Expert Opinion on “New Trends in Human Health”

In the last decade there has been a paradigm shift in health care and well-being. Alongside an emerging concern for the environment, there is also a “Green iTec” generation more focused on natural and ecofriendly Cosmetics (e.g. ECOCERT, COSMOS and NATRUE standards), Healthy Eating, Biological and Technological Medicine, as well as Preventive one based on natural products (mainly plant extracts) and supplements with alleged therapeutic action - Nutraceuticals. Integrative Biological Medicine follows the line of the so-called “smart food” and highlights the importance of gut microbiota and intestinal health. In fact, the intestine is the organ where absorption occurs, and is therefore, a vital organ among others. On the other hand, this medicine may also be able to integrate Hormone Modulation through the prior adoption of healthy habits and by processes that directly or indirectly influence the production and regulation of hormones, such as the intake of vitamins and minerals. In the case of deficit or imbalance, bio-identical hormones are administered to restore the body’s functional balance.

At the technology level, Epigenetic Mapping should be noted as a clear example of a recent state-of-the-art technology that is being used in the growing wellness industry. This approach takes into account that each individual has a different genetic, and thus will respond differently to both diet and therapy. As a consequence, this approach should be personalized. The key component is the S-drive technology (FDA compliant) that maps the root of the hair bulb in key epigenetic indicators to emphasize from environmental impacts, food sensitivities and allergies, nutritional deficiencies, resistance factors to influences of electromagnetic interference (especially Wi-Fi). The final report on this technology proposes changes in diet, nutrition and lifestyle that can be adopted to support best gene expression for optimal performance and well-being.

However, these new approaches always generate some controversy, especially from the skeptics of conventional or allopathic medicine more focused on treating the disease and based on scientific evidence demonstrated in clinical studies. Still, there are health professionals who opt for a multidisciplinary approach that focuses on both the individual (personalized medicine) and the disease in an attempt to achieve the main goal: health and general well-being.

In short, further clinical trials and scientific bases would be of utmost importance in order to explore both the benefits and potential risks of this broader therapeutic symbiosis, including for example, manipulated drugs, drug-nutraceutical interactions, the impact of hormonal modulation, among others, and by using advanced technological diagnostic tools that can provide an extender list of biological indicators.