Therapeutic fasting (Buchinger, F. X. Mayr)

Domain X · Body, movement, breath & physical · Otto Buchinger, Franz Xaver Mayr · Europe

What it is

Therapeutic fasting is a medical procedure in which a person voluntarily goes without solid food for a limited period under medical supervision, followed by a planned, gradual return to eating. The 2013 update describes it as a structured therapy with a long European history, delivered in…

Format

• The fast. Solid food is left out, depending on the variant, and the person stays under medical monitoring with a supporting programme (Buchinger Wilhelmi: talks, demonstrations, individual coaching, seminars on nutrition, medicine, psychosomatics, meditation and mindful habits). The 2013 guideline…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Settings. Inpatient (specialised fasting clinic, hospital department of integrative medicine, certified Mayr facility) or outpatient with a qualified physician or certified fasting leader. The 2013 guideline separates two forms. Fasting for healthy people (prevention) is shorter and non-medical, meant for people who are well, take no medication, are emotionally stable and decide for themselves; it is done at home,…
• F. X. Mayr therapy (Franz Xaver Mayr, 1875–1965, Austrian gastroenterologist) is a physician-led cure built on four principles, the "four S": Schonung (rest for the digestive system), Säuberung (cleansing), Schulung (re-education of eating behaviour) and Substitution (replacing what is lacking). It uses an individually set diet, practice of a regular eating rhythm, and a manual abdominal treatment given by the…
• Core idea of change, as the traditions state it. The clinics describe fasting as a biological stimulus that switches metabolism to fat-based fuel, with effects on weight, blood pressure, lipids and glucose regulation, and on physical and emotional well-being. The clinic also uses the phrase "deep cleansing" of cells and tissue, and Mayr therapy is described as "detoxifying" the body; these are the traditions' own…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Evidence status (brief). The 2013 guideline reports the strongest evidence for chronic rheumatic diseases, with preliminary clinical and observational data for metabolic disease, pain syndromes, hypertension, chronic inflammatory and atopic disease and psychosomatic disorders. Fasting is not a…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• the client turning to an unsupervised fast instead; keep contact and see 4.8.
• binge urges, continued restriction, plans to fast again soon, and any physical warning signs (see 4.9).
• a client who plans to leave out eating-disorder history or medicines at intake; encourage full disclosure.
• freezing, dissociation, shame or panic before or after treatment; signs that consent was not freely given.
• low mood, irritability, poor sleep, preoccupation with food or body, feeling faint; these go to the clinic staff.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.