Delivering Wellness Via a Variety of Channels

The consumer’s mindset is shifting, accepting “aging” as a part of life; they embrace the passing of time and focus on wellness and want cosmetic solutions to support wellness. This shift coincides with the emerging quest for wellbeing that has been taking hold in recent years. This column will briefly discuss key components of wellness including wellness therapies and adaptogens.

The wellness market is growing at historic rate, nearly twice as fast as the global economy, according to Wellness Institute Research. The segment is divided among: Traditional Complimentary Medicine, Preventative, Personalized Medicine, Public Health, Healthy Eating, Nutrition and Weight Loss, Fitness & Mind/Body, Spa-Economy, Wellness Tourism, Wellness Real Estate, Workplace Wellness, Personal Care and, of course, Beauty & Anti-Aging. Put them all together and the global wellness economy reached $4.2 trillion in 2017.

The concept of wellness has changed in recent years. Not long ago, it meant a couple of trips to the gym and the occasional massage. Today, a wellness mindset is permeating the global consumer consciousness, affecting people’s daily decision making about food purchases, mental wellness and stress reduction, daily movement, environmental stewardship and even connectivity and positivity. Katherine Johnson, senior research fellow, G.W. I. Wellness, maintains that more people have evolved from “rarely” pursuing a wellness routine to “daily.” It has changed from episodic to essential, from luxury to a dominant lifestyle value.

This profound shift is driving powerful growth in five key markets: Wellness Real Estate, Workplace Wellness, Wellness Tourism, Spa Industry, Thermal & Mineral Springs. These businesses strive to reduce illness and stress, and enhance overall quality of life. Their mission is to empower wellness worldwide. Wellness is a modern word with ancient roots. As a modern concept, wellness has gained currency since the 1950s, but ancient wellness originated in the Vedas, a holistic Indian Ayurvedic system that strives to create harmony between body, mind and spirit. Yoga and meditation are critical to the tradition and are increasingly practiced worldwide.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), influenced by Taoism and Buddhism, applies a holistic perspective to achieving health and wellbeing, by cultivating harmony in one’s life. Several approaches that evolved included acupuncture, herbal medicine, Qi Gong and Tai Chi have become part of core modern wellness. Medical and self-help experts who promote wellness; eg, Mehmet Oz, Deepak Chopra and Andrew Weil, are household names. Wellness essentially entered the collective world psyche and vocabulary, and is now firmly entrenched with the media and an increasing number of medical institutes.

“Being healthy” is all the rage right now. Traditionally, “wellness” has been about weight loss; but that demonizes calorically dense and delicious foods and perpetuates the notion that thin is healthy and healthy is thin. Unfortunately, diet obsessions aren’t healthy. A wellness lifestyle calls for staying active and eating nutritious food, both common themes on wellness websites and at live events.

Adaptogens
Adaptogens refers to specific herbs that help our bodies adapt to physical, chemical and environmental stressors according to Simone Wan, founder of the Chinese medicine brand, IN: Total Wellness.

Herbs have been used in Ayurveda and TCM for thousands of years. A 2017 Gallup poll revealed that eight in ten Americans report that they feel stressed on a daily basis. People seek to boost their energy, stamina and sense of well-being. Consumers want to reduce their stress, and improve sleep and overall quality of life, and they feel that adaptogens can help.

Adaptogens help regulate the adrenal system, which is involved in the body’s stress responder. There have been many positive studies done on the efficacy and safety of various adaptogens. But, the study was not conducted on humans. Beyond that, many people find adaptogens fulfill the promises they make. Some of the more popular herbs are botanicals like astragalus, elderberry, lavender and more. Adaptogens are thought to have properties that impact health. Here are some popular adaptogens for specific health issues:

• Ashwagandha. If you are feeling overwhelmed, it works on the brain’s hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis, which regulates serum cortisol—the stress hormone.
• Holy Basil (Tulsi). This anti-diarrheal and antioxidant has soothing properties. Holy basil relaxes the mind and has anti-anxiety and anti-depressant qualities.
• Cordyceps. For extra energy, try this adaptogen. It has adenosine triphosphate, a molecule that delivers energy to muscles.
• Schisandra. Said to improve brain health, its red skin is filled with flavonoids that boost micro-circulation to feed the brain oxygen.
• Maca. Useful for issues arising from PMS, menopause and even acne, maca is used to regulate hormonal imbalances in women. It is a nutrient dense superfood.
• Rhodiola. A 2017 study found that consuming rhodiola for one week significantly reduced fatigue.
• Asian Ginseng. The most valued medicinal plant in the world, it restores and strengthens the body’s immune response, promotes longevity, enhances growth of normal cells.
• Eleuthero. Used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat muscle spasms, joint pain, insomnia and fatigue.

