2019 General Assembly

Preface

"Thalassa! Thalassa!" "The sea, the sea!" A "loud cry" upon seeing the sea, so much dreamed of and longed for by the surviving veterans of the "retreat" (itinerary: Iraq - Trebizond, Turkey), known as Anabasis, after two years (401-400 B.C) of adventures, braving hostile populations, hunger, strain, snow, and frost. Written in the style of a modern news report by Xenophon, who fought himself alongside the ten-thousand Greek mercenaries.

Identify the possible synergies between two major therapeutic traditions (thalassotherapy and thermal medicine); propose a shared and scientifically, economically, and socially integrated action plan for health care, wellbeing, and local development; review the new, actual scenarios resulting from climate and environmental changes connected with health tourism: these are some of the main goals, themes, and objectives addressed during the 72nd Annual Congress of FEMTEC.

Thermal medicine, whose origins are at the very basis of human civilization, and the use of the marine environment for therapeutic purposes (thalassotherapy) developed in different ways. The former derived from the Greek-Roman culture as an organized approach, the latter from the 18th-century Anglo-Saxon one, even if Euripides (The Trojan Women) was the first to claim that "the sea washes away all men’s illnesses."

However, in time and until this day several socioeconomic and cultural events have brought to confrontations, competition, and sometimes, misunderstandings between them. This era of social networks and over-digitalization (smart watches, cyber-economy, health algorithms, etc.) has produced the so-called "Metric Society", according to German sociologist Steffen Mau, where everything is measured and assessed. Life has been reduced to a checkbox, and people are assessed according to data, rather than as individuals.

The Economist nicely describes this situation (Life and Society are increasingly governed by numbers). The States themselves use such methods to present their performance to major international organizations in the best possible way.

If our Society is actually what it looks like, is there a role for therapies based on the scientific use of natural treatments? And, if so, what are the proposed interventions and the possible solutions?

Facing these spreading phenomena, what can we expect for their future, also within national Health Systems, and with respect to their need for technological updates, human resources, research methodologies, data collection and analysis, the organization of hospitality, etc.?

The challenge will call for a reconciliation of new global socioeconomic and environmental conditions with the unique specificity of the thermal and thalassotherapic tradition defined by the therapeutic and environmental characteristics of the "genius loci" and by the concept of the patient at the heart of care and "of recovery of the lost body". And, moreover, how can the growing demand for health be integrated with infrastructures allowing sustainable development and tourism?

Like for Society, skills and capabilities will have to change for Thermal Medicine and Thalassotherapy as well: while problemsolving will still be the most sought-after soft skill in 2020, critical thinking and creativity will also be important. The present challenges of modern and advanced societies can be summarized as development, environmental, human, and personal sustainability.

Ever since its foundation, 81 years ago, FEMTEC (www.femteconline.org) has been introducing innovative topics for discussion and practical solutions. We believe that only a strategic alliance - competitive, yet not hostile - can lead to a successful outcome.

This year the 72nd Congress of FEMTEC will take place in Khalkidhiki, in Greece, a Country of ancient cultural and historical traditions, where hydrotherapy is deeply rooted. Also known as Khalkidhiki Peninsula, Khalkidhiki is located in the North-East of Greece, in the region of Central Macedonia. Its 550 kilometers of white beaches, bordered by crystal-clear waters, and its ancient history make Khalkidhiki a true treasury of the Mediterranean sea. Choosing the location and venue for the Congress is not just a logistic matter, but is also an opportunity to introduce one of its kind region, rich of unrivalled environmental, cultural, and thermal resources integrated into a unique geographic context. The Miraggio Thermal Spa Resort is an advanced model of integration among thalassotherapy, hydrotherapy, and medical wellness.

The Congress offers a busy cultural agenda, including visits and professional meetings. One session, in particular, will be dedicated to relations between climate change and tourism economics on occasion of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Centre for Research on Medical Bioclimatology of the Milan State University.

The main topics of the Congress

• Structure and organization of national and international thermal
  systems
• Economic and social strategies and policies for hydrotherapy
• Environment, climate, thermae, and health: the new potentials of information technology
• Training and research as tools for knowledge and information
• Approaches to care, health, and wellbeing: traditional vs. complementary
• Integrated methodologies for thermal rehabilitation
• Climate change and health tourism economics: the role of the thermal patient-user
• Telemedicine
• Traditional and IT communication and marketing
• New technologies and health safety
• Health tourism
• Hospitality organization
• Culinary arts and thermal regions.

Welcome in Khalkidhiki - Greece !

Pr. Umberto Solimene FEMTEC President