https://www.scmp.com/rss/519634/feed Physical and mental wellbeing, longevity and health trends en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Grace Brewer Grace Brewer If menopause was once the conversation no one in Hong Kong had, now it’s the one everyone’s trying to join. Thanks to a new wave of femtech founders who aim to give women the language – and data – to break the silence on the once-taboo topic, the shift is being fuelled by a bevy of new at-home tests and apps that help women decode the “fog” of mysterious midlife symptoms. For many women, that fog rolls in long before their final period. Perimenopause, the transitional stage that precedes... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3346069/how-femtech-founders-are-changing-menopause-conversation-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3346069/how-femtech-founders-are-changing-menopause-conversation-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 23:00:11 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa Eaton HK is inviting Hongkongers to pause and look inward, as the Consciousness Festival makes its return for a much-anticipated second run. After the success of its inaugural three-month event celebrating the mind and body last year, the Jordan hotel is putting the focus on well-being and community, this time packaged into a tighter but fulfilling month-long calendar of workshops, exhibitions and performances, from November 8 to December 7. Transforming into a space for discovery, wellness and... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3331050/eaton-hks-consciousness-festival-returns-workshops-and-performances?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3331050/eaton-hks-consciousness-festival-returns-workshops-and-performances?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 04:45:08 +0000 Sarah Keenlyside Sarah Keenlyside For the first half-hour of our Zoom call, I can’t help noticing that Nerio Alessandri is in perpetual motion. He moves from side to side, bounces slightly, shifts his weight as though the chair beneath him is alive. I chalk it up to restless energy – this is, after all, a man who built a global fitness empire from his garage – until, as we wrap up, he suddenly stands, grips the seat beneath him and hoists it into view. It’s not a chair at all, but a giant medicine ball. “Active sitting,” he... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3323052/technogym-founder-nerio-alessandri-his-brands-evolution-and-future-wellness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3323052/technogym-founder-nerio-alessandri-his-brands-evolution-and-future-wellness?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Aug 2025 10:15:08 +0000 Xinhua Xinhua When China’s universities specialising in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) welcome new students this autumn, many will do so with unmistakable pride: a growing number of high-achieving students are choosing to pursue TCM studies. Once perceived as a less popular academic path, TCM programmes have seen a noticeable rise in admission scores across the country this year. At the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (BUCM), the nation’s leading TCM institution, entry requirements for several... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3323473/chinas-youth-traditional-chinese-medicine-cool-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3323473/chinas-youth-traditional-chinese-medicine-cool-again?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Aug 2025 09:00:14 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press It’s official: older people worried about cognitive decline can stay sharper for longer by exercising both their bodies and their brains and eating healthily. That’s according to initial results released on Monday from a rigorous US study of lifestyle changes in seniors at risk of developing dementia. People following a combination of healthier habits slowed typical age-related cognitive decline – achieving scores on brain tests as if they were a year or two younger, researchers reported in JAMA... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3320277/want-younger-brain-age-lifestyle-you-should-adopt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3320277/want-younger-brain-age-lifestyle-you-should-adopt?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jul 2025 09:00:42 +0000 Sarah Keenlyside Sarah Keenlyside Physiotherapy. The word resonates with everybody in one way or another: the sports injury that just wouldn’t heal, the arduous recovery after giving birth, the tedious post-broken toe exercises you dutifully ignored. Or maybe you’re the person who’s avoided the practice altogether after hearing about a “friend of a friend” who left a session worse off or didn’t notice any real benefit. Regardless, two truths seem to be universal: physiotherapy is something you do only after a major injury, and... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3318946/why-physiotherapy-isnt-just-injured?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3318946/why-physiotherapy-isnt-just-injured?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jul 2025 06:00:12 +0000 Tim Noonan Tim Noonan By the summer of 2014, a lifetime of ugly golf swings had finally caught up with me. After day two of a three-day golf tournament in Thailand, I woke up with a debilitating pain, like someone had inserted a knife into my left shoulder and was sadistically twisting it. Even worse, I could no longer lift my left arm more than an inch or two from my hip. Forty-eight hours later, sitting in a top international hospital in Bangkok, my CAT scans were up on a screen. “Yup,” the doctor said impassively.... