The wellness industry is seeing a new kind of convergence as its principles begin to merge with healthcare. This new era will focus on healthcare and wellness looking to learn from each other, so both industries can reach their full potential. The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) has shared its thoughts on this latest wellness trend.
There have been some past attempts at trying to merge wellness and healthcare, but they all ended up being unsuccessful, with a turf war on traditional medicine and wellness being a major roadblock. "There is inherent tension between the money and the patients that are going to occupy this space," explains Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier, clinical professor of medicine.
However, the pandemic brought health the forefront governments, businesses and individuals alike, so it is looking like the merge will work this time. At the same time, consumers are becoming acutely aware that it's better to stay well than to wait for illness to strike. It's believed that this new era will bring an understanding of how healthcare and wellness can learn to get along. Hospitals will take inspiration from five-star resorts and yoga studios, and prescriptions may be coupled with hyper-personalized guides to optimal health.
This change is not going to happen overnight, but GWS predicts that there will be great growth toward this new era in the next three to five years. The pandemic proved that science, medicine and PhDs are essential. Wellness enthusiasts learned the harsh truth that yoga and essential oils would not cure Covid-19, while those that solely relied on healthcare have learned about the importance of preventive care or self-care.
A great example of this merging of two industries is Octave's Sangha Retreat in Suzhou, China. This expansive resort was built with a utopia in mind that combines ancient healing modalities and modern medicine for overall health optimization. The resort features a corridor that has conventional medicine on one end and other wellness practices on the other that range from acupuncture to wellness devices that measure the age of your soul. Visitors are free to flow between the two sides based on their personal needs.