Adaptogens are available in several forms, based on stability. They come in the form of tinctures (concentrated liquid extracts), pills, powders, extracts and dried herbs. In general, the extracts are mostly potent and tend to act fast. Pills can have up to five different adaptogens in a capsule. Powder extracts are great for mixing into smoothies but tend to lose their potency faster than tinctures. They should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place. Dried versions of adaptogens are usually reserved for making teas. But whatever the form, consumers are urged to check with their doctors before trying adaptogens as they may interfere with other medications.

Wellness Therapies
Therapies to promote wellness are numerous, edgy and a couple of them, downright dangerous, according to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal by Katy McLaughlin.

• Halotherapy, also known as a salt room, is a chamber where tiny particles of salt are inhaled. According to proponents, salt pulls mucous, allergens and dust, out of the body, opens up airways and impedes bacterial growth. But according to Dr. Norman Edelman, senior science consultant for the American Lung Association, there are no scientific studies to support these claims.
• Infrared saunas are heated by infrared wavelengths, as opposed to heated air. The infrared heat is said to deeply penetrate into the body and pull out toxins via sweat. But as Dr. David S. Seres, associate professor of medicine at Columbia University, points out, it is the kidneys, liver and lungs, not sweat, that primarily detoxify the body.
• Hot/Cold circuit refers to heating, and then cooling the body using water or steam. The technique is said to improve circulation, as it detoxifies and oxygenates the blood. But according to Dr. Weimi Douguih, orthopedic surgeon, MedStar Health Sports Medicine, it is unknown if this therapy offers any medical benefit. 
• Circadian lighting systems are designed to support the body’s internal clock which, in turn, imparts energy resulting in better sleeping patterns. Tara LeGates, a neuroscientist at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine, agrees that light impacts physiology, but she said few studies have examined whether “spectral tuning” in a residence provides any health benefits.
• Cryotherapy dramatically cools the body using subzero temperatures, which reportedly improves circulation and reduces inflammation. Yet, Douoguih notes that in 2016, the FDA warned consumers that whole body cryotherapy chambers offer no confirmed benefit but pose risks of frost bite and asphyxiation. 
• Ionized alkaline water is made more alkaline through an electrochemical process. Proponents claim IA water helps the body balance itself. But Seres said that the therapy does not significantly alter the body’s pH balance. In fact, to do so would be life threatening.

Despite some questionable claims, holistic wellness is driving new opportunities in age-focused skin care. Wellness remains one of the biggest and fastest-growing industries. Still, wellness is not something to be acquired, it must be experienced.

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Navin M. Geria
Chief Scientific Officer
AyurDerm Technologies, LLC
navin@AyurDerm.com

Navin Geria, former Pfizer Research Fellow is a cosmetic and pharmaceutical product development chemist and the chief scientific officer of AyurDerm Technologies LLC, which provides Ayurvedic, natural and cosmeceutical custom formulation development and consulting services to the spa-wellness-dermatology industries. He has launched dozens of cosmeceutical and ayurvedic anti-aging products. Geria has more than 30 years of experience in the personal care industry and was previously with Clairol, Warner-Lambert, Schick-Energizer, Bristol-Myers and Spa Dermaceuticals. He has nearly 20 US patents and has been published extensively. Geria edited the “Handbook of Skin-Aging Theories for Cosmetic Formulation Development” focus book published in April 2016 by Harry’s Cosmeticology. He is a speaker, moderator and chairman at cosmetic industry events. Most recently, he is author of the soon-to-be-released “Aging Well: Advances & Treatments” published by Chemical Publishing Company.