Erich von Weckbecker

Erich von Weckbecker (born March 26, 1920 in Munich ; † April 12, 2005 in Bad Brückenau ) was a German specialist in internal medicine and naturopathy . Together with Otto Buchinger and Franz Xaver Mayr , he is one of the pioneers in the field of holistic fasting therapy.

Life

Illness characterizes youth and study time

Erich von Weckbecker, son of a renowned Munich gynecologist, suffered from frequent infections as a child. At the age of 16 he fell ill with the flu, which subsequently led to severe myocarditis and rheumatism in the joints. His time as a soldier in World War II was also marked by serious illnesses such as diphtheria , inflammation of the kidneys , inflammation of the liver with jaundice and a stomach ulcer. Despite his poor health, he finished his medical studies and in 1945 after his release from prisoner-of-war he became an assistant doctor at the Klinikum rechts der Isar in Munich. At the end of his training as a specialist in internal medicine, however, he did not feel that he was in a position to pursue his profession in terms of health. His hope of healing through conventional medicine , he finally gave up after numerous attempts.

Kneipp cure as a key experience

In 1950, Erich von Weckbecker decided to take a Kneipp cure for several weeks in the St. Josef Kneipp hospital in Bad Brückenau. Instead of the expected improvement, he initially felt worse, until after three months his health improved noticeably and the symptoms of the disease almost completely disappeared. Convinced of the strong effectiveness of the water applications, he then devoted himself to naturopathy . In 1951 he started working as a coordinator of scientific studies at the Sebastian Kneipp Institute in Bad Wörishofen . In addition to the physical-medical measures, nutritional therapy using the therapeutic fasting method played an essential role for him in recovery or maintaining health. During the development of his fasting concept, Erich von Weckbecker was in constant contact with pioneers of fasting therapy and naturopathy, including Otto Buchinger, Franz-Xaver Mayr and Are Waerland.

Special form of fasting therapy

In addition to the actual therapeutic fasting, von Weckbecker attached great importance to hydrotherapeutic measures such as baths, showers, hot pads, sauna and massage. He coined the naturopathic principle: dissolve slag with herbal baths and remove them with alternating baths. He saw intensive cleansing of the intestines as just as essential for detoxifying and purifying the body. While the Buchinger therapeutic fasting empties the intestines with Glauber's salt, the therapeutic fasting cure based on the concept of Dr. Weckbecker provided daily colonic irrigation. Approx. 15 liters of body temperature water mixed with chamomile are passed through the intestine. This special form of colon cleansing was specially developed by Erich von Weckbecker.

Foundation of a clinic for naturopathy

In 1958, the specialist in internal medicine opened the naturopathic clinic Erich von Weckbecker in Bad Brückenau, after having previously practiced in a small guesthouse. Although it was difficult, especially in the post-war period, to win people over to fasting therapy and thus to renounce solid food, the demand was very high. Dr. Erich von Weckbecker was very committed to his job and was on duty around the clock for his patients. When Erich von Weckbecker died in 2005 at the age of 85, the clinic was taken over by the Order of Malta and has been continued in his spirit to this day.

Offices / honors

• 1966–1978 City Councilor of Bad Brückenau
• 1978 award of the silver city badge and 1979 the golden city badge of the city of Bad Brückenau

Publications

• Changes in the neurovegetative skin tone under the effect of the Kneipp treatment. In: Munich medical weekly. 95 (1953), pp. 308-311.
• Experimental investigations into the behavior of the skin blood flow in Kneipp applications. In: Kneipp natural medicine and its border areas in teaching and example. Publishing house for medical training Ehrenwirth, Munich 1953.
• Changes in the dermographic reaction and the vegetative skin tone under the effect of the Kneipp cure. In: Kurverwaltung Bad Wörishofen (Hrsg.): Exp. Contribution to Kneipp therapy. 1955, pp. 65-80.

swell

• Rainer Matejka: Eliminating Therapy: Methods and Practice. 2nd edition, Urban & Fischer at Elsevier, 2009.
• Eva Lischka, Norbert Lischka: lust for life through fasting. Regeneration for body and soul , self-published, 2005
• Eva Lischka: Inpatient fasting therapy and case studies from the Malteser Clinic von Weckbecker , Newsletter 1/2007 of the Medical Association Therapeutic Fasting and Nutritional Therapy
• Helped victory in 30 years of therapeutic fasting , Brückenauer Anzeiger from July 14, 1988
• Anniversary publication of the Malteser Klinik von Weckbecker, November 1st, 2008