“Global Water Health – Wellness for everyone”
Global United Nations Campaign 22 March 2015
„World Water Day“ – www.globalwaterhealth.org
www.intwaterbridge.org
CONCEPT OF THE BULGARIAN EVENT
Who organizes this international format?
The Framework platform Global Water Health (GWH - Water for Global Health), the young graduates from
International SPA managers club, the international youth movement "Blue Cluster" in partnership with the
Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism, Sofia Municipality, Municipal Enterprise tourist services, Program Council of
specialty “SPA culture" of the National Sports Academy, Bulgarian Wellness Institute, Bulgarian Institute of
Alternative Medicine, SPA & Wellness & Thalasso Benchmarking and Paradise Center in media partnership
with the Bulgarian National Radio.
How can watch live our event?
The international format is an official event of the UN campaign "World water Day - for sustainable
development”. Broadcasts of the different events for Global Water Health (GWH) will be observed around
the world live on Internet and on Android devices (IPad, iPhone and Smartphone) through the interactive
platform: www.globalwaterhealth.org
In 2015 www.globalwaterhealth.org is certified by the UN like an official event of the global campaign for
the "Water Day" and is the one and only international event representing the global concept of the healing
importance of water through the presentation of the unique properties of the Bulgarian mineral waters. The
Framework platform GWH is a strategic tool for the dissemination of a new culture in communication with
the water and presenting to the world the power and the unique healing properties of the Bulgarian mineral
waters and Wellness facilities providing services. The platform is registered on the official website of the UN
in 2012 by prof. Bistra Dimitrova, PhD - Ambassador of the United Nations and expert for " Health Prevention
and social innovation" of the EC.
What are the goals?
Main objective:
The main objective of the online campaign is to present worldwide the new culture among Bulgarian young
people: "Water for global health" and convert in available practice the concept - "Wellness for everyone."
Specific objectives:
 The Forum shall combines in support to the new governmental policies for sustainable
development of SPA & Wellness & Thalasso tourism in Bulgaria;
 Helping to promote the unique healing power of the Bulgarian mineral water worldwide
and the culture of a Wellness lifestyle;
 Provide scientific evidences for the SPA & Wellness & Thalasso industry as driving force for
economic growth and sustainable development;
 To build a strong international network of successful lobbying in support of the Bulgarian
mineral resources.
What is the program of the forum?
The certified by the UN forum "Water for Global Health - Wellness for everyone" is an official event of
the UN campaign " World Water Day" for sustainable development. The international campaign on Bulgaria,
which will be held in online campaign with events between 19 to 23 March 2015, and can be seen all over
the world live on Internet and Android devices via the interactive platform: www.globalwaterhealth.org
The proposed program will include an international scientific conference with a presentation of the
first issue of a specialized scientific journal "Science and Innovation in SPA & Wellness & Thalasso industry."
Will be presented the mission of the newly established "Bulgarian Wellness Institute" and its membership in
the Global Wellness Institute. Graduate Masters in specialty "SPA culture" from NSA "V. Levski “organized an
open discussion on specific topics of healthy practices on the Facebook page of the Global Water Health.
During the forum "Global Water Health - Wellness for All" will be initiated "Journalistic Wellness & Water
Club" to promote the unique healing force of Bulgarian mineral water worldwide and the culture of a
Wellness lifestyle.
In Paradise Center from 12:00 (water scene - ground floor - in the central atrium), in Sofia, during the
Concert dedicated to the certified by the UN forum - "Water for Global Health - Wellness for everyone "will
be held an Award ceremony of the" Global Water Cluster". The Show was organized by the young volunteers
from the National Sports Academy "C. Levski", the New Bulgarian University and Paradise Center. From 13:00
to 14:00, on 3rd floor, in "Orange Fitness" are organized open doors with free lessons for "Aqua practices" in
the context of a "Wellness for All" (this requires an equipment : swimsuit, towel and slippers).
The format will provide the platform for the transfer of good regional, European and international
practices - presentation of the "Medical SPA cluster" of Montenegro, World "Wellness Day" in Istanbul, and
the International project "Bulgaria - European water healing center." Will be broadcast video bridge with
educational, scientific and information centers of Sofia, Varna, Velingrad, Plovdiv, Bourgas, Bansko and
others cities. Have organized meetings with participants in the 23th Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition, which will
be awarded with the title of "Blue Cluster Cavalier", Round Table and open doors of Forestry University, Sofia
for "Alternative tourism" and scientific conference on 21 and 22 March, with thematic panel "Water is life"
and online conference of NSA "C. Levski " with title "Innovative methods in SPA & Wellness & Thalasso & Lyto
& Reha tourism". Will be demonstrated an interactive thematic and conceptual collaboration between our
electronic platforms: www.intwaterbridge.org and www.globalwaterhealth.org. The Framework platform
GWH will transfer the research results successfully approved by the international project for create an etraining and certification of personnel from the SPA & Wellness & Thalasso industry with Wellness Europass.
