Wando-gun Operates Marine Healing Program...High Participant Satisfaction

Operation of 'Living Lab' to Verify the Effectiveness of Marine Healing Programs

16 Programs at Marine Healing Center... Effective Even with a Single Session

Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do, operated a ‘Living Lab’ to verify the efficacy of marine healing programs for residents of Seocho-gu, Seoul, and local citizens at the Wando Marine Healing Center from the 10th to the 13th.

According to the county on the 14th, the ‘Marine Healing Living Lab (clinical trial),’ conducted for the second time following last year, was carried out as part of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries’ research on establishing a smart healthcare system based on agriculture, forestry, and marine resources. The purpose was to develop specialized marine healing programs unique to Wando and to prepare operational plans for smooth marine healing service provision.

Participants are experiencing seaweed foam therapy at the Wando Marine Healing Center.
[Photo by Wando-gun]

About 60 participants took part in the Living Lab, utilizing 16 programs within the Wando Marine Healing Center, which were operated according to specific goals such as ‘musculoskeletal pain relief,’ ‘stress reduction,’ and ‘skin improvement.’

In particular, medical staff from Korea University participated and conducted research to verify the efficacy of the marine healing programs by measuring participants’ health status before and after program experiences using infrared thermography, skin analyzers, and stress measurement devices in the measurement room on the second floor of the center.

Participants engaged in various aquatic exercises in the thalasso pool and meditation pool, which help with full-body relaxation and muscle pain relief. They also experienced various programs such as bubble therapy, effective for improving skin diseases; stone therapy, beneficial for waist and knee pain; and seaweed mud wrapping therapy, good for muscle pain relief.

Participants are experiencing underwater exercise in the Thalasso Pool at Wando Marine Healing Center.
[Photo by Wando-gun]

One participant said, “It was my first time trying marine healing, and I felt the effects even after just one session, so I thought it would be good to continue regularly,” expressing anticipation that “many people will use the Marine Healing Center once it opens.”

Another participant said, “The therapy products made using resources from Wando were very good, especially the bubble therapy with loquat scent, which made my skin smooth and even improved my mood.”

The county plans to supplement the programs and operation manuals before the opening of the Marine Healing Center through the Living Lab operation and develop healing products linked with programs currently operated at the Marine Climate and Marine Culture Healing Center and the Yaksan Coastal Healing Forest.

Currently, the Marine Healing Center is conducting pilot operations for internal stakeholders along with various equipment test runs, and plans to promote phased pilot operations for Wando-gun employees and residents by the end of September.

Wando = Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Choi Kyung-pil just8440@asiae.co.kr

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.