Wellness (alternative medicine)

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The Eight Dimensions of Wellness Eight Dimensions of Wellness.png
The Eight Dimensions of Wellness

Wellness is a state beyond absence of illness but rather aims to optimize well-being. [2]

Contents

The notions behind the term share the same roots as the alternative medicine movement, in 19th-century movements in the US and Europe that sought to optimize health and to consider the whole person, like New Thought, Christian Science, and Lebensreform. [3] [4] Ayurveda mentions the concept and also has dedicated a whole speciality for the concept of wellness and maintenance of health.

The term wellness has also been misused for pseudoscientific health interventions. [5]

History

The term was partly inspired by the preamble to the World Health Organization's 1948 constitution which said: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." [2] It was initially brought to use in the US by Halbert L. Dunn, M.D. in the 1950s; Dunn was the chief of the National Office of Vital Statistics and discussed “high-level wellness,” which he defined as “an integrated method of functioning, which is oriented toward maximizing the potential of which the individual is capable.” [2] The term "wellness" was then adopted by John Travis who opened a "Wellness Resource Center" in Mill Valley, California in the mid-1970s, which was seen by mainstream culture as part of the hedonistic culture of Northern California at that time and typical of the Me generation. [2] Travis marketed the center as alternative medicine, opposed to what he said was the disease-oriented approach of medicine. [2] The concept was further popularized by Robert Rodale through Prevention magazine, Bill Hetler, a doctor at University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, who set up an annual academic conference on wellness, and Tom Dickey, who established the Berkeley Wellness Letter in the 1980s. [2] The term had become accepted as standard usage in the 1990s. [2]

In recent[ when? ] decades, it was noted that mainstream news sources had begun to devote more page space to "health and wellness themes". [6]

Dimensions of wellness

In the 1970s, Bill Hettler, a doctor at the University of Wisconsin, developed a six-factor model of wellness, now commonly known as the dimensions of wellness. [7] The original dimensions included intellectual, emotional, physical, social, occupational, and spiritual wellnesses. Since then, a number of organisations and researchers have adapted the dimensions of wellness into their health programs, including the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which includes two more dimensions of wellness—environmental and financial—along with the original six. [8] Many universities have also incorporated the dimensions of wellness into their student care programmes. [9] [10]

Corporate wellness programs

By the late 2000s, the concept had become widely used in employee assistance programs in workplaces, and funding for development of such programs in small business was included in the Affordable Care Act. [3] The use of corporate wellness programs has been criticized as being discriminatory to people with disabilities. [11] Additionally, while there is some evidence to suggest that wellness programs can save money for employers, such evidence is generally based on observational studies that are prone to selection bias. Randomized trials provide less positive results and often suffer from methodological flaws. [3]

The discrimination against disabled people in corporate wellness programs was one of the many reasons that prompted the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Under the newly proposed Americans with Disabilities Act rule, an employee-wellness program consists of programs that relates to health promotion or disease prevention that includes disability-related inquiries or medical examinations. [12] There are two types of wellness programs that are under the Americans with Disabilities Act: Participatory and Health-contingent. [12] This newly proposed rule no longer contains the requirement that such programs be reasonably designed to promote health or prevent disease. [12]

Criticism

Promotion of pseudoscience

Wellness is a particularly broad term, [13] but it is often used by promoters of unproven medical therapies, such as the Food Babe [5] or Goop. [13] Jennifer Gunter has criticized what she views as a promotion of over-diagnoses by the wellness community. Goop's stance is that it is "skeptical of the status quo" and "offer[s] open-minded alternatives." [13] Michael D. Gordin writes that pseudoscience is a bad category for analysis because it exists entirely as a negative attribution that scientists and non-scientists hurl at others but never apply themselves. [14] Pseudoscience is typically used to describe something that looks like science, but is somehow false, misleading, or unproven. [15] Things that fall under the pseudoscience umbrella consists of: astrology, phrenology, UFOlogy, creationism, and eugenics. [15]

