Global Wellness Summit 2017 - Day 2
22 October, 2017
The day opened with the long serving pioneer of Lifestyle Medicine, Dr Andrew Weil. He did not waste time getting down and saying it how he sees it. He shared that he believes the medical system in the USA generates rivers of money that runs into very few pockets.
His first question pondered was “How can we encourage people to make better lifestyle choices?” He offered the following.
- Genuine Education;
- All of us in the Health Profession modelling great health;
- Remove misalignment - Get rid of fast food restaurants and vending machines from health facilities;
- Encourage people to spend more time with people who have the good habits they want; Moods are contagious. Hanging out with happy and positive people is a great way to move forward in life;
- Change Government Food Policy. Governments subsidize food that is not good for people’s health and then recommends foods that are too expensive i.e. Fruits and vegetables.
He also shared some remarkable initiatives. First was the State of Mississippi. They applied a fat tax on employees who lost benefits if they failed to meet agreed personal weight targets. This was accompanied with programs, encouragement and ongoing reinforcement and it was very successful.