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3304744/struggling-severe-or-chronic-pain-novel-therapy-may-be-answer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3304744/struggling-severe-or-chronic-pain-novel-therapy-may-be-answer?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Apr 2025 01:00:11 +0000 Finding a moment of calm in Hong Kong’s concrete jungle is no easy feat. Even a hike along the Dragon’s Back can feel crowded. But with a little planning, you’ll find there are plenty of opportunities to reconnect with nature and indulge in new experiences. Across the city, various communities and teachers are working to bring people closer to healing through nature. Here are six practices and places to help you unwind. 1. The Hideout Just a short walk from the Mui Wo pier on Lantau Island, The... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3300356/6-ways-get-back-nature-and-find-calm-busy-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3300356/6-ways-get-back-nature-and-find-calm-busy-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Feb 2025 22:00:12 +0000 Could your favourite fizzy drink be a secret weapon for weight loss? New research offers insights into sparkling water’s potential benefits. A report published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health compared how carbon dioxide affects blood glucose by examining carbonated water consumption and haemodialysis treatments (a type of dialysis). The results showed that when CO2 entered the bloodstream, glucose levels dropped from 118.3 to 98.6 mg/dL, suggesting potential metabolic benefits. However,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3299372/trying-lose-weight-sparkling-water-could-be-your-secret-weapon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3299372/trying-lose-weight-sparkling-water-could-be-your-secret-weapon?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Feb 2025 03:30:02 +0000 With a Mediterranean coastline, natural thermal springs, clement weather and affordability, Tunisia has become the world’s second-largest destination for seawater-based treatments known as thalassotherapy. Now, it is setting its sights on overtaking France to claim the top spot. “The main advantage of Tunisia is its coast and thalassotherapy,” compared with neighbouring countries, said Mario Paolo, an Italian, at the Korbous thermal spa, perched on a hill an hour’s drive from the capital,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3297603/seeking-seawater-therapy-you-might-want-head-tunisia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3297603/seeking-seawater-therapy-you-might-want-head-tunisia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Feb 2025 08:14:10 +0000 When Justin Stewart started his career, he juggled several jobs to make ends meet. He poured himself into his full-time role as a news show production assistant from 3am until noon. Then he rushed to the airport where he rented cars or to the big box stores where he pulled retail shifts. Sometimes, he slept in his car between jobs. Then he was hospitalised for exhaustion and a staph infection. “While people around me praised my hustle, I eventually paid the price,” Stewart said. “The doctor... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3294688/how-set-boundaries-work-improve-your-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3294688/how-set-boundaries-work-improve-your-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:15:08 +0000 Beyond the general discomfort of talking about death, the topic of inheritance brings in a whole other set of sticky issues. Research finds that parents’ and children’s expectations for bequests are rarely aligned, even among those who have a good relationship, which is why it’s so important to get on the same page with heirs early on. In addition to ensuring clear intentions, better parental communication about finances has been found to boost well-being and reduce financial stress in adult... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3294070/3-essential-tips-talking-your-family-about-inheritance-and-ensuring-your-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3294070/3-essential-tips-talking-your-family-about-inheritance-and-ensuring-your-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jan 2025 07:23:24 +0000 I was sitting in my Hong Kong therapy room, staring into the darkness of a rainstorm. As per standard black-rain protocol, my colleagues had stayed home. Every one of my clients had cancelled. Alone in the empty clinic, listening to the muffled drumming of water against the floor-to-ceiling windows, I asked myself, “Am I happy with what I am doing in life?” A few hours later, I resigned. A couple of days later, I gave notice on my rental home. And a year on, I’ve come to realise this was the... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3294198/why-change-can-be-good-your-mental-health-despite-feeling-overwhelming-painful-and-hard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3294198/why-change-can-be-good-your-mental-health-despite-feeling-overwhelming-painful-and-hard?