Philippine STAR exclusive report from Germany: Welcome to Villa Medica, your healing destination

MANILA, Philippines - For ages, man has searched for the elusive fountain of youth. Today, let’s face it: The anti-aging cosmetic business is a multi-billion-dollar industry. Assorted products/services on the market promise to ward off/erase the telltale signs of aging or stop the biological clock  — anti-wrinkle creams, lotions, youth potions, beauty serums, systems, treatments, etc. And now, today’s buzzword in beauty is fresh cell therapy or stem cell therapy (but they’re two different things), but that’s getting ahead of our special beauty/health report, a Philippine STAR exclusive, from Germany.

The crisp, bracing air jolts us out of our drowsiness as we arrive in Edenkoben, less than a two-hour drive from Frankfurt, Germany, amid rows after heady rows of vineyards. On the way, we had our first taste of this storybook-pretty town’s famous offering. Blame it on our chauffeur/guide Andre, who purposely pulled over to pick some clusters of black and green grapes for us, probably the sweetest little grapes we’ve ever tasted. After all, this is the Rheinland-Palatinate, home to Reisling, the best white wine from Germany.

But we did not really make this long trip to Edenkoben via Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airways to bask in the warm glow of fine wine. We’re here to visit the Villa Medica Private Clinic where, so we’ve heard not only through the grapevine, former President Joseph Estrada, former First Lady Imelda Marcos, old politicos Juan Ponce Enrile and Ernie Maceda, former Press Secretary and presidential adviser on Mindanao Jess Dureza, former Tourism Assistant Secretary Cynthia Carreon-Norton, and local celebrities like singer Pilita Corrales, actress Lorna Tolentino, and hair guru Ricky Reyes have undergone fresh cell therapy for anti-aging/rejuvenation as well as for treatments of certain nagging ailments.

Erap, 75, was reported to be limping when he arrived at the clinic. After one fresh cell injection, he was walking straight and robustly confessing to Thai TV host Woody on his show aired in Thailand, “Now, I can have sex morning, noon, and night.”

Imelda Marcos: 84 going on 18

Well into her 80s, Imelda Marcos was smiling when she left the clinic and telling everyone,  “I’m now 18. Even my grandchildren can’t keep up with me. They’re telling me, ‘Mama Meldy, after two days with you, we’re completely exhausted. We went to Bohol, Bataan, and many other places and now, on Mother’s Day, you’re still up and about.’ I appreciate this great work by this group of people to postpone aging and the fact that now, we know that there’s hope. Of course, with all these things that can be of help, still the body may age, but a positive spirit will never age. When you’re energized spiritually, your body will also be younger.”

Pilita Corrales was singing a million thanks to the Villa Medica staff with her signature half-body bend after a fresh cell injection for an unbearable pain in her hips. Now, she’s discovered the bearable lightness of being. “Now I can bend again,” she chirps.  “Now, I can get married three times again,” she adds with an impish laugh.

Thai businessman Bobby Chia was desperately looking for a cure for his mother who had a blood disorder like aplastic anemia. He heard of this famous clinic in Germany and immediately sent an e-mail. He sent a total of 25 e-mails but got not a single reply.  “I didn’t know then what cell therapy was, but I knew this was a good clinic, it was a cancer center,” Bobby relates. “So I went there and I found out that they were not replying to my e-mails because the English proficiency there was not so high. I invited Villa Medica’s Dr. Burkhard Aschhoff to come to Bangkok and see my mom. He treated my mom with an immune booster.  My mom, who was just lying at home and didn’t want to live anymore, was suddenly well and can now even play tennis. And my dad, who was in ICU after he fell down, was well enough to travel to London after he underwent fresh cell therapy. So I said, ‘What do you have here in Germany?’ Certainly, this is not a scam, not bogus. It’s helped so many people from all over the world since the clinic opened more than 40 years ago.”

Villa Medica is one of few licensed and approved clinics by the District Administration Office Sudliche WeinstraBe, Germany doing fresh live cell therapy in Edenkoben, Germany. If is one of few clinics in Germany to have its own herd of donor sheep, tested and approved by the German Veterinarian Department as being free from diseases and viruses.

Bobby brought back to Thailand this wonderful news and opened a clinic in Bangkok. “But we don’t do fresh cell therapy there,” he clarifies.

