India Today

WELL & GOOD

The global wellness trends signal a shift towards holistic healing, both of the mind and body

- By ALEJANDRO BATALLER

The wellness industry is currently booming. One of the major reasons for this is that we have gone back about 50 years in many aspects of nutrition and lifestyle. We are now suffering the consequenc­es of our excesses and are searching for answers for optimal health. Here are some of the major wellness trends that I have seen emerging in the last few years.

HOLISTIC NUTRITION IS BIG

While there is a huge interest in the food and pharmaceut­ical industry, very few take interest in finding out which is the best path to wellness. There are too many mixed messages about what is healthy and what isn’t. We have a huge number of people who think they are suffering from a genetic or chronic illness but they don’t relate it with a lifestyle problem. They think they take care of themselves. “I eat healthy. I go to the gym,” they say. But upon investigat­ion it’s often found that they are not living an optimal life. There is research in the nutritiona­l habits of people in countries where a significan­t number of people live for more than 100 years and it has been found that 90 per cent of their diet is fat-based with fish being eaten less than three times a week, meat less than five times a month, no dairy, lots of cereals, vegetables, grains and nuts with tea and water being the beverage of choice. This also aligns with what the Harvard Medical School has described as the ideal food pyramid and the Mediterran­ean and Japanese diets which are followed in countries with the highest life expectancy.

STARVING IS NOT SUSTAINABL­E

Creating a diet that is attractive but effective is important. Starving and suffering never work in the long run. We believe that for someone to make a change in their life, whether it be diet or exercise, it should be tempting and sustainabl­e enough for the person to want to incor-

porate it in their life. People will only make a couple of changes and they start to experience the benefit of these changes which leads them to make healthier changes. It is important to listen to your body, as it will give off warning alarms to signal when something is amiss.

TECHNOLOGY BOOSTS WELLNESS

New research and tech allows us to make significan­t improvemen­ts in health recommenda­tions. Bioenerget­ic medicine allows us to test energy, look for energy blockages and imbalances and give very precise results. It's helpful in designing lifestyle recommenda­tions. We also have advances in genetic testing which allow us to determine and examine premature ageing, which organs are ageing faster than others and why. The latest non-invasive aesthetic medicine like infiltrati­ons are also giving excellent results. There are tests to determine your level of concentrat­ion, relaxation and mindfulnes­s which help personalis­e wellness techniques. A ground breaking technique developed by NASA and Harvard also allow us to increase brain activity through a neuro-feedback helmet that has been giving remarkable results. The LED light pulses in the helmet help lower depression, anxiety and prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

SHIFTING PERCEPTION­S

There is also a change in the way people view wellness. Earlier, a wellness getaway was considered the bastion of people with some free time to kill. The majority of people who seek wellness now are decision makers, CEOs, heads of government, members of royal families, elite sports people and top models among others. Essentiall­y these are people who, when they have free time, would like to make it count by improving their vitality, resetting and becoming a better version of themselves. As people care more about being healthy, the wellness industry will undergo a paradigm shift.

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 ??  ?? BRAIN FOOD LED Pulses are now being used to boost brain activity and mindfulnes­s
BRAIN FOOD LED Pulses are now being used to boost brain activity and mindfulnes­s

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