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jan 2025 00:15:11 +0000 Drinking coffee in the morning could bring more health benefits than drinking a few cups throughout the day, according to a new study. Researchers wanted to assess whether the time of day people drink coffee has any impact on their health. They looked at more than 40,000 adults in the US taking part in long-term studies examining health, nutrition and lifestyle. They found two distinct patterns of coffee drinking – those who drink coffee before midday and those who drink coffee all day. More... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3294065/morning-coffee-doing-wonders-your-health-says-new-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3294065/morning-coffee-doing-wonders-your-health-says-new-study?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Jan 2025 03:15:14 +0000 Most evenings, Hong Kong’s Central piers are a flurry of activity as commuters spill out of Asia’s commercial centre, though recently there seem to be more groups of runners cutting through the throngs of ferry passengers, dodging posing tourists and darting past hobby fishermen and beer drinkers. They might be chatting among themselves, blasting music from mobile speakers or looking far too serious to be enjoying themselves. Globally, the post-Covid fitness world has been marked by the rise of... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3294008/run-clubs-have-arrived-hong-kong-combine-exercise-and-community?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3294008/run-clubs-have-arrived-hong-kong-combine-exercise-and-community?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jan 2025 20:15:10 +0000 Daven Wu Daven Wu Just as it did The Beatles, Transcendental Meditation has changed my life – though it’s fair to say that, as far as I can tell, there is no other synchronicity between my life and those of George, Paul, John and Ringo. Six months ago, if you’d asked me about my meditation practice, I would have shrugged and said it was fine. I wasn’t a beginner. After years of haphazard sessions with well-intentioned teachers – “Empty your mind!” – I had a daily one-hour practice. I followed the breath as best I... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3294023/how-transcendental-meditation-transformed-my-life-it-did-beatles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3294023/how-transcendental-meditation-transformed-my-life-it-did-beatles?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jan 2025 22:15:08 +0000 We’re officially halfway through the third decade of the 21st century. Given the advent of artificial intelligence, cutting-edge wellness technology and a growing awareness of holistic health practices, there are now more ways than ever to get in, and stay in, tip-top shape. If you’re looking to supercharge your wellness routine beyond the usual advice about regular exercise, ample hydration and adequate shut-eye, we’ve rounded up three wellness trends that Hong Kong experts say will leave us... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3293995/3-top-wellness-trends-watch-2025-fitness-communities-and-mindful-eating-mushroom-coffee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3293995/3-top-wellness-trends-watch-2025-fitness-communities-and-mindful-eating-mushroom-coffee?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jan 2025 19:15:10 +0000 Karen Cheung Karen Cheung Maybe this is just me, but spas are stressful. Like everything else in my adult life, I blame childhood trauma – my mother used to drag me from one beauty salon to another on her sporadic trips from Singapore, where she lived, to visit me in Hong Kong. She was concerned that I lacked a strong feminine presence, one palatable for a male gaze during my crucial teenage years (I was raised by a grandmother who had an arranged marriage and worked in a factory). What I remember most about my mother’s... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3293718/do-beauty-and-spa-routines-secretly-control-our-lives-south-korean-artist-asks-question?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3293718/do-beauty-and-spa-routines-secretly-control-our-lives-south-korean-artist-asks-question?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Jan 2025 10:15:08 +0000 Karen Chiang Karen Chiang Once limited to labs and elite athletes, cutting-edge treatments like hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), infrared saunas, and red light therapy are now being reimagined for everyday wellness. The Circuit at 10x Longevity in Hong Kong combines all three in a 2.5-hour session designed to enhance recovery, reduce inflammation, and promote cellular healing. But does it live up to the promise? As someone who has dabbled in cold plunges and infrared saunas, I was curious to see how The Circuit weaves... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3293165/hong-kong-wellness-centre-offers-hbot-infrared-saunas-and-red-light-therapy-and-we-tried-them-all?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3293165/hong-kong-wellness-centre-offers-hbot-infrared-saunas-and-red-light-therapy-and-we-tried-them-all?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jan 2025 02:15:10 +0000 Most of what we know about humans living to very old age is based on faulty data, including the science behind the “blue zones” famous for having a high proportion of people over 100, according to one researcher. The desire to live as long as possible has driven a booming lifestyle industry selling supplements, books, tech and tips to those wanting to learn the secrets of the world’s oldest people. But Saul Justin Newman, a researcher at University College London’s Centre for Longitudinal... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3290979/are-blue-zones-scam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3290979/are-blue-zones-scam?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Dec 2024 10:15:08 +0000 My skin felt like it was on fire. My brain was empty. There was only a primal, overwhelming urge to escape. I tried to count the seconds as they passed, but a minute felt like an hour. Nobody said torture was on the cards when I signed up for my first ice bath in Chiang Mai’s July heat. Surely the promised benefits of improved well-being would come with the ice-bath experience? Evidence of cold therapy used as a medical treatment can be found in Egyptian papyrus dating as far back as 3,500BC.... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3289459/how-ice-baths-can-help-you-conquer-stress-and-find-inner-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3289459/how-ice-baths-can-help-you-conquer-stress-and-find-inner-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Dec 2024 08:15:13 +0000 For millions of people, using the Strava fitness-tracking app is as much a part of an exercise routine as a decent water bottle or the correct shoes. Strava goes where you go. That might not always be a good thing. With more than 125 million registered users – mainly runners, cyclists and hikers – Strava combines health tracking with social media by encouraging a community of followers. But sports psychology and social media researchers at Gustavus Adolphus College in St Peter, Minnesota,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3288995/stravas-great-watch-your-mental-health-warn-researchers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3288995/stravas-great-watch-your-mental-health-warn-researchers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Dec 2024 10:15:14 +0000 I missed out on a summer holiday, so stepping into the hyperbaric oxygen chamber at Cryo, in Central, Hong Kong, feels like the trip I’ve been craving. The sleek silver chamber resembles a space capsule and is fitted with two comfortable seats and ample space to stretch out. After a brief rundown of the safety features and what to expect, I put on my nasal cannula, and the glass door slides shut. I’m ready for take-off. Destination – better health. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), which... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3284151/what-hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy-and-how-can-it-help-insomnia-and-muscle-aches?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3284151/what-hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy-and-how-can-it-help-insomnia-and-muscle-aches?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Oct 2024 19:15:08 +0000 Kate Whitehead Kate Whitehead When Brenda fell down a set of steps in 1990, fracturing her sacrum, she was left in agony. She didn’t want to take painkillers, so her mother sent her to a Chinese herbalist, who prescribed a concoction of ginseng and frogs’ legs. “Frogs are known for having very strong hind legs,” says Brenda. “The hope was that it would make me strong. I took it three times and I don’t think it really worked.” During a three-week break from her teaching job to recuperate, she moved as little as possible to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/article/3279997/psychology-chronic-pain-why-exercise-and-mindfulness-not-just-rest-and-medication-can-be-vital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/article/3279997/psychology-chronic-pain-why-exercise-and-mindfulness-not-just-rest-and-medication-can-be-vital?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Oct 2024 02:45:07 +0000 Stephen McCarty Stephen McCarty This correspondent never needs one of those “please wake for meals” stickers when flying. Because he’s always awake – unlike his regular travel partner, who often sleeps through taxiing, take-off, landing, taxiing and much in between. To the exhausted insomniac, in the air or on the ground, the ability to sleep whenever, wherever, must seem a blessing. Or is it a magic trick that can be learned? A skill to be mastered? To sleep, perchance to wake four or five times in the night to go to the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3279162/how-get-good-nights-sleep-overstimulated-world-sleeping-well-really-skill-insomniacs-can-learn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3279162/how-get-good-nights-sleep-overstimulated-world-sleeping-well-really-skill-insomniacs-can-learn?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Sep 2024 03:15:14 +0000 My mother was 16 when she arrived in Hong Kong in the 1950s, fleeing famine on the mainland. Not long after she arrived, she met my father, who had also escaped the famine. They married in 1954. My birth is recorded as December 30, 1956, though my mother insisted that I was actually born a few days later, on January 1. Perhaps a mistake was made in the paperwork over the public holiday. My mother was illiterate and we didn’t have the money to give red packets to the nurses and midwives as was... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3278860/hong-kongs-dr-fauci-yuen-kwok-yung-growing-poor-and-weathering-sars-and-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3278860/hong-kongs-dr-fauci-yuen-kwok-yung-growing-poor-and-weathering-sars-and-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Sep 2024 00:15:08 +0000