tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/wellness-industry-17186/articlesWellness industry – The Conversation2024-01-10T13:27:53Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2200242024-01-10T13:27:53Z2024-01-10T13:27:53ZA beginner’s guide to sound baths − what they are, how to choose a good one and what the research shows<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566936/original/file-20231220-17-ae0awn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=24%2C24%2C8155%2C5408&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sound therapy, which uses bells and singing bowls for healing, has gained popularity in recent years.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/sound-bell-healing-and-senior-woman-giving-royalty-free-image/1459154522?phrase=sound+bath&adppopup=true">PeopleImages/iStock via Getty Images plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In recent years, sound bathing, a therapy in which sound is used for healing, <a href="https://abc7.com/sound-bath-yoga-noho-center-north-hollywood-therapy/14152096/">has been marketed</a> as one of many “<a href="https://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2017/04/the_history_of_self_care.html">self-care</a>” practices, such as journal-keeping or candle-burning, in support of personal well-being. Sold also as sound “immersions,” or sound “healing” or “therapy,” sound baths are pitched as a safe and effective way to reduce stress and increase inner peace.</p>
<p>Do they, though? If so, how? As a <a href="https://anthropology.sdsu.edu/people/sobo">medical anthropologist</a> who has conducted <a href="https://www.anthropology-news.org/articles/healing-vibrations/">research on the sound bath boom</a>, I have some evidence-based insights to offer. </p>
<h2>What is a sound bath?</h2>
<p>Dedicated yogic sound baths are typically intimate, hourlong, small group events hosted in yoga studios or other private settings. Lights dimmed, perhaps with essential oils diffusing, providers surround their typically recumbent clients with sound generated from simple instruments such as tuning forks, gongs and bowls. In my research, sound bath receivers and providers say this leads to a deep sense of peace or harmony.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/tibetan-singing-bowls-are-not-tibetan-sincerely-a-tibetan-person/article_7e4dd7ea-6e40-5584-90d6-b864a9e9d129.html">Some people claim erroneously</a> that what we call sound baths are an ancient practice. There is a long-standing tradition in yoga of using sound to <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Practice-of-Nada-Yoga/Baird-Hersey/9781620551813">focus one’s meditative efforts</a>, perhaps most famously in chanting “Aum.” </p>
<p>But sound baths emerged in their present form largely as an outgrowth of the rise of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13648470.2021.1949943">modern yoga</a> – the kind that focuses on postures, or “asanas.” These classes generally include, at the end, a short, meditative, “rest and receive” phase, or “savasana.” A yogic sound bath is, essentially, a sound-enhanced, extended, savasana-only sound immersion session. </p>
<p>The commodification of yogic practices in the West, along with <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-9485449/Kendall-Jenner-conducts-relaxing-sound-bath-crystal-singing-bowls-followers-Instagram.html">celebrity endorsements</a>, have resulted in the modern-day sound bath industry. Many yoga studios now offer sound baths regularly: It “draws people in,” explained one owner. </p>
<h2>Early research and health benefits</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566942/original/file-20231220-21-1kr11m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman lying down with eyes closed while gongs are played next to her." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566942/original/file-20231220-21-1kr11m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566942/original/file-20231220-21-1kr11m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566942/original/file-20231220-21-1kr11m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566942/original/file-20231220-21-1kr11m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566942/original/file-20231220-21-1kr11m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566942/original/file-20231220-21-1kr11m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566942/original/file-20231220-21-1kr11m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sound vibrations can bring about several benefits, if done in the right way.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/sound-bath-therapy-playing-gong-royalty-free-image/1393950816?phrase=sound+bath&adppopup=true">microgen/iStock via Getty Images plus</a></span>
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<p>There is evidence that shows that yogic sound therapy can bring benefits. Data confirms associations between yoga practice and better <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2019.04.006">physical</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.03.002">mental</a> health.</p>
<p>Regarding sound baths specifically, in a study involving the controlled exposure of 62 people to singing bowls, gongs, cymbals called ting-shas, and other simple instruments, subjects reported decreased <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2156587216668109">tension, anger and fatigue</a>. A review including several other somewhat smaller studies found that sound immersion can also improve blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32507429/">other clinical indicators</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9050597">Scientific understanding of the mechanics of sound therapy</a> is in its infancy. But preliminary studies have shown that a well-executed sound bath may help <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2156587216668109">reduce anxiety</a> and even improve <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102412">blood pressure and heart rate, among other</a> clinical outcomes. </p>
<p>In my research, many participants pointed to science in explaining why sound baths worked so well for them, referencing for instance the nervous system’s capacity to move us into a “<a href="https://www.livescience.com/parasympathetic-nervous-system-rest-and-digest">rest and digest</a>,” or relaxation, state. Many also referenced spiritualized concepts, such as the “chakras,” seven wheel-like energy or spiritual power centers running up the spine, which they believe the vibrations can “unblock.” </p>
<h2>Navigating options</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568297/original/file-20240108-20-bcelis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A person in a black outfit and white hat playing sounds on singing bowls while several others lie in meditation poses nearby." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568297/original/file-20240108-20-bcelis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568297/original/file-20240108-20-bcelis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568297/original/file-20240108-20-bcelis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568297/original/file-20240108-20-bcelis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568297/original/file-20240108-20-bcelis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568297/original/file-20240108-20-bcelis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568297/original/file-20240108-20-bcelis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A sound bath healer plays her bowls at a mental wellness training camp for Black men in Inglewood, Calif.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/inglewood-ca-a-sound-bath-healer-plays-her-bowls-at-news-photo/1259086092">Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>The sound bath experience varies. For instance, some are held outside. Some providers play lots of different instruments, not just simple percussive ones or singing bowls. Some bring in lots of yogic philosophy; others leave that unspoken. Some infuse sessions with what I call “trauma talk,” inviting clients to focus on inner pain; others remain silent regarding client motivations for participating. </p>
<p>With sound baths so widely available, no regulations, and a <a href="https://www.harpercollins.ca/9780063077089/who-is-wellness-for/">wellness market hungry for profit</a>, how do you choose what kind to attend? Here are some guidelines, based on my study. </p>
<p>To begin, participants said that the ideal sound bath site enables clients to let down their guard. This may mean locking studio doors or providing warm blankets and cushioning so that receivers can comfortably relax into the soundscape offered. </p>
<p>Outdoor sound baths can be nice, but concern about onlookers, noise intrusions and imperfect weather could undermine a sense of sanctuary. The same was true for baths conducted in noisy fitness centers or other locations not built to promote inner peace. </p>
<p>Practitioner style also mattered. Interviewees recommended backing out if a provider makes you uncomfortable, because relaxation will be difficult. They also noted that providers with less experience often play too loudly, make jarring versus gentle transitions and forget to pause. Relatedly, baths with lots of diverse or complex instruments, or songs that tell a story, make maintaining meditation difficult. </p>
<p>Yet another distraction came from providers focused on suffering, stress or trauma. Observations confirmed that too much “trauma talk” might <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.newideapsych.2023.101010">prime clients to focus on and even amplify any sense of distress</a>, diverting them from the simple pleasure of an immersion and from <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/george-a-bonanno/the-end-of-trauma/9781541674363/">their own resilience</a>. </p>
<p>Even the best sound bath cannot relieve stress long term if the <a href="https://www.anthropology-news.org/articles/healing-vibrations/">causes of that stress remain in place</a>. Nevertheless, in a world where inner peace is hard to find, let alone maintain, an hour spent in meditative repose can be a godsend.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220024/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elisa J. Sobo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A medical anthropologist explores claims about the health benefits of sound baths and how to choose the one to attend.Elisa J. Sobo, Professor of Anthropology & Director for Undergraduate Research, College of Arts and Letters, San Diego State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1969812023-01-03T20:50:15Z2023-01-03T20:50:15ZHow 19th-century Victorians’ wellness resolutions were about self-help — and playful ritual fun<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502947/original/file-20230103-26-4tnfru.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C464%2C2547%2C1295&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">January is named after the two-faced Roman god Janus, and the Victorians understood this has long been a season of looking backward as much as forward, and not just in search of lessons.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/how-19th-century-victorians--wellness-resolutions-were-about-self-help-—-and-playful-ritual-fun" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>On Jan. 1, 1887, a poem appeared in two British newspapers. </p>
<p>“<a href="https://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/readers-guide/rg_resolutions1.htm">I am resolved throughout the year</a> / To lay my vices on the shelf,” begins “New Year Resolutions.” </p>
<p>In what now reads like a familiar vow of post-holiday abstinence, a young <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/rudyard-kipling">Rudyard Kipling lists</a> the temptations of women, horses and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/whist">card game whist</a>, pledging “A godly, sober course to steer / and love my neighbour as myself.” </p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.history.com/news/the-history-of-new-years-resolutions#:%7E:text=The%20ancient%20Babylonians%20are%20said,when%20the%20crops%20were%20planted.">some sources,</a> the practice of making resolutions at the new year <a href="https://theconversation.com/where-did-the-new-years-resolution-come-from-well-weve-been-making-them-for-4-000-years-196661">can be traced back 4,000 years</a>, originating with the ancient Babylonians. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.43.3.05">Opinions differ</a> on the origins of contemporary wellness culture, often the packaging for self-improvement through self-denial at the new year.</p>
<p>As sociolegal scholar <a href="https://read.dukeupress.edu/jhppl/article/39/5/957/13664/What-Is-Wellness-Now">Anna Kirkland describes,</a> wellness as a contemporary buzzword can be defined as the belief “<a href="https://read.dukeupress.edu/jhppl/article/39/5/957/13664/What-Is-Wellness-Now">that each individual can and should strive to achieve a state of optimal functioning</a>.” </p>
<p>And this — echoing Kipling’s promise to better himself in the new year — also sounds very Victorian. </p>
<h2>Individual and national progress</h2>