Bigger, better villa

Bobby, an astute businessman, was so sold on the amazing work the German doctors were doing at Villa Medica that he bought the whole clinic not so long ago. Yes, Bobby already had nine fresh cell treatments (and counting) because he wanted to lose weight and be more functional. Brimming with entrepreneurial spirit and youthful enthusiasm, Bobby talks with gusto about the expansion plans for the villa, which include adding 30 more rooms, more swimming pools, more nice restos, a Rimowa store, and bigger limousines to drive guests back and forth.

Unknown to probably a lot of us, Villa Medica’s state-of-the-art private clinic has been quietly doing fresh cell therapy for over four decades now, with 100-percent success rate.

At Villa Medica, I keep my ears open and my eyes peeled as I learn more about fresh cell therapy. From what I’ve heard and read, fresh cell therapy was developed by Swiss surgeon Prof. Dr. Paul Niehans as far back as in 1931 quite by accident. The story goes that Dr. Niehans was called to assist in an operation on the parathyroid gland, which was inadvertently damaged. The patient was suffering from convulsions and was in a critical condition.  There was simply no time to do a surgical implant of the entire gland. Working against time, Dr. Niehans prepared parathyroid cells obtained from a calf and injected these into the glands of the patient. The records say that the injection of the fresh cells was successful — it did not provoke any reaction and the patient lived on for more than 25 years.

Today, at Villa Medica, fresh cell therapy — a natural, safe, and scientifically proven therapy — is done using fresh or live cells from sheep fetus for anti-aging and healing purposes.

Time-tested theory ‘like cures like’

Fresh cell therapy is based on a theory by 16th-century physician Paracelsus who described it as similis similibus curantur (like cures like). According to Paracelsus, heart cells (from sheep fetus) have the ability to heal the heart, lung cells the lungs, spleen cells the spleen, etc.

Simply put, fresh cell therapy triggers a person’s natural immune system to stimulate the body’s own regenerative and healing ability. Freshly extracted sheep cells are immediately injected and directed by the body’s unique signaling system to proceed to the area where they’re needed most.

Outside the glass door of Villa Medica laboratory, in our sterile masks and green lab garb, we get a first-hand look at how the sheep cells are harvested. Villa Medica observes very high standards of hygiene to make sure the therapy is safe for the patient.

“The first attempt was unsuccessful because the amnio fluid wasn’t good,” Dr. Ingebord Ewen shares. “But this doesn’t happen always. The second time is just perfect. With just one four-month-old sheep fetus, we can treat 30 to 40 patients. Every patient is getting a specialized organ. Like a patient with diabetes will get the pancreas because that’s the organ where the problem is. We inject into the muscle in the buttocks. The fresh live cell culture is injected into a patient as fresh as possible, within a matter of hours. Treatment is done in the privacy of one’s room.”

The lovely German doctor adds with a big smile, “I just enjoy treating people and helping. It’s very rewarding. But to be able to work in this field, you have to open up your mind and see the patient and medicine more in a holistic way and not in the traditional, conventional way.”

Amid Edenkoben’s lush undulating mountains and powder blue skies, people of all ages have found their fictional earthly paradise called Shangri-La. They come seeking answers to many different problems. A lot of them have found the answer in fresh cell therapy, probably the most comprehensive and holistic approach to health maintenance and anti-aging now available.

More than its anti-aging benefits (like improving one’s skin tone, reducing wrinkles, and increasing one’s energy), fresh cell therapy boasts treating a wide range of age-related diseases/health conditions like digestive disorders, heart and circulatory problems, joint/mobility problems, respiratory diseases, nerve dmage-Parkinson’s disease, immune deficiencies, stress-related disorders, neurological disorders, autism and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), genetic and development dysfunctions in children. (Note: Fresh cell therapy is not advised for patients with acute infections, advanced kidney disease or generally, those who are chronically ill and bedridden.)

Villa Medica’s cool pool of experts

A leader in fresh cell therapy, Villa Medica banks on a proud legacy of experts. There’s Dr. Alexander Gali, a student of Dr. Niehans (to refresh your memory, he’s the man who accidentally discovered the regenerative powers of fresh cell therapy back in 1931) who founded Villa Medica in the 1960s. There’s Dr. Burkhard Aschhoff who has dedicated himself to the field of fresh cell therapy for over 20 years now. And now, there’s Dr. Geoffrey Huertgen, Villa Medica’s chief medical director, a specialist in internal and general medicine, doctor of emergency medicine, and doctor of naturopathy. Dr. Huerten graduated from Albert-Ludwigs University, one of Europe’s top research and teaching institutions. He is a member of various renowned medical and alterntive medicine associations worldwide. Aside from fresh cell therapy, his expertise includes biological medicine, alternative oncological therapies, holistic medicine, aesthetic medicine, and biological natural remedies.

