The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are well known – but have you considered fangotherapy, uitwaaien and fika? Think of “wellness” and you may well think of Gwyneth Paltrow’s brand, Goop: modern, exclusive, quite possibly rubbish. But a lot of what would fall under that banner dates back centuries and has its roots in Europe, not California. “There is a unique wellness culture in Europe,” says Beth McGroarty, the director of research at the Global Wellness Institute, a US nonprofit group. It dates as far back as Roman spas and the ancient Greek focus on preventing sickness, not merely treating it. “Europe has its own ancient medical thinking and wellness traditions and we don’t seem to pay any attention to them.” Continue reading...