<p>In 1859, Samuel Smiles, the Scottish journalist, biographer, social reformer and physician, published the authoritative text on 19th-century “character, conduct and perseverance” aptly <a href="https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/self-help-by-samuel-smiles">titled <em>Self-Help; with illustrations of character and conduct</em></a>. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="A painting of an elderly Victorian man with white hair." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502837/original/file-20230102-3468-asc1ft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502837/original/file-20230102-3468-asc1ft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=824&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502837/original/file-20230102-3468-asc1ft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=824&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502837/original/file-20230102-3468-asc1ft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=824&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502837/original/file-20230102-3468-asc1ft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1035&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502837/original/file-20230102-3468-asc1ft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1035&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502837/original/file-20230102-3468-asc1ft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1035&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An 1877 portrait of Samuel Smiles by George Reid.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(National Portrait Gallery collection/Wikimedia)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>This was at the height of mid-Victorian hubris, and amid a year of epoch-defining ideas (Charles Darwin’s <em>On the Origin of Species</em> and John Stuart Mill’s <em>On Liberty</em> both entered the scene). </p>
<p>By the time Smiles (yes, that is his real name) died in 1904, <em>Self-Help</em> had sold over <a href="https://shepheardwalwyn.com/product/the-spirit-of-self-help">a quarter of a million copies in Britain alone and was an international hit</a>. </p>
<p>Smiles may now be less well known than some of his contemporaries, but his thesis on “<a href="https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Self_help/_eUUAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=socrates&pg=PR13&printsec=frontcover">morals and manners</a>” and belief that “<a href="https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Self_help/_eUUAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=samuel%20smiles%20self%20help&pg=PR3&printsec=frontcover">national progress was the sum of individual industry, energy and uprightness, as national decay is of individual idleness, selfishness and vice</a>” shaped the stalwart Victorian work ethic. </p>
<p>This made self-help, as historian <a href="https://www.historytoday.com/archive/samuel-smiles-gospel-self-help">Asa Briggs describes</a>, one of the <a href="https://www.historytoday.com/archive/samuel-smiles-gospel-self-help">defining virtues</a> of the era. These same ideas also helped form the ideological backbone of the wellness industry today. </p>
<h2>Strict habits, hard work</h2>
<p>Over a century and a half after <em>Self-Help</em>, and a week before Christmas 2022, the <em>Toronto Star</em> served readers <a href="https://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2022/12/18/oh-honey-here-you-go-nine-wellness-trends-to-help-you-kick-start-the-new-year.html?utm_source=share-bar&utm_medium=user&utm_campaign=user-share">“Nine wellness trends to help you kick-start the New Year</a>.” </p>
<p>Unlike <em>the Star’s</em> wellness list, there is nothing in Smiles on the benefits of “functional fungus.” </p>
<p>Instead, <em>Self-Help</em> consists largely of a series of case studies: bootstrap narratives of successful men through history (Milton, Newton, Napoleon) who apparently rose through the ranks with strict habits and hard work. </p>
<p>But how different, really, are Smiles’s motivations from our own aspirations for annual self-improvement? </p>
<h2>Converting idle pleasure into profit</h2>
<p>Smiles’s biographer <a href="https://shepheardwalwyn.com/product/the-spirit-of-self-help/">John Hunter</a> describes <em>Self-Help</em>’s “bite-size pieces, undemanding of readers’ time,” with its “quotability” a boon to publishers. These are similar to the easily <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2013/aug/12/5-ways-listicle-changing-journalism">digestible “listicles”</a> that fill January lifestyle sections. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2022/12/18/oh-honey-here-you-go-nine-wellness-trends-to-help-you-kick-start-the-new-year.html?utm_source=share-bar&utm_medium=user&utm_campaign=user-share">Personalized wellness plans</a> may, on surface, signal hedonism over Smiles-like austerity and productivity. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-resolve-to-be-thinner-and-fitter-this-year-wont-lead-to-salvation-107956">The resolve to be thinner and fitter this year won’t lead to salvation</a>
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<p>But from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/nyregion/napping-in-a-new-york-minute.html?smid=url-share">office nap pods</a>, to the rebranding of friendship as “<a href="https://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2022/12/18/oh-honey-here-you-go-nine-wellness-trends-to-help-you-kick-start-the-new-year.html?utm_source=share-bar&utm_medium=user&utm_campaign=user-share">therapeutic socialization</a>,” we too have come to convert idle pleasures into future profit, just as holiday indulgence becomes fodder for a January cleanse.</p>
<h2>Quantifiable self-improvement</h2>
<p>While often entailing deprivation, resolutions imply the sort of quantifiable self-improvement that would meet Smiles’s approval. </p>
<p>Yet we tend to make — or at least are told to make — the same ones every year. <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-16/here-s-how-quickly-people-ditch-weight-loss-resolutions">Data shows</a> that gym memberships do indeed spike, only to fall again by February, until the cycle repeats the following year. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A ferris wheel seen behind people skating." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502831/original/file-20230102-14-vx9s13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502831/original/file-20230102-14-vx9s13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502831/original/file-20230102-14-vx9s13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502831/original/file-20230102-14-vx9s13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502831/original/file-20230102-14-vx9s13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502831/original/file-20230102-14-vx9s13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502831/original/file-20230102-14-vx9s13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A wheel of perpetual seeking? People skate on the Old Port skating rink on New Year’s Day in Montréal, January 1, 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>This could be evidence of what English professor <a href="https://journals.upress.ufl.edu/rhm/article/view/223">Colleen Derkatch terms the wellness industry’s “moving target</a>.” She notes how wellness discourse promotes seemingly opposed notions of restoration and enhancement. </p>
<p>This means people are perpetually seeking wellness — and often spending money trying to achieve it.</p>
<h2>Time for rest</h2>
<p>But the Victorians offer more than the origins of the wellness industry’s current capitalist trap. </p>
<p>While I certainly do not look to 19th-century Britain expecting a road map for a fulfilled life, or to mimic the many abominable views held by men <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/209518">like Kipling</a>, it’s worth noting that such writers can also provide models for unproductive fun that make the repetitive nature of resolutions a positive way to punctuate time.</p>
<p>In many years spent rereading the Victorians, I sometimes glimpse scraps of unproductive joy outside of the stereotypical narrative of hard work and discipline. </p>
<p>While never abandoning his belief that “<a href="https://www.google.ca/books/edition/The_Autobiography_of_Samuel_Smiles_LL_D/DKVaBKcujpoC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=samuel%20smiles%20autobiography&pg=PP2&printsec=frontcover">work plenty of work is necessary for my happiness and welfare</a>,” in Smiles’s autobiography he also allows time for rest, and even for useless recreation. </p>
<h2>Vows ‘lightly made’</h2>
<p>At one point, the book details how, recovering from a stroke, he replaces his reliance on work with amateur painting. </p>
<p>The artworks he produces “are not of much importance, but the execution of them was a great relief to me …[so] I went on cultivating idleness.” </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502834/original/file-20230102-12-vctfe9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C739%2C8086%2C4207&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man seen with his arms outstretched in a giant gold person-sized public sculptural installation of the numbers 2023." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502834/original/file-20230102-12-vctfe9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C739%2C8086%2C4207&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502834/original/file-20230102-12-vctfe9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502834/original/file-20230102-12-vctfe9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502834/original/file-20230102-12-vctfe9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502834/original/file-20230102-12-vctfe9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502834/original/file-20230102-12-vctfe9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502834/original/file-20230102-12-vctfe9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Is letting it all unravel part of the fun of resolutions?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A commitment to unproductivity, perhaps, offers another way to approach resolutions. The lapsed exercise regimen or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/dec/28/stop-worrying-about-everything-thing-ill-do-differently">abandoned writing project</a>, then, are not just marks of failure, or potential targets for wellness profiteers. They can also be signs of happily wasted time.</p>
<p>In the final lines of his new year’s poem, Kipling flips the resolution narrative, letting his goals unravel, as our annual pledges so often do: “<a href="https://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/poem/poems_resolutions.htm">I am resolved—that vows like these/ Though lightly made, are hard to keep.</a>” </p>
<h2>Playfully pointless</h2>
<p>Despite the cynicism, the language stays lighthearted. The form mimics a children’s rhyme — regular in meter, with each quatrain followed by a bouncy couplet. </p>
<p>The poem ends with a bout of numerical diversion: “One vow a year will see me through,” so “I’ll begin with Number Two.” By pulling readers back to reread the second stanza, Kipling loosens the attachment to linear self-improvement. </p>
<p>January takes its name from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Janus-Roman-god">the two-faced Roman god Janus</a>. This has long been a season of looking backward as much as forward, and not just in search of lessons, or warnings or evidence of progress. </p>
<p>Turning to the past also places resolutions in the repetitive time zone of ritual: playfully pointless, and without expectation of future returns.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196981/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicole Dufoe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The 1859 book ‘Self-Help’ by Scottish journalist and physician Samuel Smiles was written in bite-sized pieces reminiscent of today’s wellness and lifestyle New Year tips.Nicole Dufoe, PhD Candidate in Victorian Literature and English Instructor, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1487442021-03-04T16:04:34Z2021-03-04T16:04:34ZThree ways to ensure ‘wellness’ tourism provides a post-pandemic opportunity for the travel industry<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375939/original/file-20201218-23-iwk680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=107%2C14%2C3146%2C2340&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/woman-doing-yoga-asana-natarajasana-lord-552071470">Shutterstock/Dmitry Rukhlenko</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-vaccine-weekly-britains-successful-rollout-paves-the-way-for-the-end-of-lockdown-155988">The effects</a> of COVID-19 vaccination programmes have led to a glimmer of hope that some of the things we used to enjoy may soon be part of our lives once again. High on many people’s priority lists will be foreign travel. </p>
<p>In the UK, the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021-summary">official declaration</a> of a “roadmap” to normality was quickly followed by a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/feb/23/holiday-bookings-uk-lockdown-exit-plans-easyjet-tui">surge in online bookings</a> for flights and holidays. This is a welcome development for one of the industries hardest hit by the pandemic. It is good news for countries that depend on tourism, and it is undoubtedly good news for people who are desperate to get away.</p>