The East-European and Balkan SPA&Wellness&Thalasso Institute will develop and transfer new Wellness
standards for us at Regional and international level.
What prizes are awarded?
Every year is held an "Award Ceremony" for the titles "Wellness & SPA Ambassador", "Wellness
Attaché" and "Blue Cluster Cavalier" and for the first year "Media Wellness&Water Ambassador". By online
voting of young professionals is determined which distinguished Bulgarian and international experts, leaders
and public personalities will be awarded with this prestigious titles. Public figures are winners from previous
years, such as the Director General of UNESCO - diplomat Irina Bokova, the Vice-President of the European
Commission (EC) - Kristalina Georgieva, the President of Bulgaria Mr. Rosen Plevneliev, the Mayor of Sofia
municipality - Yordanka Fandakova, Rectors, Olympians, artists, painters, writers, scientists, journalists,
NGOs, Media, international experts, mayors of municipalities with mineral water and our young volunteers
around the world.
Who are our global partners?
Who are our professional partners?
Global Wellness institute, Global SPA & Wellness Summit, East-European & Balkan SPA & Wellness &
Thalasso Institute, Balkan SPA & Wellness Summit, Bulgarian Wellness Institute, International SPA managers
Club, Bulgarian Institute of Alternative Medicine, the International and the Bulgarian Association geomedicine and geo-therapy, The Med SPA Cluster of Montenegro, Wellness Institutes from: Montenegro,
Turkey, Greece, Romania, Macedonia, Cuba, Venezuela, Morocco, etc., SPA & Wellness & Thalasso
Benchmarking, Trending discussions in: Wellness Professionals Thrive, The Health & Wellness Networking
Group, Spas Worldwide, Fitness & Wellness Professionals, Health & Wellness Products and Professionals,
Cosmetics, Beauty , and Fashion Job Opportunities, Corporate Health and Wellness, International Forum for
Health Promotion and Education, Peter Greenberg's Global Travel Podcast, Harvard Business Review, Wall
Street Journal and others.
Who we are?
Global Water Health (GWH) is an international brain trust for the dissemination of a new Wellness & Spa &
Thalasso culture to improve quality of life and combating the social stress through participation and
organizing international events, trainings for children, young people and staff working in the field on tourism,
public health, health care, sports and business.
What are the global trends on the Wellness Industry?
Within the EU, over 200 million people of all ages practice Wellness & SPA, aqua practices for relaxation,
health prevention and recreation. The terms "human development" and "human capital" characterized the
new economy and its qualitative aspects. Over the last decade Wellness & SPA industry enters widely in the
individual schedule of the modern man. Annual revenues of the world Wellness & SPA industry make it a
business for around 300 billion euros. Statistical sources of the Global Wellness & SPA Forums indicate for
the past seven years, revenues of 1,9 trillion USD In Germany, the annual turnover of only SPA procedures
(aqua programs and hydro therapies) has reached 40 billion euros, but for America he is almost 60 billion.
What are the global trends concerning the new category "Wellness tourist"?
According to current trends in global tourism, the new alternative Wellness tourism is becoming increasingly
popular. Tourists from all over the world are looking for something more than rest and actively seeking to
gain experience of some new sensations. Wellness & SPA tourism is an effective option that a destination can
incorporate into the advertising plan. These tourism products offer to the tourists a new kind of pleasant
experience, which improves health by balancing the energies in the body. Also, this type of tourism is
imposing provides sustainable economic reasons and opportunities for the conservation of natural and
cultural resources. Globalization continues to the bay, and in the process Wellness tourism can serve as an
important tool for the development of a region. World Travel leader witness the emergence of a new
category - "Wellness tourist". This particular type of tourists have stereotypes for the implementation of
health practices and in this sense he is informed in advance and makes demands of the services offered in
the tourist packages. Bulgaria has great potential for development of Wellness tourism and offering
sustainable kinds of products like Eco, Reha, SPA, Beauty, Thalasso, Cristal, Lyto and Medical SPA programs
and packages.
What is Wellness certification?
Wellness certification is compliance with global standards to ensure quality, health and safety impact of the
service offered in packages. As its horizontal axiom complied the important European policy enshrined in the
2020 plan of the European Commission - "Green Philosophy", covering the concept of "green economy"
"green jobs", "green services", "green products", "green therapy", "green complex programs”.
Who administers the Global Wellness Tourism Congress (GWTC)?
Global Wellness Tourism Congress (GWTC) is a structural part of the Global Wellness Institute and brings
together public and private stakeholders to outline the course of the rapidly growing Wellness tourism
worldwide.
