It's just five years since economist Paul Zane Pilzer advised us that the wellness revolution was coming. Today that revolution is rapidly gathering momentum. The wellness industry has risen dramatically - from $200 billion in 2002 to $500 billion in 2007. And that's just the beginning; Pilzer believes this is a sustainable trend which is on the way to creating a trillion dollar industry.

But what exactly is wellness? Pilzer describes the wellness industry as "products or services provided proactively to healthy people to make them feel healthier and look better, to slow the effects of aging, and/or to prevent diseases from happening".

He contrasts this with "the sickness industry" which reactively deals with people who have an existing disease. Sometimes he goes even further, describing the dairy and fast food industries as part of the sickness industry on the basis that they are fueling the global obesity epidemic.

The wellness revolution is based on the fact that as people become wealthier, the thing they want above all else is wellness. This is creating new opportunities for health professionals, entrepreneurs and investors - and will continue to do so for at least another decade.

Author: Paul Zane Pilzer

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd, Second Edition, 2007

ISBN: 978-0-470-10618-1

Wiley list price: $24.95

Hardcover, 304 pages

(China Daily 06/08/2007 page15)