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FEATURE
Nestling in the hills of southern Spain, with
panoramic views of mountains, sea and sky,
The Sha Wellness Clinic offers more than just a
body overhaul…
When we heard about the world’s first fully
macrobiotic wellness clinic, it sounded fairly tough
going: we have all heard about macrobiotics right?
The brochure asks “Is it possible to miss something
you’ve never known?”. We sent Caroline Sandry
along to find out…
86 Ultra-FIT
needed a break badly, having not
I
taken a holiday this year, and
having pushed my body and mind
to their limits – physically training
several clients every day as well
as many hours at my desk writing, and
teaching several classes. So when Ultra
Fit asked me to check out the Sha
Wellness Clinic, I was more than ready
for it! The invitation sounded intriguing
– suggesting that I could leave feeling
like a different person through therapies
and macrobiotic eating. Now I rather
enjoy a bit of hardship – a month in an
Indian ashram eating two meals a day,
camping out in the Scottish Highlands
eating potatoes and baked beans and
not much else, so I was fully prepared to
embrace this minimalist, controlled and
probably boring way of eating! Or so I
thought…
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What is Macrobiotics?
Most people have probably heard of
Macrobiotics, and have more than likely
associated it with some control-freak-uber-
celebrity who is rumoured to live by its
principles, or at the opposite end of the
spectrum some pale and washed out
hippy! I personally thought it was mostly
raw greens and sprouts with rice and miso
soup but actually I was pleasantly
surprised…
A brief history
In 1911, George Ohsawa – generally seen
as the founder of macrobiotics – recovered
from tuberculosis of the lung and colon by
eating a diet of natural, whole, living foods
which had been recommended to him by a
Dr.Sagen Ishizuka who had helped many
people recover from serious illness in the
same way in the late 1800s. His theory
was that the correct balance of acid and
alkaline, and potassium and sodium in the
human diet led to good health.
George Oshawa travelled extensively,
spreading his dietary message – that we
are each responsible for our own health
(quite a radical message in those days). He
ran courses and trained a group of
students in Japan to go out into the world
and spread the word of macrobiotics to
other continents. Soon macrobiotic centres
were popping up throughout America and
Europe in the late 70’s attracting
communities of people with an interest in
the East and its traditions and therapies.
As more people started to turn to
macrobiotics to help them recover from
serious health problems, it became more
widely known as a ‘cancer cure’ This was in
part fuelled by a book called ‘Recalled by Life’
by Dr Anthony Sattilaro who had recovered
from cancer using macrobiotics. Indeed it was
for this very reason that Sha was born – its
founder Mr Alfredo Bataller Parietti cured his
own long term stomach disease and finally a
tumour, through eating the macrobiotic way
and developed a dream of creating a space
where Oriental techniques could be merged
with the latest Western advances to work with
health, wellness and aging.
Although now more widely known, most
people still associated macrobiotics with
that very ‘anti- cancer’ diet which was
widely publicised and which was extremely
limited and hard to follow - giving it the
afore-mentioned reputation of a controlled
or even odd way of eating. I was delighted
to find that macrobiotics today is a
complete way of eating which incorporates
FEATURE
Método SHA –
The Sha Method
1 We are what we eat
Enjoying good health means not only living
without symptoms or problems, but
experiencing a heightened state of vitality
and well-being. Método Sha uses
techniques that address the root of each
problem, rather than just eliminating or
relieving the symptoms, the body’s visible
warning signs. The message ‘We are what
we eat’ is very much re-enforced, alongside
therapies which help to alleviate stress and
illness such as shiatsu massage, water
therapies, yoga, chi-kung, laughter therapy
(I didn’t get to do that but am intrigued!).
2 Anti-aging
Designed to delay the physical aging
process - Sha’s custom-designed, natural
anti-aging techniques work to maintain
homeostasis and normalise hormone
levels, amino acids and vitamins to balance
and counter the effects of both
chronological and biological aging. I did not
partake in this, but blood tests, gene tests
and hormone tests all help to build a
picture and identify risks (e.g. Alzheimers,
cardiac risk and so on) and to diagnose
suitable treatments or therapies.
3 Aesthetic medicine
Sha also has an aesthetic medicine unit
using non- invasive techniques and
procedures, and the very latest cutting edge
technology to visibly improve appearance.
Ultra-FIT 87
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FEATURE
If you want an
amazing, healthy,
luxury spa/wellness
break then this is
the place to go – it
is stylish, beautiful
and luxurious
a wide variety of foods and is not as limited called ‘the art of prolonging human life’. The
as you and I may have previously believed. theory is based upon ancient Chinese
‘Macro’ means large/long and ‘bio’ means philosophy of yin and yang and that all
life in Greek and macrobiotics has been things (our bodies, the food we eat etc) are
comprised of yin and yang energies.