Global Wellness Tourism Congress is held annually in conjunction with the Global Wellness Summit (GWS)
and aims to bring together tourism ministers and other Wellness tourism visionaries and leaders to develop
the best strategies for the promotion and growth of this rapidly emerging category of tourists: "Wellness
tourists ".
What is the spirit of the Global Wellness Tourism Congress (GWTC)?
The "Spirit" of GWTC is a shared goal leading to individual benefit for everyone. This is an opportunity to
leave aside the competitive ego and personal business interests and spend time to unite and shape the
future of SPA & Wellness industry. Support for modeling by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland
on new trends in tourism. GWTC combines tourism ministries and leaders in the field of tourism, health and
economic development around the world. During the Congress all participants are asked to refrain from selfpromotion. "The spirit of the Congress" ensures that all exchange ideas, debate, and strategies for the good
of the Wellness Industry, the clients we serve, and the Earth we share.
What is the updated statistics on the Global Wellness Tourism?
Global Wellness Institute 2014 through its "Wellness economic monitoring report" published updated
statistics showing that Wellness Tourism continues to be one of the fastest growing tourism categories:
revenues, which have increased from $ 438 billion in 2012 until $ 494,000,000,000 in 2013 - and that the
growth rate of 12.7% is 40% larger than originally anticipated. Wellness tourism also grew 74% faster than
the overall global tourism over the past year (14.6% vs. 7.3% previously).
Author of the material:
The research team of the Bulgarian Wellness Institute
© Copyright (All intellectual property rights reserved - published by citing GWH-FP and GWI)
“GLOBAL WATER CLUSER”
“WELLNESS FOR EVERYONE”
SPA & WELLNESS CHARTER
To attract people voluntarily to disseminate,
support and implement the philosophy of a wellness (healthy) lifestyle
1. SPA & WELLNESS Charter was developed by the "International SPA Managers
Club" founder of the "International Water Bridge" and is proposed to be
supported by all participants in the international network - including partners
from over 75 Universities from the Balkan region, Europe, Africa, USA and
Russia.
2. Our message spread the Olympic principle "... important is the participation
..." Every citizen is invited to participate in the dissemination and
implementation of the philosophy for "healthy lifestyle" – “Wellness for ALL””
3. SPA & WELLNESS CHARTER is distributed by volunteers with an interest and
knowledge in the field of SPA and WELLNESS culture. This culture is associated
with life-giving properties of the Bulgarian mineral water, hydrotherapy and
practices for making Bulgaria a leader tourist’s destination for the SPA and
Wellness practice.
4. SPA & WELLNESS CHARTER aims to improve the effectiveness of health
prevention to optimize psycho-physical and emotional health of people by
improving their WELLNESS and SPA culture.
5. SPA & WELLNESS CHARTER made a significant contribution to health
promotion for people in Bulgaria, Europe and the world by facilitating their
relationships, sharing best practices and personal appearances at high creative
and innovative activities.
6. SPA & WELLNESS Charter is an independent volunteer initiative for everyone,
which is not limited for use only in Bulgaria and expected by formulating it as a
"Cause" in Facebook be able to become a European and international cause for
everyone.
7. SPA & WELLNESS Charter contains 7 key words: "Dignity," "freedom,"
"equality," "solidarity in the water sustainability," "physical activity", "Nature
Conservation" that has to comprise the daily lives of every citizen from Bulgaria,
Europe and over the world.
"DIGNITY": harmony between physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual
WELLNESS and promotion of personal dignity in priority;
"Free": free choice of methods and effects in the application of SPA programs
and procedures;
'Equality': equality between men and women and non-discrimination on ethnic
origin or religion;
"SOLIDARITY IN THE WATER SUSTAINABILITY”: knowledge, dissemination and
implementation of recreational properties of all mineral waters;
"Motor activity": the widespread dissemination of the benefits and advantages
of the specific culture for the aqua practices;
"CONSERVATION OF NATURE": acceptance of nature as an integral and
important part of ourselves and taking the daily efforts for its preservation.
Ethics Code
WE, International SPA manager Club, organizers and founders of the Bulgarian
forum "International Water Bridge", realizing the need of simple rules that cane
govern our society, professional and personal conduct in the process of future
use and management of water resources on earth. The specificity of the water
as an indispensable and finite natural resource has a considerable economic,
social, and vital determining and cultural importance.
The European and World Water vision 2020 requires implementation of an
ethics code in the communication and management of drinking water to
achieve corporate and individual success for future generations and societies.
In confirmation of our positive conviction of responsibility and care in the use of
water, we have developed and offer for support and distribution the Ethics
Code of the international youth movement "BLUE CLUSTER":
Article No 1. Access to clean drinking water, sanitation and servicing is a basic
human right and water is a basic human need.
Article No 2. Water is the common heritage of mankind, with significant
economic, social, a vital determining and cultural importance to society.
Article No 3. Water can’t be replaced by any other resource, so it is important to
preserve and protect it for the future generations and to support the
sustainable development of environment, economy and society.
