I first came across the Mayr ‘cure’ in 2008 through an email from The Association & Register of Colon Hydrotherapists (ARCH), the professional body I belong to. Around that time, members of the ARCH committee had met Professor Harald Stossier in London. He is a leading figure in modern Mayr medicine and the medical director of the renowned Viva Mayr clinics in Austria.
The idea emerged for ARCH members to travel to Austria to train with him at his clinic, and I was immediately intrigued and eager to be part of it. Following my training with Professor Stossier in 2009, I was able to bring what I’d learned back to my own colon hydrotherapy clinic in England. This experience transformed my clinical practice – not only did I benefit from the knowledge I gained, but so did my clients in many different ways. I am now one of a handful of Mayr-trained practitioners in the UK.
From there, my connection with the Mayr approach began. I’ve travelled to Austria almost every year to undertake the ‘Mayr cure’, using it as a way to restore and reset my whole system – a practice I’ve now maintained for nearly two decades.
Each time I return from these retreats I’m reminded just how different this experience is from what we usually consider as a ‘wellness retreat’. The Mayr cure is not about pampering or quick fixes. It’s a structured, medically guided programme rooted in natural health principles – designed to reset the body from the inside out, with a particular focus on the digestive system.
Having followed the Mayr approach for many years, I chose to go to the Bleib Berg clinic for the first time this year, specifically because of the people behind it. Professor Harald Stossier and his son Dr. Georg Stossier are now based there, having moved from the well-known Viva Mayr clinic to create something of their own. The clinic itself is still relatively new, now in its third year, and very much growing – which gives it a slightly more personal, evolving feel.
This time, I spent two weeks following the Mayr Plus programme, although one of the things I appreciated was the flexibility on offer. You can stay for one, two or three weeks (or longer), and while there are structured programmes – Basic or Plus – you can also tailor things once you arrive. The Plus programme simply includes more treatments, such as massages, mind coaching with a psychologist, and skin analysis.
That said, there are certain core elements I always include – these are really the heart of the ‘cure.’
Everything begins with a detailed consultation and a series of diagnostic tests – from blood work and scans to assessing the body’s acid-alkaline balance and measuring free radicals. For example, I had my vitamin C levels tested and discovered they were very low, so my programme was adjusted to include vitamin C infusions alongside supplementation. My blood tests showed that my vitamin B6, zinc, and selenium levels were also low, so I had infusions to top up these too. Vitamin D levels were low (even though I was already taking 20,000 ius per week), and the doctor advised me to double this to 40,000 ius. This kind of personalisation is key.
From there, the focus returns to the foundations of health:
- A prescribed ‘cure’ diet (this might involve fasting, food combining, or specific plans such as low histamine or anti-candida)
- Learning to chew properly – something so simple, yet so transformative
- Supporting elimination with morning Epsom salts and alkalising minerals
- Daily practices like dry skin brushing and oil pulling
- Manual abdominal therapy to stimulate digestion
- And evening rituals such as a liver hay pack
It’s simple, but incredibly effective.
And then there’s the setting.
While I’ve spent a lot of time at the Viva Mayr clinics in the past, Bleib Berg feels different. It’s set in a beautiful, quiet valley surrounded by mountains, with the most extraordinary birdsong. I even heard a cuckoo one morning – something I hadn’t heard in years. The space itself is larger, more open, with a wonderful spa, indoor and outdoor pools fed by a thermal spring full of minerals to support skin health in particular, and a well-equipped gym – but it’s the sense of calm and connection to nature that really stood out.
What keeps bringing me back to the ‘cure’, year after year, is how this approach strips everything back. It reminds me of what truly matters when it comes to health – what we eat, when we eat, how much we eat, how we eat, how we digest, and how well the body can repair when given the right conditions.
You can hear about my first day at Bleib Berg in this video.
In future emails, I will be sharing more with you about my time at Bleib Berg, including more about:
- The treatments I had
- What I ate (and why)
- The daily practices that made such a difference
- And the benefits I continue to feel since I returned home
If the Mayr principles are new to you and you’re curious, please do feel free to reply – I’m always happy to share more. Or you can read more about the programmes on offer here: https://www.bleib-berg.com/en/offers/
I look forward to sharing the next instalments about my retreat – there will be plenty to learn!
Linda