Healthism

Wellness has also been criticized for its focus on lifestyle changes over a more general focus on harm prevention that would include more establishment-driven approaches to health improvement such as accident prevention. [3] Petr Skrabanek has also criticized the wellness movement for creating an environment of social pressure to follow its lifestyle changes without having the evidence to support such changes. [16] Some critics also draw an analogy to Lebensreform, and suggest that an ideological consequence of the wellness movement is the belief that "outward appearance" is "an indication of physical, spiritual, and mental health." [4]

Conspirituality

Wellness has been criticized as a gateway to extreme conspiracy beliefs and practices. The Society for the Scientific Investigation of Parasciences has found that alternative medicine communities and conspiracy ideologies share a lot of similarities in that they have a “a strongly dualistic worldview of “good” versus “evil”; a desire for a simple answer to complicated questions; and an anti-scientific tendency”. [17] During the covid lockdown there has been an increase of far-right wellness influencers linking themselves with the political beliefs of QAnon conspiracies, causing an increase of misinformation and adding numbers to the group. Both groups connect on similar beliefs including: anti-vaccination, Covid-19 misinformation and the idea that there is a secret organization of government officials running a child trafficking sex ring. [18]

The wellness trend has been criticized as a form of conspicuous consumption. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability or evidence of effectiveness. Unlike modern medicine, which employs the scientific method to test plausible therapies by way of responsible and ethical clinical trials, producing repeatable evidence of either effect or of no effect, alternative therapies reside outside of medical science and do not originate from using the scientific method, but instead rely on testimonials, anecdotes, religion, tradition, superstition, belief in supernatural "energies", pseudoscience, errors in reasoning, propaganda, fraud, or other unscientific sources. Frequently used terms for relevant practices are New Age medicine, pseudo-medicine, unorthodox medicine, holistic medicine, fringe medicine, and unconventional medicine, with little distinction from quackery.

A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is also characterized by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotional regulation, or behavior, often in a social context. Such disturbances may occur as single episodes, may be persistent, or may be relapsing–remitting. There are many different types of mental disorders, with signs and symptoms that vary widely between specific disorders. A mental disorder is one aspect of mental health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pseudoscience</span> Unscientific claims wrongly presented as scientific

Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claims; reliance on confirmation bias rather than rigorous attempts at refutation; lack of openness to evaluation by other experts; absence of systematic practices when developing hypotheses; and continued adherence long after the pseudoscientific hypotheses have been experimentally discredited. It is not the same as junk science.

Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. Health can be promoted by encouraging healthful activities, such as regular physical exercise and adequate sleep, and by reducing or avoiding unhealthful activities or situations, such as smoking or excessive stress. Some factors affecting health are due to individual choices, such as whether to engage in a high-risk behavior, while others are due to structural causes, such as whether the society is arranged in a way that makes it easier or harder for people to get necessary healthcare services. Still, other factors are beyond both individual and group choices, such as genetic disorders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quackery</span> Promotion of fraudulent or ignorant medical practices

Quackery, often synonymous with health fraud, is the promotion of fraudulent or ignorant medical practices. A quack is a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, knowledge, qualification or credentials they do not possess; a charlatan or snake oil salesman". The term quack is a clipped form of the archaic term quacksalver, from Dutch: kwakzalver a "hawker of salve". In the Middle Ages the term quack meant "shouting". The quacksalvers sold their wares at markets by shouting to gain attention.