Article No 4. We support a fair, equitable and sustainable use of water resources
according to the needs of natural diversity.
Article No 5. We support the conviction proper exploitation of water resources
and avoiding negative or harmful effects on the aquatic environment.
Article No 6. We are actively engage in the development and dissemination of
uniform concepts for integrated environmental management and mineral
waters.
Article No 7. We Improve management tools and conservation of water
resources through continuous enrichment of knowledge, experience,
intellectual and practical skills and promote new relationships in communication
and use of water.
Article No 8. We support the behavioral commitment to water and nature to
become a new Wellness style and quality of life.
Article No 9. We support the condemnation of any corrupt practices and
application of a high standard of professional and personal conduct.
Article No 10. We work for the dynamic work of international partner teams to
achieve and implement a new culture of communication and exploitation of
water resources
Article No 11. We support the dissemination of innovative information packages
and Wellness culture on water and sustainability of the activities to achieve
changes in thinking, utilization, behavior and practices.
Roundtable GWI:
"The science of wellness : HYPE OR HOPE?"
On February 11, 2015, thought-leaders from a range of industries gathered at the
headquarters of Everyday Health in New York, to discuss “The Science of Wellness:
Hype or Hope?” In partnership with Scientific American Worldview, The Global
Wellness Institute led a conversation on medical-based evidence and its impact on the
wellness sector, and conversely, the ways in which wellness is impacting medicine and
science.
PostedMarch 19, 2015
CategoriesWellness
AuthorGWI,
Feature Monthly Barometer: Wellness Edition
Renowned economist Thierry Malleret has a unique ability to scan the global landscape and boil
down the “must-watch” issues for any decision-maker/investor. And for the Global Wellness
Institute (GWI) he “connects the dots” for the wellness industry.
Read on to see what he identifies as the top four economic and political issues facing our world
right now. And on the wellness front: Will the long “McDonald’s era” soon be replaced by a
“Farmer’s Market era”? What do the current, sometimes violent, global “currency wars” mean
for international travel—and wellness travel—this summer and beyond?
Author Thierry Malleret,
Economist and Founder, Monthly Barometer
Hot springs with spa services generate roughly twice the revenues as those without—even
though they only represent a third of facilities.
For thousands of years, people have used thermal/mineral springs for bathing, healing, socializing and
spiritual practices. These traditions—from Japan to Mexico—represent the very roots of the modern spa
industry. But as the quest for the authentic, indigenous and the natural has taken hold as the most
powerful travel trend worldwide, hot springs are experiencing a true renaissance.
The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) recently undertook the first research* to size this “millennia-old-buthot-again” market. The findings: This is now a $50 billion global market, with nearly 27,000 revenueearning springs (i.e., with built facilities).
The GWI research segmented the industry into thermal/mineral springs facilities that offer bathing with
spa services, and those that don’t.
Those without spa services heavily dominate location-wise, at 20,343 establishments—or roughly twothirds of all facilities. These include most of the onsen in Japan, thermal pools and waterparks common in
Latin America and thermal swimming pool facilities prevalent in Iceland.
There are 6,504 thermal/mineral springs with spa services across the world—only roughly a third of global
establishments. These, of course, include the health resorts and sanatoria all across Europe, as well as the
hot springs resorts common (and booming) in places like China and Taiwan.
But just consider what a value-add the spa component is in terms of revenue: Hot springs with spa
services (in aggregate) earn almost twice as much as springs without spa services: $32 billion vs. $18
billion annually—or 64 percent of industry revenue.
Takeaway: We’re going to see more businesses built around hot springs in countries where the industry is
less developed; in well-established markets like Europe, we’ll see more facilities get a modern makeover
to appeal to more travelers. And for both, spa services can (and does) represent the real money driver.
*2014 “Global Spa & Wellness Economy Monitor”
“The Power of Touch”
The New Yorker, Maria Konnikova, March 2015
hen Nicolae Ceaușescu came to power, in the mid-nineteen-sixties, Romania saw the
proliferation of leagăne—literally, “cradles,” otherwise known as institutional homes for the very
young. Ceaușescu wanted to increase Romania’s industrial output, and he thought that that
required a larger population. In 1966, he enacted Decree 770, which restricted contraceptives,
banned almost all abortions for women who hadn’t had at least four children, and instituted a
thirty-per-cent income tax on childless men and women who were over the age of twenty-five. In
the span of a single year, the birth rate rose by thirteen per cent and the infant population nearly
doubled. But even that wasn’t enough: in 1985, the dictator raised the minimum number of
children to five and the age of the women covered by the decree from forty to forty-five. The
result was one of the saddest natural experiments in modern psychology. Thousands of children,
from birth to the age of three, grew up neglected in understaffed institutions, often experiencing
severe sensory deprivation in their formative months.