<p>Importantly, it is also a step towards an end to the uncertainty and isolation that in 2020 led to warnings of a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/14/global-report-who-says-covid-19-may-never-go-and-warns-of-mental-health-crisis">global mental health crisis</a>. </p>
<p>The pandemic also raised awareness of the importance of “wellness” – a state of physical, mental and social wellbeing – in <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/04/04/with-millions-stuck-at-home-the-online-wellness-industry-is-booming">people’s lives</a>. Even without a pandemic to deal with, attempting to achieve this state is the basis of a global industry said to be worth around <a href="https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/institutional-document/633886/adou2020bp-global-asian-wellness-tourism.pdf">US$4.5 trillion a year</a>. </p>
<p>The travel side of this, “<a href="https://www.adb.org/what-we-do/economic-forecasts/september-2020/theme-chapter">wellness tourism</a>”, was worth <a href="https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/institutional-document/633886/adou2020bp-global-asian-wellness-tourism.pdf">US$639 billion globally in 2017</a>, a figure expected to increase to <a href="https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/press-room/statistics-and-facts/">US$919 billion</a> by 2022.</p>
<p>And while wellness tourism was <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200203-how-the-wellness-industry-is-taking-over-travel">growing rapidly</a> before COVID-19 struck, last year saw a <a href="https://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/travel/2020/sep/06/travel-for-immunity-wellness-tourism-gets-boost-amid-covid-19-crisis-2192108.html">reported growth</a> in internet searches about travel to “<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-02/a-trip-to-laos-for-spiritual-healing-and-food-like-no-other-place">wellness destinations</a>]”. </p>
<p>Destination-wise, places known for yoga, meditation and <a href="https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/travel-trends/pilgrimage-travel">pilgrimage routes</a>, such as Chiang Mai in Thailand and Bali in Indonesia, stand to benefit from increased demand. </p>
<p>Our own <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/11/4/177">tourism research</a> leads us to believe that <a href="https://www.adb.org/what-we-do/economic-forecasts/september-2020/theme-chapter">countries</a> which actively improve infrastructure to target wellness tourism will enjoy a particular boost in any <a href="https://www.adb.org/news/op-ed/wellness-key-post-covid-19-recovery-asia-yasuyuki-sawada">post-COVID period</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375937/original/file-20201218-21-1up0d5z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375937/original/file-20201218-21-1up0d5z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375937/original/file-20201218-21-1up0d5z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375937/original/file-20201218-21-1up0d5z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375937/original/file-20201218-21-1up0d5z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375937/original/file-20201218-21-1up0d5z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375937/original/file-20201218-21-1up0d5z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">shutterstock.</span>
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<p>To make sure of this, governments and tourism authorities need to optimise wellness tourism resources. Here are three things they should consider:</p>
<h2>1. Encourage domestic tourism</h2>
<p>One widespread response to the pandemic was the rediscovery of local <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/oct/31/in-troubled-times-a-ritual-walk-can-clear-the-mind-and-soothe-the-soul?fbclid=IwAR1j1vaN-14gE7zHsLu9W3jAjKFicbgeEj6awpUoJs_dPfbldpuiZEFqTT0">natural beauty</a>. New Zealanders for example, prohibited from international travel, flocked to the remote and previously under-visited <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/chatham-islands-new-zealand-overtourism-intl-hnk/index.html">Chatham Islands</a>. Cambodians capitalised on the absence of some three million annual tourists to visit the <a href="https://www.voanews.com/south-central-asia/cambodians-revel-now-tourist-free-angkor-wat">Angkor Wat</a> World Heritage site. </p>
<p>The pandemic has been seen as a time to <a href="https://unisa.edu.au/connect/unisabusiness/16/sustainable-tourism-more-than-goodwill/">reset longstanding social imbalances</a> that barred local people from enjoying their own spaces. Not only would <a href="https://www.adb.org/news/op-ed/domestic-tourism-southeast-asia-opportunities-and-pathways-matthias-helble-and-jaeyeon">improved domestic tourism</a> help support local businesses at these destinations, but it would also contribute to the wellbeing of the communities who live close to them. </p>
<h2>2. Understand differences</h2>
<p>Wellness can mean different things to different people and cultures. In Indonesia, the Balinese travel to religious or spiritual sites for rituals linked to their ancestors and families. This runs parallel to most western tourists’ experiences in Bali, who often visit centres targeted at their personal requirements, with spa treatments or yoga classes. Although westerners generate more profits than locals, it is important for the wellbeing of the surrounding community to ensure equal access to these sites. </p>
<p>Local Balinese yoga instructors often lack the marketing and financial resources to attract global wellness tourists. During the pandemic, some foreign-owned facilities (such as Yoga Barn, one of the most popular studios for westerners) sustained their business through digital video platform. Meanwhile, local facilities struggled without the technical skills and hardware to compete. And while large resorts are well positioned to benefit from post-pandemic wellness travel, they usually provide only low-paid jobs to locals. Support should be provided for small, locally owned wellness tourism businesses as well. </p>
<h2>3. Support the small scale</h2>
<p>The lack of <a href="https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/AN.572">social sustainability</a> has often plagued tourism development schemes. Our concern is that as tourism gradually opens up again, businesses and governments will simply focus on the high-end luxury wellness market. They may look to smaller numbers of wealthy tourists to remedy economic damage, limit the possibility of spreading the pandemic, and mitigate the high costs of hospitalising sick visitors. </p>
<p>But they would be misguided to focus solely on this competitive niche. Many high-value tourism businesses are owned by foreign investors without local involvement or economic benefit. Local governments, tourism authorities, large businesses and international organisations must support community-based, small-scale enterprises in remote areas to build a more comprehensive wellness tourism sector. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-bali-could-build-a-better-kind-of-tourism-after-the-pandemic-140030">How Bali could build a better kind of tourism after the pandemic</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>Overall, wellness tourism programmes should be developed in a way that empowers local communities, helps to reduce economic inequality and creates new livelihoods, especially in <a href="https://www.unwto.org/world-tourism-day-2020">rural areas</a> where poverty rates are high. It should also be developed beyond the popular destinations of Thailand and India to include poorer destinations, such as Laos, Nepal and Sri Lanka. </p>
<p>For while wellness tourism was gaining attention before the COVID period, <a href="https://www.irishexaminer.com/business/companies/arid-40193475.html">the trend</a>
will probably continue as COVID restrictions (hopefully) ease. And with the necessary pause in arrivals right now, the industry has an opportunity to reflect on how to create a more sustainable approach to everyone’s wellbeing, wherever they live.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/148744/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>With the right preparation, specialist destinations can benefit from an expected increase in demand.Jaeyeon Choe, Senior Academic in Sustainable Tourism Development, Bournemouth UniversityMichael Di Giovine, Associate Professor of Anthropology, West Chester University of PennsylvaniaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1318472020-02-20T08:51:27Z2020-02-20T08:51:27ZThe online wellness industry: why it’s so difficult to regulate<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/316241/original/file-20200219-10991-jkeyby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C0%2C4486%2C2667&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Netflix</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Netflix recently released Gwyneth Paltrow’s new six-part series, <a href="https://goop.com/the-goop-lab-netflix/">The Goop Lab</a>. Each episode explores an area of the wellness industry, including psychedelics, cold therapy, lifestyle interventions, female pleasure and sexual healing. The series has received <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2230459-goop-lab-on-netflix-shows-how-easy-it-is-to-fall-for-bad-science/">criticism from the scientific and medical community</a> with experts concerned about Netflix legitimising pseudoscience and misinformation. </p>
<hr>
<iframe id="noa-web-audio-player" style="border: none" src="https://embed-player.newsoveraudio.com/v4?key=x84olp&id=https://theconversation.com/the-online-wellness-industry-why-its-so-difficult-to-regulate-131847&bgColor=F5F5F5&color=D8352A&playColor=D8352A" width="100%" height="110px"></iframe>
<p><em>You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, narrated by Noa, <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/audio-narrated-99682">here</a>.</em></p>
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<p>The backlash is unsurprising given that Paltrow’s brand has become synonymous with controversial products and treatments, such as jade eggs, Psychic Vampire Repellent and vaginal steaming. These concerns are accentuated given that Goop is valued at <a href="https://fortune.com/2018/03/30/gwyneth-paltrow-goop-series-c-valuation-250-million/">over US$250 million</a> and represents part of the burgeoning billion-dollar wellness industry. The difficulty in regulating Goop’s controversial content, however, points to larger difficulties in regulating online health and wellness influencers. </p>
<p>Influencers document their lives and lifestyles on social media. The most lucrative health and wellness influencers achieve fame through <a href="https://politybooks.com/bookdetail/?isbn=9781509530175&subject_id=1">curating an online persona on social media</a> rather than through professional expertise. Although celebrities have traditionally been presented as inaccessible, by approaching everyday health and wellness issues, Paltrow is able to emulate social media influencers, whose public appeal is grounded in the perception of being ordinary, relatable and accessible. </p>
<p>Paltrow’s trust and credibility as a wellness guru stem from her apparent vulnerability. Strategic confessions that commodify pain and loss are designed to establish trust and intimacy. In the Netflix series, Paltrow reflects on the trauma induced by the emergency caesarean she had following the birth of her daughter, how terrible she feels during a “cleanse” and on her experiences “metabolising” pain. These communicative techniques set Paltrow apart from the jargon and professional distance required of medical professionals.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/315931/original/file-20200218-11011-t463g2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/315931/original/file-20200218-11011-t463g2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/315931/original/file-20200218-11011-t463g2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/315931/original/file-20200218-11011-t463g2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/315931/original/file-20200218-11011-t463g2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/315931/original/file-20200218-11011-t463g2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/315931/original/file-20200218-11011-t463g2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jade eggs for your yoni? Show us the evidence, say scientists.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/three-jade-eggs-development-intimate-muscles-278212919">Gusak/Shutterstock</a></span>
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</figure>
<h2>The triumph of opinion</h2>
<p>Influencers claim to provide opinions rather than facts. They are able to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1440783319846188">monetise their personal lives and opinions</a>, profiting from advertorials linked to stories of self-discovery and transformation. These self-documented journeys are difficult to verify. </p>
