Healing with Nature

Hello!

Have you ever gone for a walk in nature, gone camping or to the beach and just came home feeling AMAZING and RECHARGED!? Chances are you have, and there is some serious science behind it! This week we are discussing the healing energy that trees and natural landscapes possess.

As I write this, I am freshly home from a long weekend of camping. Though I am covered in bug bites, I feel refreshed, recharged and ready to conquer my week! WHY is that?

Doesn’t this photo just MAKE you feel CALMER at the sight of it!? Just me?

OK! So, this week, we’re building on the previous discussion of stress and adrenal fatigue and expanding it further. We know now the impact that stress can have on other body systems like the endocrine, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, immune systems and of course, the nervous system.

Study after study has demonstrated the link between “forest therapy” and mental wellbeing. The accessibility of green spaces and the restorative benefits on both physical and emotional health is becoming more and more apparent as our coexistence with nature rapidly declines. [2]

“Our coexistence with nature has dwindled with the rise of lifestyles that are filled with pressing commitments and highly dependent on technology, leading to unhealthy levels of stress and the resulting health problems. This is the very reason why we need to be in contact with nature.”

— Marco Mencagli, Marco Nieri “The Secret Therapy of Trees”

One of the first topics of discussion when it comes to outdoor healing, are centred around negative ions. Negative ions are molecules floating around in the air that are charged with electricity. They’re produced naturally in many outdoor landscapes, like waterfalls, waves crashing against each other and the shoreline, lightning storms, and are produced naturally in a plants growth process. There is research that supports the connection between exposure to negative ions and reducing symptoms of depression in some people, having an activating influence on some body systems and cognitive performance, and antimicrobial activity. So step outside in the rain! visit a waterfall, beach or forest! The charge you’ll feel is right down to the cellular level! [1]

American researcher Roger S. Ulrich has been given much credit for reintroducing research connecting better heath through green space. One study in particular, Ulrich showed that for patients who had undergone major surgery, those who had rooms with windows facing outdoor green spaces had significantly shorter recovery periods and required fewer analgesics (pain killers) for post-operative pain compared to those with windows overlooking urban landscapes. [2]

Some of the most concrete evidence that supports the connection between green spaces and their restorative effects come from the research on monoterpenes emitted by plants! Monoterpenes are organic molecules produced by many plants, fungi, bacteria and to a lesser extent, certain insects. Monoterpenes are the principal sources of the specific scents of leaves, flowers and other parts of plant organisms. The aromatic benefits of forest bathing is long! So next time you’re walking around the neighbourhood, stop and smell the flowers (and their terpene derivatives).

The rise of seemingly unending stress, busy technological lifestyles and more limited access to green spaces is apparent in emerging health statistics

if you’ve been feeling