Global Wellness Institute

Economist Thierry Malleret argues that if the financial industry is often portrayed as the “villain” of the economy, in the world of wellness the “villain” has to be the food and beverage industry. For instance, in the U.S., during President Obama’s last three years, the big food and beverage industry spent a whopping $175 million to fight back new legislation that would tax soda or impose stricter nutritional guidelines. Read about how we’re entering a new “obesegenic” environment—and just how fat the world will get by 2030. And what an upside it is for the wellness industry at large.

Last week I attended a medical tourism gathering in Tampa, Florida. One thing surprised me—and frustrated me at the same time. Many of the speakers—in fact, almost all of the speakers—said something along the lines of, “We don’t have reliable figures.”  Really? Still? 

This month, the LA Times featured six articles on wellness travel, highlighting GWI research and including quotes from GWI Research Director Beth McGroarty: “Vacation time has become precious, and people can’t afford to feel more stressed, sicker and tired from them.” Read the full stories

The GWI has created one “go-to” report for wellness tourism, combining the first-ever wellness tourism market research released in 2013 with updated data released in 2014. Wellness tourism continues to be one of the fastest-growing travel categories: revenues expanded from $438 billion in 2012 to $494 billion in 2013—a 12.7 percent growth rate that was 40 percent larger than originally forecast.

Yes, it can! When we read stories, we draw on the same brain networks that are employed when we’re trying to guess at another person’s feelings, and studies show that people who read a lot of fiction tend to be better at empathizing with others (as well as sleep better and have lower levels of stress and depression). If we want to treat ourselves better, we can use “bibliotherapy”: an ancient practice that encourages reading for therapeutic effect.