<p>Influencer marketing is relatively inconsequential when it comes to fashion, but advertorials based on personal experience are more problematic in the health and wellness sphere where unverified stories can negatively affect people’s health. In the second episode, for example, when one employee claims that cold therapy helped ease her anxiety and depression, anecdotal evidence is used to demonstrate the therapy’s validity. These stories of self-recovery can be deadly when they inspire people with cancer to <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-scandal-that-should-force-us-to-reconsider-wellness-advice-from-influencers-117041">reject conventional medicine in favour of alternative treatments</a>.</p>
<p>Despite Goop’s disclaimer that the “series is designed to entertain and inform – not provide medical advice”, its content is designed to influence. The stories and experiences documented online drive consumers to the company’s website as they seek alternative ways to improve their wellbeing, enabling the company to “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/25/magazine/big-business-gwyneth-paltrow-wellness.html">monetise those eyeballs</a>”, as Paltrow declared. </p>
<h2>The placebo effect</h2>
<p>Part of the appeal of the wellness movement can be understood by the placebo effect. The placebo effect is a beneficial effect produced by a placebo drug or treatment. The benefit cannot be attributed to the properties of the placebo itself (the drug or treatment in question), but to the patient’s belief in the treatment. </p>
<p>Goop exploits the placebo effect, blurring the line between scientific research and folk knowledge, to attain credibility. Scientific concepts, such as blood platelets, microdosing, quantum theory’s double-slit experiment, molecules and subatomic particles, are used to validate the therapies canvassed in the series. </p>
<p>Scientific language is cherry picked as part of Goop’s marketing strategy to create products designed to make consumers “feel good in the modern age world”. A case in point is Goop’s <a href="https://goop.com/wellness/mindfulness/wearable-'stickers-that-promote-healing-really/">body vibe wearable stickers</a> that claim to “rebalance the energy frequency in our bodies”. Although Goop was <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/nasa-goop-spacesuit-stickers-gwyneth-paltrow-body-product-a7803246.html">forced to remove claims</a> that the patches were made with the same conductive carbon material Nasa uses to line space suits so they can track an astronaut’s vitals. The idea that people might feel better after wearing the stickers is harder to verify.</p>
<p>The Goop Lab uses Paltrow’s celebrity status to promote lifestyle interventions and alternative therapies. Presenting Paltrow as a friend and equal, strategic confessions and scientific language are interspersed to foster trust, intimacy and credibility. But opinions and anecdotes cannot replace evidence-based therapy. </p>
<p>The Goop Lab blurs the line between science and fantasy. Despite the show’s disclaimer that the series does “not provide medical advice”, in combining scientific expertise with folk knowledge and anecdotal experience, the programme obscures the distinction between entertainment and evidence in a way that proves difficult to regulate.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/131847/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Goop Lab obscures the distinction between entertainment and evidence.Stephanie Alice Baker, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, City, University of LondonChris Rojek, Professor of Sociology, City, University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1302872020-01-28T19:00:27Z2020-01-28T19:00:27ZMarketing, not medicine: Gwyneth Paltrow’s The Goop Lab whitewashes traditional health therapies for profit<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312163/original/file-20200127-81395-a6lqkk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1576%2C0%2C2916%2C2997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Netflix's new show fails to critically explore the alternative therapies it promotes.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adam Rose/Netflix</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In Gwyneth Paltrow’s new Netflix series, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11561206/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">The Goop Lab</a>, Paltrow explores a variety of wellness management approaches, from “energy healing” to psychedelic psychotherapy. </p>
<p>Goop has long been criticised for making unsubstantiated health claims and advancing pseudoscience, but the brand is incredibly popular. It was <a href="https://fortune.com/2018/03/30/gwyneth-paltrow-goop-series-c-valuation-250-million/">valued at over US$250 million</a> (A$370 million) in 2019.</p>
<p>The alternative health industry is worth <a href="https://my-ibisworld-com.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/au/en/industry/x0015/industry-at-a-glance">A$4.1 billion</a> in Australia alone – and projected to grow.</p>
<p>A key driver of the industry is increased health consciousness. With easier access to information, better health literacy, and open minds, consumers are increasingly seeking alternatives to managing their well-being.</p>
<p>Goop has capitalised on the rise in popularity of alternative health therapies – treatments not commonly practised under mainstream Western medicine. </p>
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<p>Health systems in countries such as Australia are based on Western medicine, eschewing traditional and indigenous practices. These Western systems operate on measurable and objective indicators of health and well-being, ignoring the fact <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JSOCM-08-2017-0049/full/html">subjective assessments</a> – such as job satisfaction and life contentment – are just as important in evaluating quality of life. </p>
<p>This gap between objective measures and subjective assessments creates a gap in the marketplace brands can capitalise on – not always for the benefit of the consumer. </p>
<p>The Goop Lab fails to engage with the cultural heritage of traditional health and well-being practices in any meaningful way, missing an important opportunity to forward the holistic health cause. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/gwyneth-paltrows-new-goop-lab-is-an-infomercial-for-her-pseudoscience-business-129674">Gwyneth Paltrow's new Goop Lab is an infomercial for her pseudoscience business</a>
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<p>The uncritical manner in which these therapies are presented, failure to attribute their traditional origins, absence of fact-checking, and lack of balanced representation of the arguments for and against these therapies only serve to set back the wellness cause.</p>
<h2>New to the West, not new to the world</h2>
<p>Many of the historical and cultural origins of the therapies in The Goop Lab are not investigated, effectively <a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/whitewashing">whitewashing</a> them. </p>
<p>The first episode, The Healing Trip, explores psychedelic psychotherapy, suggesting this is a new and novel approach to managing mental health. </p>
<p>In reality, psychedelics have been used in non-Western cultures for <a href="https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/members/sigs/spirituality-spsig/ben-sessa-from-sacred-plants-to-psychotherapy.pdf?sfvrsn=d1bd0269_2">thousands of years</a>, only recently enjoying a re-emergence in the Western world.</p>
<p>In the second episode, Cold Comfort, the “<a href="https://www.wimhofmethod.com/">Wim Hof Method</a>” (breathing techniques and cold therapy) is also marketed as a novel therapy. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312165/original/file-20200127-81411-ob746r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312165/original/file-20200127-81411-ob746r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=344&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312165/original/file-20200127-81411-ob746r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=344&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312165/original/file-20200127-81411-ob746r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=344&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312165/original/file-20200127-81411-ob746r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=432&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312165/original/file-20200127-81411-ob746r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=432&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312165/original/file-20200127-81411-ob746r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=432&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">For the ‘Hof method’ a group of Goop staff members did yoga on the banks of Lake Tahoe.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screenshot/Netflix</span></span>
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<p>The meditation component of Hof’s method ignores its Hindu origins, documented in <a href="https://www.ancient.eu/The_Vedas/">the Vedas</a> from around 1500 BCE. The breathing component closely resembles <em>prāṇāyāma</em>, a yogic breathing practice. The “Hof dance” looks a lot like <a href="http://www.taichisociety.net/tai-chi.html">tai chi</a>, an ancient Chinese movement practice. </p>
<p>Whitewashing these alternative therapies represents a form of colonisation and commodification of non-Western practices that have existed for centuries. </p>
<p>The experts showcased are usually white and from Western cultures, rather than people of the cultures and ethnicities practising these therapies as part of their centuries-old traditions. </p>
<p>Rather than accessing these therapies from authentic, original sources, often the consumer’s only option is to turn to Western purveyors. Like Paltrow, these purveyors are business people capitalising on consumers’ desire and pursuit of wellness. </p>
<h2>Only the rich?</h2>
<p>Paltrow describes Goop as a resource to help people “optimise the self”. But many of these therapies are economically inaccessible. </p>
<p>In The Health-Span Plan, Paltrow undergoes the five-day “Fast Mimicking Diet” by <a href="https://prolonfmd.com/">ProLon</a> – a diet designed to reap the health benefits of fasting while extremely restricting calories. The food for the treatment period costs US$249 (A$368) (but shipping is free!). The average Australian household spends just over <a href="https://www.budgetdirect.com.au/home-contents-insurance/research/average-grocery-bill-statistics.html">A$250</a> on groceries weekly. </p>
<p>Paltrow also undergoes a “vampire facial”, where platelet-rich plasma extracted from your own blood is applied to your skin. This facial is available at one Sydney skin clinic for between A$550 and A$1,499.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312166/original/file-20200128-81352-1i0hwwl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312166/original/file-20200128-81352-1i0hwwl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312166/original/file-20200128-81352-1i0hwwl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312166/original/file-20200128-81352-1i0hwwl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312166/original/file-20200128-81352-1i0hwwl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312166/original/file-20200128-81352-1i0hwwl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312166/original/file-20200128-81352-1i0hwwl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Paltrow’s vampire facial is touted as a ‘natural alternative’ to botox.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screenshot/Netflix</span></span>
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<p>These therapies commodify wellness – and health – as a luxury product, implying only the wealthy deserve to live well, and longer. </p>
<p>This sits in stark odds with the goals of the <a href="https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/constitution">World Health Organisation</a>, which views health as a fundamental human right “without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic, or social condition”.</p>
<h2>A right to live well</h2>
<p>Companies like Goop have a responsibility to explain the science and the origins of the methods they explore. </p>
<p>Given their profit-driven motive, many absolve themselves of this responsibility with an easy disclaimer their content is intended to “entertain and inform – not provide medical advice”. This pushes the burden of critically researching these therapies onto the consumer.</p>
<p>Governments should seek to fund public health systems, such as Medicare, to integrate traditional health practices from other cultures through consultation and working in collaboration with those cultures. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/traditional-medicines-must-be-integrated-into-health-care-for-culturally-diverse-groups-114980">Traditional medicines must be integrated into health care for culturally diverse groups</a>