Few people outside Romania initially knew about the leagăne. But when Ceaușescu was
deposed, in 1989, images of the children reached television screens around the world. In 1994,
Mary Carlson and her husband, Felton Earls, travelled to Romania to learn more about the
effects of maternal deprivation on these children.* Carlson is a neurobiologist at Harvard
Medical School, and Earls is a Harvard psychiatrist. A former student of Harry Harlow, the
psychologist who is best known for his studies of socially deprived monkeys, Carlson, as she and
Earls later wrote, found familiar “the muteness, blank facial expressions, social withdrawal, and
bizarre stereotypic movements of these infants.” These behaviors “bore a strong resemblance”
to the types of reactions that Carlson had seen in socially deprived monkeys and chimpanzees.
She was also aware of studies of rats that showed how tactile stimulation could affect levels of
the stress hormone cortisol during early development.
At a leagăne in the Romanian city of Iași, a child-development specialist named Joseph Sparling
had organized a yearlong early-enrichment program for a group of infants, sparing them from
the severe neglect and sensory deprivation typical of care in these institutions. The child-tocaregiver ratio for the children in the program was four to one, compared with the institutional
standard of twenty to one. Carlson and Earls measured the cortisol levels of the enriched
children, as well as of children in a control group. They took saliva samples multiple times a day,
tracking how cortisol levels fluctuated over time and in response to stressful events. The levels of
the children in the control group, they found, were off kilter, while the levels of the enriched
children were more like those of Romanian children who had been home-reared. Cortisol in
children who are home-reared tends to peak just before they wake up and then taper off; in the
leagăne infants of the control group, cortisol peaked in the afternoon and remained elevated.
That pattern, in turn, correlated with lower performance on numerous cognitive and physical
assessments. By contrast, the children in Sparling’s enrichment program, who were receiving
higher-quality care and more attention, performed better both physically and behaviorally.
In 1997, Carlson and Earls published their results. “The implications for the cognitive and social
development of future generations of adults in this society are potentially serious when one
considers that most Romanian children spend significant amounts of time in some form of
institutional setting,” they wrote. In a subsequent interview, Carlson said of the study, “When
the enriched kids returned to the typical conditions that involved little touching, the physical and
behavioral advantage they had obtained faded. Although the enriched group showed a better
response to stress as long as eighteen months later, they still were socially withdrawn and failed
to respond normally to other children and adults.”
Touch is the first of the senses to develop in the human infant, and it remains perhaps the most
emotionally central throughout our lives. While many researchers have appreciated its power,
others have been more circumspect. Writing in 1928, John B. Watson, one of the originators of
the behaviorist school of psychology, urged parents to maintain a physical boundary between
themselves and their children: “Never hug and kiss them, never let them sit on your lap. If you
must, kiss them once on the forehead when they say goodnight. Shake hands with them in the
morning. Give them a pat on the head if they have made an extraordinarily good job on a difficult
task.” Watson acknowledged that children must be bathed, clothed, and cared for, but he
believed that excessive touching—that is, caressing—would create “mawkish” adults. An
untouched child, he argued, “enters manhood so bulwarked with stable work and emotional
habits that no adversity can quite overwhelm him.” Now we know that, to attain that result, he
should have suggested the opposite: touch, as frequent and as caring as possible.
Like our other senses, touch comes in gradations. It is governed by an exquisite array of
receptors that can distinguish minute variations in the external environment. Fast, slow, or in
between? Hard, soft, or something else? Hot, cold, warm? Some receptors react only to caresses.
Some send pain signals. Some tell us that we have an itch. Each type activates a different part of
the brain, making us feel soothed or hurt, comfortable or distressed, angry or calm. In his recent
book “Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind,” the Johns Hopkins University
neuroscientist David Linden cites “the electric touch of romantic love, the unsettling feeling of
being watched, the relief of pain from mindful practice, or the essential touch that newborns
need to thrive.” All of these diverse sensations, he writes, “flow from the evolved nature of our
skin, nerves, and brain.”
The evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar has found that, among other primates, the
frequency of grooming is a consistent proxy for group size and coherence. Similarly, among
humans, touch might seem to serve as little more than a proxy for social bonds: if we often
experience friendly or loving caresses, it’s safe to assume that we have a strong social network,
which is itself one of the best predictors of happiness, health, and longevity. It’s easy to see how
an elderly person who is regularly visited by a massage therapist might be happier and healthier
than one who isn’t—even if the massage, as such, does nothing. In the case of the Romanian
infants, it’s easy to imagine that a child who has a steady caretaker will be emotionally stronger
than a child who languishes, abandoned, for long stretches of time—whether or not that
caretaker takes particular pains to cuddle. It could be, in short, that the benefits of touch are
really social benefits.
