Global Wellness Institute

For wellness, the overwhelming issue to watch over the coming months is the debate over wearable devices. With insurers and companies now collecting streams of health info from patients and workers, huge concerns are emerging. These predictive tools risk becoming prescriptive ones, with monumental ethical, legal and practical implications that we haven’t even begun to grasp.  Read more.  

“There’s been a lot of controversy recently about workplace wellness programs: Do they save money for employers on healthcare costs? Can they produce measurable benefits for employee health? Do they unfairly punish people who are unable to participate? Are these programs just a ploy to shift medical costs to unhealthy employees?

Last week, roughly 40 public and private sector leaders gathered at Swansea University in Wales for an open discussion on what the best wellness interventions would be for the country—and how they could be put into action. It was the first Global Wellness Institute roundtable for this small, but innovative, nation, and the conversation was wide-ranging, from Ruth Hussey, Wales’ chief medical officer explaining the ways the country is pushing for a healthier population and economy, to keynote speaker Franz Linser arguing that the “luxuries of the future will be invisible: time, silence, mindfulness and space” (a few “wellness resources” Wales knows well…).

“While for now Greece is a stranded, non-functioning economy – long-term, its wellness tourism sector should continue to perform well…” This is the prediction of GWI research partner, economist Thierry Malleret. We all watched Sunday as Greek voters said a firm “no” to the harsh “cash-for-increased-austerity” bailout terms from its European creditors – with headlines swirling about how the nation’s gamble will ultimately play out. With a world focused on the complex, difficult future ahead for Greece, it’s worth stressing how utterly critical tourism (and wellness tourism) are for the nation now…and going forward. According to the WTTC, an amazing 17%+ of the country’s gross domestic product depended on tourism last year. And while Greece is a small country, it drives roughly 4.5 million wellness-focused trips a year. Read more to see why Malleret argues that in the long-term, wellness tourism should perform at least relatively well in Greece, and just how large the Greek wellness tourism market is today…

This is an interesting take on how a spreadsheet and data can help a person lose weight. It’s a new approach to dieting based on economics and the notions of incentives and commitment.