The Rise of Precision Wellness Programs and their ImplicationsFor the Health Club Industry

Eric Durak, Medical Health and Fitness, Santa Barbara, CA 

Back in 2018 I was introduced to a program in Scottsdale, AZ called Cerulean Advanced Wellness.  This company was not a health club, and it wasn’t a clinic, either.  It was a precision wellness center.  Cerulean didn’t have exercise equipment – what they had for client care were the following devices:

·       Nano Vi cellular repair equipment

·       Hypobaric chamber – using reduced atmospheric pressure for therapy

·       Cryotherapy – extreme cold for pain management

·       Compression sleeves – lower body pressure to enhance circulation

·       PEMF – electromagnetic therapy

These types of therapy devices are part of the new realm of therapy and healing called precision wellness.  How do we define this area:  Precision wellness is the application of cold, vibration, pressure, light, or sound (or a combination) to enhance the physiological function of cells in the human body.  Whether creating a higher vibration state, reducing inflammation, or enhancing elements of circulation, precision wellness may be a part of the future of wellness in the US.  Let’s take a look at a few examples.

Compression Sleeves

Many people who attended IHRSA conferences over the past 4-5 years have seen more companies selling compression sleeves to enhance recovery in sports.  Sleeves for lower body are so popular, that there are studios that use sleeves as their main source of therapy recovery. 

Doing my research on compression sleeves – I found that US companies use thick plastic and concentrate on lower body devices.  In Europe, where much of the medical research has taken place for over 30 years, compression sleeves are made of high-quality  fabric, and are also used in the shoulder region for diseases such as lymphedema (in breast cancer).  Lower body sleeves have been used to enhance collateral circulation for heart patients.  The combination of enhancing circulatory systems (whether vascular or lymph) can play an important role in having heart patients

Nano Vi Cellular Health

The Nano Vi device uses water vapor to deliver high powered electrons into the system.  The result of breathing in this water is that mitochondria begin to produce ATP at an accelerated rate.  This not improves recovery but allows the body to heal at many levels.  This machine has been touted to prevent or mitigate many metabolic diseases.  It may be the most efficient type of precision wellness device on the market today.

PEMF

Pulsed electro-magnetic frequencies (PEMF) has been around since the days of Nikola Tesla.  The aspects of using frequencies for metabolic healing have been used by Royal Rife and others for generations – with great success.  Because of the nature of PEMF – it has healing properties for a wide variety of illnesses and injuries.  By enhancing the natural frequencies of cells – it enhances healing processes, reduces inflammation, and improves the relaxation elements of the body – PEMF is a tremendous addition to health programs.  One company – Amp Coil, is essentially a Tesla coil – uses an amazing assessment app to categorize your healing needs.  The technology of diagnostics along with the PEMF make for an individual healing “prescription” for wellness clients.  I have used this system and can’t recommend it enough. 

PW and Profit Centers

One of the best elements of developing precision wellness programs and devices is of course profit centers.  Precision wellness blended with weight loss, personal training, performance, cellular healing, or weight loss are all natural fits for the health club industry.  An example is the use of the Amp Coil – which is a PEMF device.  It is not sold to members as a device – it is sold as a program.  Research on this unit has found maximum results after 30+ sessions, so this is how the product (and program) are sold.  This is done with compression sleeves, cryotherapy, etc.  The most important element is performing outcomes – which we will discuss in other posts.  However, for an initial investment – clubs can now expand their health offerings to a much wider variety of potential long-term members and clients. 

The Future of Precision Wellness in the industry

One of the features of precision wellness is that a patient in a weak or frail state can improve health using the above modalities prior to starting a regular exercise program.  Think of a person in chemotherapy.  If they could go to their health club and perform 2 weeks of precision wellness which will improve their overall function – they could perform Phase I exercise programs easier with less struggle and risk for injury.  Seniors who need to transition to strength training for fall prevention and bone health can use PW for initial enhancement of circulation, and pain management. 

About the author

Eric Durak is President of Medical Health and Fitness, and co-founder of Fitness is Medicine.  He is an advocate of using precision wellness as part of the next phase of wellness programming for health clubs.  For more information on specific PW companies  – email him at edurak@medhealthfit.com