In fact, though, researchers have discovered that touch need not be social to be effective. In her
more than thirty years of research on touch, Tiffany Field, the head of the Touch Research
Institute at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, has sought repeatedly to
disentangle the two. In one series of studies, one group of elderly participants received regular,
conversation-filled social visits while another received social visits that also included massage;
the second group saw emotional and cognitive benefits over and above those of the first. Field
has found similar gains in both premature and full-term infants, pregnant women, children and
adults with chronic pain conditions or emotional problems, and healthy adults. Even short bursts
of touch—as little as fifteen minutes in the evening, in one of her studies—not only enhance
growth and weight gain in children but also lead to emotional, physical, and cognitive
improvements in adults. Touch itself appears to stimulate our bodies to react in very specific
ways. The right kind can lower blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels, stimulate the
hippocampus (an area of the brain that is central to memory), and drive the release of a host of
hormones and neuropeptides that have been linked to positive and uplifting emotions. The
physical effects of touch are far-reaching.
And yet touch is rarely purely physical. Field’s more recent work has shown that the brain is very
good at distinguishing an emotional touch from a similar, but non-emotional, one. A massage
chair is not a masseuse. Certain touch receptors exist solely to convey emotion to the brain,
rather than sensory information about the external environment. A recent study shows that we
can identify other people’s basic emotions based on how they touch us, even when they are
separated from us by a curtain. And the emotions that are communicated by touch can go on to
shape our behavior. One recent review found that, even if we have no conscious memory of a
touch—a hand on the shoulder, say—we may be more likely to agree to a request, respond more
(or less) positively to a person or product, or form closer bonds with someone.
In real-world interactions, of course, we always experience touch in context: it can be hard, if not
impossible, to separate its physical and emotional effects. In one set of studies, out this month,
touch was shown to boost the immune systems of people who had been exposed to the
common cold. For two weeks, researchers monitored a little more than four hundred adults,
asking them not just about their social interactions but about how many hugs they’d gotten over
the course of each day. Then the subjects were quarantined in rooms on an isolated hotel floor,
where the researchers proceeded to expose them to a cold virus. The virus was quite effective:
seventy-eight per cent of subjects were infected, and just over thirty-one per cent showed signs
of illness. But not everyone was equally susceptible. The people who had experienced more
supportive social interactions battled infection more effectively and exhibited fewer signs of
illness—and, when you tease apart the effects of social support and hugging, touch, in itself,
accounted for thirty-two per cent of the reduction effect.
“Stress is an explicitly biological phenomenon,” David Linden said when I asked him about the
work, which came out after his book was complete. “The body talks to the brain, the brain to the
body. The notion that someone’s immune status could be modified by activity in touch-sensitive
regions of the brain is not at all crazy. One could certainly imagine a cellular-level explanation for
how that would happen.” The more we learn about touch, the more we realize just how central
it is in all aspects of our lives—cognitive, emotional, developmental, behavioral—from womb
into old age. It’s no surprise that a single touch can affect us in multiple, powerful, ways.
The positive implications of this kind of research have yet to make it out of the lab and permeate
our thinking. Even as the evidence increases, we continue to undervalue touch. Recently, the
Toronto District School Board warned its employees that “there is no safe touch when you work
with children.” Many of our kids spend most of the day in a touch-free zone. We don’t mind
getting a massage, but we fear embracing touch wholeheartedly, either because we think it’s
dangerous, in the case of young children, or “touchy-feely,” in the case of adults. We await what
Tiffany Field, in 1998, called “a shift in the social-political attitude toward touch.”
In the meantime, scientists are pushing their research even further. As our understanding of the
physiological mechanisms of touch grows, so, too, does the medical potential to treat touchrelated conditions more directly. “Right now, we have good drugs to blunt pain, but with terrible
side effects. But what if we could just block pain, without the euphoria of things like morphine or
the bowel disruption of so many medicines?” Linden said. “If you start to identify the specific
molecules involved in pain circuits, it’s a heck of an opportunity.” He pointed to testing on
recently identified genes that are central to our touch circuitry, such as SCN9A, which is strongly
expressed in pain receptors. Itch is another ailment in need of more effective treatments; one of
Linden’s Johns Hopkins colleagues, Xinzhong Dong, a molecular geneticist who studies pain,
is now investigating it, with an eye toward future drug therapies. “There’s enormous progress,
potential, and excitement here,” Linden said. We are just—as it were—scratching the surface.
CORRECTION
*An earlier version of this piece said that Mary Carlson and Felton Earls had organized an
intervention at an institution for children in Iaşi. In fact, the intervention, an early-enrichment
program, was organized by Joseph Sparling. Carlson and Earls performed an assessment of the
children in the program.
Wellness trend that’s here to stay by Dr. Franz Linser
I was recently asked to give a presentation on current trends in the wellness industry at the
annual Professional Spa & Wellness Convention in London. As we all know, some trends are like
waves in the ocean: They come and go and come and go and come and go. Yet others seem to be
more predictable: predominantly those trends are derived from well-observable and stable
socio-cultural shifts in our societies.
