Category Archives: Health & Wellness

Health & Wellness, Travel

Review: Mayrlife Medical Health Resort, Austria

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Mayrlife Medical Health Resort, Altaussee. All photos in this post by NHYM 2024.

I first heard about Mayrlife – then called Vivamayr – about ten years ago when my youngest was still at nursery and a Billionaire-Royalty mum was hailing its benefits with another socialite mum and I have been wanting to go ever since. But let’s be real, it’s a minimum 1 week stay, and I couldn’t imagine leaving my two young children for a week. Fast forward 10 years and covid, long covid and a chronic illness later, I desperately needed this break when the stars aligned and I had one week free: one child was going to camp in North America and the other to a high performance sports camp in Spain.

I jumped (leaped) at the chance to go with one of my dearest and oldest friend who happened to be free and regularly goes on detox trips (this is NOT something to do with husbands or new friends – let’s just say you are in for a complete top-to-bottom cleanout!).

Photo: NHYM 2024

My first impression was that the setting was breath-taking with majestic mountains jutting behind a beautiful lake. It’s not only about the health and medical clinic aspect here, this place is so beautiful you could just go for the location, but I was here primarily for the promises that I would feel transformed by the time I left. Mayr is all about the gut and the microbiome and I was here to reset my gut and hopefully my health (oh and it is famous for forty chews per bite at every meal).

Photo: NHYM 2024

The day after we checked in, I met with my very lovely doctor Ingrid who basically made me cry when she told me I really needed 3 weeks here to feel healthy again (which of course would be impossible, I have kids!), but she assured me that she would do everything to start sorting me out. After ordering about a million tests and starting me on a million pills and giving me an intense treatment schedule, I was off to start my treatments.

Photo: NHYM 2024

I came specifically for their Long Covid Programme and a rare genetic condition I was diagnosed with 12 years ago, which leaves me exhausted, breathless and in pain. I love that they have very specialised programmes depending on your health needs (some other medical resorts have much more generalised programmes like weight loss, detox or longevity). My friend came for a detox and others come to lose weight (Rebel Wilson is pretty much a brand ambassador), but others were here for cancer recovery and we also saw an amputation patient down by the lake. My friend had fewer, gentler treatments than me, but enjoyed the hiking, the classes and socialising. My intense schedule was non-stop and included 3 x ozone therapy, 3 x hypoxic therapy for my breathlessness and fatigue and a bunch of other lighter treatments like massages, wraps and foot baths, to feel good, detox and calm down my parasympathetic nervous system.

Photo: NHYM 2024

When we weren’t busy with our treatment schedules, we went to the pool/sauna, sat by the lake with a book or went for hikes around the lake, which was really out of a fairy tale. It was unbeatable in terms of natural surroundings. While swimming in the lake one day, we met a Rock/Film Star who was there with her son and she was just as magnetic and beautiful in real life as she is on screen and down to earth too (unlike Rebel, she prefers to stay anonymous). This is what’s special here, it doesn’t matter who you are, there is an intimacy and connection that is instantly formed with every guest/patient: it felt like we were all here to be part of this special, enlightened club.

Photo: NHYM 2024

The week we were there, Rebel Wilson was there for three weeks with her wife and baby and she was just as hilarious in real life as she is in her movies: ‘sorry I don’t remember you, I’m too busy starving’. Fergie was also there, still recovering from breast cancer, along with another English aristo chatting to some LA/ Hollywood girls who clearly go every year.

Photo: NHYM 2024

Unlike my friend who was very social and literally met everyone there by then end of the week, I was there for a medical MOT: the ozone therapy literally drained me of my blood and washed it with ozone to get rid of any viral remnants and ‘clean and oxygenate’ my blood. The hypoxic treatment simulated climbing at altitude to encourage my body to create more blood cells to help with my breathlessness. This was intense work but was finally helping me: I could breathe and my mind felt clearer than it had for months.

