Reclaiming Wellness From The Wellness Industry
Live Q+A discussion in 24 hours
It's no secret that I am not an avid supporter of the capitalist dystopia we are forced to exist within. It seems that everyday aspect of our lives has been turned into a financial opportunity rather than an opportunity for us to thrive.
This is particularly pertinent to neurodivergent individuals for whom health concerns are often frequent, intense, and largely ignored and under supported by western medical systems. It is this that makes the wellness industry so dangerous to us.
Wellness as a concept is difficult to discretely define. In a broader sense, I would think of wellness as the coalescence of good health, thriving participation in society, and connection and involvement in peer-led communities that validate and support us.
Wellness as an industry, however, has reduced us to the old concept of the “ghost in the machine”. We are framed as non-corporeal entities existing within biomechanical bodies that require frequent tuning and fixing.
Wellness as an industry teaches us to trust only itself, and to buy and use It's fixes to live a life of wellness. Here are some basic rules to always understand with the wellness industry:
Not all alternative treatments lack evidence of effectiveness, but many of them do lack relevant safety research.
Treatments sold by wellness industries usually require long term use, which itself contradicts their criticism of pharmaceutical industries seeking to create life-long patients.
The wellness industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that is just as focused on making money as those industries associated with mainstream medicine.
My fundamental issue with the commodification of wellness is that it preys on vulnerability. It targets and exacerbates health anxiety while simultaneously instilling a sense of fear and distrust towards mainstream medicine. This is done in the name of profit.
And so, when Kelly Mahler asked me to join her live discussion on the topic of wellness, I was keen to get involved. It is important for us to learn to use our interoception and natural instinct to identify whem we are being exploited.
Sensory regulation can actually.play a really important role in how we make decisions, and using alternative wellness therapies should always be a decision informed by a good understanding of benefits versus risks.
If you would like to tune in and join our live discussion this topic, you can do so at the link below by purchasing a ticket. If you can't join live, purchasing a ticket will give you access to the recording.
Come along and join the discussion on how we can make good decisions for our health, and how we can identify when a vulnerability is being exploited.
