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VOL. 2, ISSUE 4 (2026)
The holistic health economy and the healing industry in the AI era
Authors
Lung-Tan Lu
Abstract
This paper examines the emerging whole-person health economy and the
AI-enabled healing industry by integrating theoretical, industrial, and
governance perspectives. It first traces the evolution of health concepts from
the biomedical model to Engel’s biopsychosocial model and Stineman and Streim’s
biopsycho-ecological paradigm, and then adopts Lu’s four-dimensional
body–mind–spirit–society model as the analytical framework. The paper argues
that whole-person health shifts the focus from disease treatment to preventive
promotion, multidimensional well-being, and individual empowerment, thereby
expanding health service demand beyond clinical settings into daily life,
experiences, and risk management. The paper then analyzes the structural
drivers of the global healing industry, including population aging, rising
healthcare expenditure, consumer empowerment, digital technology innovation,
and post-pandemic changes in health behavior. It reviews the industry’s scope,
classification, value chain, business models, profit sources, competitive
landscape, and strategic positioning. Particular attention is given to how
generative AI, big data, and machine learning can support health assessment,
risk prediction, personalized intervention design, product development, and
customer relationship management, while remaining subordinate to human
professional judgment and real human care. The paper further addresses the high
sensitivity of health data and the ethical challenges of algorithmic bias,
informed consent, digital divides, automation bias, and emotional dependence.
It proposes a four-layer integration architecture—data foundation, AI engine,
service application, and experience integration—to connect the four health
dimensions with integrated service delivery. The paper concludes that the
future of the healing industry lies in moving from fragmented products toward
an integrated whole-person health ecosystem in which technology and humanity,
prevention and care, personalization and professional accountability, and
innovation and governance are balanced. It offers implications for enterprises,
policymakers, and future research on empirical validation, cross-cultural
comparison, long-term effects, governance design, and health equity.
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Pages:5-15
How to cite this article:
Lung-Tan Lu "The holistic health economy and the healing industry in the AI era". International Journal of Applied Review
, Vol 2, Issue 4, 2026, Pages 5-15
Pdf, Certificate, Cover Page, Index Page, Editorial Page, Accept Letter
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