The Healing Powers of Nature
Nature heals. Many people feel an inner pull toward nature, and this is logical. Your brain and body live by its laws, not by the routine of a workday.
Nature heals. Many people feel an inner pull toward nature, and this is logical. Your brain and body live by its laws, not by the routine of a workday.
Nature heals
By Dr. Mercola
Many people feel an inner pull toward nature, and this is logical.
Your brain and body live by its laws - for example, by sunrise and sunset, as well as the changing of seasons, rather than obeying the routine of a workday.
Therefore it is no wonder that when our senses perceive the babbling of a brook, the lush smell of soil in the forest, or even the sight of a park within a city - we receive a cascade of benefits in the body as a result.
Leif Haugen, a fire lookout in a remote corner of the Flathead National Forest in northwestern Montana, recounts what it is like to live alone in nature, an experience that many of those living in the 21st century are deprived of.
In a world where 70 percent of the population will live in urban areas by 2015 (and more than half already do), it is essential to understand the importance of nature's presence in our lives, as well as what happens when we separate ourselves from it.
Urban living is linked to anxiety and mood disorders
City dwellers suffer more often from mood and anxiety disorders, as well as schizophrenia, than those who live in rural areas.
Researchers at Douglas Mental Health University Institute at McGill University in Canada decided to determine whether changes in neural processes could be responsible for this.
They used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to scan the brains of 32 healthy adults who were asked to solve difficult math problems within a set time, during which they listened to negative statements.
Those who lived in urban settings had increased activity in the amygdala area of the brain, which is responsible for fear and the response to threat.
Those who lived in the city during the first 15 years of life also had increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex of the brain, which helps regulate the amygdala. In short, those who grew up in an urban environment were more susceptible to stress.
In an accompanying editorial, Daniel Kennedy, PhD, and Ralph Adolphs of the California Institute of Technology explained that urban living likely affects each person differently, and the level of autonomy may play a certain role in how much stress it causes you.
"There are differences in people's preferences and in their ability to cope with urban life: some feel wonderful in New York, while others would gladly trade it for a desert island.
Psychologists have found that a significant factor responsible for this variability is the perceived degree of control over daily life.
Social threat, lack of control, and subordination cause the stress of urban life and likely explain a significant portion of the differences between individuals."
Nature comes to the rescue
What else can influence the ability to feel wonderful in an urban environment? Access to nature. A large number of studies point to its calming and healing effects on the human body and mind.
For example, research published in PNAS showed that people who took a 90-minute walk in nature were less ruminative and had reduced neural activity in the area of the brain associated with the risk of mental illness such as depression (prefrontal cortex), compared to people who walked an equal amount in the city.
"These findings indicate that nature within walking distance may be vital for mental health in an atmosphere of rapid urbanization," the researchers noted.
Other studies have shown that even viewing images of landscapes activates areas of the brain associated with empathy and altruism. By contrast, viewing urban scenes causes blood flow to the fear-related amygdala.
"Shinrin-yoku," the Japanese term for "forest bathing" or time spent in the forest, is also important for physical and mental health, because you breathe in beneficial bacteria, plant essential oils, and negatively charged ions in forest air.
Living close to nature can extend your life
In a study involving more than 100,000 women, those who lived near more greenery had a 12% lower rate of non-accidental premature death compared to those who lived near areas with the least vegetation. Specifically, the former had:
Researchers suggested that 30% of the longevity effect may be attributable to the beneficial influence of nature on mental health. A large amount of greenery may also affect lifespan by encouraging physical activity and being in society, as well as by reducing exposure to air pollution.
Cognitive function may also improve. In a study of 2,600 children aged 7 to 10, those who had access to more green spaces, especially at school, had better memory and were less inattentive.
In this case, a significant portion of the effect (from 20% to 65%) is explained by the reduced exposure to air pollution due to greenery, though research is also being conducted that suggests the "microbial contribution" of nature plays a role in brain development.
