Sha Wellness Clinic in Altea, Spain, near Alicante, is one of the world’s leading medical wellness clinics. The hotel clinic specializes in the latest health programs to optimize the physical and mental well-being of its guests.
SpaDreams has been successfully cooperating with Sha Wellness Clinic for many years. Together we offer our guests the latest programs on weight loss and fitness, detoxification, burnout prevention, healthy sleep and mental strength. Recently, Sha Wellness Clinic launched a new program on the trending topic of intestinal health.
On the occasion of the new program, Claudia Wagner, Managing Director of SpaDreams, conducted an exciting interview with Doctor Amina Alani of the Sha Wellness Clinic.
Hello Dr. Alani. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today about gut health and the new offerings at Sha Wellness Clinic. What is your role at Sha Wellness Clinic and what makes a stay there so unique?
Today I am pleased to introduce the new program. I am the head of the health team at Sha Wellness Clinic, where we offer innovative and unique programs for health, which are essential, especially in today’s world. One third of the population in Western countries suffers from health problems. Therefore, our guests benefit greatly from the programs we offer.
Why do you think one of the most booked programs is the Detox program? Is there a typical guest profile for the detox program?
That’s a good question. I think detox is so popular because people today are more conscious of their health. Cleansing or detoxifying the body is one of the first steps towards a healthier lifestyle. This is becoming clearer to many, which is why more and more people are interested in a detox program under medical guidance.
People who take our detox program care about their health and want to use preventive medicine to achieve their goals. Often it is people who are at home a lot in the corona lockdown, eat unhealthy foods and do not exercise enough. They feel that their body needs a detoxification treatment. I think we can offer a really good detox program here.
© SHA Wellness Clinic
I also think that you have one of the best detox programs ever. I got to experience it myself once and it was a great experience with a very good result. But let’s talk about your new program with a focus on gut health. Please tell us more about it. There is a saying that “healthy gut equals healthy person” – what does that mean?
As you know, at Sha Wellness Clinic we take a holistic approach to health. So we not only take care of the body itself, but also include the mental and energetic level, and of course nutrition, which is one of the most important pillars of our program. This holistic approach is so important because we know that the intestines and our digestive system are closely connected to the brain and the immune system. So when we pay attention to our gut, we pay attention to our whole body. This is the basis of the new program.
What does the gut have to do with inflammation, the immune system, autoimmune diseases and allergies, and body weight? For example, I’ve heard that it’s much easier to lose weight with a healthy gut. Even dental health has something to do with the gut, right?
Absolutely. The intestine plays a vital role in our body. It is important to know that the immune system works in our intestines. But not only that: the intestine also produces cells, neurotransmitters as well as molecules that are responsible for our metabolism, our emotional well-being and many other functions in our body. If the intestine suffers, for example due to an unhealthy diet or psychological stress, which incidentally has a direct influence on the intestine, it can lead to an inflammation of the intestine (Leaky Gut Syndrome).
In this disease, the protective function of the intestinal mucosa against pathogens and toxins is disturbed. On the one hand, we then have too many toxins in the body, on the other hand, the immune system, which is regulated by the intestine, is out of balance. This explains why intestinal problems can be the trigger for autoimmune diseases, but also, by the way, for all kinds of infections and even psychological problems. So we know that an unhealthy gut is the starting point of many diseases, there has been a lot of research on this, especially in recent years. It is simply impressive how important the intestine is!
Tell us a bit more about the content of the Intestinal Detox Program. For example, it includes ozone therapy. I’ve heard that ozone can fight parasites and viruses in the body. Can you explain why and how ozone therapy contributes to intestinal health?
Ozone has many beneficial properties. As you said, ozone is antiviral, but it is also antibiotic and antifungal. It can kill bad bacteria in the gut and counteract candida. Likewise, ozone can regulate the immune system, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. These properties are very good for intestinal health.
In ozone therapy, ozone is introduced directly into the body through the rectum. Thus, it reaches the intestine in the most direct way and the effect can take place without detours. That is why this therapy is so effective. In addition, the positive effect of the ozone also reaches the liver, which is also beneficial. For these reasons, we use this method as a main component in our intestinal health program.
That sounds really good. We all know how important a healthy liver is. You also offer anti-inflammatory nutrition. What’s that all about?
At Sha, we offer our guests a very anti-inflammatory diet. On the one hand, there are foods that promote inflammatory processes in the intestines. We want to avoid these foods in our clinic. On the other hand, there are foods with anti-inflammatory properties. We integrate these heavily into the diet in the program.
Since many of our guests have food intolerances or allergies, we discuss everything carefully with the guest in advance and tailor breakfast, lunch and dinner to each individual’s special needs. For example, raw vegetables are very healthy. Nevertheless, some guests may not be able to tolerate raw vegetables. If we know about this, we can specifically exclude foods from the menu plan and adjust it. So we put a lot of time into developing our diet program to make it as individual as possible.
That’s great! This means that each guest receives an individually tailored program from Sha. We now know that people with mental illness often suffer from intestinal problems or disturbed intestinal flora. Why is this so?
The balance in the intestines and the intestinal flora are very sensitive. Just as our eating habits can have a negative effect on gut balance and cause illness, worry and stress can have a negative effect on gut flora.
As I said before, the gut has an impact on our immune system, on the production of neurotransmitters and also on the central nervous system. For this very reason, an out-of-balance microbiome is closely associated with mental illness or mood swings.
That is why it is important for us not only to cover the external or physical health in the program, but also to include mental aspects. We show our guests how to better deal with stress in order to prevent intestinal problems. This is very important.
So the new Intestinal Detox Program is a very holistic program. It’s for detoxing, losing weight, relieving mental stress, helping with autoimmune diseases or sleep problems – maybe the new Gut Detox Program with all that it includes will become the number one program at the Sha Wellness Clinic. I think it’s especially recommended now in times of Covid-19.
Absolutely. As I said, many, many guests of ours have different health problems. People who can’t sleep well, for example, don’t know that the problem is in the gut. They also don’t know that stress can upset the internal balance. Likewise, many also don’t know that skin problems and other ailments are also due to an unhealthy gut. We try to explain the connections to our guests here and present a clear picture of their problems.
And especially the current times, when people are stressed and fearful of the future, they can have a massive impact on intestinal health. They don’t eat as healthily, acquire bad habits, such as drinking too much alcohol or eating too much unhealthy food. That’s why we also try to include additional services such as comprehensive nutritional counseling or stress management counseling.
Thank you Dr. Alani for the insights into the work of the Sha Wellness Clinic.
30.06.2021