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<p>Perhaps this will give everyone access to a wellness system to help us live well, longer. This way, citizens are less likely to be driven towards opportunists such as Goop seeking to capitalise on our fundamental human right to live well.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/130287/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nadia Zainuddin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Alternative therapies have a lot to offer consumers. The Goop Lab only serves to set back the wellness cause.Nadia Zainuddin, Senior Lecturer, University of WollongongLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1170412019-05-21T08:31:17Z2019-05-21T08:31:17ZThe scandal that should force us to reconsider wellness advice from influencers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275386/original/file-20190520-69199-vans2m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Wellness 'gurus' like Belle Gibson (not pictured here) have changed the way we think about our own health. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-pretty-sporty-girl-taking-selfie-1015910125?src=jRrDhe0RJcMwmHWjfzPerQ-1-9">Budimir Jevtic/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Former social media influencer and “wellness guru” Belle Gibson first caught public attention after claiming <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/nov/13/behind-belle-gibsons-cancer-con-everything-about-this-story-is-extreme">she cured herself</a> of terminal cancer by rejecting conventional medicine in favour of a healthy diet and lifestyle. Her story was documented on a blog and social media, which became the basis for <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24283934-the-whole-pantry">a successful book</a> and app, featuring lifestyle advice and healthy recipes. </p>
<p>In 2015, however, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-32420070">Gibson was exposed as a fraud</a>. It was revealed that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/apr/22/none-of-its-true-wellness-blogger-belle-gibson-admits-she-never-had-cancer">she never had cancer</a> and failed to donate the proceeds from her app to charity, as promised. Now, she has been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/apr/17/cancer-con-artist-belle-gibson-to-face-court-over-failure-to-pay-410000-penalty">summoned to appear in Federal Court</a> following her failure to pay a AUD410,000 <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/170928-Belle-Gibson-Penalised-For-Misleading-Health-Claims.pdf">penalty for misleading health claims</a>. </p>
<p>Beyond the psychological factors motivating Gibson’s deceit, the scandal raises important questions about the cultural and technological conditions that enable lifestyle gurus to flourish.</p>
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<h2>The rise of lifestyle gurus</h2>
<p>Claims about how to heal illness through diet and alternative therapies are far from novel. What is new is the unprecedented speed and scale afforded by online transmission. Social media also enables bloggers to monetise their following through advertorials, affiliate programmes and blog shops. The influencer economy has become <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/748630/global-instagram-influencer-market-value/">a billion dollar industry</a>, resulting in <a href="http://politybooks.com/bookdetail/?isbn=9781509530175">a surge in the number of “uncertified” bloggers</a> competing to achieve lifestyle guru status.</p>
<p>Although Gibson’s story is seemingly unique, the narrative upon which it was scripted is common to lifestyle gurus. Lifestyle gurus define themselves <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1440783319846188">in opposition to experts</a>. Selectively, they combine elements from science, esoteric systems of knowledge, self-help and positive thinking. The advice given, which often <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/sep/01/wellness-hype-superfoods-yoga-price">comes at a commercial premium</a>, appeals to common sense. But practical recommendations to eat more fruit and vegetables, exercise regularly and reduce alcohol consumption are generally followed by pseudoscientific detox products, cleanses, and online services that offer quick fix solutions to complex problems.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-dietitian-puts-extreme-clean-eating-claims-to-the-test-and-the-results-arent-pretty-63675">A dietitian puts extreme 'clean eating' claims to the test – and the results aren't pretty</a>
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<p>While some influencers claim to be nutritionists, <a href="http://politybooks.com/bookdetail/?isbn=9781509530175">few have the credentials required to give medical advice</a>. Instead, their fame and credibility is derived from a series of techniques. These include carefully constructed personas and narratives of self-transformation, documenting their journey from illness to self-recovery. The personal improvements they document online rest mostly on anecdotal evidence and photographs which reveal their transformation into attractive, ostensibly happier and healthier people. </p>
<p>There is no commitment to independent testing procedures and results by objective, scientific methods. Rather, online metrics (such as followers, likes and shares) validate their status. Lifestyle gurus connect and inspire their followers through disclosing their struggles and vulnerability. Each life crisis, confession and revelation shared online results in more likes and followers.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275384/original/file-20190520-69169-151wb63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275384/original/file-20190520-69169-151wb63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275384/original/file-20190520-69169-151wb63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275384/original/file-20190520-69169-151wb63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275384/original/file-20190520-69169-151wb63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275384/original/file-20190520-69169-151wb63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275384/original/file-20190520-69169-151wb63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Compelling photos like this may be used to document a wellness journey.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-beautiful-woman-practicing-yoga-mountain-428180422?src=reePK4HMMhQRMd3j4kGS7A-1-7">Yulia Grigoryeva/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Social media has altered how we are influenced. Engineered around the quest for visibility and attention, influence is measured by follower counts and engagement. An expert may have credentials and years of experience, but they are unlikely to be as compelling as an attractive lifestyle guru who is “<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/instagram-model-natasha-oakley-iskra-lawrence-kayla-itsines-kendall-jenner-jordyn-woods-a6907551.html">instafamous</a>”, with a highly curated social media feed to verify their advice. The issue here is not merely about the risk of misinformation, but the techniques used to influence us to decide what information to trust and who to believe. </p>
<h2>Low trust society</h2>
<p>Our trust in lifestyle gurus is a direct response to the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/leveson-inquiry-report-into-the-culture-practices-and-ethics-of-the-press">crisis of confidence</a> in institutions and professionals. We live in a low trust society where the very notion of <a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2017-02-13/how-america-lost-faith-expertise">expertise has come under scrutiny</a>. In this context, lifestyle gurus use social media to present themselves as ordinary, “authentic”, and accessible by positioning themselves as alternative authorities “outside of the system”. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-celebrity-non-experts-and-amateur-opinion-could-change-the-way-we-acquire-knowledge-106002">How celebrity non-experts and amateur opinion could change the way we acquire knowledge</a>
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<p><a href="https://goop.com/uk">Gwyneth Paltrow</a> and <a href="https://poosh.com/about">Kourtney Kardashian</a>, for example, both of whom have created lifestyle sites, use their celebrity to give wellness advice and to sell <a href="https://shop.goop.com/shop/collection/wellness/vitamins-and-supplements?country=GBR">vitamins</a> and <a href="https://shop.poosh.com/">supplements</a>. Presenting themselves as our “<a href="https://goop.com/whats-goop/">trusted friend</a>” and <a href="https://poosh.com/about">equal</a>, the whole business of monetary transactions is achieved as a form of mateship, as if everyone is on the same team, set against professionals and elites (despite their celebrity status).</p>
<p>There are tenable reasons behind some of these critiques. In the past, food corporations and governments have <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1440783319846188">acted unethically</a>, experts have got things wrong, and lobbyists have influenced politics and research. <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-celebrity-non-experts-and-amateur-opinion-could-change-the-way-we-acquire-knowledge-106002">Non-experts</a> can make important contributions to public debate, but problems arise when there is uncritical acceptance of influencers’ views as morally superior, entirely trustworthy alternatives.</p>
<p>Blogs and social media have <a href="http://www.unesco.org/new/en/ramallah/communication-information/online-freedom-of-expression/">democratised information</a>, but they have also confounded issues around trust and credibility through altering how we seek advice and how we decide what to believe. It should be no surprise to discover that the low barriers to entry provided by digital technologies create conditions for deceit and exploitation as well as access and participation. What is surprising is the relatively short period of time it has taken for lifestyle gurus to challenge experts by building relations of deep trust and intimacy with consumers. </p>
<p>With over 200,000 followers on Instagram, a book published by Penguin and an app available on Apple, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-hole-in-the-pantry-story-should-penguin-have-validated-belle-gibsons-cancer-claims-38843">Gibson’s message had legitimacy</a>, influence and global reach. Although she was eventually exposed as a fraud, she had been spreading misinformation for years beforehand. The number of people ready to believe that Gibson knew more about how to treat her purported condition than qualified medical experts is indicative of the power of social media influencers to inform health messaging.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/117041/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Lifestyle gurus define themselves in opposition to experts — but can we really trust what they tell us?Stephanie Alice Baker, Lecturer in Sociology, City, University of LondonChris Rojek, Professor of Sociology, City, University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1172292019-05-17T13:59:34Z2019-05-17T13:59:34ZTears and rage – the rise of the emotional release industry<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275129/original/file-20190517-69192-lgawjr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/screaming-hate-rage-crying-emotional-angry-1034421394?src=aCkI2rST-O6bk-ro-mnl6A-2-50">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When Ariana Grande cried on stage recently, following her performance of an emotionally laden song, she later took to Twitter to apologise <a href="http://abcnewsradioonline.com/music-news/2019/3/26/ariana-apologizes-for-crying-onstage-thanks-for-accepting-my.html">and thanked her fans for accepting her humaneness</a>. Producing emotional tears is a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/archived/bodysphere/features/4837824">uniquely human thing</a> and yet, for many, our first reaction to crying is to apologise.</p>
<p>Public displays of crying and emotional release, especially of emotions deemed as unattractive like being upset or angry, remain taboo. This is because there are socially accepted <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1pp0cf">rules that govern the way we feel things</a>. These “feeling rules” guide the types of emotions and feelings deemed appropriate to display at certain times and places. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1110422454932000769"}"></div></p>
<p>These rules tell us that is it acceptable to cry at funerals, but not necessarily at pop concerts. Equally, such rules have often stereotyped certain cultures and genders into particular norms. So feeling rules tend to dictate that men must show greater restraint in expressing their emotions publicly. </p>
<p>The pressure of fast-paced, 24/7 societies has created a deficiency of times and places to release emotion. And into this emotional void a marketplace has sprung up to provide people with places where they can safely vent. </p>
