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You’ve been GOOPed! Lifestyle Consumption as Holistic Health Behaviors

Mon, August 12, 8:30 to 9:30am, New York Hilton, Floor: Third Floor, Trianon Ballroom

Abstract

Cultural examinations of health contend that health extends beyond the presence or absence of illness. Increasingly, health behaviors are examined as an element of a lifestyle and the practice of a healthy life shape identities and social interactions (Lupton 2003). Holistic health care is a growing segment of healthcare connecting mind, body, and spirit and gains further cultural saliency through celebrity promotion. This research examines the cultural representations of a holistic health lifestyle through the discourses of consumption and choice. Through fieldwork and in-depth interviews with twenty holistic health practitioners, I contend holistic health is a lifestyle status reliant on an individual’s economic position. Holistic practitioners utilize the discourses of choice and consumption to both educate about the meaning of a wellness centered life and to empower the patient/client to be able to chose wellness behaviors. This research contributes to our understanding of holistic health care while also troubling the individualistic and market based features of the current U.S. healthcare system.

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