Healing in all the Right Places
- EK Wills
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
By Dr E K Wills
Where is your favourite place to go when you’re feeling overloaded and need a break?
There are so many options available it can be hard to know where to turn and we often start with what we know:
Do you prefer spas to ice baths?
Or saunas to hot springs?
How about a massage? And then which type: Swedish deep massage, Chinese reflexology or hot stones, maybe Thai dry massage or Japanese shiatsu?
Now you can be feeling even more overwhelmed when all you really want is a break!
I see advertorials for all sorts of wellness retreats, often steeped in cultural tradition that forms a way of life in those countries from Japan’s onsen to Balinese massage and Finnish sauna.
These retreats look fabulous and afford us the opportunity to dip our toe into a way of life that supports wellbeing. I personally love an onsen and have enjoyed the array of hot tubs at the Japanese Bath House in the Blue Mountains as it’s a quick weekend getaway from home.
I also love the idea of Japanese-inspired forest bathing to get into nature and provide balance to a busy work life. The Scandinavians have a version called forest therapy aiming to strengthen your immune system, improve energy and mood, and help to improve sleep. Finland has been rated the happiest country in the world for the past 8 years which is probably related to their national social support system as much as their sauna culture and enjoying nature in the every day.
There is evidence that incorporating hot bath type emersion therapy such as onsen into your lifestyle can reduce cardiovascular health risks such as heart disease and stroke.
Similarly, evidence points to the benefits of returning to nature to unwind and de-stress on our long-term health in diverse ways from physiological, emotional and cognitive to social and spiritual. There are even certified forest therapy trails around the world. .
This is an exciting development because ‘certified’ implies a reliability to the claimed health benefits. Naturally, anyone can engage in relaxing activities of choice but when there is risk to long term health, then it is important to have validity through certification.
The health resorts in European countries such as Germany are State-approved by the respective federal state’s ministry responsible for tourism. They are often advised by specialized councils, such as the Advisory Board for Health Resorts. Certification relates to compliance with medical standards for rehabilitation or preventative care.
What an amazing idea! Evidence based preventative health retreats!
We don’t have official health and wellness options in Australia. Anyone can call themselves a healer and offer all sorts of treatments that are not certified, take your money, and not be accountable for the reported benefits. But I am dedicated to seeing such an opportunity here and have it covered by your top cover health insurance.
Currently we have the first of its kind in Sydney. It’s not a retreat, yet, but it is a holistic day program backed by evidence for Burnout.
Just what the doctor ordered….
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