Earth Day on April 22 was an opportunity for people around the globe to reflect on our planet and the joy of spending time in nature. Nature benefits our health in a variety of ways. Empirical evidence indicates that experiencing nature not only keeps us physically active, but it also lessens anxiety, stress, and symptoms of depression and trauma while promoting mental wellbeing. Expanding everyone’s access to nature is simply a low-cost way to promote our wellness. How can wellness policies help more of us experience the healing power of nature? This edition highlights policies that increase our access to green spaces. READ MORE
The world is aging at an historic rate: By 2050, there’ll be more than twice as many people aged 65-plus as children under five and seniors will represent 16% of the global population, up from 10% in 2022. With aging, of course, comes disabilities and chronic disease. The only way to prevent the fast-rising economic burden of age-related diseases—which severely threaten most countries’ financial sustainability—is to find ways to age more healthily. Because policies aimed at increasing fertility rates are unlikely to succeed, and boosting pension reforms will only provide a temporary respite, this is a golden opportunity for the wellness industry. You could say the future of wellness will be to compress morbidity into a shorter period at the end of life. There will be a much bigger focus on doing that both in natural and high-tech ways. But right now, the industry is focusing on too many unproven longevity “miracles.”
A small 2024 study from the University of Ottawa (ten young males) closely examined how seven days of one-hour cold plunges affected cells at the molecular level, looking at its impact on autophagy (the body’s cleaning out of damaged components) and apoptosis (programmed cell death). They found that repeated cold exposure significantly enhanced autophagic function, a cellular protective mechanism that helps cells better manage stress and that may possibly hold implications for health and longevity. The researchers noted that, “Cold exposure might help prevent diseases and potentially even slow down aging at a cellular level. It’s like a tune-up for your body’s microscopic machinery.” They are eager to expand studies to include older adults and people with chronic conditions. ACCESS THIS STUDY on hydrotherapy.
