Hypochondria is a condition that has existed for centuries, and today more than ever we find ourselves constantly worrying about our health. The wellness industry, which encourages us to constantly monitor our physical state, certainly plays a significant role in this growing anxiety.
Technology and Health Anxiety
The obsession with health data provided by devices like the Apple Watch can contribute to increased anxiety, leading to a cycle of discomfort. From Cicero to Charles Darwin, people have been concerned about their health. In A Body Made of Glass: A History of Hypochondria, the author explores the cultural history of health anxiety, also known as hypochondriasis, the constant and often unjustified fear of suffering from a serious illness.
Evolution of hypochondria
Hippocrates, the Greek physician, coined the term "hypochondria," believing that the disorder arose from an area of the abdomen called the "hypochondrium." With scientific developments in the 17th and 18th centuries, the humoral theory was superseded, and by the early 1800s hypochondria became more of a mental than a physical condition, a view that persists to this day.
Wellbeing and mental health
Hypochondriasis is not a new condition, but the increased interest in wellness may have contributed to its spread. A 2020 study published in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders found that the percentage of college students in the U.S. who felt anxious about their health increased from 8.6% in 1985 to 15.2% in 2017.
Wellness culture, when taken to the extreme, pushes people to consider health as a continuous "work in progress", constantly monitoring their physical state. This attitude can increase anxiety and worry about illness, rather than appreciating the health and energy we possess.
New technologies and anxiety
The use of new technologies to monitor every aspect of our health - from steps taken to calories burned, from hours of sleep to heart rate - can harm our psychophysical balance, generating anxiety.
The Wellness Industry and Anxiety
Worrying about your health is not irrational, especially given the increasingly limited resources available for healthcare. However, it is important to be aware that the wellness industry fuels this anxiety to sell products and services. For example, many nutritional supplements and preventative treatments are only accessible to the very wealthy, given their high cost.
It is essential to reevaluate our relationship with extreme well-being and consider "feeling good" as a satisfaction for personal life, in accordance with specific individual conditions.
Sensi Skinfood: a personalized approach to wellness
Sensi Skinfood adopts a unique and personalized approach to wellness. Each client receives a free anamnesis based on Hippocratic morphologies, outlined through in-depth interviews. The goal is to remind clients that loving themselves is the primary condition for feeling well, happy and balanced, reducing anxiety and cortisol, triggers of many diseases and states of malaise.
Programmed Wellness Paths
Sensi Skinfood offers annual wellness programs , designed to take care of yourself in a non-obsessive, flexible and planned way, preventing psychophysical imbalances.
Reevaluating the relationship with health and well-being, avoiding the obsession for continuous monitoring, can lead to a better psychophysical balance. Sensi Skinfood is here to guide you on this path, offering personalized treatments that promote authentic and lasting well-being through refined and elegant massages and treatments, different and unique.
Find out more about our services by visiting Sensi Skinfood and start your journey to complete wellness today.
