A Dose of Nature
How going green can be good for your health
ARE YOU HAVING A LITTLE TROUBLE seeing the
forest for the trees? When work struggles or daily stress leave you
feeling overwhelmed, tell yourself to take a hike-literally. Once
you jump the urban fence and escape to the outdoors, you can change
your mental lens.
A report by the Finnish Forest Research Institute in 2010
confirmed that spending time in forests and other green settings
can decrease stress, improve mood and anger issues, and increase
overall happiness. In addition, it can reduce blood pressure, heart
rate and muscle tension.
A dose of nature also might help fight chronic disease. A
Japanese researcher found that visits to the woods strengthen the
immune system because trees release airborne elements, which
increase the activity of natural killer cells that destroy cancer
cells. And in Japan and other countries, like Germany, it's a
common therapeutic practice to take short, leisurely strolls to a
forest-called forest bathing or shinrinyoku-for stress
management.
Natural Healing
If you don't live near a forest, even simple outdoor activities,
like walking or planting flowers, can have a powerful healing
effect. Oncologist Kathy Helzlsouer, M.D., director of the
Prevention and Research Center at Mercy Medical Center in
Baltimore, encourages patients to get outside, particularly to help
combat persistent fatigue, a common side effect in cancer
recovery.
"Nature is an important part of the mind-body approach to help
patients relax and regenerate," she says. "Whether it's gardening
or experiencing other natural elements, being in the outdoors takes
people away from the issues they are trying to overcome because it
provides joy and pleasure."
-By Sally J. Clasen