Table of Contents
The emergence of the Schroth cure
The naturopathic treatment was invented in 1817 by Johann Schroth in Nieder-Lindewiese. The main reason was an injury to the right knee joint caused by his horse’s hoof kick. Cold and wet poultices helped him to survive and alleviate the severe pain.
Johann Schroth continued his research, but this time not on himself, but on sick animals. He observed that when they were injured or ill, they stopped eating and drinking, which gave him the idea that fasting could help the body heal itself. From the knowledge gained, he developed a therapy with a combination of exercise, fasting and wraps to prevent diseases and to support the body in self-healing.
The Schroth cure came before the Second World War by Dr. medical Hermann Brosig to Oberstaufen in the Allgäu. The beautiful landscape and the healthy climate still contribute to the success of the original Oberstaufener Schroth cure. Oberstaufen is known for the only officially recognized Schroth spa. The first guest arrived in 1949, and the success story of the Schroth cure began with him. Today the Schroth cure is part of traditional European medicine.
Areas of application of naturopathic treatment
The focus of the therapy is on losing weight, purifying, detoxifying, deacidifying and fasting. In order to achieve the best possible success, you should never do the cure at home, but in special spa centers or Schroth cure hotels that specialize in Schroth’s four rules.
Depending on the state of health, the up to three-week cure once a year is particularly suitable for patients with the following diseases or complaints:
- migraine
- Diabetes
- high blood pressure
- Burn-Out
- Fat metabolism disorder
- Musculoskeletal pain
- Joint inflammation such as osteoarthritis
- Respiratory, heart, vascular and circulatory diseases
- overweight
- menopausal symptoms
However, the therapy is not suitable for:
- liver cirrhosis
- tuberculosis
- renal dysfunction
- hyperthyroidism
- cancers
The four Schroth columns
The Schroth cure consists of four basic elements:
- The Schroth Diet
- Schroth packing
- Schroth drinking regulation
- rest and movement
The Schroth Diet
The Schroth cure weight loss method is not to be equated with other diets or slimming diets. Although this procedure leads to a rapid weight loss of around 10% of your own body weight, the change in diet is not a long-term, but a temporary fasting cure. The cure may be carried out once a year for a maximum of three weeks. From a medical point of view, the full effect only occurs after three weeks.
The Schroth cure diet has nothing to do with whole grain products or other specific dietary foods. On the contrary: the procedure is based on the old principles of therapeutic fasting in order to relieve the metabolism, activate the self-healing powers and stabilize the acid-base balance.
The diet plan is mainly low-calorie, alkaline food without animal fats and animal proteins, and in almost salt-free form. The diet consumed may not exceed 600 kcal per day and should be easily digestible and non-irritating so as not to burden the digestion. This includes steamed and boiled vegetables and fruit processed into compotes. Semolina, rice, pearl barley, herbs, dried apricots and plums, and spa pastries are also allowed. Fish, meat, coffee and dairy products are avoided.
Getting started with the Schroth diet is very difficult at first, but you will get used to the new diet quite quickly. After a while, the feeling of hunger subsides. During this period, your body only concentrates on detoxification and purification.