A study conducted in 2014 also showed that children attending schools in greener areas score higher on academic tests in English and mathematics. Not to mention that older adults who spend more time outdoors experience less pain, sleep better, and have less decline in the functionality responsible for the ability to perform daily tasks.
4 additional benefits of being in nature
Those who live in greener environments complain less about their health and are mentally healthier. Any greenery - city parks, fields, forests, and so on - is equally beneficial.
In addition, the first systematic review established that living in an ecologically clean environment is associated with improved mental health and reduced deaths from all causes. Therefore, if you can devote at least a few minutes a day to communing with nature, it will bring you tremendous benefits, including:
1. Improved attention — For children with ADHD, time spent in nature leads to improved attention and higher scores on concentration tests. Richard Louv, in his book "Last Child in the Woods," even coined the term "nature deficit disorder" to describe behavioral problems that he believes are linked to less time spent outdoors.
2. Increased creativity — One study showed that walking increases participants' creativity by 81%, and after a walk outside they came up with "the newest and highest-quality analogies."
3. Higher-quality workouts — One meta-analysis of 10 studies showed that physical activity outdoors for just five minutes leads to noticeable improvements in mood and self-esteem. Levels of the stress hormone cortisol also decrease when people exercise outdoors rather than indoors.
4. Less pain and better sleep — Older adults who spend more time outdoors experience less pain, sleep better, and have less decline in functions allowing them to perform daily tasks. According to research published in BioPsychoSocial Medicine:
"The healing power of nature, vis mediatrix naturae, is traditionally defined as the inner healing response intended to restore health.
Nearly a century ago, the famous biologist Sir John Arthur Thomson provided an additional interpretation of the word "nature" in the context of vis medicatrix, instead defining it as the natural, non-man-made external environment.
He argued that the healing power of nature is also linked to conscious contact with its living and inanimate elements.
... With global environmental problems, the rapid expansion of cities, and the crisis of mental disorders, reduced contact with nature cannot but have consequences for human health and the planet itself."
Even a brief "nature retreat" can provide physical and mental recovery
A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) also emphasizes the need for an urban retreat in the form of access to open spaces. The researchers explained:
"There is growing scientific evidence that open spaces with natural or cultivated elements, such as green zones, provide opportunities for restoration.
Numerous studies have shown that contact with real or simulated green plantings, rather than an urbanistic external environment, has a positive effect on mood, self-esteem, and self-reported assessments of stress and depression, and can help in recovery from mental strain and attention fatigue."
The study focused on the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, which cope with stress by initiating the "fight or flight response" or by increasing physiological calm, respectively.
Students wore sensors to track heart rate and other functions and then viewed photographs of green or urban spaces. The photographs were shown both before and after they solved complex math problems designed to elevate stress levels.
When photographs of green areas were shown after the math test, the parasympathetic nervous system activated and lowered heart rate. The researchers concluded:
"This study shows that five minutes of viewing landscapes in urban settings can help cope with stress, as evidenced by enhanced parasympathetic activity. These results strengthen and deepen the growing body of evidence for the health benefits of walks in nature.
In particular, the present results indicate the importance of visual access to 'green' spaces for restoration."
Make nature part of your day
If possible, try to spend time in nature daily: walk along trees on the street, tend to a backyard garden, or have lunch outdoors in a city park.
When time permits, try to immerse yourself even more deeply in nature by going hiking in a nature reserve, canoeing on a river, or even spending weekends camping outdoors.
Your body can dictate how much nature you need to feel fully charged, so try to listen to it. Even a small dose of it is better than nothing, and if you cannot go outdoors, even viewing photographs or videos will help you cope with stress.
You can also use emotional freedom techniques (EFT) to relieve the stress of urban life. This can be especially helpful if you feel "trapped," and once you master them, you can practice them in nature to enhance the healing effect.
The urban environment is a powerful mutagenic factor. M. Velichko (video)
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