As we live longer, dementia is likely to become a global epidemic. Globally, over 46 million people suffer from dementia – and that number will roughly triple to more than 130 million by 2050.
This is a terrible prospect, but one highly supportive for the wellness industry. Evidence shows that engaging in wellness activities may play a significant role in reducing the risks for age-related cognitive decline, including Alzheimer’s disease.
On the recent death of Fidel Castro, it’s worth asking why, in such a brutal dictatorship and poor country, do people live as long as Americans at a tenth of the cost?
How can that be? Read more…
At the recent Global Wellness Summit, GWI’s partner economist, Thierry Malleret, keynoted on the many “macroeconomic shifts that will impact the future of wellness” – from skyrocketing mental illness to the air pollution crisis. A key paradox he explored was how, despite our age of unprecedented global economic abundance, global unwellness (obesity, early mortality, mental illness/depression) is on the rise.
A global analysis of past studies (aggregating data on more than 1.1 million people) found that the connection between fitness/regular exercise and mental health is extremely strong. Those in the lowest third of fitness levels were 75 percent more likely to have received a diagnosis of depression than those in the top third.
A wellness issue to watch is workplace wellness. In the U.S., workplace wellness programs have become a strategic priority. A recent survey reports that 35 percent of U.S. employers have come to the conclusion that such programs are effective at controlling health costs, compared with 22 percent saying the same about disease management and 20 percent about consumer-driven health plan design.
The Global Wellness Institute has just launched an important new initiative on mental wellness. Its goal is to understand those pathways that help people thrive mentally as well as physically. This initiative will have a strong focus on collecting and communicating the clinical evidence for a wide range of mental, nutritional, and physical modalities that support lifelong growth of mental wellbeing and happiness, creativity and inner peace.
