A new double-blinded randomized trial from Stanford University found that six weeks of electroacupuncture (which uses a small electric current passed between needles) helped people with chronic lower back pain: They reported improvements in walking comfortably, standing for longer periods, bending and kneeling, etc. It did not seem to help with pain intensity. The researchers concluded that with back pain, it’s best to use a…
First Research on the Mental Wellness Economy Released Monday
The Global Wellness Institute is the research organization renowned for sizing and analyzing the sectors across the global wellness economy and known for its wellness industry bubble chart. On Monday, a new “bubble” will be born when the GWI releases the first research on the dynamic, multi-sector mental wellness economy at the Global Wellness Summit. While mental wellness is a market seeing explosive growth (dramatically…
Must-Reads from the Wellness World (Week of November 3, 2020)
Presidential Elections May Be Bad for Your Health–New York Times, October 20 The stress of presidential elections may increase the incidence of heart attacks and strokes, say researchers from Kaiser Permanente looking at the 2016 US election. The study, in PNAS, found that hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease in the two days following that election were 61% higher than in the same two days of the preceding…
Wellness Evidence Study: Pranayama Breathing Exercises Reduce Anxiety and Lead to Positive Changes in Brain
Pranayama is a set of techniques for controlling the breath, and a new randomized controlled trial from Brazilian doctors showed that this yoga breathwork led to significantly decreased anxiety and negative affect. It’s the first study to show how it impacts the brain: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), they found that Pranayama exercises led to changes in areas of the brain implicated in emotional…
Largest Study on Touch: Positive Impact on Wellbeing, but World Is Touch Hungry
The largest-ever study on touch, developed by Goldsmiths University London researchers and conducted by the BBC, happened—ironically—right before the pandemic hit. It surveyed 40,000 people across 112 countries on their attitudes about interpersonal touch—and the findings suggest the huge cost to wellbeing in our long social-distancing era, where so much human touch has been lost. Studies have long shown that touch is essential for physical…
Ogilvy Study: Consumers Expect All Brands to Provide Wellness Offerings
More analysts have agreed of late that COVID-19 is spurring a new reality: Every brand now needs to behave like a wellness brand, and wellness will increasingly no longer be the sole preserve of wellness brands. A new global survey (7,000 consumers in 14 countries) by advertising giant Ogilvy helps explain why. It asked consumers how important wellness is for them now and what actions…