appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Kylie Knott

As one of six children growing up in the Philippines, Marian Alonzo struggled with ill- health and had low vitality.
She was constantly in and out of hospital before being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disorder that affects the heart muscle.
“I was always in bed and didn’t have any energy to play – even going to the restroom was an effort,” says Alonzo via Zoom from the Philippines.
“My nanny would carry me because I couldn’t walk, not because I had leg problems but because I had shut down. I didn’t even have the energy to open my eyes, even when awake,” she says.

Her parents looked for natural remedies at a very early stage.
“The turning point in my health ordeal was when I was nine years old and was supposed to have surgery, but at the time I was very tired. I told my mum no more, I just want to rest,” she recalls.
“I overheard a conversation between my mum and the doctor … there was concern and love from my mum, who said, ‘It’s her body’ and the doctor’s reply was, ‘How can you let a nine-year-old decide on something so important?’
“My mum answered firmly but respectfully: ‘It’s her body, that’s why she gets to decide.’”
Those words, she recalls, were like magic.

“I had a surge of vitality but didn’t know where it came from,” she says. “My mum standing up for what I wanted was very significant.”
Also significant was The Power of Alpha-Thinking: Miracle of the Mind, a book by Jess Stearn that her mother had read. “At nine years old I also read that book; it basically talked about not focusing on the problem, but daydreaming your future into reality,” she says.
“I was always in bed without energy and my body felt like it was not free, but my mind could free me, so I applied the techniques from the book.
“I would imagine waterfalls and wearing white coats – I did not know that I’d become a doctor – and working in paradise giving hope to people … that gave me more vitality, so that’s how the journey started.”
Alonzo graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, where she was recognised for her outstanding clinical work. She finished her European postgraduate studies with distinction, specialising in integrative medicine that combines conventional medicine with practices and treatments from natural and alternative medicine.

Today, she is medical chief at medical wellness resort The Farm at San Benito, in Batangas province south of Manila in the Philippines.
Since 2002, she has helped create the resort’s holistic programmes, including ones that examine the science behind a person’s feelings by looking for chemical imbalances in their body that can cause health issues from depression and mood swings to cravings.
Nutrition and exercise are key elements of these programmes.
From May 17 to 23, The Farm at San Benito will have a week-long residency at The Upper House hotel in Admiralty, Hong Kong.
Staff will introduce its personalised treatments and holistic therapies, give talks and run workshops on juicing and preparing living foods – kept as close to their original form as possible to retain maximum nutrients and active ingredients.












View this post on Instagram























A post shared by The Upper House (@upperhouse_hkg)



Alonzo – who co-authored Raw!, a raw-food recipe book, and Cleanse!, a guide to the holistic healing of body and mind – will lead talks on applying integrative medicine to women’s health, and healthy ageing.
Other programmes will focus on mental health, including easing depression and anxiety, and the gut-brain connection, as well as children’s well-being.
The Farm at San Benito x Upper House Wellness residency, May 17-23, The Upper House, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, tel 3968 1000


Singapore aims to lead Asia’s wellness race with US$770 million complex

‘I was a mess’: how Hong Kong-born comedian turned her life around after serious illness

How many lychees are safe to eat in a day? What TCM says about the fruit

How ticks can cause a meat and dairy allergy called alpha-gal syndrome that can kill

Wellness

Wellness resort’s holistic health doctor draws from natural medicine and alternative medicine that helped her heal

Marian Alonzo is medical chief at The Farm at San Benito medical wellness resort. Photo: The Farm

Holistic healthcare helped Marian Alonzo overcome ill-health as a child, and she became a doctor specialising in integrative medicine. She and colleagues from The Farm at San Benito medical wellness resort in the Philippines will be sharing their knowledge in Hong Kong.

