Rebecca's Story

Rebecca came to Hopewood in October after traditional medicine had failed to relieve symptoms caused by Parvo virus. The virus caused her to have arthritic pain in her joints and when Rebecca arrived at Hopewood, she was exhausted because the pain made it impossible to sleep through the night. Our naturopaths recommended an initial fasting program for Rebecca, coupled with hydrotherapy and massage. Here is Rebecca’s story.

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"The friendly, kindhearted staff welcomed me at Hopewood Health Retreat, as did the beautiful sound of the bellbirds, the colourful gardens and tranquility of the grounds.

"First up was a grand tour, where I was shown the facilities throughout the retreat. I was asked about my goals whilst visiting Hopewood and some questions regarding my eating requirements, which Jennifer sorted out quickly with the kitchen, before she then gave me the opportunity to unpack and settle into my room before heading to lunch.

"Being surrounded by specialists in natural healing, gave me hope that I would soon feel good again, after more than 3 months of chronic pain. Their care and dedication to my health and wellbeing was just what the doctor ordered and I knew I was in good hands. The Naturopaths, Hydrotherapy, 7 Day Fasting program, Reiki and numerous treatment options for pain elimination (especially the Shiatsu Massage which immediately rectified some of the pain which had been keeping me awake at night) all contributed to an overall sense of wellbeing. I felt even throughout the hardest days of fasting that I had the support I needed to successfully rid the toxins from my body. This process gave my body a fighting chance to then deal with the pain caused by this unusual Parvo virus, which has plagued my body with arthritic symptoms.

"Another one of the brilliant things about Hopewood is that temptation is taken away from you and I strongly recommend that if will power isn't your strongest attribute, then Hopewood definitely makes it easier to be kind to your body. They will go to great lengths any time, day or night, to help you with any of the discomfort associated with eliminating those naughty things which our society makes so easily accessible to us.

"During my stay at Hopewood I attended a few of the activities, with Yoga, Belly Dancing (what a laugh!) and the Cooking Demonstration being my favourites. Having switched to a diet free of gluten, most animal products, caffeine and sugar, the cooking demonstration was especially helpful and gave me extra ideas on substitutes for things like wheat, fats and sugars. I think everyone was delighted by John's Christmas cake recipe and how simple it could be. I can't speak highly enough about the food on offer at Hopewood.  Once I finished my fasting program and was able to resume eating again, I was so taken by the flavours and variety of food on offer.

"Everyone on staff was more than welcoming and bent over backwards to ensure my experience was a good one, despite the hard nature of Fasting. Not only were the staff supportive, but having the option of inviting love ones to join me at Hopewood was comforting. I left feeling refreshed, energized, and optimistic that my body will be able to rid itself of the virus.

"Thank you for having me at Hopewood!"