VALE WALTER LAST

To read about his daring escape from East Germany in 1962 - click here...

It is with deep regret that we must announce the passing of highly respected scientist, nutritionist, and author Walter Last on the 1st of April 2021 at the age of 86 years. Happily, he was with his son Peter and family during his last days.

People are asking why this celebrated "health guru" passed away at the age of 86 years, so we are adding more information.

Walter Last became quite frail in his later years due to his childhood in East Germany. This is part of the reason he devoted his life to his research and writing, and his selfless wish to help others.

Sadly, in June 2016 at the age of 81, he had a bad fall and broke his hip, following which he had more health problems. He almost lost his life in January 2019 with acute heart failure, severe pneumonia, and golden staph sepsis after he was found by a friend unconscious at home where he probably was lying for a couple of days.

After he felt better he released himself out of hospital. A few months later, feeling very unwell, he re-admitted himself to get his heart checked out and for a few months he took the medications they gave him to get back on track.

Then in January 2021 Walter suffered an Ischemic stroke. The stroke was put down to his ongoing heart problems. His heart was not pumping strongly enough to empty all the blood from the chambers. This lead to rhythm problems which can cause blood clots.

When he had sufficiently recovered, his son Peter picked him up from Mackay Hospital and took him to his home in Lismore.

Since his fall in 2016 Peter had been trying to convince Walter to move in with his family.

This year, (2021) when he finally agreed to do this he said it was the best decision that he ever made and should have done it earlier. Peter's family with their two young children loved having Walter there, he was so gentle and easy going. His last days were spent very happily.

Walter Last was born in 1934 and grew up in wartime East Germany. Throughout most of his childhood he suffered from malnutrition due to a severe food shortage during and after WW2. The associated hardships affected his health throughout his life but also sparked his keen interest in nutrition and the part it plays in health and healing.

Although he grew up to pursue a career in organic chemistry and biochemistry, he primarily maintained an intense fascination with the workings of the human body and the relation of good nutrition to superior health. He constantly experimented on himself.

In 1970, he settled in New Zealand where he practiced as a Nutritionist and Naturopath until 1981 when he moved to Queensland, Australia.

He claimed that he never stopped learning and regularly updated his articles with the latest available information. Early this year (2021) his latest article, “Biological Oxygen Therapies”, was published in NEXUS magazine and is available on this website.

Over the course of several years, he gained a wealth of knowledge which he then put into writing as his first major contribution “Heal Yourself – A New Approach”, published in 1977. This book then evolved into the best-selling book, “Heal Yourself – The Self-Help Manual of Natural Healing”, first published in 1979. Other books followed such as “Healing Foods”, and “The Natural Way to Heal – 65 Ways to Create Superior Health” published by Hampton Press, and which has now evolved into “Heal Yourself -The Natural Way”, along with his latest available books, “The Heal Yourself Series” of seven self-help books.

We will remain forever grateful to him for his selfless work and the help he has given to thousands of people. He never sought fame or fortune. His work was done on a shoestring. His primary goal was to help humanity find better ways of living and healing dis-ease - be it physical, mental, or spiritual.