Dr Otto Buchinger

Dr. Otto Buchinger, born in Germany in 1878 (died in 1966), discovered this form of health therapy when suffering himself from rheumatism of the joints. Chronic tonsillitis led to this infection, as an invalid, he was forced to give up his position as a naval doctor. After regular treatment proved ineffectual, a naval comrade encouraged him to start a cure based on fasting. Buchinger was desperate and agreed to try the fasting cure with Dr. Riedlin in Freiburg.

He later wrote: "This cure saved my life and existence. I could move my joints again like a young recruit!" It was not an easy treatment to undertake, Buchinger suffered from vomiting and fainting spells, but it completely changed his life.

After his own experience with fasting as a cure, he developed and refined the detoxing method. His work was published in the book "The Therapeutic Fasting Cure" in 1935, which went on to become the standard work in its field. In addition, Buchinger started to treat a larger group of detox patients in a spacious specialiced clinic and wrote numerious articles about his field of specialisation.

Dr. Buchinger developed a new philosophy of life that centered on movement and carefully selected nutrition. Additionally, he showed an interest in the "inner self" (the soul), in fact he even developed a series of "hygienic" disciplines for the soul. These included work (only the work preferred by the induvidual), a good sense of humour, an engagement with nature, a secondary occupation, reading and a "good companion".