Must-Reads from the Wellness World (Week of November 6, 2018)

 

Humanity Has Wiped Out 60% of Animal Populations Since 1970, Report Finds– The Guardian, October 30, 2018

This is about a new, widely cited report. According to the World Wildlife Fund (involving 59 scientists from all over the world), humanity has wiped out 60 percent of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles since 1970. The vast and growing consumption of food and resources by the global population is destroying the web of life upon which human society ultimately depends for clean air, water and everything else. The takeaway: All things related to land and ocean conservation worldwide will rise.

 

Does Wellness Begin in the Bedroom? – The New York Times, November 1, 2018

This article looks at the many new contenders in the wellness and self-care world that are now addressing themselves plainly and openly to sexual health and wellness. For instance, the successful men’s sexual wellness start-up Hims just launched Hers to give the modern woman an online doctor’s waiting room of her own. It offers online consultations with Hers doctors, birth control, dermatologic treatments, products for hair loss, etc.

 

One is the Loneliest Number: The History of a Western Problem – AEON, September 12, 2018

Loneliness and economic individualism are connected.

 

The Employer-Surveillance State – The Atlantic, October 15, 2018

In the US, and in many other countries, electronic surveillance of employees has grown rapidly across all industries. The author of the forthcoming book The Job: Work and Its Future in a Time of Radical Change explains why the more bosses try to keep track of their workers, the more precious time employees waste trying to evade them. This shouldn’t come as a surprise: Research studies of surveillance suggest that it tends to increase stress and to lower job satisfaction.

 

The Dystopian Business of Bottled Air – The Hustle, October 27, 2018

This is an amazing story of the growing number of entrepreneurs who are capitalizing on the air pollution crisis by selling bottled air, in short: They are turning clean air into a commodity. This is a booming business despite the (obvious) fact that there are no studies to suggest that breathing clean air from a can in short bursts has health benefits. Their only tangible output may be to add to air pollution through their manufacturing and shipping processes!

 

A Striking Stat:

More than 90 percent of the world’s children are now breathing toxic air—and air pollution accounts for almost 1 in 10 deaths of children under age five.

Source: World Economic Forum, October 2018