Orthomolecular medicine is a form of alternative medicine that aims to maintain human health through nutritional supplementation. The concept builds on the idea of an optimal nutritional environment in the body and suggests that diseases reflect deficiencies in this environment. Treatment for disease, according to this view, involves attempts to correct "imbalances or deficiencies based on individual biochemistry" by use of substances such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, trace elements and fatty acids. The notions behind orthomolecular medicine are not supported by sound medical evidence, and the therapy is not effective for chronic disease prevention; even the validity of calling the orthomolecular approach a form of medicine has been questioned since the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mental health</span> Level of human psychological well-being

Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. According to World Health Organization (WHO), it is a "state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to his or her community". It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health includes subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependence, and self-actualization of one's intellectual and emotional potential, among others. From the perspectives of positive psychology or holism, mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and to create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. Cultural differences, personal philosophy, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how one defines "mental health". Some early signs related to mental health difficulties are sleep irritation, lack of energy, lack of appetite, thinking of harming oneself or others, self-isolating, and frequently zoning out.

Community health refers to simple health services that are delivered by laymen outside hospitals and clinics. Community health is also the subset of public health that is taught to and practiced by clinicians as part of their normal duties. Community health volunteers and community health workers work with primary care providers to facilitate entry into, exit from and utilization of the formal health system by community members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health education</span> Education for awareness of and influence on the attitude of health

Health education is a profession of educating people about health. Areas within this profession encompass environmental health, physical health, social health, emotional health, intellectual health, and spiritual health, as well as sexual and reproductive health education.

Health promotion is, as stated in the 1986 World Health Organization (WHO) Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, the "process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health."

A chronic condition is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term chronic is often applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months. Common chronic diseases include diabetes, functional gastrointestinal disorder, eczema, arthritis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, autoimmune diseases, genetic disorders and some viral diseases such as hepatitis C and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. An illness which is lifelong because it ends in death is a terminal illness. It is possible and not unexpected for an illness to change in definition from terminal to chronic. Diabetes and HIV for example were once terminal yet are now considered chronic due to the availability of insulin for diabetics and daily drug treatment for individuals with HIV which allow these individuals to live while managing symptoms.

Medical model is the term coined by psychiatrist R. D. Laing in his The Politics of the Family and Other Essays (1971), for the "set of procedures in which all doctors are trained". It includes complaint, history, physical examination, ancillary tests if needed, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis with and without treatment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lifestyle medicine</span> Branch of medicine

Lifestyle medicine (LM) is a branch of medicine focused on preventive healthcare and self-care dealing with prevention, research, education, and treatment of disorders caused by lifestyle factors and preventable causes of death such as nutrition, physical inactivity, chronic stress, and self-destructive behaviors including the consumption of tobacco products and drug or alcohol abuse. The goal of LM is to improve individuals' health and wellbeing by applying the 6 pillars of lifestyle medicine (nutrition, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connection) to prevent chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity. By focusing on these 6 areas to improve health, LM can prevent 80% of chronic illnesses and non-communicable diseases (NCD).

The Ministry of Ayush, a ministry of the Government of India, is responsible for developing education, research and propagation of traditional medicine and alternative medicine systems in India. Ayush is a name devised from the names of the alternative healthcare systems covered by the ministry: Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, and Homeopathy.

Chronic Lyme disease (CLD) is the name used by some people with non-specific symptoms, such as fatigue, muscle pain, and cognitive dysfunction to refer to their condition, even if there is no evidence that they had Lyme disease. Both the label and the belief that these people's symptoms are caused by this particular infection are generally rejected by medical professionals. Chronic Lyme disease is distinct from post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, a set of lingering symptoms which may persist after successful antibiotic treatment of infection with Lyme-causing Borrelia bacteria, and which may have similar symptoms to CLD.

Big Pharma conspiracy theories are conspiracy theories which claim that pharmaceutical companies, especially large corporations, act in sinister and secretive ways, such as concealing effective treatments, or even intentionally causing and worsening a wide range of diseases, in pursuit of profitability, or for other nefarious reasons. Some theories have included the claim that natural alternative remedies to health problems are being suppressed, the claim that drugs for the treatment of HIV/AIDS are ineffective and harmful, the claim that a cure for all cancers has been discovered but hidden from the public, claims that COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective, and that alternative cures are available for COVID-19. In most cases the conspiracy theorists have blamed pharmaceutical companies' search for profits. A range of authors have shown these claims to be false, though some of these authors nevertheless maintain that other criticisms of the pharmaceutical industry are legitimate.

