Dr Winkler: Yes, I used to be a trauma surgeon with my own practice in the Ötztal Valley. When I moved to Innsbruck in 1982, I was asked to open a health centre in Lans, modelled on the golf hotel in Dellach on Lake Worthersee, where classic Mayr medicine was practised. 

Dr Winkler: When I was studying to be a Mayr physician, I was in thrall to the traditional approach taken by Dr Kojer and Dr Rauch. They had both studied under FX Mayr himself and rigorously followed the guidelines issued by the International Society of Mayr Physicians. For the first few months I was only allowed to watch – even though I was a fully qualified and practising medical doctor! When Dr Rauch eventually allowed me to take a patient’s blood pressure, it felt like being bestowed a major honour!

Dr Winkler: The strict rules of the International Society of Mayr Physicians made it almost impossible to progress the traditional method. Dr Rauch audaciously introduced a less severe diet – that deviated from the customary three-week course of treatment by bringing in light foods and protein supplements – and Dr Kojer was quite unrestrained in his criticism! When I subsequently suggested – and published a book about – the addition of even more protein, my membership of the Mayr Society was temporarily suspended.

Dr Winkler: We really should thank Dr Kojer for this because it was his disapproval that reinforced my conviction that things could be done differently and the Modern Mayr cuisine developed.

Dr Winkler: Yes. And we faced similar issues with exercise therapy. Dr Kojer prescribed strict rest to his health resort guests. Consequently, the guests secretly took themselves off for walks whenever Dr Kojer wasn’t about. That encouraged us to change the exercise regime too. After all, it makes little sense to ban guests from doing things that are good for them and they evidently enjoy! 

Dr Winkler: That’s right. Over the years I’d observed that guests were happier and more focused when included in decision-making. So I began to involve them more in planning their therapeutic stays.

Dr Winkler: Yes. The work we do with local physicians is a key factor of Modern Mayr Medicine. And it’s what makes Igls exceptional. Mayr medicine is holistic and based on both the Mayr method and conventional medicine.

Dr Winkler: We generally have much in common with conventional medicine. Rest is often prescribed to patients, and it is also what Mayr dietetics means for the digestive system. Research into the intestines repeatedly confirms the theories of Mayr medicine, and I’m convinced that the six principles of Modern Mayr Medicine will also find their way into orthodoxy.

Dr Winkler: New ideas need time to develop. As a rule, introducing and then implementing a fully formed idea is rare. They need to develop organically and require the right conditions and team: that’s how innovation can emerge and thrive.

Dr Winkler: There’s an old German saying about all the things a man should do: build a house, plant a tree … Park Igls is the ‘house’ I have built, and I’m delighted that it continues to develop just as I would have liked. It’s wonderful to know that I have been able to do something positive for people.