Reimagining Wellness
trends to watch in 2022
The Wellness Moonshot
A world free of preventable disease
In 1962, President Kennedy announced that we would reach the moon within a decade. This was the beginning of a new ideology known as “moonshot” thinking. It’s not about achieving something easy, it’s about achieving something important, something life-changing. Moonshot thinking is utilising disruptive technologies to propose a radical solution and attempt to do the impossible.
Access Corporate Group considers individual wellness as the next moonshot opportunity. This is why Access Corporate Group is partnering with the Global Wellness Institute on the wellness moonshot project.
The wellness moonshot project aims to bring together global experts from scientists, doctors, and nutritionists. Industry experts to provide the best solution to preventable disease.
A summit focuses on the future of wellness
Wellness is a modern word with ancient roots. Our understanding and value of wellness have been redefined following COVID-19, with people looking to renew their sense of health and wellbeing. So how has science and research contributed to this re-valuing of wellness, and how will technology reshape the future of the wellness industry?
These are just some of the themes explored in the Wellness Reimagined Summit, hosted by Access Corporate Group in collaboration with the Global Wellness Institute.
A discussion with global health experts
Presented by Livia Wang, Chief Brand Officer at Access Corporate Group, and Warren Liu, Chief Strategy Officer at Access Corporate Group, the Summit featured global guest panelists including
Alison Stephenson – Digital and lifestyle editor of Body + Soul
Dr. Andrew J Clarke – Chief Scientific Advisor to a2 Milk Company
Dr. Ross Walker – Australian Top Preventive Health Expert
Dr. Peter D Vash – Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA
Greg Macpherson – Founder of SRW
Julia Illera – Senior Consultant, Euromonitor International
Dr. Julie Z Chen – Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine
Ophelia Yeung – Global Wellness Institute Researcher
As the world evolves, we redefine wellness
From illness to wellness
Recently, there has been an increase in awareness and prioritisation of wellness both on an individual and societal level. “We used to focus on how to treat illness, whereas now we’re focusing on preventative health,” says Alison Stephenson.
“Our current healthcare models focus on reactively treating illness rather than proactively promoting wellness,” says Dr. Peter Vash.
“I think during the pandemic one shift of understanding of wellness is that it is very holistic. It’s not something that a doctor will define for you but how we feel,” says Ophelia Yeung.
“Wellness is more than being free from illness – it’s a dynamic process of growth and change, and going with that more of a global approach to how we look after ourselves for all of our lives,” adds Dr. Ross Walker.
As such, scientific research and development in the wellness market have evolved accordingly. “The pandemic in the last year has really challenged us, but it has also fuelled discoveries and new applications for natural ingredients for the treatment and prevention of pathogens,” says Dr. Julie Z Chen. “The area of immune health has definitely accelerated, and we are seeing the importance of diet and nutritional supplements as we battle this pandemic.”
With technology and science, we reshaped the world
The science behind the wellness industry is also accelerating more towards high-tech solutions to address health and wellness needs at a cellular level, with a focus on addressing aging and preventing disease.
“Cellular senescence is an evolving area with exciting potential anti-aging applications. And so if we can actually keep ourselves younger for longer, we can actually start to defer some of these conditions,” explains Greg Macpherson, founder of SRW.
“What we’ve learned is this something called NAD, this is a key enzyme that sits inside ourselves. It has quite a rejuvenative effect on our cells,” he adds. “There is a clock on our DNA. We start to see that we can measure it. And we know that if we slow it down, then we’re actually in a place where our cells are acting so much younger. And this is just an area where people are starting to essentially learn that they can reverse the epigenetic age.”
“We’ve learned through science and research and technology that in fact a lot of bacteria is good for us. It really implicates our areas of health including supporting immune health and mental health as well,” says Dr. Julie Z Chen. “People are going towards natural supplements or going towards looking at food cures to improve their mental wellness. People are returning to consuming whole food and consuming more plant-based foods so that they can feel better all around.”
Needs have been uplifted
The panel agrees that in the face of new health priorities, including that of safe and transparent ingredient formulations, as well as clinical efficacy backed by science and expertise, the concept of personalisation will pivot towards education. This will be realised through blockchain tech for traceability, at-home and real-time health guidance and support, and tailored result monitoring.
“I expect to see some incredible innovations along the lines of personal nutrition,” says Dr. Julie Z Chen. “Just think how amazing it would be to have a system that analyses your health status and provides you with the nutrients or treatments that is required by your body at that precise moment in time.”
“One topic that comes to mind is this emergence of blurring categories and by these I mean that there are different consumer goods,” says Julia Illera.
“Not only for specific consumer groups anymore but for a larger more discerning educated aware population,” says Dr. Andrew J Clarke.
We are in a time of incredible advances in knowledge across so many disciplines. We see this as it relates to health with sophisticated therapies, supplements, diagnostics, and even wearables that are becoming everyday essentials with a positive impact on our health. We can expect more of the same in the future. Such as wearables that warn us when we are becoming unwell days before we know it which will allow us to focus on prevention rather than treatment.
Using every day to build a better, healthier life is at the heart of Access Corporate Group, a trusted partner of quality, scientifically proven products. Access Corporate Group is an innovative brand management corporation striving to propel and shape the future of wellness through novel and disruptive products with leading technology and premium ingredients. We aim to add value to global society.
Let’s bring everything together. Let’s reimagine wellness.
