Participants in a six-month study conducted by Restore Hyper Wellness showed improved body composition and biomarkers after engaging in a “multi-modal” wellness therapy protocol
At one point or another, anyone who has forked over money (and time) to sit in a cryotherapy chamber or red light bed —even the most fervent of wellness seekers— has briefly wondered: “Is this really worth it?”
Boutique wellness franchise Restore Hyper Wellness believes it’s now on track to provide the answer, offering a glimpse into how certain wellness modalities may positively impact health and well-being following a peer-reviewed pilot study that used Oura rings to help track progress.
The Healthspan Project — led by Dr. Rachele Pojednic, director of scientific research and education at Restore — assessed changes in participants’ body composition, heart rate variability (HRV), and blood biomarkers after six months of consistent usage of numerous wellness therapies.
The study included weekly treatments of total body cryotherapy, photobiomodulation (red light therapy), mild hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy (mHbOT), compression and micronutrient therapy for healthy participants aged 31 to 64. Participants were told to engage in moderate exercise, however this was neither tracked nor monitored.
“In this pilot study, we are among the first to demonstrate the efficacy of the consistent use of complementary therapies over an extended period,” Dr. Pojednic said. “Many popular wellness solutions, like cryotherapy, red light therapy and infrared sauna, face an absence of evidence.”
Inside the Study
Overall, Dr. Pojednic explained that participants who engaged in a “multi-modal” wellness therapy protocol showed measurable improvements — such as a demonstrated loss in body fat (2.3kg/5.1lb average decrease of body fat mass, primarily in the trunk area with 1.1kg lost) while preserving lean muscle mass and a 35% increase in HRV, specifically among study participants with existing cardiovascular risk factors.
Similarly, blood biomarkers indicated improved cardiovascular health with reductions in LDL cholesterol (9.77 mg/dL average decrease) and hsCRP (a marker of inflammation – a 1.75 mg/L decrease).
“One of the most significant benefits of this study was that it was done in the real world,” Dr. Pojednic said. “While highly controlled studies run in a lab are critical to helping to determine isolated effect size and mechanisms, understanding how those outcomes translate to the wellness enthusiast is often challenging. In this case, we can see that consistent utilization of these wellness therapies appears to have a positive impact on health.”
credit: Restore Hyper Wellness
The results are ultimately promising, although the study’s authors note that a future study could employ a larger sample size to focus on “teasing apart” therapy-specific effects.
“It is also possible that certain therapies are more effective in specific combinations,” they wrote. “Further study is warranted, perhaps with a factorial design, to determine the optimal combinations and orderings of therapies.”
Restore Expands Wellness Footprint
Restore Hyper Wellness, which has grown to over 225 locations across the U.S., received a $140 million investment in 2021 led by General Atlantic. As the wellness franchise continues to push for domestic growth, it also sees massive overseas potential.
“The exciting thing about our business is the need states we’re addressing are universal,” Restore co-founder and CEO Steve Welch has told Athletech News. “This is not an American problem or a Canadian problem. This is worldwide.”
credit: Restore Hyper Wellness
Restore’s newest offering, a weight management program developed with its national director of performance medicine, Dr. Rich Joseph, combines GLP-1s such as Ozempic and Wegovy alongside Restore’s full-service therapeutic approach, which includes an InBody scan, metabolic health blood panel and a telehealth call with a nurse practitioner.
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