Get Back to Nature - Doctor's Orders

Written by Linda Bokros Blansit August 21, 2019

Samuel and his doctor sat discussing his plan of care. He'd been having chest pains, a tightness in his chest that would come and go. He had a stress test, which the doctor said was normal - no sign of heart trouble. His lab results and risk assessment for heart disease showed that he was at a high risk to develop heart disease or a stroke. His cholesterol was high, and his HDL, the "good" cholesterol, was low. His doctor was making several suggestions. 

The doctor first suggested diet change: low fat, low salt diet with increased fruits and vegetables, decrease red meat and eat fish twice a week. He praised Samuel for recently quitting smoking. After talking about these lifestyle changes, the doctor placed his prescription pad on the desk top and wrote out two prescriptions: 

2 hours of Nature per week

A statin medication

He showed both prescriptions to Samuel, "You may be able to decrease your cholesterol level with the diet changes I've suggested, and by increasing your activity level. I also suggest you decide which of these prescriptions you would like to try. The pill is a statin which can decrease your cholesterol and decrease your risk for heart disease or stroke. The other is an alternative to pills - Nature."

Samuel was confused, and asked the doctor for more information.

"The statin is a very effective drug that can decrease your cholesterol level. There are some side effects you'll need to watch for. On the other hand, there is recent research that shows spending time in nature can help decrease stress, anxiety, depression, and lowers stress hormone levels in your blood. This is important for you because those stress hormones increase blood pressure, inflammation and plaque formation in the blood vessels. They can cause physical damage to many cells in your body. You may be able to lower your cholesterol just by adding some time spent in nature, with happiness and relaxation being your only side effects, other than mosquito bites or poison ivy if you're not cautious." He laughed. "Fishing, hiking, sitting in a spot in your yard where you can listen to the breeze in the trees...these things can help you without the need of a pill. Are you interested in either of these treatment plans?"

Samuel felt some childish excitement, he smiled, and as he reached for the prescription that read "2 hours in Nature", he said with excitement "I have a prescription to have fun? And to relax? You betcha I'm choosing this one! My wife isn't gonna believe this!"

The doctor finished by saying "I want you to come back and have your cholesterol level checked in 3 months. We'll see how you're doing and take it from there."

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." ~John Muir~

Relevant Research

In this modern world, especially in the United States, urbanization is increasing at a rapid pace, meaning that natural areas are becoming more scarce. Many people are spending more than 90 percent of their time indoors. Natural environments help our mental health and our ability to interact in a positive social way. Recent research is giving a scientific voice to what many of us have known all along: nature heals. The information is helping urban planners see the importance of providing for natural spaces in cities. This video​ of Dr Gregory Bratman, describes the benefits of nature to mental and physical health. His research showed that people who were exposed to nature had less ruminating of negative thoughts. In fact, they found that there was actually decreased blood flow in the part of the brain involved in that kind of thought when people were exposed to nature. It's been found that negative thought, or rumination, is associated with decreased memory, and that exposure to nature actually improved the memory for those soaking up some nature. This information is going to be instrumental in planning communities in a way that will help public health.

One recent study, published in Scientific Reports, June 13, 2019, shows that people who spend at least 120 minutes per week in a nature environment for recreation are significantly more likely to report good health and well being than those who spent no time in a natural environment. In this study, they found that it didn't matter whether the person got their time in one long dose, or several short doses. It's important to also note that the findings were consistent even in the older adult groups and those with chronic health issues. Everyone should be given the opportunity to sit in a natural spot and get the healing benefits.

Another study, published in the April 4, 2019 issue of Frontiers of Psychology, measured the effects of nature exposure on two physiological stress biomarkers: salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase. These are both stress hormones, cortisol being the most dominant stress hormone. Cortisol's great when we need to run from a lion, because it increases many functions of metabolism to help us RUN! But, when we experience a steady stream of stress in our lives, our cortisol levels rise and stay elevated for a longer period of time. This leads to lowered immune function, increased cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, heart disease, increased weight, and decreased mental clarity. This study showed that the salivary cortisol levels dropped significantly after 20-30 minutes of nature exposure. With this information, we can see that being in nature helps you feel better mentally and helps your physical body by decreasing the stress hormones and thus helping to decrease blood pressure, cholesterol, risk for heart disease, and obesity. It's just plain good for you to be in a natural area.

I've been a lover of nature since I was a child. In fact, my older sisters used to tease me, calling me "Nature Girl, Nature Girl", like it was a bad thing. I would slip away to the most natural spot I could find in our little yard on the hillside in San Diego, California. As I got older, we moved to the countryside east of San Diego where I had plenty of room to find my quiet spot in nature. When my tumultuous teenage years came along, and stress was at a high peak, I would steal away to one of my favorite spots, either by the creek, or under the giant oak tree, and I would find peace. This was easy for me because I was surrounded by nature. After I moved out on my own and lived in the city, surrounded by buildings, concrete and asphalt, I still found healing and calm in nature. I would find the nearest park to go sit and relax surrounded by nature. Actually, I really liked to drive up to the Laguna Mountains where I would find a shady spot under some trees and look out over the desert, savor the light feel of the breeze on my skin and the sounds of the trees, and sometimes watch the daring souls who were hang gliding over the desert. It always helped me feel better. So now, as nature and forest therapy is growing, with more people deprived of nature, I find that I have a comfort and knowledge about nature that I can share. How exciting! Let's go for a walk in the park.

References

White, Matthew P.; Alcock, Ian; Grellier, James; WHeeler, Benedict W.; Hartig, Terry; Warber, Sara L.; Bone, Angie; Depledge, Michael H.; Fleming, Lora E. (2019) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44097-3  nature.com Scientific Reports 9, Article number: 7730

Hunter, MR; Gillespie, BW; and Chen, SY-P (2019) Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress in the Context of Daily Life Based on Salivary Biomarkers. Front. Psychol. 10:722. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00722

Gregory Bratman of Stanford University Describes Environmental Impacts on Mood and Cognition Youtube posted by Texan by Nature Published on October 10, 2016 https://youtu.be/ci6lw8hm9Kk