Opinion: How to separate sound wellness solutions from seductive snake oil
Consumers, regulators, academia, and industry all have a pivotal role to play in distinguishing effective wellness solutions from the litany of seductive gimmicks.
When pandemic lockdowns prevented access to traditional health care facilities, the demand for alternative and complementary health products skyrocketed. Do-it-yourself remedies went viral and biohacking, which is quantifying your biology in order to monitor and optimize your health, became more mainstream. Challenged public health communication fueled skepticism in science and medicine, compelling consumers to seek influencer-led health solutions to boost immunity, defy disease, and perhaps contest aging altogether.
This interest in “cutting-edge” wellness solutions that promise healing and health-enhancing benefits continues to burgeon. From people misunderstood by the medical system to those underwhelmed by the often perfunctory annual wellness check, increasingly savvy health consumers are self-assembling a personalized patchwork of products and services from the wellness industry. As such, the distinction between diagnostics, devices, and drugs used for optimizing wellness versus managing disease is blurring.
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