Iceland review - 2016, Side 43

ICELAND REVIEW 41
SEEING THE WHOLE
Located on a 19-hectare (48-acre) plot of land bordering
the Varmá river, the clinic offers specialized rehabilitation
programs aimed at enhancing physical and mental wellbeing
with patients staying for three to six weeks at a time. “Instead
of driving your car to a building somewhere in town for an
appointment, we’re taking a holistic approach here by combin-
ing nature, food, relaxation and improving mindfulness. We’re
teaching people to be responsible for their own health,” says
Ingi Þór Jónsson, marketing manager at NLFÍ.
Founded in 1955 by medical doctor Jónas Kristjánsson—
considered revolutionary for his ideas about healthcare and
nutrition—NLFÍ accepts up to 2,000 patients per year. Three
treatment lines are offered—for obesity, chronic pain and
stress—and six rehabilitation programs for heart, cardiovas-
cular and lungs, mental health, arthritis, cancer, joint replace-
ments and ageing.
According to Ingi Þór, the clinic’s holistic approach is the
key to everything it does, with the health issues of individuals
examined in the context of their mental, physical and social
situation. A patient might come in after a hip replacement, for
example. Then, in the first interview, it might come out that
the person has actually also been suffering from depression
for a long time, he explains, iterating: “Our multi-disciplinary
team looks into the whole.” Treatment is focused on exercise,
W E L L N E S S