Undoubtedly the permanent speed we are forced to live with and the omnipresent pressure to
be successful, perfectly styled, agelessly young, slim, healthy and 24/7 crease-free are among
these shifts. It is not really surprising that many of us, being chased by our own accelerated
lifestyles, do not feel well anymore and develop a strong desire to take a complete timeout from
the world around us.
It goes without saying that traditional spa and wellness offerings can no longer meet the
advanced expectations within their well-established environments. More and more customers
are asking for innovative wellness offerings to better fulfill their quest for an uncompromising
atmosphere of peace and quiet. Continuous time pressure, multi-tasking and stress lead to a
desire to leave the world behind, to find a haven away from anywhere, a desire not to be
available, a desire to find oneself, to hear one’s inner voice and to feel one’s self close to the
forces of nature.
Not surprisingly, in our continuous trend-scouting in Europe we’ve been observing a considerable
trend toward radically authentic natural experiences: rooms, treatments, experiences and
exercises as close to nature as possible. New types of health and wellness resorts are emerging
on top of the mountains, in the middle of the woods, in the snow and—in the form of tree
houses, igloos, houseboats or tree saunas—as modern-day versions of nature-inspired cocoons.
The Spafinder Wellness 365® Trends Report has highlighted one aspect of this megatrend among
its current global trends, highlighting it with a most suitable catchword: forest bathing.
What may be more surprising is that we’re also observing a similar trend within historic
buildings, both in rural areas (e.g., former monasteries) and in urban settings. Looks like the
speed generation and (over) workforce instinctively look out for peaceful and quiet caves to calm
down and re-order their mindsets, life-goals and priorities.
This search for peaceful and quiet surroundings may open a new (and possibly lucrative) segment
within the advanced wellness industry. All those savvy early adopters out there who understand
the different USPs for these new target groups will have a great opportunity to address a new
and profitable customer segment. What we will have to understand, though, is that, first and
foremost, we will have to set the right stage for these people and create an outstanding overall
atmosphere and authentic setting. Peace and quiet doesn’t come by force; it can’t be pushed or
achieved with any power-selling strategy. We will have to set the perfect stage and allow the
customer to let it happen. Peace and quiet comes by listening to yourself, it comes by being
embedded in wellness communities, by exposing yourself to natural beauties and spiritually
meaningful surroundings.
So can this really be a new trend? Don Ardell, one of the founding fathers of the global wellness
movement, wrote me just a couple of days ago: “Attention to this quality is a real wellness trend
to be welcomed, though of course, we all need an ability to create some degree of peace and
quiet wherever we are, especially when tumult and turbulence are all about in sounds and
frenzies of ‘normal’ business and other functioning.” That is clear enough. We need to achieve
the capability to create a certain degree of peace and quiet for ourselves. No matter where we
are and what we do. And it will be the wellness industry to provide the appropriate settings and
programs for these advanced wellness consumers ahead of us.
Workplace Wellness: business opportunities abound
Over the past decade, wellness has become a major priority for corporations. Companies both
large and small are recognizing that employee wellbeing significantly affects productivity,
innovation and reputation. In response, they are incorporating prevention-based initiatives (such
as healthy eating, stress management and smoking cessation) into their corporate cultures.
AuthorRenee Moorefield, PhD
Use It or Lose It—New Study on Twins Reveals Big Impact of Exercise on Health
Identical twins, of course, share the same genes (and typically backgrounds), so medical studies
on them allow researchers to more precisely isolate the impact of a behavior on health. And a
very interesting new study from a Finnish university reveals that when one adult twin exercises—
and the other doesn’t—the result is a major difference in their bodies and brains.
Author Beth Mc Groarty, Director of Research, GWI
Malleret’s Economic Barometer: Wellness Edition
Central banks in the Eurozone (EZ), Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark have just moved to
negative interest rates; thus casting investors into a world of negative yields already amounting
to $2 trillion (comprised of both sovereign and corporate bonds, like Nestlé or Shell). As much of
the world flirts with either “lowflation” or deflation, this situation will endure, with two main
consequences: (1) It pushes many investors into risky assets; (2) It makes the life of insurance
companies and pensions funds a misery - no longer able to match returns (often expected at
8%!) and liabilities.
AuthorThierry Malleret, Economist and Founder, Monthly Barometer
"Science of Wellness: Hype or Hope?" Roundtable
The Global Wellness Institute and Scientific American Worldview recently joined forces on a
roundtable called "The Science of Wellness—Hype of Hope?" The amazing lineup of participants
(from top doctors to major media) took part in an equally amazing conversation…and together
they identified 10 things that need to happen now to create a healthier world.
