Three thousand years ago in India, a holistic system of healing was created, aimed at achieving harmony between soul, body and mind. The purpose of which is not to treat, but to prevent diseases. Centered around the concept of Ayurveda, of which yoga and meditation are an important component.
Traditional medicine was also developing in China, which applied a holistic approach to achieving health and well-being.
Acupuncture, qigong, herbal medicine, taichi – these health-improving methods are now popular all over the world.
Ancient Greek and Roman medicine also encouraged preventive medicine and believed that all health problems arisen due to improper nutrition and lifestyle.
In English, the new term ‘wellness’ appeared in the 17th century and was defined as “a state of well-being and good health”.
The 19th century was marked not only by the development of science, but also by the noticeable spread of spiritual and psychological practices. The basis of modern ideology appeared, that the main source of a person’s physical well-being is his spiritual and mental health.
Methods of alternative medicine had gained popularity – homeopathy, osteopathy, chiropractic, etc.
In 1959, the American physician Halbert L. Dunn introduced the concept of wellness into modern practice and was the first to formulate the basic principles of a healthy lifestyle. In the 1960s, wellness gained great popularity first in professional circles, and then in the wider circles of American society thanks to numerous publications by Halbert Dunn, John Travis, Donald Ardell and Gerhart Hettler. The last three founded the first wellness center in history, as well as the first wellness club at an educational institution. They had also founded the National Wellness Institute and held the first National Wellness Conference in the USA.
In the 90s, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine was founded as part of the National Institute of Health, from the US budget.
The conversation about the industry and philosophy would not be incomplete, without the mention of one prominent American who played a role in its promotion. At the age of 25, becoming a millionaire, a little later – a university professor and author of three best-selling books, Paul Zane Pilzer became known in his homeland for his economic forecasts. In our case, we are interested in his work “The Revolution of Wellness. How to create a fortune in the industry for the next trillion dollars?” Thus, wellness began to be seen as a fast-growing and highly profitable industry.
On the threshold of the 21st century, wellness fashion has come to Europe. Many companies appeared that began to offer various services and products that helped a modern person to feel good physically, mentally and spiritually.
Today, many large companies, as part of the development of their corporate culture, have established their own wellness programs. The demand for fitness and spa services has risen sharply all over the world, wellness tourism is growing rapidly. Wellness concepts are widely used in real estate development, in the production of cosmetics, food, and in many other industries., Today, Wellness has taken a leading position in the global economy.
Currently Wellness is a strong and fast-growing industry that helps its consumers slow down aging, prolong youth and increase their vitality. There is an international market for wellness services with an annual volume of 3.4 trillion US dollars. Which is, for example, 3 times the market size of the pharmaceutical industry.