Marian Alonzo is a doctor at medical wellness resort The Farm at San Benito, in the Philippines. Photo: The Farm

The Farm at San Benito in The Philippines is bringing a selection of wellness therapies to the Upper House in Hong Kong. Photo: The Farm

Chef Marie Pagcaliwagan from The Farm will lead workshops on juicing and preparing living foods as part of The Farm at San Benito x Upper House Wellness residency. Photo: The Farm

Forgetfulness is an early sign of dementia, but also normal as we age; experts explain the difference

There is a big difference between exiting a shopping centre and not remembering where you parked your car and forgetting where you are or how you got there. The latter could indicate you have a problem, an expert explains. Photo: Shutterstock


Charan Ranganath, a psychology professor at the University of California, Davis, says the most common question he is asked is ‘Why am I so forgetful’? Photo: University of California, Davis

“We don’t remember things often because we were never there in the first place. We’re checking our phones, being distracted by noises on the street and so forth,” says Charan Ranganath, a psychology professor. Photo: Getty Images

Richard Restak, 82, a clinical professor of neurology and rehabilitation medicine at George Washington University, in the United States, advocates napping to help ward off memory loss. Photo: Richard Restak

The cover of Richard Restak’s book. Photo: Amazon

7kg weight loss in 7 days thanks to clinic’s mix of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, and detox diet

Acupuncture is part of the medical diagnostic package at Original Mayr in Austria, where doctors combine traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. Photo: Shutterstock 


The Chinese TV series Gen Z attracted more than 250 million views and increased the popularity of TCM in mainland China. Photo: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27687545

A typical breakfast included buckwheat bread served with sheep’s curd and artichoke dip, or sheep’s yogurt and olive oil (above). Photo: Original Mayr

Lunch was the biggest meal of the day; one day it was a sweet potato gnocchi with radicchio and pecorino. Photo: Original Mayr

Dr Ursula Muntean-Rock, Original Mayr’s head doctor, says the mix of TCM and Western medicine at the resort is “a perfect match”. Photo: Original Mayr

A TCM abdominal massage focuses on rebalancing the internal organs to help restore the digestive system. Studies suggest it may also help improve sleep. Photo: Original Mayr

Original Mayr resort is on the shore of the Wörthersee outside the southern Austrian city of Klagenfurt. Photo: Original Mayr

The writer undergoes an endurance test as part of his initial consultation. Photo: Original Mayr

The Chuan Spa at the Cordis Hong Kong hotel in Mong Kok, Hong Kong. Photo: Cordis, Hong Kong

Got FOMO? Try JOMO – the joy of missing out – instead; experts explain how to switch and why it can help make you happier

Baking at home is one way people might enjoy JOMO, or the joy of missing out. Photo: Shutterstock

Baking at home is one way people might enjoy JOMO, or the joy of missing out. The antidote to FOMO, JOMO has physical and mental health benefits and can make us happier. Photo: Shutterstock

Ennapadam Krishnamoorthy, neuropsychiatrist and founder of the Buddhi Clinic, says his social media detox allows him to spend more quality time with friends, family – and himself. Photo: Ennapadam Krishnamoorthy

Katie Forster, founder and managing director of Amara Communications, says she has been saying “no” a lot more. Photo: Katie Forster 

Psychotherapist Deenaz Damania says that with JOMO comes more time for contentment, joy and exercise. Photo: Deenaz Damania

JOMO ushers in more time for exercise, which releases chemicals in the brain that can boost our mood and help us find answers to problems. Photo: Shutterstock

Cutting back on seeing what other people are doing on social media is one way a person can achieve JOMO. Photo: Shutterstock

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Travel & Leisure

Doctor Marian Alonzo was sick and constantly in and out of hospital as a child; she recalls what was the ‘turning point in my health’ – and it was not surgery
Alonzo, who designs the holistic treatments at a medical wellness resort in the Philippines, has brought her knowledge to Hong Kong in a week-long residency


Holistic healthcare helped Marian Alonzo overcome ill-health as a child. She and colleagues from wellness resort The Farm at San Benito in the Philippines are sharing their knowledge in Hong Kong.
