Iceland review - 2016, Page 44

42 ICELAND REVIEW
M A S S A G E
a healthy and balanced diet, relaxation and rest, with educa-
tion and professional counseling being an important aspect of
treatment, the cost of which is subsidized by the Icelandic state
for patients with a doctor’s referral.
Each patient receives an individual program from 8 am to
4 pm each weekday with relaxation, free time and walking on
the weekends. Individual programs include activities like art
therapy, aquatic aerobics and yoga with various lectures on
topics like mindfulness, sleeping disorders, nutrition, stress,
heart-health and humor. Around 100 people work at the
clinic, including nurses, physiotherapists and psychologists.
Treatments include physiotherapy, massage, acupuncture,
herbal baths and mud baths using local clay. “We source the
clay from the hot springs in nearby Reykjadalur. People have
been using it for a long time. In the 1950s, people would just
sit in the mud outside. It’s good for arthritis, for example. We
collect several tons per year and offer clay baths once a day.
You lie in the clay, which is warmed to 38-40°C [100-104°F].
It’s very relaxing,” Ingi Þór describes. Proper nutrition is also a
focus at the clinic, with locally-produced food, including from
the onsite greenhouse. “We grow our own organic vegetables
and the herbs used in our tea blends. We try to source as much
of our food as we can locally—we serve vegetarian and fish
options—and also produce our own heat and energy.”
W E L L N E S S
ESCAPING ROUTINE
Recent years have seen an increase in the number of young
people among the clinic’s patients, Ingi Þór says. “They
come to prevent themselves getting sick. The idea of helping
people before they actually get sick has become more wide-
spread,” he explains; adding that NLFÍ emphasizes the learn-
ing of preventive measures in order to avoid various possible
illnesses, such as burnout and other stress-related conditions.
Other reasons for treatment include sleeping and eating
disorders, support being sober, preparation for an operation to
strengthen the body and rehabilitation afterwards. “Sometimes
people come here to recover from the impact of a partner
being sick as well as general difficulties that people run into
during their lives, like divorce or a partner passing away,” Ingi
Þór says. Patients with burnout are also common, especially
among the younger patients. “We get a lot of people who are
burnt out, including a lot of health professionals. For people
who are burnt out, it takes a week just to wind down. Then
another week to start to learn to live differently, and then a
third week for improved relaxation to take place. That’s why a
minimum three-week stay is necessary,” he explains.
Forty-five-year-old flight attendant Heiðrún Hauksdóttir
says her stay at the clinic gave her an opportunity to reevaluate
Proper nutrition is a focus at the clinic. Previous page: Treatments include mud baths with local clay.