<i>The Goop Lab</i> Netflix documentary series

The Goop Lab is an American documentary series about the lifestyle and wellness company Goop, founded by American actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who acts as host and executive producer of the series. The series premiered on January 24, 2020 on Netflix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Brogan</span> American psychiatrist and alternative medicine practitioner

Kelly Brogan is an American author of books on alternative medicine who has promoted conspiracy theories and misinformation about discredited medical hypotheses.

References

  1. ↑ Stoewen, Debbie L. (2017). "Dimensions of wellness: Change your habits, change your life". The Canadian Veterinary Journal. 58 (8): 861–862. ISSN   0008-5286. PMC   5508938 . PMID   28761196.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Zimmer, Ben (2010-04-16). "Wellness". The New York Times.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Kirkland, Anna (1 October 2014). "What Is Wellness Now?". Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law. 39 (5): 957–970. doi: 10.1215/03616878-2813647 . ISSN   0361-6878. PMID   25037836.
  4. 1 2 Blei, Daniela (4 January 2017). "The False Promises of Wellness Culture". JSTOR Daily.
  5. 1 2 Freeman, Hadley (2015-04-22). "Pseudoscience and strawberries: 'wellness' gurus should carry a health warning". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  6. ↑ Kickbusch, Ilona; Payne, Lea (1 December 2003). "Twenty-first century health promotion: the public health revolution meets the wellness revolution". Health Promotion International . 18 (4): 275–278. doi: 10.1093/heapro/dag418 . PMID   14695358.
  7. ↑ Hettler, Bill; Weston, Carol; Carini, John; Amundson, Joy (1980). "Wellness Promotion on a University Campus". Family and Community Health. 3 (1): 77–95. doi:10.1097/00003727-198005000-00008. ISSN   0160-6379. JSTOR   44952417. PMID   10246133.
  8. ↑ "Learn the Eight Dimensions of Wellness" (PDF). Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. April 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Eight Dimensions of Wellness Overview: Wellness at Northwestern - Northwestern University". www.northwestern.edu. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  10. ↑ "6 Dimensions of Wellness | About SAO". Student Affairs Office (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  11. ↑ Basas, Carrie Griffin (2014). "What's Bad about Wellness? What the Disability Rights Perspective Offers about the Limitations of Wellness". Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law. 39 (5): 1035–1066. doi:10.1215/03616878-2813695. ISSN   0361-6878. PMID   25037831.
  12. 1 2 3 "Second Time's A Charm? EEOC Offers New Wellness Program Rules For Employers". Fisher Phillips. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  13. 1 2 3 Larocca, Amy (27 June 2017). "The Wellness Epidemic". The Cut. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  14. ↑ Gordin, Michael D (September 2017). "The problem with pseudoscience". EMBO Reports. 18 (9): 1482–1485. doi:10.15252/embr.201744870. ISSN   1469-221X. PMC   5579391 . PMID   28794200.
  15. 1 2 Gordin, Michael D. (2021). On the fringe : where science meets pseudoscience. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-755576-7. OCLC   1198018488.
  16. ↑ Appleyard, Bryan (21 September 1994). "Healthism is a vile habit: It is no longer enough simply to be well; we are exhorted to pursue an impossible and illiberal cult of perfection". Independent. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  17. ↑ Hume, Tim (2020-12-16). "New Agers and Wellness Influencers Are Falling for Far-Right COVID Conspiracies". Vice. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  18. ↑ Wiseman, Eva (2021-10-17). "The dark side of wellness: the overlap between spiritual thinking and far-right conspiracies". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  19. ↑ Bearne, Suzanne (1 September 2018). "Wellness: just expensive hype, or worth the cost?". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
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