The "Wellness" Movement

A new century has dawned and with it a new current in health and vitality. North American society is experiencing an historic shift from a reactive to a proactive approach to maintaining fitness and wellbeing.

This trend is spurred by a growing interest in integrative medicine, an approach to health that treats the whole person, not just the illness. In 1990, one-third of Americans were adopting an integrative approach to health. In fact, a 1993 landmark study by Dr David Eisenberg revealed that an astonishing one in three Americans had used some form of alternative or complementary medicine. By 2010, two-thirds of Americans will be turning to integrative medicine.

Patients want physicians who take time with them, listen and explain the nature of their problem, who are aware of nutritional influences on health, who will not push drugs and surgery as the only approach to treating illness. Many practitioners think these are very reasonable requests. Hospitals and medical schools are now embracing complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. And Congress has allocated a budget of over $100 million for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) to fund hundreds of research projects around the nation.

According to world-renowned economist, expert and author Paul Zane Pilzer, people are participating in droves in the integrative movement by taking preventive measures against health problems. Health spending is moving from addressing existing health problems to a proactive approach. The wellness industry is already a $200 billion industry. And Pilzer predicts that by 2010 in the U.S. alone, wellness will be a $1.5 trillion industry.

What are people spending on? Much of the wellness industry’s revenue comes from vitamin sales and health club memberships, and the list of products and services people are using to maintain their health is growing. This growth confirms that this is not just a trend; it’s a new approach to life and health.

People are looking for clinically proven, natural products that will improve their health and help them feel younger. This is an industry that’s exploding and has not yet peaked. The trend shows no sign of waning because it’s the baby boomers that are driving it. As this huge demographic group ages, the wellness industry will only grow stronger.

Immunotec’s line of health-promoting products are positioned to capitalize on this trend by giving people the natural, clinically tested products they are looking for ways to improve their overall well-being. Part of the wellness movement, Immunotec’s products are a healthy approach to weight loss, nutrition and looking and feeling good.

This movement is a golden opportunity: for health, for energy and for success.

Weight Loss

The bad news? The number of people with weight loss issues is growing every year. Results of a Harris Poll conducted in 2002 show that 80 percent of people over 25 are overweight based on the body mass index (BMI), a guideline computed through a combination of weight and height.

The good news? Sixty percent of the people surveyed in this poll said they would like to start a weight loss program, including 72 percent of those who are overweight.

Americans want to lose weight to feel better and prevent disease, and they’re willing to invest their time and their money to do so. Between 1990 and 1997, for example, there was an 85% increase in the number of Americans who work out at home. And with 10,000 baby boomers reaching middle age every day, the weight loss battle is being waged in homes across the United States.

Being overweight or obese is associated with some very serious health consequences: cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, stroke, arthritis, breathing problems, and psychological disorders such as depression. So a decision to lose weight is not just a matter of appearance, it’s a matter of good health.

With the Internet and other sources of information, consumers now have the resources to educate themselves about their health and are becoming empowered to take control. They’re trying to improve their nutrition and lose weight…naturally.

Immunotec’s line of health-promoting products are one of the sources people are turning to for increased weight loss and increased vitality, because Immunotec’s products have science and good sense in their corner. This is not just a trend. It’s a change for the better.