Photo: NHYM 2024

The food, I would say, was the one thing I struggled with the most: I was here for exhaustion, not starvation! My blood tests showed that I am allergic to dairy and gluten, pomegrenates and pine nuts and intolerant to a whole bunch of other things. So, the first four days I was only served mushroom tea, coconut yoghurt, crackers, boiled chicken and about a million pills to take because of my newfound allergies. But after four days salivating over my neighbours’ food, I begged my doctor to put me back on regular food and she felt so sorry for me, she did, see below photo, and that sent me straight to heaven. Talking to other guests, it turns out some of them cheated and went to the nearby village for real food or snuck in chocolate bars, just like teenagers sneak in alcohol at school parties.

Photo: NHYM 2024

My doctor was excellent, knowledgeable and very empathetic. Despite some of the diagnostics and treatments being a bit outside my comfort zone like the colonics which I said a hard no to, despite everyone trying to convince me otherwise (‘My favourite part!’ said one guest) but that’s where I drew the line, so don’t worry about saying no. I was willing to try *almost* about anything – nothing had worked so far after all – but not everything.

What I loved the most about the week was that I spent an entire week completely prioritising my health without having to think of/or do my children’s meals, activities, pick ups, exams, pick ups and drop offs and looking after who’s happy and who’s sad. And that’s just my children, not to mention my husband’s needs. This was transformative in itself.

But by the end of the week, my stomach pains went away, my belly finally looked like I wasn’t 9 months pregnant and my brain felt so clear, I felt like I had woken up from a fuzzy dream. I can’t wait to go back (this time with hidden snacks) although it might take another 10 years for the stars to align again. It is by no means a ‘pampering’ holiday, it is hard, you have to be disciplined, but anyone with any kind of health problem or needing a detox will really come away with a whole new way of eating and of life. It really is that transformative.

xx

NHYM

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Health & Wellness

Review: LYMA LASER

LYMA Laser Honest Reviews: Is It A Good Option For Your Skin? - Doctor Mier

https://lyma.life/

Some of you may not know, but I am a medically trained doctor and used to run a Skin and Wellbeing Clinic before my days as a Notting Hill Yummy Mummy. I have decided to go back to my roots and start writing about Health and Wellbeing. Skin health seems to be the ‘topic-du-jour’ at all the mummy dinners (that and our kids’ digital addictions) and I want to focus on non-invasive, natural ways of keeping and maintaining the health of our skin. This means: no Botox, no fillers, no facelifts. Only light-weight, healthy ways of keeping our skin youthful and natural. Think Joan Collins, who I just saw at Annabels last week, and looks so fabulous for 92 yo! So, for my first post, I’d like to review the LYMA at home laser. Let’s be clear, at home treatments are not going to give you instant effects of doctor’s office lasers, but that also means no downtime, but can give real results over time.

Science in a Snapshot: This is a 500mW cold, near infrared laser which penetrates through all layers of the skin to improve skin regeneration, encouraging cell growth and renewal. It is backed by science, so for me, it’s a go. More info on the science behind it is on their website. It penetrates deeper than an LED Mask: think LED for surface changes, LYMA for deep penetration.

Cost: £2,000

How To Use: It’s simple to use, but the LYMA needs at least 15 minutes every day or 3 minutes on a target area for the first three months. Then, it’s 2-3 times a week. No downtime, no side effects. I use it while watching TV, it makes me feel like I am being productive while watching the latest White Lotus! You will need to use it realistically a minimum of 3 months to see any results.

Best for: Everything. Jowls, fine wrinkles, marionette lines, hooded eyes, 11s, crow’s feet, scars. I was particularly unhappy with my jowls and my deepening marionette lines, so this is what I was targeting.

Overall Verdict: Downsides are that it is expensive and needs proper time and commitment every day, but for real at-home results, this is one of the best investments on the market (if you have money and time, if you don’t, look at other options). The results are very subtle and the changes very slow, but if you keep doing it, one day you’ll wake up with a refreshed face. I tried using it with an LED mask on the same day and I found that the effects were synergistic and multiplied its effects, to the point when I actually felt my skin was firming up.

