Hong Kong is taking a bold step toward redefining modern medicine. As chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes continue to rise, two wellness pioneers — Tricia Yap and Denise Tam — are spearheading a movement to bridge the gap between conventional treatment and holistic living.
Their initiative, the Lifestyle Medicine Summit Asia 2025, will take place on October 23–24 at Soho House Hong Kong, bringing together global and Asian experts to discuss longevity, genetic science, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and stress management.
Rethinking Longevity: Four Pillars of Health
At the heart of the summit lies a simple but powerful vision: true longevity depends on nutrition, movement, recovery, and stress regulation.
“We live in a world where a symptom is quickly met with a diagnosis and medication,” said Yap, a functional medicine health coach. “But there has to be something in between — preventive, sustainable health.”
The summit’s speaker lineup includes geneticist Dr. Denise Furness, TCM expert Dr. Sarah Chan, physiologist Glen Joe, and naturopath Dr. Ben Brown. Together, they aim to shift the medical conversation from reactive treatment to proactive well-being.
Genetics Meets Lifestyle
Dr. Furness, a pioneer in nutritional genomics, will highlight how genes and lifestyle work together to shape long-term health outcomes. “Genetics gives us the blueprint,” she explained, “but epigenetics decides which parts of that blueprint are activated by diet, sleep, and stress.”
Her keynote on October 24 will present over a decade of research into biological ageing and wholefood nutrition, showing how lifestyle choices can effectively “work with your genes, not against them.”
The Asian Context: Traditional Medicine Reimagined
A major theme of this year’s summit is the integration of Asian perspectives into global health discussions. “Most global summits focus on a Western diet,” said Yap. “But if I told my grandmother to eat a Mediterranean diet, she’d laugh — we need to localize the science.”
TCM practitioner Dr. Sarah Chan, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, will explore how herbal medicine and the preservation of kidney essence (jing) support immunity, reduce inflammation, and slow ageing — aligning thousands of years of wisdom with modern science.
Towards a More Informed Health Culture
Co-organizer Denise Tam, a holistic nutritionist and two-time cancer survivor, emphasized the summit’s goal of fighting online misinformation about lifestyle medicine.
“Our healthcare professionals must take ownership of continuous learning,” Tam said. “Holistic medicine is not an alternative — it’s the foundation of long-term health.”
The Lifestyle Medicine Summit Asia is accredited for continuing professional development (CPD), offering clinicians and the public an evidence-based roadmap to living longer, healthier, and more balanced lives.
🌐 For registration and details, visit the official Lifestyle Medicine Summit Asia website.
📰 As reported by Charmaine Yu, South China Morning Post, October 16, 2025.
