70 YEARS OF WECKBECKER – WITH THE POWER OF "LESS"
Health in the spirit of the age
When Dr. von Weckbecker opened his fasting cure clinic in 1954, demand was immediately high. After years of scarcity, the economic miracle not only brought unimagined prosperity, but also the accompanying civilisation diseases, including diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular complaints, skin diseases and inflammatory bowel diseases. The method of therapeutic fasting already had a positive effect on the health problems of the time - and still does today.
At its core, the proven therapeutic fasting, which relieves the body and mind, the Weckbecker concept has undergone further development over the past 70 years: By incorporating the latest scientific findings, new accompanying therapy methods and a spiritual focus through its affiliation with the Order of Malteser since 1998, it has developed into a holistic therapy concept. It aims to relieve the body through fasting, to activate its self-healing powers and to bring it back into balance with mind and soul. This is a convincing answer to the increasing demand for holistic approaches to promote health and quality of life. We call it Holistic Therapeutic Fasting from Weckbecker - and are proud to be part of this 70-year success story.
"I had once studied in depth the teachings on diseases and their treatment. What was missing for me was the teaching on health and its preservation."
Dr. Erich von Weckbecker
Physical relief & spirituality
In a society where the focus is often on external successes and the pursuit of material goals, many people long for inner peace, balance, and a deeper connection to themselves. Therapeutic fasting can calm the mind and soul by relieving the body. It harmonizes the autonomic nervous system and reduces the feeling of stress.
Furthermore, the interest in fasting often goes hand in hand with a rediscovery of the spiritual dimension of life – holistic fasting proves to be a good way to create space for this. As a holistic clinic within the Malteser network, we place special emphasis on a variety of offerings related to mindfulness and spirituality.
A place of warmth and care
Our clinic is more than just a medical centre; it is a place of warmth, care and interpersonal attention. Every year, we welcome 3,000 patients and offer them comprehensive, holistic care. Our dedicated team of 140 employees ensures that our guests are well - both physically and mentally. And that they feel well looked after, professionally treated and warmly cared for. We believe that this atmosphere of personalised care is an essential part of the fasting cure process.
Holistic therapeutic fasting according to Dr. Erich von Weckbecker - sustainable & holistic
Almost three-quarters of a century after the opening of our first facility, therapeutic fasting is more relevant than ever. The modern lifestyle of "more and more" activity, media consumption, screen work, and stress, combined with an unbalanced diet and lack of exercise, increasingly demands a healing balance. Exhaustion syndromes have become widespread, and many people suffer from complex mood disorders with or without specific organ findings. Therefore, we rely on a treatment concept that views the person as a whole, takes interactions into account, and treats various complaints in an interdisciplinary manner: Our holistic concept is based on medically and therapeutically supervised therapeutic fasting or a nutritional change, individually combined with Kneipp medicine, manual therapies, exercise, special intestinal baths, relaxation therapy, and pastoral care. In the form of the Four-Pillar-Concept according to Weckbecker, this forms the foundation of our therapy programs. Not only the method of fasting or nutritional therapy, but also the therapeutic measures are tailored to the individual’s specific symptoms, constitution, personal biography, and life situation. In this way, we can simultaneously address various health conditions and mental well-being.
"Fasting – the most effective universal remedy we have."
– Dr. Erich von Weckbecker
Trend research and "holistic health"
What Dr. Erich von Weckbecker developed as a treatment concept as a pioneer of his time combines topics and content that are becoming increasingly important today as modern needs, such as pro-ageing, slow culture, preventive health and a more holistic treatment of people in medicine. The trend researchers at the well-known ‘Zukunftsinstitut’ summarise this current trend with the term ‘Holistic Health’: instead of a small-scale view of specific ailments, an overall view of the body, psyche, lifestyle, environment and society is emerging. Our many regular patients know this: Especially in these times, a place where people have been familiar with these things for decades is recommended.
Who was Dr. med. Erich von Weckbecker?
Dr. von Weckbecker (1920–2005) was a physician specializing in internal medicine and a pioneer of fasting – fasting was a personal commitment for him. As a young man, he suffered from a kidney disease, and conventional medicine had already given up on him. So, he sought his own path to healing. In a self-experiment, he combined Buchinger’s therapeutic fasting with Kneipp therapy – and was cured. From then on, he was passionate about classical naturopathy. Inspired by Otto Buchinger (1878–1966), Franz Xaver Mayr (1875–1965), and Are Waerland (1876–1955), he founded a clinic for therapeutic fasting in 1954.
Dr. von Weckbecker compared the body, damaged by the consumption of indulgent foods, overeating, and lack of exercise, to a stove "where the flame of life keeps getting smaller." Therefore, he recommended, it must be "de-sooted" repeatedly – through therapeutic fasting. Initially, there would be dust and dirt, but afterward, "the stove would draw again, and the joy of life would return." This image has served as a guiding principle for generations of patients in our clinic for the past 70 years.