BEFORE AND AFTER

Smile lines:

January 2025

June 2025:

My marionette lines (smile lines) were becoming very deep, so they were one of my major concerns and no creams or facials were ever going to treat those. I think the photo says it all: the changes were subtle, but visible and my skin also was more clarified and bright.

Jowls:

Jan 2025:

June 2026:

My jowls were another area of concern; I felt like my once high cheekbones had turned into golf balls sagging from my jawline. Now, my jawline seems more taut and defined. Again, the changes are subtle, but I feel my cheeks are tighter, less heavy and droopy so even if I am the only one who feels the changes, it makes me happy!

Next time, I will give you a 1 year update!

xx

NHYM

http://www.nottinghillyummymummy.com

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Health & Wellness, Reviews

Cloud 12 Spa Review

NHYM 2022

I don’t know about you, but the last two weeks have felt like an explosion of back-to-school, Queen’s-funeral, and post-pandemic chaos and stress: everyone seems on edge and overwhelmed, including myself. So, when Cloud 12 offered me one of their signature Deep Relief Kloris CBD Oil massages, it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. Is it in the neighbourhood so I can fit it in between the school runs? Check. Destressing and relaxing? Check? CBD Oil? Check again!

For those of you who don’t know about Cloud 12, it is a wellness and spa retreat in the middle of Notting Hill with the added bonus of a Kid’s Club (My children are sadly too old for it, but I would have happily left them playing in the ground floor indoor playground while getting my massage). In addition to my massage, I was offered thirty minutes in the thermal suite, so this is more than just a few therapy rooms; it’s a place you can easily spend a few hours in.

Changing Room NHYM 2022

The changing room was exquisitely decorated with a large nature chandelier and there is Asian-inspired decor throughout which reminds me of spas in Bali, Thailand and Japan.

Himalayan Salt Room 2022

The thermal suite includes an eucalyptus-infused steam room, a wooden electric sauna and a Himalayan salt room. I particularly enjoyed the steam room which opened up my sinuses and bronchioles and all that sweating felt detoxifying. I also enjoyed the Himalayan salt room which exhaled cool salt air at the press of a button.

Treatment Room. NHYM 2022

After thirty minutes of thermal treatments and some time in the relaxation room listening to meditations on the provided earphones, Dorota, my therapist came for my Deep Relief Kloris CBD oil massage. CBD oil is touted for its health benefits including pain relief, speeding up healing and aiding stress and anxiety (and it is organic). This massage is described as ‘the perfect choice for anyone with aches and pains, as well as to help balance body and mind,’ which suited me perfectly!

My 60 minute massage was bliss and I even had moments of peace, forgetting about clogged roundabouts and how to magically turn a 45 minute journey into 30 minutes later that day. The massage did exactly what it was supposed to do: it released tension and induced relaxation and I could have easily used another 30 minutes or 60 minutes more of massage time.

Afterwards, I was shown the second floor therapy rooms, which are an Aladdin’s cave of wellness treatments: hynotherapy, herbal medicine, acupuncture, colonics (apparently very popular these days!), psychotherapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, (which I heard is great for long covid and rapid healing) and more, so there is everything you need under one roof.

Cloud 12 a beautiful spa with great facilities and if you live in Notting Hill or West London (or anywhere in London really), it’s not to be missed. We’re all feeling the pressure of the world these days between unexpected pandemics, wars, Brexits and a royal death so if you need a break from it all, this is the perfect place to do it. For a few hours, I lived in a world between Bali, Japan and Thailand, where my only worry was contemplating which treatment I would go for next time.

What’s not to love?

https://www.cloudtwelve.co.uk/

2-5 Colville Mews

London W11 2DA

020 3301 1012

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