Global Wellness Surges as we Look to Nature for A Reset (2024)

BREAKING NEWS & TRENDS! 📰

Native Invites Consumers to Explore Scent Experiences in Partnership with World-Renowned Expert on the Psychological Science of Smell

Native, the clean personal care company, is sharing how individuals can layer scents across its assortment of aluminum-free deodorants, body washes, and shampoos to create custom scent experiences that help define and boost moods throughout the day. - 4 Min Read

^{Mental Health Startups Keep Growing}

Off the charts. A bright spot in a challenging fundraising climate, $682M VC dollars went toward digital mental health in H1 2024.

The funding surge coincides with concerning stats on America’s mental state: In 2022, the US recorded its highest-ever number of suicides. From ’21–’22, almost a quarter of US adults experienced mental illness. In the past year, 20% of 12–17-year-olds had a major depressive episode.

Headcount. Spring Health and Headway both secured $100M last month, valuing the digital mental health platforms at $3.3B and $2.3B, respectively. - 1 Min Read

Sleep Tourism is The Wellness Trend We've All Been Waiting For

Hotels globally are now offering sleep-specific retreats and specialist-backed programmes to those seeking somewhere soothing to lay their heads. “It is no longer enough for a hotel to just offer wellness on the side; they need to embrace it by offering a more holistic approach to wellness, with a specific goal in mind – and the most in-demand goal currently is improved and enhanced sleep,” noted by Jules Perowne, CEO and founder of Perowne International. - 10 Min Read

LONGEVITY GROWTH 🌖

Optimism Linked To a Longer Lifespan

A growing body of research suggests that increasing optimism may be a way to extend lifespan and improve well-being in older adults. It plays a significant role in promoting both physical and mental well-being. - 2 Min Read

Something You May Not Know ❓

Optimism may serve as a powerful tool for preventing disease:

A 2006 study outlined the personality profiles of 193 healthy volunteers who were inoculated with a common respiratory virus. Subjects who expressed a positive attitude were less likely to develop symptoms of the infection than their counterparts with less positive attitudes.

Women who reported positive outlook were likelier to live past 90, regardless of race:

A study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found levels of optimism were associated with longer lifespans and living beyond age 90 in women across racial and ethnic groups.

FEATURED COUNTRY 🌸 ⛩️

A Summer Guide to Japan

Hanabi Taikai

The Japanese word for fireworks is Hanabi. Hana means 'flower' and bi means 'fire'. Summer in Japan is a time of flowers of fire blooming. If you visit Japan during August, don't miss out on these exciting events.

Yamanaka is a forest and lake resort closest to Tokyo. It is the closest to Mt. Fuji among the lakes around "Fuji Five Lakes", and the view of huge blossoms of fire at the foot of Mount Fuji over the lake is spectacular.

Healing Powers of Ancient Hot Springs

Onsen (hot springs) are considered as a blessing from nature In Japan. Japanese people have bathed in these waters to seek purification and relaxation since time immemorial, and there are many different types. Yet a visit to an onsen is much more than an opportunity to bathe. Hot spring towns are renowned throughout Japan for their lively yet relaxing atmosphere and stunning natural scenery.

Yamanaka Onsen, a small resort town along the Kakusenkei Gorge, is one of the four hot spring towns that make up Kaga Onsen. The town's hot springs were discovered over 1300 years ago by the monk Gyoki, and have since been known to produce some of the best waters in the region. The town was even lauded by the famous poet and traveler Basho as one of Japan's three best hot springs alongside Kusatsu Onsen and Arima Onsen.

Yamanaka Onsen's hot spring waters are said to ease muscle and joint pain, speed up recovery from disease, and improve one's health in general.

Become One with Nature Under the Guidance of Dewa Sanzan - Wild Wellness

Bandai-Asahi National Park in Japan’s north-eastern region of Tohoku is an exhilaratingly wild land of still mountains and forests, which is not far from Sendai. It’s home to peaco*ck-blue caldera lakes and wooded crests, silhouetted against a pandemonium of breathtaking skies.

Towering above the tree line of the Bandai-Asahi National Park are the three mountains of Dewa. Here, generations of mountain priests known as Yamabushi have walked the peaks for over 1,500 years. Following the ancient belief of Shugendo, a unique Japanese mountain faith that is a fusion of Shinto, Buddhism, and native Japanese animism, the Yamabushi are dedicated to connecting with nature through mind, bod, and spirit. Now, for the first time ever, you can join the Yamabushi and learn their ancient sustainable ways. Join Master Hoshino on a journey of self-discovery as you follow sacred trails and stay in a traditional Yamabushi-run pilgrim lodge. You’ll also learn long-practiced meditation and other techniques to reconnect with yourself and live more harmoniously with nature.

HISTORY OF WELLNESS & MEDICINE ♨️

Wellness Travel: Thermal/Mineral Springs

The thermal/mineral springs industry is heavily concentrated in Asia-Pacific and Europe, reflecting the centuries-old history of water-based healing and relaxation in these two regions.

Types of Thermal/Mineral Springs Establishments

Global Wellness Institute’s figures count thermal/mineral springs establishments that operate as a business, and as such, do not include springs that do not have any built facilities and/or do not charge any kind of fee for access. Establishments that use heated water—not naturally sourced thermal/mineral water—are also excluded from this category.

List of hot springs with a long history

🇨🇳China: WenQuan, over 3,000 years of history, China has a tradition of bathing and healing, and sometimes of drinking

🇯🇵Japan: Onsen, staying Japan's ryokan with famed omotenashi, typically have kaiseki ryori dinner and traditional Japanese breakfast the next morning

🇰🇷South Korea: Jjimjilbang, traditional South Korean bathhouse

🇭🇺Hungary: Turkish baths of Budapest, spa culture began in Roman times

Market

The demand for thermal/mineral springs tourism worldwide will increase 14.3 percent a year through 2027, according to the 2023 Global Wellness Economy Monitor. The report notes that the U.S. has the sixth-largest hot springs market in the world, one that expanded 24.1 percent between 2020 and 2022.

RESEARCH & DISCOVERY 🔎

→ Females Must Read ←

UC Berkeley Found a Dozen Toxic Metals—Including Arsenic, Lead, and Cadmium—Present in Feminine care

Between 52–86% of people who menstruate in the United States use tampons—cotton and/or rayon/viscose ‘plugs’—to absorb menstrual blood in the vagin*. Tampons may contain metals from agricultural or manufacturing processes, which could be absorbed by the vagin*’s highly absorptive tissue, resulting in systemic exposure. - 3 Min Read

Read The Full Paper (here)

A Large Study Found That for Most Patients, Having Both Breasts Removed After Cancer Was Detected in One Made No Difference in Their Survival

Breast cancer surgeons have tended not to push patients towards bilateral mastectomy, since data have long shown that the complete removal of both breasts doesn’t improve survival. Over 80% of women did not die from breast cancer after 20 years of follow-up, regardless of which surgery they got. At the same time, the paper also showed that women who later got breast cancer in the other breast had a four-fold higher risk of death. - 6 Min Read

Read The Full Paper (here)

Stem Cell Research Uncovers Clues to Tissue Repair That Could Help Heal the Uterus and More

Stem cells play a vital role in repairing damaged tissue, whether it’s a scraped knee or a scarred uterus following pregnancy. New stem cell research has identified the molecules the cells produce to promote healing. The finding could pave the way for the development of new, more effective drugs for injuries or various diseases, including conditions related to reproductive health such as Asherman syndrome, a gynecologic condition in which the uterus scars and becomes fibrotic. - 4 Min Read

💖 Thank You For Being Curious 💖