CHINA> National
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CHINA> National
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Expert sees big health market in China
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-10-26 18:20 LOS ANGELES: China, though with increasing number of obese people, has the greatest opportunity to lead the wellness industry in the world, said Paul Zane Pilzer, the wellness theory founder and former economic adviser to two US presidents. "The greatest number of overweight and obese people today live in China. So the greatest opportunity the wellness industry will stand to help people anywhere in the world is in China," the retired New York University professor said at his Park City home, Utah, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.
He will at the meeting deliver a lecture promoting his wellness theory, and this is something he feels very excited about at the moment. "My wife and I are very excited to be coming to China on December 8. I am very excited because China has one of my books in 25 foreign languages," he said. Wellness Revolution, his first volume dealing with a peculiar economic and social phonomenon he calls wellness, was translated into Chinese since it was first published in 2002. Five years later, an updated version was brought to the press. The former White House economic adviser noted that China not only had the need for wellness, but also had the fastest growing amount of obesity and overweight. "The biggest problem today is overweight and obesity," he said. In a report released in late 2006, the World Health Organization said globalism and urbanism had led to the change of the people's traditional habits. It called upon the Chinese government to check the tendency with vigorous and strong-handed measures. "China has the largest population of overweight people in the world," Professor Pilzer pointed out. The Warton Business School graduate is himself an avid practitioner of his sayings. He has kept mountain biking for many years, and managed to lose weight of 20 pounds recently. He is of medium height, energetic, healthy, slim and with sharp eyes. He also has his trademark skinhead. In his nine books discussing wellness idea and industry, Professor Pilzer predicted that wellness, or health care, would become the star of future industry, which is founded on the breakthroughs of biological and bio-chemical technologies in the aftermath of thriving of personal computers and web industries. One of the main points of the theory is to help people prevent themselves from being sick by ways of right choice of food, right physical exercise and right intake of calories. Unlike the traditional medical system that only cures the illness after people get sick, the wellness industry puts emphasis upon the prevention process, so as to help people stay healthy and slow down the aging process. "China is the first country whose medical system started to treat people before they get sick. And traditional Chinese medicine uses nutrition in your mouth to maintain your health. "China has the greatest opportunity to correct the problems of overweigh and obesity, the big part of wellness. China has the biggest market in the world for wellness products and services. Some of the people attending (the forum) are going to learn about China, Chinese people and China's market. China has the greatest traditional wellness," he said. When noting that China has shown to the world that it can study any country in the world, Professor Pilzer said: "I am hoping China will embrace the wellness not just for the Chinese people, but to use the genius of Chinese engineering and science and invention." "China has the opportunity to lead the world by establishing manufacturing, biological and pharmaceutical standards for wellness products," he added. |