<p>Japan is at the forefront of this. The Japanese, often stereotyped as emotionless, have found ways to cater to a growing demand for emotional release. In response to the stresses of everyday life particularly among women, <a href="https://www.vice.com/sv/article/dp5zkw/japan-and-creating-spaces-for-anguish-372">hotels launched so-called Crying Rooms</a>. These made-to-order rooms come complete with weepy movies, a cozy atmosphere and tissues on surplus, with the aim of providing women a time and space where they can privately release their upset and tears, free from society’s judgement and gaze. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275128/original/file-20190517-69186-y8f80w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275128/original/file-20190517-69186-y8f80w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275128/original/file-20190517-69186-y8f80w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275128/original/file-20190517-69186-y8f80w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275128/original/file-20190517-69186-y8f80w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275128/original/file-20190517-69186-y8f80w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275128/original/file-20190517-69186-y8f80w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Sometimes you just need a good cry.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/housewife-lifestyle-concept-asian-girl-watching-1249593460?src=LJqitug3I9c5oMcM2u1DbQ-1-8">Shutterstock</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>The Japanese company Ikemeso Danshi is even <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/577729/crying-man-japan/">building a reputation</a> for its cry-therapy services, during which customers watch emotive short films under the guidance of a “tear courier”. In a culture where crying in front of others is taboo, the cathartic benefits of group crying brings stress relief and relaxation, leading many Japanese companies to embrace the service as a useful team-building exercise. </p>
<p>But it’s not just Japan that has an emotional release industry. Cities around the world have seen the launch of anger rooms that provide a designated and safe space for customers to release rage <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/anger-room-gives-people-a-smashing-way-to-reduce-rage-11606243">through destroying objects</a>. The recently launched <a href="https://www.togetherness.com/all-events/rageclubmay">Rage Club in London</a> is a monthly event marketed as a game where participants “play with different practices to embody, enjoy and express rage”. The <a href="https://www.wreckroom.co.uk/">Wreck Room</a> lets you just smash things up in a room on your own.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/BsAo2imAZsl","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>For some, these services will represent the unwelcome commercialisation of human interaction and fundamental needs. Others will welcome them as a therapeutic experience. </p>
<h2>Judgement-free environment</h2>
<p>A commonality across these services is that they are an opportunity to release emotions in a judgement-free environment, with like-minded others. These are the key features of our new concept entitled <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article/45/6/1230/4995181">Therapeutic Servicescapes</a>, which outlines how service providers can build an environment where people can healthily release their emotions. Our research was based on a three-year study of the Catholic sanctuary of Lourdes in France. We uncovered three key features that help produce a setting where particular emotions are permitted and released. These features involve: </p>
<p>1) A space that’s designed to stimulate particular emotions. </p>
<p>2) Like-minded beliefs provide a sense of safety, security and acceptance of the behaviour and emotions of others. </p>
<p>3) An escape from the dominant cultural feeling rules.</p>
<p>We found that these features catalysed emotional release, which boosted people’s emotional well-being. While many of the Japanese services outlined above are aimed at women, our research found the therapeutic environment at Lourdes was crucial to both men and women. Many of the men we spoke to saw it as a safe space, where they could release emotions and cry, free from judgement and stigma. This acceptance of crying, people told us, contrasted with their home cultures that they described as “emotionally straightjacketed”. </p>
<p>The value of this kind of service space is evident, especially at a time when society faces a mental health crisis, with men often worse affected by the inability to talk about or release their emotions. Suicide is the number one <a href="https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics/mental-health-statistics-suicide">cause of death for men under 50</a> in the UK and suicide rates among US men is <a href="https://www.thrivetalk.com/mens-mental-health-crisis/">four times higher than women</a>. Our study shows the importance of creating spaces where men can open up about their feelings, free from the usual societal pressures that stop them from expressing their emotions. </p>
<p>The health and wellness industry is expected to grow to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/sep/01/wellness-hype-superfoods-yoga-price">£632 billion globally by 2021</a>, with more and more people spending money on healthy eating, exercise and activities that help their mental health. We see the appeal of services that promote emotional release as a relatively untapped but growing segment of this burgeoning industry.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/117229/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Into the emotional wilderness of 21st-century society, a marketplace has sprung up with places where people can safely vent.Leighanne Higgins, Lecturer in Marketing, Lancaster UniversityKathy Hamilton, Reader in Marketing, University of Strathclyde Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/855112017-10-23T00:42:03Z2017-10-23T00:42:03ZOur laws don’t do enough to protect our health data<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190638/original/file-20171017-30410-1p1q8cr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">You might be surprised to find what your data says about your past – and future – health.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/healthcare-medicine-cardiology-tool-concept-laptop-248574760?src=qk8kMIc0HU0rWX_v-Reidg-1-26">Scanrail1/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Have you ever wondered why your computer often shows you ads that seem tailor-made for your interests? The answer is <a href="https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/big_data">big data</a>. By combing through extremely large datasets, analysts can reveal patterns in your behavior. </p>
<p>A particularly sensitive type of big data is medical big data. Medical big data can consist of electronic health records, insurance claims, information entered by patients into websites such as <a href="https://www.patientslikeme.com/">PatientsLikeMe</a> and more. Health information can even be gleaned from web searches, Facebook and your recent purchases.</p>
<p>Such data can be used for <a href="http://www.healthcareitnews.com/blog/3-ways-big-data-improving-healthcare-analytics">beneficial</a> purposes by medical researchers, public health authorities, and healthcare administrators. For example, they can use it to study medical treatments, combat epidemics and reduce costs. But others who can obtain medical big data may have more selfish agendas. </p>
<p>I am a professor of law and bioethics who has researched big data extensively. Last year, I published a book entitled <a href="http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/law/medico-legal-bioethics-and-health-law/electronic-health-records-and-medical-big-data-law-and-policy?format=HB&isbn=9781107166547">Electronic Health Records and Medical Big Data: Law and Policy</a>. </p>
<p>I have become increasingly concerned about how medical big data might be used and who could use it. Our laws currently don’t do enough to prevent harm associated with big data. </p>
<h1>What your data says about you</h1>
<p>Personal health information could be of interest to many, including employers, financial institutions, marketers and educational institutions. Such entities may wish to exploit it for decision-making purposes. </p>
<p>For example, employers presumably prefer healthy employees who are productive, take few sick days and have low medical costs. However, there are laws that prohibit employers from discriminating against workers because of their health conditions. These laws are the <a href="https://adata.org/learn-about-ada">Americans with Disabilities Act</a> (ADA) and the <a href="http://ginahelp.org/">Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act</a>. So, employers are not permitted to reject qualified applicants simply because they have diabetes, depression or a genetic abnormality.</p>
<p>However, the same is not true for most predictive information regarding possible future ailments. Nothing prevents employers from rejecting or firing healthy workers out of the concern that they will later develop an impairment or disability, unless that concern is based on genetic information.</p>
<p>What non-genetic data can provide evidence regarding future health problems? Smoking status, eating preferences, exercise habits, weight and exposure to toxins are all <a href="http://www.hastingslawjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/Hoffman-68.4.pdf">informative</a>. Scientists believe that <a href="http://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms?cdrid=45618">biomarkers</a> in your blood and other health details can <a href="http://www.hastingslawjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/Hoffman-68.4.pdf">predict cognitive decline, depression and diabetes</a>. </p>
<p>Even bicycle purchases, credit scores and voting in midterm elections can be <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/bosses-harness-big-data-to-predict-which-workers-might-get-sick-1455664940">indicators</a> of your health status. </p>
<h1>Gathering data</h1>
<p>How might employers obtain predictive data? An easy source is social media, where many individuals publicly post very private information. Through social media, your employer might learn that you smoke, hate to exercise or have high cholesterol.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190487/original/file-20171016-31016-1vy6n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190487/original/file-20171016-31016-1vy6n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190487/original/file-20171016-31016-1vy6n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190487/original/file-20171016-31016-1vy6n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190487/original/file-20171016-31016-1vy6n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190487/original/file-20171016-31016-1vy6n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190487/original/file-20171016-31016-1vy6n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190487/original/file-20171016-31016-1vy6n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Your data can reveal a lot about your health. So who’s looking?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/interested-curious-corporate-spy-looking-colleagues-688688818?src=gBvLQaDEpB05wG3Wch01WA-1-0">fizkes/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another potential source is <a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/wellness-programs/">wellness programs</a>. These programs seek to improve workers’ health through incentives to exercise, stop smoking, manage diabetes, obtain health screenings and so on. While many wellness programs are run by third party vendors that promise confidentiality, that is <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2016/05/29/new-rules-on-wellness-programs-spark-privacy-worries/#4bcba4815ad5">not always the case</a>.</p>
<p>In addition, employers may be able to purchase information from <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/07/11/485571291/firms-are-buying-sharing-your-online-info-what-can-you-do-about-it">data brokers</a> that collect, compile and sell personal information. Data brokers mine sources such as social media, personal websites, U.S. Census records, state hospital records, retailers’ purchasing records, real property records, insurance claims and more. Two well-known data brokers are <a href="https://www.spokeo.com/about">Spokeo</a> and <a href="https://www.acxiom.com/">Acxiom</a>.</p>
<p>Some of the data employers can obtain identify individuals by name. But even information that does not provide obvious identifying details can be valuable. Wellness program vendors, for example, might provide employers with <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/28/health/workplace-wellness-privacy-risk-exclusive/">summary data</a> about their workforce but strip away particulars such as names and birthdates. Nevertheless, de-identified information can sometimes be <a href="http://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1172&context=smulr">re-identified by experts</a>. Data miners can match information to data that is publicly available. </p>
<p>For instance, in 1997, Latanya Sweeney, now a Harvard professor, famously <a href="https://techscience.org/a/2015092903/">identified</a> Massachusetts Governor William Weld’s hospital records. She spent $20 to purchase anonymized state employee hospital records, then matched them to voter registration records for the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts.</p>
