The Future of Wellness Is Bright ! Part 1

The great awakening to Wellness is upon us and people all over the world are taking advantage of it. What do I mean by Wellness and how might you be able to take advantage of it too ?

In basic terms, Wellness is the practice of establishing a foundation of healthy behaviours which benefit your mind and body. In recent years, we have seen the dawn of the Wellness era emerging in many different ways. Physical treatments like chiropractic sciences and acupuncture have become mainstream, where they were still regarded by some in the U.S.A as fringe practices only two or three decades ago. Nutrition is now in lockstep with Wellness. Every general practice Doctor now discusses nutrition with their patients. Healthy eating habits including fresh green vegetables, lean (or no) meats and fish, judicious amounts of carbs and lowering the consumption of sugar are all at the forefront of dietary recommendations now. Exercise of some sort on a daily basis has long been known to be highly beneficial for health and Wellness. So, what is so new and exciting about Wellness ?

What's exciting to me about Wellness right now is three things:

1. The Emergence of Mushrooms: Mushrooms have emerged as an important and wondrous element in next era Wellness. Medicinal mushrooms such as Chaga, Reishi, Turkey Tail, Lions Mane and Cordyceps are showing great promise in providing a boost to daily wellness. For instance, Turkey Tail is said to help the function of internal organs like the stomach and is also said to have anti-tumoral properties, while Lions Mane is supposed to be excellent for brain health. Many companies have sprung up around the fungi business in the last few years including sector-leading companies like Mudwater, www.mudwtr.com , specialising in mushroom coffee libations and Mycroboost, www.mycroboost.com , which specialises in the organic, high-end sourcing and production of mushroom supplements and gummies. How about those other mushrooms though ? You know what I am talking about ! Yes, the emergence of psychedelic mushrooms are having a profound impact on people right now, all over the country. Mushrooms containing psilocybin, psilocin along with other compounds are becoming increasingly popular among the general public. The acceptance is not limited to daredevils and those seeking a trip though. Psychedelic mushrooms are becoming widely accepted, led by practice of taking very small amounts of mushrooms on an occasional or consistent basis. This practice is known as microdosing. Microdosing has shown much promise in elevating mood, helping those with depression and managing stress. Oregon, just yesterday (https://lmtribune.com/northwest/oregon-drafting-rules-for-magic-mushroom-legalization/article_c985dd27-a28a-56b0-9779-d3ee813ace11.html ), promulgated the first set of rules. Mushrooms while growing deploy the most vast network on the planet, mycelium, through which other plant life, including trees have been shown to communicate with each other through this network. Recently, scientists have discovered 50 "words" which the mycelium use to communicate throughout their network of living 'roots'. There are clearly many things special about mushrooms and we are just scraping the very tip of the spear right now in terms of the health benefits and the greater awakening that mushrooms may be able to facilitate via human consciousness. An organisation doing incredible work in this regard is Oakland Hyphae who not only specialise in mushroom education, but also in equality for BIPOC people and economic fairness within the emerging mushroom 'industry'. In fact, the nature of these mushrooms do not fit into the concept of 'industry', but moreso into the concept of an extended 'family' network, as mushrooms are a bridge to a different kind of understanding and wellness which extends beyond the concept of industry and is far more personal for those advocating and building companies around this incredible resource.

There is much research to be completed as it pertains to mushrooms and a lot of questions need to be answered. For me, these questions boil down to simple issues: Will we treat mushrooms like other medicines where we study, isolate and separate components to make new formulations/drugs or are mushrooms intended to be consumed holistically, without pharmaceutical-style development ? For now, both paths are being pursued and this is likely to continue in the future.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Future of Wellness next week. I am wishing you all a great future ! See you next week.