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 LOHAS
is an acronym that stands for Lifestyles of Health
and Sustainability and describes a marketplace for
goods and services that appeal to consumers who value
health, the environment, social justice, personal
development and sustainable living. These consumers are
variously referred to as Cultural Creatives or LOHAS
Consumers and represent a sizable group in the world:
approximately 30 percent of adults.
The holistic
worldview of the LOHAS Consumer believes in the
interconnectedness of global economies, cultures,
environments and political systems but also in the
interconnectedness of mind, body and spirit within
individuals in order to achieve full human potential.
Personal Development is of utmost concern to LOHAS
Consumers. Spirituality is no longer relegated to the
New Age periphery but has immigrated to the center.
The LOHAS
marketplace was originally identified by research
conducted by Natural Business Communications, publisher
of the Natural Business LOHAS Journal, in 2000 and is
made up of five sectors: Within these five market
divisions are products and services that improve health,
safeguard eco-systems, develop human potential in a
sustainable manner, reduce the use of natural resources,
allow mankind and the natural world to live more
harmoniously, and are created or conducted in a socially
just manner.
The five
LOHAS categories include:
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Sustainable Economy (US Market--$76.47 billion)
- Green building and industrial goods, Renewable
Energy, Resource-efficient products, Socially
responsible investing, Alternative
transportation, Environmental management
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Healthy Living (US Market--$27.81 billion) -
Natural, organic and nutritional products, Food
and beverage, Dietary supplements, Natural
personal care products
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Alternative Healthcare (US Market--$30.7
billion) - Health and wellness solutions,
Acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy, Holistic
disease prevention, Complementary medicine
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Personal Development (US Market--$10.63 billion)
- Mind, body and spirit products: CDs, books,
tapes, seminars - Yoga, fitness, weight loss -
Spiritual products and services
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Ecological Lifestyles (US Market--$81.19
billion) - Ecological home and office
products, Organic/recycled fiber products,
Environmentally friendly appliance, Eco-tourism
and travel, |
(All Above Data from LohasJournal.com)
It is
important to note two things here that
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Alternative Healthcare is a broad term that
refers to health practices, approaches,
knowledge and beliefs incorporating plant,
animal and mineral based medicines, spiritual
therapies, manual techniques and exercises,
applied singularly or in combination to treat,
diagnose and prevent illnesses or maintain
well-being. It also includes the worldviews,
theories, modalities, products, and practices
associated with these systems and their use to
treat illness and promote health and well being.
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Services related to alternative healthcare have
spread beyond health care institutions. It
emphasizes a holistic approach, equilibrium
between the mind, body and environment and an
emphasis on promoting health rather than
disease; some of the therapies have naturally
found a niche in hotels and resorts.
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Strong
associations have been found between alternative
medicine usage and: 1) an interest in
spirituality and personal growth, 2) a
commitment to environmentalism, and 3) feminism.
In addition, several other studies have found
that belief in a holistic approach to health, a
strong internal locus of control, and
transformational life experiences also are
associated with alternative healthcare usage
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T.Spiritual World Ltd. as a company will focus on 3 out
of the 5 LOHAS categories. It will concentrate on
Healthy Living, Alternative Healthcare that includes
complementary and alternative medicine and Personal
Development. The potential market size for these
products and services in the USA is about $ 68 billion.
Recent years
have brought renewed attraction to alternative medicine
(based in traditions such as Indian Ayurveda), holistic
fitness (including yoga, Chinese Tai Chi,), and designer
style (encompassing Feng Shui and “Om” T-shirts alike).
According to recent research, about 18 million Americans
practice yoga, making yoga—and its affiliated products
and services an industry in itself in the USA. The
market features the obvious, like mats, props, clothes,
CD’s, videotapes, books, and DVD’s. It also features the
not-so-obvious eye pillows, plastic toe-spreaders, and
scented mat spray.
This marks a
trend of the increasing commercialisation of spiritual &
alternative healthcare practices. In fact, according to
research and data available from Hallmark.com,
Christianity is huge business, from the selling of
Christmas spirit and the $1.8 billion Bible and book
trade, to the thriving market for Christian pop music
and weight-loss classes.
The size of
the Christian retail industry in total is estimated to
be $3.75 billion; up from $2.6 billion in 1991. The
Christian entertainment industry is estimated to be $3
billion. Christian music owns a 4.8% share of the US
market – country owns about 10% and is the industry's
fastest-growing genre. Since 1980, Christian books sales
have quadrupled – an industry now estimated at $1
billion, which doesn't include Bibles. Christian music
is seeing growth as a genre, jumping from 4.5 percent of
the market share in 1997 ($549 million) to 6.3 percent
in 1998 ($863 million), according to the Recording
Industry Association of America.
GLOBAL APPEAL
(Source: World Health Organization)
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In
China, traditional herbal preparations account
for 30%-50% of the total medicinal consumption.
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In
Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Zambia, the first line
of treatment for 60% of children with high fever
resulting from malaria is the use of herbal
medicines at home. |
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In
Europe, North America and other industrialized
regions, over 50% of the population have used
complementary or alternative medicine at least
once. |
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In San
Francisco, London and South Africa, 75% of
people living with HIV/AIDS use TM/CAM.
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70% of
the populations in Canada have used
complementary medicine at least once.
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In
Germany, 90% of the population has used a
natural remedy at some point in their life.
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Between 1995 and 2000, the number of doctors who
had undergone special training in natural remedy
medicine had almost doubled to 10,800.
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In the
United States, 158 million of the adult
population use complementary medicines and
according to the USA Commission for Alternative
and Complementary medicines, US $17 billion was
spent on traditional remedies in 2000.
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In the
United Kingdom, annual expenditure on
alternative medicine is US$ 230 million.
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The
global market for herbal medicines currently
stands at over US $ 60 billion annually and is
growing steadily. |
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The
Netherlands also uses alternative therapies.
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Homeopathy is reimbursed by the National Health
Service in the United Kingdom and by private
insurers in Germany. |
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