Macrobiotics aims to rebalance the energies
and offer the body the essential nutrients so
that it runs efficiently without overloading it
with toxins or excesses. This maximises the
body’s natural capacity to heal itself and
function at its best. When the body is
nourished well, and is without toxins and
stress, it promotes physical wellbeing,
emotional balance and mental acuity.
The diet is largely based on grains (rice,
cous-cous, wheat, barley, oats etc)
vegetables and legumes, with some fish,
A typical days’ and no processed food, sugar or caffeine.
food at Sha
The Sha Experience
Breakfast choice from
Arriving at Alicante airport, I was met by a
various whole grains and cereals with
smart driver (speedy Gonzales!) who
non dairy milk whisked me off to the Clinic. As I was
various fresh juices or fresh fruit welcomed inside, I was slightly
miso soup overwhelmed: the place was so beautiful;
Warm sweet creamed brown rice (rice the staff are all smart, calm, welcoming and
cooked slowly overnight with pumpkin – attractive, and the atmosphere oozed calm.
delicious!) I felt like a spotty little schoolgirl in my
small ‘healthy muffins’ made with fruit, jeans and trainers and wished I had made
rice flour and steamed an effort to look more sophisticated! (Who
herb teas sweetened with brown rice syrup me??) However, once I had spent an hour
in my room staring at the most incredible
Lunch
views and breathing in the serenity, I felt
miso soup or fish/shrimp soup and-
more at one with the environment and
casserole of chick peas or beans and floated off for my first macrobiotic lunch. At
vegetables or fried tofu parcels in veg each meal you are presented with your own
Dinner personalised menu, and my first meal was
cous-cous salad fried tofu with vegetables followed by a
shrimps with vegetable and amazake sauce chick pea stew with integral rice which
chocolate & hazelnut mousse with was delicious and satisfying! In fact, I did
caramelised pear not feel hungry the entire time I was there,
green or herb tea
which is unusual for me as I normally eat
five small meals per day. That evening I had
Snacks my first treatment – a Shiatsu massage,
roasted almonds which I have to say was the best massage I
macrobiotic jam tart have ever experienced. Carolina my
fruit juice or teas therapist had magic hands, and it felt
Japanese rice crackers amazing when she stood on my
hamstrings. I felt as if she had opened a tap
88 Ultra-FIT
in my body and poured all of my stress out.
The rest of my stay involved delicious
food, wandering around gazing at the
mountains and sea, beautiful moments of
calm, a fantastic body wrap and water
therapy, a chi-kung class, yoga on the
terrace in the sun, a walk in the hills, and
lots of learning. The clinic has (optional)
classes in cooking and macrobiotic and
wellness education which I think is really
important as it gives you the tools to
continue when you get back home, and
helps you to understand the importance
and impact of our food and lifestyle.
After my first (great) nights sleep,
something very strange happened to me -
on the second morning I woke up before my
alarm clock! And I felt alive! Now, for me
this is a big deal, as I am always exhausted
on waking – even after 8 or 9 hours sleep.
And even more amazing is that I have
continued with this healthy way of eating
and have woken up fresh every day since! I
also have no longer got eczema on my neck,
and my skin is clear! I can totally see the
sense in this way of eating and have really
changed my diet. My interpretation of it is
that by eating whole, pure, nourishing foods
that my body recognizes as natural and
which are cooked in a particular way, my
body has to spend less energy looking for
nutrients, or processing and eliminating
toxins, and therefore I have more energy for
life! My intention is to be as true to it as I
can manage in this crazy life, and give my
body a break. Maybe it is something I could
do for one month in every six, or maybe I
will continue to eat this way: one thing is for
sure – I will think a great deal more about
my food and how it will affect the rest of,
and the length of my life.
How does this relate to you?
Firstly, if you want an amazing, healthy,
luxury spa/wellness break then this is the
place to go – it is stylish, beautiful and
luxurious – even to the point of having a
menu to select your choice of mattress,
pillow and linen! Secondly, if you know
that you are not giving your body the best
that it deserves, then stop and think about
this, because we truly are what we eat.
Thirdly, if you are overweight and want a
healthy and pure way to lose weight then
check out the macrobiotic diet. And lastly
– be nice to yourself, treat your body well,
respect its intricacies and try to cherish
and nourish it with good food, healthy
exercise and relaxation. UF
Contact
www.shawellnessclinic.com
To request information or brochure –
email info@shawellnessclinic.com
For more information on macrobiotics,
check out www.chienergy.com or
www.macrobiotics.co.uk