Recently, there has been a special “gym” in the United States, which has sparked discussion in the media.
The Continuum Club, located in the heart of Manhattan, is more like a sophisticated health lab than a gym. In the Continuum Club, in addition to traditional gym equipment, there is also a full set of medical-grade precision equipment: a bone density scanner, a treadmill with cardio test function, a biometric system, and so on … Interestingly, the title “personal trainer” has been replaced by “human-performance specialists” for these professionals. Despite a monthly membership fee of up to $10,000, it has been reported that the waiting list for membership continues to grow.
This gym provides more than just “exercise,” offering a full regime of a health management program, in hopes of preventing the possibility of future disease occurrence.
The Rise of Preventive Medicine
The trend of preventive medicine is growing at an accelerated rate, as evidenced by market data. According to research by iHealthcareAnalyst, the global preventive medicine market is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 9.7% and is expected to reach $415 billion by 2031. There are three main forces driving this trend:
First, there is economic pressure. The health care system is currently facing enormous cost pressures. In the US, for instance, chronic diseases account for 90% of the $3.8 trillion spent on health care annually, and 70% of all deaths have been caused by chronic diseases. This has forced the medical industry to consider how to fundamentally change the current treatment-oriented model, and begin to put emphasis on preventive medicine.
Second, there is a shift in consumer awareness. People nowadays are no longer satisfied with the passive mode of seeking medical treatment only when they are sick; they instead pursue active health management, which has led to an increase in the demand for preventive health-care services such as regular health checkups, preventive screenings, and genetic testing. At the same time, the concept of personalized health care is gaining popularity, with people hoping to receive personally tailored health advice based on their health status, lifestyle, and risk factors.
The third driving force is a breakthrough in technology. Technological innovations are also accelerating the progress of preventive medicine; these include AI-driven diagnostic systems for early detection of potential health risks, wearable health devices for 24/7 health monitoring, and personalized medicine technologies that can provide precise preventive advice based on individuals’ genes and lifestyles.
The same phenomenon is reflected in McKinsey’s Health Trends Report for 2024. The report states that biomonitoring, AI-personalized recommendations, and science-based health services are becoming mainstream in the industry.
Reinventing Chronic Care with Data Technology – Health2Sync
When it comes to preventive medicine practices, Taiwanese start-up Health2Sync is of particular interest.
Health2Sync is not just a mobile app, but a health management platform. Just imagine: your blood glucose machine, blood pressure monitor, weight scale, continuous glucose monitor (CGM), and more, can all be uploaded, and the resulting data integrated into easy-to-understand charts in real time, so that users can grasp their own health status at one glance and even find out the impact of diet and lifestyle habits on their health, as well as receiving recommendations accordingly.
After nearly a decade of hard work, Health2Sync has become Asia’s largest chronic disease management platform, with over 1.3 million registered users and partnerships with more than 400 health-care hospitals in Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Korea, and Singapore.
It is not difficult to imagine that with the popularity of wearable devices, the application of health data will be even more extensive. Service providers in the areas of nutrition, fitness, sleep, and more are able to provide more personalized advice. For example, by monitoring the fluctuation of stress hormones, service providers can recommend suitable health products or positive thinking exercises for users.
With the help of new technologies, the concept of preventive medicine has finally begun to accelerate. We have been observing start-up companies redefine health management in various ways, and we believe this will be the next blue ocean strategy for the health industry!
