Otto Buchinger (1878–1966) was a German physician, credited with documenting the potentially therapeutic effects of fasting on certain diseases.

After starting his career as a physician in the German Navy,[2] he was discharged in 1917 due to rheumatism affecting his joints.

[3] Seeking alternative treatments after conventional methods failed, Buchinger underwent a 19-day fasting regimen under Dr. Gustav Riedlin's supervision in Freiburg in 1919.

This experience led to significant health improvements, inspiring him to develop a structured therapeutic fasting method.

He later expanded his practice by opening a sanatorium in Bad Pyrmont in 1935 and, in 1953, a clinic in Überlingen on Lake Constance with his daughter Maria and son-in-law Helmut Wilhelmi.