ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 25, 1996 TAG: 9602270001
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-14 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: MADISON
SOURCE: Associated Press
What does it take to be healthy and happy? The people at the Hartland Wellness Center in Madison County believe they know the answer.
Their philosophy sounds like something your mother might have told you: Get a good night's sleep. Eat unprocessed foods, such as fruits, vegetables and grains. Drink plenty of water. Get some sun. Take a long walk. Work in the garden. Nurture your spiritual life.
Since 1983, the center, which is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, has brought paying clients to its retreat near the Robinson River about 35 miles west of Fredericksburg to learn a new lifestyle.
``We're not able to predict what the outcome will be, but we know that when you live a healthy life, you become healthier,'' said Will Evert, the center's director. Sessions of 10 or 18 days are held throughout the year, and cost $1,500 and $2,500, respectively, for first-time guests.
At each session, about a dozen or so guests live in the center's hotel-like main building and undergo a daily regimen that is tailored to their particular needs. The staff of about a dozen people includes a doctor, nurse and nutritionists, along with lecturers on topics such as stress management and nutrition.
Some people go to Hartland to deal with obesity, high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels and diabetes. Some have more serious conditions, such as cancer, and have tried conventional medical treatments that have either failed or on which they've given up.
At a recent 18-day session, nine people arrived on a Sunday afternoon and gathered that evening in the center's kitchen, a wide room with two of every appliance and long tables for meals.
Chef Barbara Baily described the food they'd be eating. No meat, no dairy products and no processed foods. Just whole foods, like fruits and vegetables and grains. ``It's what our bodies really want,'' she said, though she acknowledged that sometimes, ``It's not what our taste buds want.''
The idea is to give the guests' digestive systems a chance to rest, Baily said. The center's goal is breaking bad habits, and bad eating habits are the hardest to break, Baily said.
The center's nutritionists teach seemingly odd rules about food. No mixing fruits and vegetables at a meal. No fluids when eating, because it would dilute the digestive juices.
The guests are encouraged to eat a hearty breakfast, a modest lunch and a very light dinner. Some guests try eating no dinner at all. The days begin early. Breakfast is at 6:45 a.m., and by 8:10 a.m. they're together for a group warm-up and stretch.
Each guest has an individual schedule. There are step tests to gauge cardiovascular fitness, and sessions in the swimming pool, warm baths and daily walks.
One of the guests, Dean Huber of Weaverville, N.C., said he came here because ``I had some real lifestyle problems that I was not going to be able to break without some help.'' Huber's cholesterol levels were hovering above 250. At 6 feet tall, Huber weighed about 190. That's not especially serious, but he couldn't reverse the trend. ``I'd always tell my doctor, `Give me more time,' but I was only fooling him and myself,'' he said.
After about 10 days of the center's diet and exercise regimen, Huber said his weight was down 7 pounds and his cholesterol levels were about 160.
Spirituality is key to the center's philosophy. Time is set aside each morning for prayer and meditation, and group sessions often start or finish with a prayer.
On the session's last day, guests and a few of their family members gathered for a final meal.
After the meal, some of the guests talked about the session's results. Thyonna Rapozo, who flew to the center from her home in Hawaii, spoke through tears, saying she'd gained more than 70 pounds in the past 14 years. She became desperate and prayed for help, she said, and a Hartland brochure showed up in the mail a few days later.
``The reason I'm hopeful today is that Hartland has helped me connect,'' she said.
One of the guests, Ken Gardner, was completing his third consecutive session. Gardner, of Capitol Heights, Md., has cancer. ``This place is as close to heaven on Earth as you can be,'' he said. ``I guarantee you, this is what God wants us to do.''
As the dinner ended, Evert asked the group to kneel for a final prayer, one about having the strength to keep up their new lifestyle. ``Give us courage, Lord. Give us strength. Give us determination,'' he said softly.
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