So, are you ready for your fresh cell therapy?

At Villa Medica, the program covers four days and three nights. Cris Aquino of Travelpros, Villa Medica business associate in the Philippines, is the man you should get in touch with if you want to book a flight to Germany to avail yourself of fresh cell therapy in Edenkoben (call 09175123004; e-mail caquino@villa-medica.com). Cris’ airline of choice is Etihad Airways which flies to Frankfurt, Germany via Abu Dhabi twice daily. (You can leave on the first hour of Wednesday and come back on a Saturday.) Admissions to Villa Medica are on Mondays (for patients staying from Monday to Thursday) and Thursdays (for guests staying from Thursday till Sunday morning).

Here’s how the program goes:

• Day 1: Arrival/check-in — brunch, form filling, doctor’s consultation, blood sample collection and infusion, confirmation of additional injections, lunch in dining room, choice to rest at Villa Medica or a half-day outing, dinner at Villa Medica.

• Day 2: Injection and resting — body temperature measurement in room, breakfast followed by infusion or vice versa, infusion and/or nature walk to the Pfalzer Forest, return to room to prepare for fresh cell injection, start fresh cell injection, rest in bed for the rest of the day, lunch and dinner in the room.

• Day 3: Slow and easy — breakfast in the room, remain in the room for doctor’s visit, mild activity recommended such as slow walking around the garden or the lake, lunch in dining room, dinner at Villa Medica.

• Day 4: Departure — breakfast; guests are welcome to stay or they can opt to be transferred to Frankfurt Am Main (Frankfurt International Airport).

Pampering to the max

Prepare to be pampered at Villa Medica, which combines the charms of a country setting with modern-day creature comforts (yes, it’s got Wi-Fi). The pampering begins as soon as you enter the receiving room (which doesn’t look like a reception area to me but more like a big sala) and you’re warmly welcomed by medical director Alexander Gottwald, Isabelle Hennig, and Andrea Kadel of the dining staff with coffee or tea or something to warm you or ward off the cold outside. Later (depending on how much time you consume drinking coffee or eating some of those sinful German desserts), you go up the stairs (of course, you can always take the elevator) to your room, where a basket loaded with chips and sweet treats and a ref filled with assorted juice drinks and soft drinks await. On the table next to the cabinet full of goodies are two big bottles of mineral water (no way you’re getting dehydrated here). Since you don’t see any price list anywhere, you presume these are all complimentary. You’re right, and they’re replenished daily, too!

This is just a foretaste of the binging you will be doing while staying or recuperating at Villa Medica. Its cozy dining room with a view of the lush greenery outside is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Tonight, our first night, we’re having fisch (fish steak), schweinelende (pork loin), schweineragout (pork ragout), hartgekochte Eler (hard-boiled eggs), egg salad, spinach in cream sauce, etc. For dessert, we have crème brulee. There are always lots of fruits around.  On other days, for lunch, we would have Thai specialties like spring rolls and noodles. Certainly, there’s no bland hospital food in this clinic to make patients feel even sicker. Villa Medica’s chefs are specially trained to cater to different dietary needs and prepare nutritionally balanced meals 

After dinner, tired and sleepy-eyed, I drag myself to my room and plop down on my bed just a few baby steps from the door of my room. The bedsheets and pillows are all immaculately white, smelling fresh and antiseptically clean. Truly, only the strictest hygienic standards are observed at the villa. There’s even a sanitizer dispenser hanging on the wall by the door in every room.

The people at the villa aim to please. They’re practically at your beck and call. I accidently press a red emergency button (there’s one in the bathroom and one near your bed) in my room and Petra Eitel comes running up the stairs. “Oh, so sorry, Petra,” I sheepishly mumble a quick apology. To which a smiling Petra replies, “It’s okay, it happens all the time.”

You’ll probably also meet Joyce Lee who makes it her business to make sure you’re having fun at the villa. Then there’s Susanne Oser who’s up by 5 a.m. to set up the breakfast table and make sure you get your early caffeine fix and that there’s enough of those nicely warm and yummy croissants.

Over java or jasmine tea, guests bond together, sharing a laugh or two. There’s enough camaraderie to go around. At Villa Medica, age is just a number — you’re only as old as you feel.