Science
You may be asking, why is a connection to nature important? The simple answer is humans are a part of nature and nature is a part of humans. It is literally in our DNA.
Numerous scientific studies have shown that there are a multitude of benefits from simply being in nature. Feel free to browse below and see if there is anything nature can do for you.
If you are interested in collaborating for research, reach out!
Nature Therapy in the Media
Nature-Based Therapies for Sleep Disorders in People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
Mancus G, Hill SV, Carter P, Payne-Foster P, Krishnamurthy M, Kazembe A, Cody SL. Nurs Clin North Am. 2021 Jun;56(2):189-202. doi: 10.1016/j.cnur.2021.02.002.
Following diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), getting adequate sleep may be the farthest thing from the mind of patients or providers. Even further from mind are the potential benefits on both sleep and HIV from nature-based therapy. In developing and developed countries, access to high-quality natural spaces has the potential to support physical and mental health. This article provides a review of sleep disorders, conventional and nature-based therapies, and the potential of nature-based therapy to support the health of people living with HIV through increased restorative sleep and immune function.
Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PMID: 34023115 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomised Trial of Social Prescribing of Forest Therapy for Quality of Life and Biopsychosocial Wellbeing in Community-Living Australian Adults with Mental Illness: Protocol.
Thomas T, Baker J, Massey D, D'Appio D, Aggar C.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Dec 4;17(23):9076. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17239076.
Social Prescribing (SP) involves linking individuals with mental illness to local health and welfare services to improve quality of life (QoL) and biopsychosocial wellbeing. SP programs address psychosocial wellbeing by linking individuals to group activities. Forest Therapy (FT) is a group nature walk with prescribed activities that promote mindfulness, relaxation, and shared experience. Improvements in psychological and physical wellbeing have been demonstrated in FT, but psychosocial impacts have not been widely investigated. This study will implement an SP FT intervention and assess the impacts on QoL and biopsychosocial wellbeing. Participants will include 140 community-living adults with mental illness at Sydney/Gold Coast, Australia. A stepped-wedge cluster randomised design will be used; each participant will complete a 10-week control period followed by a 10-week FT intervention. Weekly 90-min FT sessions will be conducted in groups of 6-10 in local nature reserves. Validated tools will measure self-report QoL and biopsychosocial wellbeing pre- and post-control and intervention periods, and 5-week follow-up. Blood pressure and heart rate will be measured pre- and post-FT sessions. Hypothesised outcomes include improvements in QoL and biopsychosocial wellbeing. This study is the first to assess SP FT, and may provide evidence for a novel, scalable mental illness intervention.
PMID: 33561041
Physiological Benefits of Viewing Nature: A Systematic Review of Indoor Experiments.
Jo H, Song C, Miyazaki Y.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Nov 27;16(23):4739. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16234739.
Contact with nature has been proposed as a solution to achieve physiological relaxation and stress recovery, and a number of scientific verification outcomes have been shown. Compared with studies of the other senses, studies investigating the visual effects of nature have been at the forefront of this research field. A variety of physiological indicators adopted for use in indoor experiments have shown the benefits of viewing nature. In this systematic review, we examined current peer-reviewed articles regarding the physiological effects of visual stimulation from elements or representations of nature in an indoor setting. The articles were analyzed for their stimulation method, physiological measures applied, groups of participants, and outcomes. Thirty-seven articles presenting evidence of the physiological effects of viewing nature were selected. The majority of the studies that used display stimuli, such as photos, 3D images, virtual reality, and videos of natural landscapes, confirmed that viewing natural scenery led to more relaxed body responses than viewing the control. Studies that used real nature stimuli reported that visual contact with flowers, green plants, and wooden materials had positive effects on cerebral and autonomic nervous activities compared with the control. Accumulation of scientific evidence of the physiological relaxation associated with viewing elements of nature would be useful for preventive medicine, specifically nature therapy.
PMID: 31783531
A Review of the Benefits of Nature Experiences: More Than Meets the Eye.
Franco LS, Shanahan DF, Fuller RA. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 Aug 1;14(8):864. doi: 10.3390/ijerph14080864.
Evidence that experiences of nature can benefit people has accumulated rapidly. Yet perhaps because of the domination of the visual sense in humans, most research has focused on the visual aspects of nature experiences. However, humans are multisensory, and it seems likely that many benefits are delivered through the non-visual senses and these are potentially avenues through which a physiological mechanism could occur. Here we review the evidence around these lesser studied sensory pathways-through sound, smell, taste, touch, and three non-sensory pathways. Natural sounds and smells underpin experiences of nature for many people, and this may well be rooted in evolutionary psychology. Tactile experiences of nature, particularly beyond animal petting, are understudied yet potentially fundamentally important. Tastes of nature, through growing and consuming natural foods, have been linked with a range of health and well-being benefits. Beyond the five senses, evidence is emerging for other non-visual pathways for nature experiences to be effective. These include ingestion or
inhalation of phytoncides, negative air ions and microbes. We conclude that (i) these non-visual avenues are potentially important for delivering benefits from nature experiences; (ii) the evidence base is relatively weak and often based on correlational studies; and (iii) deeper exploration of these sensory and non-sensory avenues is needed.
PMID: 28763021 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review.
Hansen MM, Jones R, Tocchini K.1. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 Jul 28;14(8):851. doi: 10.3390/ijerph14080851.
BACKGROUND: Current literature supports the comprehensive health benefits of exposure to nature and green environments on human systems. The aim of this state-of-the-art review is to elucidate empirical research conducted on the physiological and psychological effects of Shinrin-Yoku (or Forest Bathing) in transcontinental Japan and China. Furthermore, we aim to encourage healthcare professionals to conduct longitudinal research in Western cultures regarding the clinically therapeutic effects of Shinrin-Yoku and, for healthcare providers/students to consider practicing Shinrin-Yoku to decrease undue stress and potential burnout. METHODS: A thorough review was conducted to identify research published with an initial open date range and then narrowing the collection to include papers published from 2007 to 2017. Electronic databases (PubMed, PubMed Central, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Scopus) and snowball references were used to cull papers that evaluated the use of Shinrin-Yoku for various populations in diverse settings. RESULTS: From the 127 papers initially culled using the Boolean phrases: "Shinrin-yoku" AND/OR "forest bathing" AND/OR "nature therapy", 64 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this summary review and then divided into "physiological," "psychological," "sensory metrics" and "frameworks" sub-groups.CONCLUSIONS: Human health benefits associated with the immersion in nature continue to be currently researched. Longitudinal research, conducted worldwide, is needed to produce new evidence of the relationships associated with Shinrin-Yoku and clinical therapeutic effects. Nature therapy as a health-promotion method and potential universal health model is implicated for the reduction of reported modern-day "stress-state" and "technostress.".
PMID: 28788101 [Indexed for MEDLINE]