<p>Much more sophisticated techniques now exist. It’s conceivable that interested parties, including employers, will pay experts to re-identify anonymized records.</p>
<p>Moreover, de-identified data itself can be useful to employers. They may use it to learn about disease risks or to develop profiles of undesirable employees. For example, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a href="https://wonder.cdc.gov/cancer-v2010.HTML">website</a> allows users to search for cancer incidence by age, sex, race, ethnicity and region. Assume employers discover that some cancers are most common among women over 50 of a particular ethnicity. They may be very tempted to avoid hiring women that fit this description.</p>
<p>Already, some employers refuse to hire applicants who are <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/3061210/the-hidden-discrimination-against-being-fat-at-work">obese</a> or <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/ccf/media/files/Urology/Non-Smoking_Hiring_Statement.pdf">smoke</a>. They do so at least partly because they worry these workers will develop health problems.</p>
<h1>What’s stopping them?</h1>
<p>So what can be done to prevent employers from rejecting individuals based on concern about future illnesses? Currently, nothing. Our laws, including the ADA, simply do not address this scenario.</p>
<p>In this big data era, I would urge that the law be revised and extended. The ADA protects only those with existing health problems. It’s now time to begin protecting those with future health risks as well. More specifically, the ADA should include “individuals who are perceived as likely to develop physical or mental impairments in the future.”</p>
<p>It will take time for Congress to revisit the ADA. In the meantime, be careful about what you post on the internet and to whom you reveal health-related information. You never know who will see your data and what they will do with it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/85511/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sharona Hoffman received financial support from Case Western Reserve University for publication of her book "Electronic Health Records and Medical Big Data: Law and Policy (Cambridge University Press 2016). </span></em></p>What can be done to prevent employers from rejecting individuals based on concern about future illnesses? Currently, nothing.Sharona Hoffman, Professor of health law and bioethics, Case Western Reserve UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/729702017-03-21T01:41:42Z2017-03-21T01:41:42ZTo be ill is human: why normalising illness would make it easier to cope with<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160281/original/image-20170310-3687-vm027y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">We often hide behind a mask of wellness when we're really sick. Maybe it's time to be more open about our health.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/success?src=p9qu7dP7M-sqD6MbWJaglg-1-4">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Why are we so shocked when we, or someone we know, becomes ill? Why are many people scared of illness and unable to support their loved ones when illness strikes? And why do so many people still think “it won’t happen to me”?</p>
<p>These questions strike at the heart of our relationship between sickness and health and our reluctance to confront illness as part of our everyday lives.</p>
<p>Many people do not talk openly about illness because they fear it will make them seem weak or <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pon.2048/full">self-indulgent</a>.</p>
<p>People also keep illness a secret because they worry they will be <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2010.01322.x/full">blamed</a> or <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-your-fault-you-got-cancer-the-blame-game-that-doesnt-help-anyone-66995">judged for developing it</a>, which is surprisingly common. For example, think about the stigma patients and their families experience if they are affected by <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/328/7454/1470.long">lung cancer</a>, <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0046924">obesity-related illness</a> or <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=2006-07278-007">mental illness</a>.</p>
<p>This fear of being judged or blamed may also contribute to people hiding their symptoms, even from health professionals, delaying <a href="http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v112/n1/abs/bjc2014516a.html">diagnosis</a> and proper <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/24/5/761/474150/Delays-in-diagnosis-and-treatment-of-breast-cancer">management</a>. </p>
<p>Perhaps we don’t talk about illness because of the global <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/liyanchen/2015/12/21/the-most-profitable-industries-in-2016/#675590f37a8b">multi-billion dollar health industry</a> reinforcing a message that we must be healthy if we consume the right <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2008.01121.x/abstract">food and drinks</a>. </p>
<p>Or perhaps we don’t talk about our illness because we believe modern medicine will cure us.</p>
<p>All of these factors mean remaining quiet about illness becomes normal, illness is often hidden and many people cope with illness alone. While it may be acceptable to talk about having a common cold, it seems that speaking about more serious illness is not. Sometimes we hide away our health troubles behind a mask of wellness. </p>
<p>About a <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pon.3679/abstract">quarter</a> to a <a href="https://www.diabetes.org.uk/About_us/News_Landing_Page/One-million-risk-health-by-keeping-diabetes-secret/">third</a> of people with serious physical illnesses hide their illness from colleagues and even family and friends. The data is even more striking when considering mental health problems, with studies suggesting more than <a href="http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1074.html">two-thirds</a> of people would conceal a mental illness from their co-workers or classmates.</p>
<p>So, it is hardly surprising people are not prepared when they, or a loved one, become ill; they can find it hard to <a href="http://www.jclinepi.com/article/0895-4356(90)90123-7/fulltext">cope</a> psychologically with, and adjust to, their and other people’s illness.</p>
<h2>Serious and chronic disease is common</h2>
<p>Society seems in a state of denial that illness is a fact of life for most families. It is part of the human condition.</p>
<p>Serious and chronic illness is <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/chronic-disease">becoming more common</a>. At any one time, about half of us will be managing a serious health condition and around one in five of us will be experiencing <a href="http://www.aihw.gov.au/media-release-detail/?id=60129552034">two or more serious illnesses</a> at once. </p>
<p>No family is immune: serious illness can affect people of all ages, wealth, professions and education levels. Celebrities also develop serious <a href="http://www.livescience.com/36251-celebrity-health-illness-diseases.html">illnesses</a> (although many likely keep their health problems private).</p>
<p>Look around you. Who in your family is ill? Who is off work because they are sick with something other than a common cold? Who has been diagnosed with a life-threatening condition (cancer, diabetes and heart disease spring to mind) or with a chronic condition such as inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis or depression?</p>
<h2>Living with illness</h2>
<p>We are now coming to understand that many life-threatening diseases are in reality long-term conditions rather than a death sentence. Many people are managing multiple serious illnesses at once, while others are told they are at risk of developing a serious illness in the future. If your family, friendship circle and workplace is anything like ours, then being ill is surprisingly common.</p>
<p>There are a number of different psychological approaches to help us cope with these long-term health problems.</p>
<p>So-called <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD008704.pub2/abstract">third wave psychological therapies</a> promote the idea of accepting rather than avoiding illness, and the pain and suffering that often accompanies it. These types of therapies may help us to cope when illness strikes. They can help patients to clarify their values and make choices that align with them.</p>
<p>Other more traditional psychological approaches (such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-cognitive-behaviour-therapy-37351">cognitive behaviour therapy</a>) may also help people who are struggling with their health to re-frame their illness as part of the normal experience and identify effective coping strategies. They may also help people to identify their needs and seek help to meet these needs.</p>
<p>For young people who are ill, more modern approaches, using internet-delivered support may meet their needs well, for instance this <a href="https://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2407-12-339">online intervention</a> for young cancer survivors. </p>
<p>And when an illness becomes terminal, psychological therapies and bereavement counselling can help patients, families and friends to face the end of life. </p>
<p>These forms of support may help people thrive with illness rather than despite their illness. But society also needs a “therapy” to cope with people being ill. </p>
<p>For starters, we need to see people who are not 100% healthy represented in the government, workplace and media, in fact in all areas of social life. This should lead to greater acceptance of illness and position ill health as the new normal.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>If this article has raised issues for you or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/72970/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gill Hubbard currently receives research funding from Chief Scientist Office ( Scotland) and the charity, Melanoma Focus</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Claire Wakefield receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council Australia. Her research is supported by a Harry McPaul Cancer Council NSW Program Grant (PG16-02), as well as other research grants from Cancer Australia, Children's Cancer Institute and The Kids Cancer Project. The Behavioural Sciences Unit is supported by the Kids with Cancer Foundation. </span></em></p>Why are we so shocked when we, or someone we know, becomes ill? It’s time to reclaim sickness as a normal part of life.Gill Hubbard, Reader in Cancer Care, University of StirlingClaire Wakefield, Associate Professor, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/426302015-06-04T05:19:38Z2015-06-04T05:19:38ZPseudoscience and conspiracy theory are not victimless crimes against science<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/83840/original/image-20150603-2956-g6mbmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C173%2C976%2C790&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Pseudoscience: we should know better by now.</span> </figcaption></figure><p>News of anti-vaxxer movements, demands to teach creationism in schools as science, and dubious claims for the health-giving properties of strange diets is enough to make you wonder if some people have forgotten or forsaken the scientific method entirely.</p>
<p>Astronomer Carl Sagan once said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In every country, we should be teaching our children the scientific method and the reasons for a Bill of Rights. With it comes a certain decency, humility and community spirit. In the <a href="http://skepdic.com/refuge/sagan.html">demon-haunted world</a> that we inhabit by virtue of being human, this may be all that stands between us and the enveloping darkness.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Despite the progress of education and living standards, the world must seem like a scary place for many people – full of chemicals in the sky, aliens trying to abduct us, and government or corporate conspiracies. As Stephen Hawking drily remarked: “If governments are involved in a cover-up, they are doing a much better job of it than they seem to do at anything else.”</p>
<h2>What’s the harm in ‘alternative’ science?</h2>
<p>What’s the harm in applying alternative medicine to treat cancer? Why should others care if I don’t vaccinate my children? Such decisions are all too often based on a poor understanding of how science works – and usually guided by someone’s commercial interest. </p>
