in bed and watched my breath for 30 minutes and then read in a different room. It initially felt punishable, but by Wednesday, my brain had learned how to calm down, and I could get to sleep.
Rediscovering Nature and Mindfulness
Apart from the fact that they strapped on some tubes or sat on lectures on intestinal health or group yoga meetings, there is little to do in Lanserhof Sylt. As soon as my sleep and hunger were regulated, I made myself available to nature. One day was characterized by a long bike tour into the city, and another was a 10-mile run on the promenade. I read three books on the fireplace and watched the sky roll pink and gold when the sun was set, a scene that was so quiet.
Conclusion
On my last morning, confidently in my newly discovered "Wellth", I layered my coat over my swimsuit, marching into the North Sea. The stitch of the salty 2 ° C water was immediately, but after a full minute, the pain passed, and I was euphoric. I can do hard things, even sleep without medication, even 40 times a bit of written bread chew. Maybe I can even live in health forever. The 8-Nachte-Lanserhof Classic Plus costs from € 4,046, without accommodation, and a room costs € 649 per night.
