Wellness is the Greenest Medicine Part 2

Wellness is the Greenest Medicine Part 2.

There is a delinquency in the level of awareness of common beneficial health and wellness practices in the people of the U.S. employed outside of the healthcare industry.  We are currently in a serious epidemic of obesity and poor health in our country.  Health insurance premiums are escalating at an outrageous rate.  There is a serious movement towards proactive health and wellness at this time.  

Health insurance companies are beginning to pay for wellness programs, corporate wellness incentives, gym memberships etc.  They are beginning to realize it is cheaper to promote prevention than paying for the effects of not preventing.  There is an escalating proportion of our disposable income which is being spent on wellness products in an effort to maintain our youth, good looks, and wellness which was more than 200 billion dollars in the year 2002 and is projected to be more than 1 trillion by 2010. 

Currently, even lay people realize that taking antipyretic (anti – fever), antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medications to do not fix the cause of the problem only masking the symptoms.  The common cold is caused by a viral infection and physicians still prescribe antibiotics which have been demonstrated harmless against viruses.   

Individual people are becoming empowered, are able to make better decisions and are better consumers.  Every day you can see wellness on the rise.  Restaurants are adding healthier alternatives to their menus. There are more exercise facilities than ever.  More vitamins and supplements are being glorified in mainstream advertising.  

Wellness is a ubiquitous product and will sell for many reasons.  Technology and increasing demand are lowering the price.  New health insurance plans will also make wellness products more affordable because of their financial need to advocate prevention.  Medicare typically dictates the reimbursement trends of the entire health insurance field and is now beginning to promote wellness and prevention.  Medicare currently pays for preventative services such as colorectal screens and flu and pneumonia vaccines, ultrasound for abdominal aneurysms, mammography, PAP and pelvis exam, prostate screening, diabetes, glaucoma, bone density testing(females after age 60), medical nutrition therapy, smoking cessation, and nutritional counseling for those who have hyperlipidemia or other significant risk factors for cardiovascular disease

People seek wellness because they see that it helps their peers, currently a luxury that causes envious demand.  Wellness has legs and partially sells and markets itself.  Anytime someone sees a person of their own similar caliber get stronger, look younger, improve their performance, or advance themselves in any way, the person wants to know about how they did it.  There are currently television shows and programs which are centered on wellness, e.g. “the Biggest Loser”.  Wellness products are some of the most continually consumed products on the market.  Once someone is exposed to a wellness product or has a positive experience with them, they often become fanatical.  This leads to sampling of other potential products which might be of benefit. 

Information is a product that can be continually consumed.  More awareness only leads us to seek more awareness and leaves us more open to the reception of future changes and exposures to products.   Everyone truly wants good health and to delay the aging process.  It’s just a matter of time before they seek it proactively. The wellness industry provides the solutions to this universal dilemma which everyone eventually encounters.  

People are becoming more aware that the deterioration of our physical condition due to the aging process does not have to occur so quickly.  Disposable income is inversely related to leisure time today.  People are more likely to not purchase an item today not because they can’t financially afford it but because they can’t make the time to enjoy it.   Wellness services significantly expedite the process towards attainment of this universal need and want.  People will now be able to accomplish more of their goals and aspirations because they will have more time and will be even healthier for a longer time to allow them to function at high levels to achieve these goals.  

Wellness programs may alter the world as we know it and boost our economy like never before.  The more well people there are the more effective they can be at any endeavor they so choose to conquer.  It is clear that wellness will affect us all and will change our lives just as the personal computer and automobile have.  50 years ago wellness was a luxury.  The majority of people had to work very hard just to obtain basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing and healthcare.  Today lay people have more disposable income than ever.  Wellness is a natural step in the fulfillment of human destiny which is a realization of a higher ethical foundation for human society.