<p>For example, US blogger Vani Hari, known as the Food Babe, claims to research and reveal problems with food (while receiving <a href="http://adage.com/article/news/activist-capitalist-food-babe-makes-money/294032/">sponsorship from “natural” food companies</a>). Among her profound research <a href="http://gawker.com/the-food-babe-blogger-is-full-of-shit-1694902226">conclusions</a> were that, when studying the effects of microwaves:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Microwaved water produced a similar physical structure to when the words “Satan” and “Hitler” were repeatedly exposed to the water.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The truth is that in science there are no authorities. There are experts at most, and even their opinions can be challenged by anyone – so long as there’s evidence to back up the argument. When some people are taken as “authorities” and their claims, however wacky, believed, then the subsequent decisions that millions of people may take could harm them or even bring a premature end to their lives.</p>
<p>If that sounds outlandish, consider two “wellness” bloggers from Australia. Belle Gibson punted her wholefood recipes and alternative therapies (available as a book and smartphone app) as a “natural” weapon in her fight against cancer – a cancer she later admitted she’d <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-32420070">entirely fabricated</a>. Or Jessica Ainscough, the Wellness Warrior, whose very real sarcoma was not hindered by the “natural healing” pseudoscience she advocated on her blog. Ainscough <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2015/02/27/the-wellness-warrior-jess-ainscough-has-passed-away/">died in February 2015</a>.</p>
<p>Cancer is terrifying for those facing it and their families. What some of these “wellness” bloggers do whether misguided or for the sake of personal profit is not only an insult to these people and those that have lost loved ones to the disease, but also an irresponsible act.</p>
<p>Similarly, the <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/health360/posts/2015/02/06-measles-vaccines-mmr-herd-immunity-antivaxxers-patel">misinformation and ignorance of science</a> of the anti-vaxxer movement not only <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27481-measles-leaves-you-vulnerable-to-a-host-of-deadly-diseases.html">endangers their own children</a> but also affects the lives of the <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/02/open-letter-parent-unvaccinated-child-measles-exposure">rest of the population</a>. </p>
<p>The spread of pseudoscience can kill, and that’s exactly why we should be doing more to spread understanding of the scientific method, to equip others to apply scepticism in the face of extraordinary claims.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/83836/original/image-20150603-2923-122thr0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/83836/original/image-20150603-2923-122thr0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/83836/original/image-20150603-2923-122thr0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83836/original/image-20150603-2923-122thr0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83836/original/image-20150603-2923-122thr0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83836/original/image-20150603-2923-122thr0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83836/original/image-20150603-2923-122thr0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83836/original/image-20150603-2923-122thr0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">1940s electro-metabograph, claiming to cure ailments with radio waves. No scientific basis of course - but doesn’t it look good?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/akuchling/50323683/in/photostream/">akuchling</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The demon-haunted world</h2>
<p>But instead of teaching children how to critically analyse the world around them for themselves through a lens of healthy scepticism, the educational system is based on arguments from authority, encouraging them to accept what they’re told. Over time, this may develop into a deep ignorance of a scientific approach resulting in a huge difference in outlook and approach to the world between the scientifically trained and everyone else. Into that gap steps mistrust, charlatans and conspiracy theories. </p>
<p>The world we have is bound up with science and technology, yet very few of us understand that science and technology. This is a recipe for disaster, and in the 20 years since Sagan’s book: <a href="http://www.boerenlandvogels.nl/sites/default/files/demonhauntedworld.pdf">The Demon-haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark</a> was published, the situation has not improved.</p>
<p>It can be difficult for someone without a university education – or even without a scientific degree – to understand and interpret scientific results. Even those working in one scientific field can struggle to understand developments in others, due to the extent of specialisation required for further progress. Mastering this specialisation requires time, of which we humans have only a limited amount. Gone are the days of all-purpose geniuses such as da Vinci and Leibniz, whose expertise stretched from maths, mechanics and invention, to philosophy, politics, anatomy and medicine. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/83838/original/image-20150603-2951-17ut2r0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/83838/original/image-20150603-2951-17ut2r0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/83838/original/image-20150603-2951-17ut2r0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83838/original/image-20150603-2951-17ut2r0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83838/original/image-20150603-2951-17ut2r0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83838/original/image-20150603-2951-17ut2r0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83838/original/image-20150603-2951-17ut2r0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83838/original/image-20150603-2951-17ut2r0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Scientific enquiry, in a nutshell.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scientific_Method_3.jpg">Whatiguana</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Closing the gap</h2>
<p>Lucky for us, knowing all is not a requirement for scientists, nor even for scientific thinking. In fact truly scientific thinking echoes Socrates’ words, that the wisest of men is he who knows that he knows nothing. “There is no shame in not knowing,” Neil deGrasse Tyson <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/115950-the-sky-is-not-the-limit-adventures-of-an-urban-astrophysicist">said</a>. “The problem arises when irrational thought and attendant behaviour fill the vacuum left by ignorance.”</p>
<p>The only requirement for scientific thinking is to learn how to apply the <a href="https://www.noodle.com/articles/carl-sagans-rules-for-critical-thinking-and-nonsense-detection">scientific method</a> to what we encounter in our daily lives. That is what scientists should be teaching others – science is the only approach to the truth we have, error-correcting machinery connected to self-criticism that tests our ideas against the real world. And the proof of its veracity is all around you – from the scientific principles that underlie the screen you’re reading this on, to the manufacturing processes and materials required to build it, and the electricity that powers it.</p>
<p>Science might not be perfect but it is the best tool mankind has developed to understand itself and the world around us. With a grasp of the scientific method the world is suddenly revealed not as a place to be feared, but to be understood. As Carl Sagan also said: “There are wonders enough out there without our inventing any.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/42630/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eduardo Nicolas Schulz receives funding from Marie Curie-European Research Council. He is affiliated with CONICET-Argentina.</span></em></p>The pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and woo spreading across the world wreaks havoc on those that buy into it.Eduardo Nicolas Schulz, Research Fellow, University of BirminghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/421242015-05-21T20:05:11Z2015-05-21T20:05:11ZNo, it’s not you: why ‘wellness’ isn’t the answer to overwork<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82477/original/image-20150521-17365-st5xaj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">No amount of yoga will save us from the effects of overwork.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Taro Taylor/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many of the people who visit me in my therapy practice spend time talking about work. How much work there is, how they never seem to be able to get it all done, how many hours they spend at work, how tired they are all the time and how fearful they are about losing their jobs. They’ve read articles telling them how they can improve their work/life balance. They’ve delegated and relegated, meditated and ruminated. </p>
<p>Women in particular come in suffering the effects of overwork, <a href="http://asr.sagepub.com/content/79/3/457">losing out financially</a> in the longer hours marathon, or perhaps more frighteningly, <a href="http://asr.sagepub.com/content/75/2/303.short">sacrificing their work</a> to help manage a male partner’s crazy schedule. And yet they persist in locating the problem internally. Is there something else they can do, they wonder, to manage it all better? Maybe there’s something wrong with them; they just can’t seem to live and work at the same time.</p>
<p>We’re <a href="http://www.tai.org.au/content/walking-tightrope-have-australians-achieved-worklife-balance">working longer hours</a> than ever before, and as our employment conditions <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/worklife-balance-is-getting-worse-for-australians-new-report-20141118-11otw6.html">continue to worsen</a>, they’re simply repackaged into a new version of normal in an effort to make the truly pathological state of many of our workplaces appear acceptable. And despite the fact that the <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1997-36453-000">very best evidence </a>we have about the causes of work stress and burnout point to factors present in the workplace rather than in us, the stress reduction industry and the helping professions’ focus on individual self-care strategies is at an all-time high.</p>
<h2>Too busy to be well</h2>
<p>Have a look at the lifestyle section of any major newspaper and you’ll find a host of articles on how to stay well in a life that’s too busy to live in. But the facts are plainer than we’re being led to believe. Many of us simply <a href="http://www.transformingthenation.com.au/2013/11/the-high-health-cost-of-overwork/">work too much</a> to really be well. </p>
<p>Nothing can alleviate the stress of overwork except working less. Like the road signs say, only sleep cures fatigue. We need to be reminded of this because tired long-haul drivers can be deluded into thinking that coffee, a can of Mother or an upbeat bit of music might help them stay awake. For the madly overworked, we need reminding that the only cure for working too much is to stop. It’s as simple as that.</p>
<p>In the last month or so I’ve had several clients raise the issue of overwork with their managers, with the following results. One had a consultant brought in to assess her team’s workloads against their position descriptions. Each member was found to be working at between 130 and 160% of their load. So the load was reset and anyone working at below 150% was told they weren’t pulling their weight.</p>
<p>Another workplace appointed an organisational psychologist to assess the team’s interpersonal relationships as a way of responding to a workload complaint. As a result, my client was told his personal commitment to reasonable working hours was putting his team at risk and he was put on a program of performance management. Another was simply told not to come in again.</p>
<p>Despite the endless column inches devoted to how we can find balance in our busy working lives, the solution here isn’t personal, it’s political. Those of us working in the health and wellbeing industries have had our skills hijacked by commercial interests. Employee Assistance Programs, corporate stress management training and the burgeoning multi-billion dollar <a href="http://www.globalwellnesssummit.com/industry-resource">wellness industry</a> all trade on, support and are supported by the culture of overwork. If we are truly committed to wellbeing, we need to remember who our clients are meant to be and be willing to risk acting in their best interests.</p>
<p>No amount of multivitamins, yoga, meditation, sweaty exercise, superfoods or extreme time management, as brilliant as all these things can be, is going to save us from the effects of too much work. This is not something we can adapt to. Not something we need to adjust the rest of our lives around. It is not possible and it’s unethical to pretend otherwise. Like a low-flying plane, the insidious culture of overwork is deafening and the only way we can really feel better is if we can find a way to make it stop.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/42124/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Zoë Krupka does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>More and more workplaces are turning to the wellness industry to try and solve the problem of overwork.Zoë Krupka, PhD Student Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.