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best health AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2019 45
“escape the clutches of wellness.” Not a very hope-
ful outlook for the future of the movement. And
yet, they also suggest there is still a glimmer of
good in wellness, we just have to get better at rec-
ognizing — and eliminating — the bad.
“I wish we could just reclaim the term and stick
with the basics,” Caulfield says. “I do like that
there is an embrace of a healthy lifestyle and an
emphasis on real food, exercise and sleep. But for
the wellness industry it can never be straightfor-
ward, it always has to be wrapped up in a blanket
of pseudoscience.” For our part, he says the key to
achieving wellness is to keep it simple. “Exercise,
eat real food, sleep, have good relationships, don't
smoke. There is no magic.”
But Caulfield also urges medical professionals
not to simply dismiss wellness culture. “I think
there is a need to recognize that many in the pub-
lic are getting something from the wellness move-
ment,” he says. “Perhaps some feel their needs are
being ignored. Perhaps some think there isn’t
enough of an emphasis on prevention. Or perhaps
some no longer trust the conventional system. We
should listen and try to improve our approach.”Dr. Gunter agrees. She says doctors need to lis-
ten not just i n t hei r of f ices, but i n societ y. She cites
the anti-vaccine movement as an example of
where the medical profession was too dismissive
— and we’re still living with the consequences.
“We all thought people would read the science and
be swayed back to the truth, but that didn’t hap-
pen,” she says. “Many wellness trends are like
religions; they’re a brand people associate with
and it speaks to them, so we need to listen more
and try to figure out what is sending people in
that direction.”
To avoid being duped into going in that direction,
Dr. Gunter recommends relying on evidence-based
recommendations and staying away from anec-
dotes, fads and celebrities. She echoes Caulfield:
“Wellenss is the boring stuff that you already
know: eat balanced meals, get exercise, socialize,
and do things that make you smile,” says Dr.
Gunter. “If someone is trying to sell you some-
thing, their goa l is not your hea lth or wellbeing, it ’s
to sell you something.”
In the end, the best thing we can do to be well is
to not buy in. bh“I do like that there is an embrace of a healthy lifestyle and
an emphasis on real food, exercise and sleep. But for the wellness
industry it can never be straightforward, it always has to be
wrapped up in a blanket of pseudoscience.”
- Timothy Caulfield
WELLNESS WINS