Nature Therapy (Ecotherapy) Medical Benefits

Nature therapy may mean that better health is right outside your door.

A stroll outside on a sunny day is a great pick-me-up. Now it may also be just what the doctor ordered.

The benefits of nature for both body and soul are finding their way to the prescription pad as more health care providers are telling their patients to take a hike -- literally.

Many health care researchers and practitioners say that ecotherapy (also known as green therapy, nature therapy, and earth-centered therapy) -- a term coined by pastoral counselor Howard Clinebell in his 1996 book of the same name -- can have regenerative powers, improving mood and easing anxiety, stress, and depression.

But that’s not all. Health care providers are also giving their patients “nature prescriptions” to help treat a variety of medical conditions, from post-cancer fatigue to obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes.  

Scientists have long known that sunlight can ease depression, especially seasonal affective disorder (SAD). New research is expanding those findings. A 2007 study from the University of Essex in the U.K., for example, found that a walk in the country reduces depression in 71% of participants. The researchers found that as little as five minutes in a natural setting, whether walking in a park or gardening in the backyard, improves mood, self-esteem, and motivation.

The growing interest in ecotherapy has even given rise to academic programs, such as one begun at John F. Kennedy University, which offers a graduate-level certificate in ecotherapy, an umbrella term that includes horticultural therapy, animal-assisted therapy, time stress management, and managing “eco-anxiety.”

John F. Kennedy University ecotherapy professor Craig Chalquist, PhD, co-author of Ecotherapy: Healing with Nature in Mind, has acknowledged that research has not proven that spending time in nature can prevent, treat, or cure any particular condition.

But a growing body of research offers a “hopeful picture” of the effectiveness of ecotherapy, Chalquist says.

Kathy Helzlsouer, MD, director of the Prevention and Research Center at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, has long been recommending to breast cancer survivors that they get outdoors more.

For 30% to 40% of breast cancer survivors, persistent fatigue follows their treatment, says Helzlsouer. To help her patients learn how to manage this fatigue, Helzlsouer created “Be Well, Be Healthy,” a holistic program that includes tips not only on managing stress and improving diet and exercise patterns, but also on incorporating nature as part of the healing process.

“Among the frustrations we saw in our patients,” Helzlsouer says, “was that they didn’t have the energy to garden, a favorite activity for many of them.”

For people who enjoy gardening, Helzlsouer prescribes getting back outside, even if it’s starting out with five minutes of weeding. People who aren’t gardening enthusiasts are advised to find a nearby park where they can take a walk, "commune with nature," and reap the mind-body results of a relaxing setting and physical exercise.

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Hiking in Nature May Boost Creativity

Dec. 12, 2012 -- Hiking in the wild may be good for the brain, especially if you are unplugged.

New research shows that backpackers scored 50% better on a creativity test after spending four days in nature while disconnected from all electronic devices.

Fifty-six people with an average age of 28 went on four- to six-day wilderness hiking trips organized by the Outward Bound expedition organization in Alaska, Colorado, Maine, and Washington. No phones, tablets, computers, or other electronic devices were allowed on the excursions.

Of these people, 24 took a 10-item creativity test the morning before the trip, and 32 took the test on the morning of the trip's fourth day. People who had been backpacking for four days got about six of the 10 questions correct, compared with four among people who had not yet begun a backpacking trip.

So is it the serene effects of nature that unlock creativity, or is it perhaps a perk of being unplugged?

Maybe a little bit of each, says researcher David Strayer, PhD. He is a professor of psychology at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Still, the participants spent four full days in nature without any gadgets, which may not be possible for many people. But that doesn’t mean others can’t reap some of these benefits. 

“Take a stroll through the park if you can’t get away for longer,” he says. “If you could do that on a regular basis, you can reduce stress, and it may have mental or cognitive benefits as long as you disconnect from all technology.”

Listening to music can be OK provided it is soothing. “If you talk on your phone or text, you may not get as many benefits.”  

The findings appear online in the journal PLOS ONE.

James P. Nicolai, MD, is the medical director of the Andrew Weil, MD, Integrative Wellness Program at Miraval in Tucson, Ariz.  He says the new findings are “right on.”

Disconnecting from media technology allows people to stay in the now, and nature can do the rest, he says. “Take a 10- to 15-minute walk in a park five days a week,” he says.  Or “if you can’t get to nature, bring nature to you by having flowers in your house or plants in your space.”

That is good advice, says David Straker, DO. He is an adjunct assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. “We know exercise is one of the most important things we can do for our mental health aside from medication and therapy.”

It helps release feel-good brain chemicals called endorphins, and nature kicks these benefits up a notch. “Exercising in nature can have more mental health benefits than on a treadmill,” he says.

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Hiking in Nature May Boost Creativity

ByDenise Mann
WebMD Health News Reviewed byLaura J. Martin, MD

Dec. 12, 2012 -- Hiking in the wild may be good for the brain, especially if you are unplugged.

New research shows that backpackers scored 50% better on a creativity test after spending four days in nature while disconnected from all electronic devices.

Fifty-six people with an average age of 28 went on four- to six-day wilderness hiking trips organized by the Outward Bound expedition organization in Alaska, Colorado, Maine, and Washington. No phones, tablets, computers, or other electronic devices were allowed on the excursions.

Of these people, 24 took a 10-item creativity test the morning before the trip, and 32 took the test on the morning of the trip's fourth day. People who had been backpacking for four days got about six of the 10 questions correct, compared with four among people who had not yet begun a backpacking trip.

So is it the serene effects of nature that unlock creativity, or is it perhaps a perk of being unplugged?

Maybe a little bit of each, says researcher David Strayer, PhD. He is a professor of psychology at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Still, the participants spent four full days in nature without any gadgets, which may not be possible for many people. But that doesn’t mean others can’t reap some of these benefits. 

“Take a stroll through the park if you can’t get away for longer,” he says. “If you could do that on a regular basis, you can reduce stress, and it may have mental or cognitive benefits as long as you disconnect from all technology.”

Listening to music can be OK provided it is soothing. “If you talk on your phone or text, you may not get as many benefits.”  

The findings appear online in the journal PLOS ONE.

Bring Nature to You

James P. Nicolai, MD, is the medical director of the Andrew Weil, MD, Integrative Wellness Program at Miraval in Tucson, Ariz.  He says the new findings are “right on.”

Disconnecting from media technology allows people to stay in the now, and nature can do the rest, he says. “Take a 10- to 15-minute walk in a park five days a week,” he says.  Or “if you can’t get to nature, bring nature to you by having flowers in your house or plants in your space.”

That is good advice, says David Straker, DO. He is an adjunct assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. “We know exercise is one of the most important things we can do for our mental health aside from medication and therapy.”

It helps release feel-good brain chemicals called endorphins, and nature kicks these benefits up a notch. “Exercising in nature can have more mental health benefits than on a treadmill,” he says.

View Article Sources

SOURCES:

David Straker, DO, adjunct assistant clinical professor, psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City.

Strayer, D.L. PLOS ONE, published online Dec. 12, 2012.

David Strayer, PhD, professor, psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City.

James P. Nicolai, MD, medical director, Andrew Weil, M.D. Integrative Wellness Program at Miraval, Tucson, Ariz.

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