Author GWI
The $ is in secondary & domestic wellness travel
The GWI’s recent “Global Spa & Wellness Economy Monitor” found that wellness tourism is
growing at roughly twice the clip of tourism in general (13% vs. 7% annually) – making it one of
the fastest growing travel categories on Earth.
The GWI research makes the crucial distinction between “primary” wellness tourists (where
wellness is the motivating factor for the trip/destination) and the “secondary” variety (where
wellness experiences happen as part of a trip with a different, main purpose).
AuthorBeth McGroarty, Director of Research, GWI
Magatte Wade appointed to GWS board of directors
Prominent African entrepreneur Magatte Wade, recognized by both Forbes and the World
Economic Forum for her leadership and entrepreneurialism, joins the Global Wellness Summit’s
international board of directors—and will head up the organization’s important new African
Initiative.
Author GWI
New book, new trend: "Mindful Work"
This is an excerpt from a book to be published later this month: “Mindful Work: How Meditation
Is Changing Business From the Inside Out”. The title says it all!
Check out how the trend of meditation and yoga hitting “the job” is fast unfolding – and how it’s
impacting Aetna’s employees and bottom line… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/
business/at-aetna-a-ceos-management-by-mantra.html
Author GWI
What’s On My Mind? A fascinating living-lab wellness community
“Give your heart a reason to keep beating. ”That quote might have been my favorite from the
Lake Nona Impact Forum, which took place within an astonishing community: Lake Nona in
Orlando, Florida. Described as a “living-lab,” it is one of the fastest-growing innovation clusters
in the world. Its stated goal is “to advance quality of life by exploring the intersections of
wellness, conservation and education.” No wonder I found it fascinating and compelling!
Author Susie Ellis, Chairman & CEO, GWI
Wellness news from China
“Status” and “luxury” remain key attributes driving the adoption of spa and wellness brands
across China—for both men and women; however, it’s important that products and treatments
also really work, as a recent study showed that 73 percent of men in China’s biggest cities think
that looking good is an essential part of being successful at work. This study by Kantar World
goes on to identify that Chinese men use an average of 2.5 facial products daily.
Author GWI
Finnish Study Indicates Frequent Sauna Usage May Boost Longevity …Heart-warming new data
on the relationship between saunas and heart health
A large, long-term University of Eastern Finland study revealed that frequent time spent in
saunas was associated with a longer life and less cardiac-related deaths. Analyzing 2,300 middleaged men over two decades, the researchers found that men who visited a sauna 2-3 times a
week had a 24 percent lower risk of death, while those who sweated it out 4-7 times weekly had
a 40 percent mortality reduction, compared with only one sauna session a week.
Author Beth Mc Groarty, Director of Research, GWI
Thierry Mallaret’s Barometer: Wellness Edition
There is no better gauge of global sentiments than the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Davos
Annual Meeting that took place in late January. What is the conventional wisdom now among
global decision-makers and investors?
Their two biggest concerns - leaving the economy and financial instability aside: rising income
inequalities and climate change. And note: An interesting feature of this year’s Davos was the
realization that wellness disciplines such as yoga, meditation and mindfulness have passed an
inflection point and are now becoming part of the mainstream.
Author Thierry Malleret, Economist and Founder, Monthly Barometer
Relationship between science and wellness
Last week the Global Wellness Institute, in partnership with Scientific American Worldview,
convened a Roundtable discussion entitled: “The Science of Wellness: Hype or Hope?” Around
this illustrious table were business leaders, scientists, journalists, doctors, technologists,
researchers, hotel and spa owners and more. It was a fascinating conversation and the
resounding conclusion was that the Science of Wellness is definitely more HOPE!
Author GWI
Which are the biggest spa markets in the world?
The global spa industry grew 57 percent between 2007 and 2013, - from a $60 billion market to
a $94 billion market. That’s across three years of severe economic recession – proof that in nasty
financial times people will seek stress-reduction. So, what are the biggest spa markets in the
world today? The U.S. may still rank #1 by solid margins, but which nations cracked the top five and top ten - over the last six years?
Author Beth Mc Groarty, Director of Research, GWI
GWI launches WellnessEvidence.com
The Global Wellness Institute launched WellnessEvidence.com last week, and it’s the
first website that gives the world direct access to the medical evidence for the most common
wellness approaches, from acupuncture and massage to meditation and music therapy. It’s
designed for consumers and doctors—and for wellness businesses, so they can put the “hard
science” for what they do right in front of their potential customers. It’s the most powerful
marketing message possible.
Author GWI
Harvard and Stanford Business School on Stress
This eye-opening article makes the point that U.S. workers are both overworked and
overwhelmed. According to a recent paper from Harvard and Stanford Business Schools, health
problems directly a result of job-related anxiety (like hypertension, cardiovascular disease and
decreased mental health) now account for more deaths each year than Alzheimer's or diabetes.
Read more about how – and why – workplace stress is killing about 120,000 Americans every
year…