Wellness is a state beyond absence of illness but rather aims to optimize well-being.
The notions behind the term share the same roots as the alternative medicine movement, in 19th-century movements in the US and Europe that sought to optimize health and to consider the whole person, like New Thought, Christian Science, and Lebensreform. Ayurveda mentions the concept and also has dedicated a whole speciality for the concept of wellness and maintenance of health.
The term wellness has also been misused for pseudoscientific health interventions.
en
