'New start' for health at the Weimar Institute

The Weimar Institute, formerly a tuberculosis sanatorium, is now home to many programs. It offers a college, an academy for grade school and high school students, a health store, a trail system for outdoor enthusiasts, the NEWSTART Lifestyle Program and, as of today, an FM radio station. Beginning today Nov. 11, KWMI FM 104 broadcasts Christian music and programming, right from the grounds of the Weimar Institute. The Weimar Institute for Health and Education is also the home of the NEWSTART Lifestyle Program. NEWSTART is an acronym for Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunshine, Temperance, Air (fresh air), Rest, and Trust in divine power. The goal of the NEWSTART Lifestyle Program is to improve one's overall physical, emotional and spiritual health. It is an 18-day, eight-step, health recovery program designed to prevent and reverse disease. The basics of the program are a low-fat, high fiber, plant-based total vegetarian diet. This includes fresh air, exercise and spiritual fitness. The NEWSTART Lifesyle Center is located on the grounds of the Weimar Institute in Weimar. It is situated on nearly 500 acres of mountainous surroundings.The program was designed in 1978 to improve people's quality of life and reduce the burden of chronic disease. The program is based on the prophetic writings of one of the founding fathers of the Seventh Day Adventist Movement, Ellen B. White, who said, "Be thinking, not reflecting of other people's thoughts."The recently appointed NEWSTART Director, Dan Storkamp, has been acquainted with the Institute in various capacities. He studied Theology for one year at the Institute and acquired his B.A. in Theology at Pacific Union in Napa."The health message is the right arm of the Seventh Day Adventist Movement," said Storkamp. "What is unique about this program is that if offers you hope. Human beings seem to do really well with hope."People who are suffering from hypertension, angina, obesity, arthritis, and stress come to the center to learn lifestyle changes. They seek to achieve the health benefits of result driven methods. The facility is complete with a medical clinic, board-certified physicians that specialize in lifestyle medicine, and registered nurses on staff 24 hours a day. There are informative lectures and physicians to discuss concerns or personal goals. The 15 trails and wooded paths provide beautiful areas for moderate to heavy exercise, depending on your ability. Or you can merely relax and meditate. A variety of massage and hydrotherapy (water) treatments help to relieve stress and improve circulation.Cooking classes learning to use fresh fruits, nuts, vegetables, and grains to prepare healthy meals are taught by means of "hands-on cooking." The program is internationally known and a recent guest at the facility was Reverand Peter K. Sarpong, Archbishop of Kumasi, Ghana."It's [the NEWSTART program] an eye opener, because we took many things for granted," said Reverand Peter K. Sarpong, Archbishop of Kumasi, Ghana. "The food we thought was good, we learned was not good. One must have discipline and self-control to achieve what the program is meant for."I have brought our cook Sister Mary Dankwah Boamah to learn the vegan cooking style of the NEWSTART program.""The people are very friendly and welcoming here at the Weimar Institute," he added.In 1994, the Institute introduced a 2.5-day "Reversing diabetes and obesity naturally" program. It has been shown in research that it is possible to prevent and reverse diabetes using weight loss and other lifestyle changes. Type II diabetes patients who adopt the NEWSTART lifestyle can get off of insulin.According to Storkamp, "People who have success with the program, have found a way to stay connected with the program by returning for a refresher retreat." It's not hard to imagine people wanting to return to the NEWSTART program. It is a natural philosophy for health management and an invigorating environment to provoke change.This is a program where you can learn to achieve the benefits of change that are easily incorporated into your lifestyle and provide an incentive to improve your personal fitness.