Creating Your Health - mind/body/spirit benefits of nature

     February is Heart Health month, and I've found myself thinking a lot about the importance of making pro-active healthy lifestyle choices.      Many of you know that I'm recovering from recent cardiac bypass surgery (Dec.09).  It's been 6 weeks post surgery, and I've been using this time away from work to recover and create my health.  One of the most restorative "tools" for me is exercising outdoors.  Although, I'm not able to cross country ski this season, going for my daily walk is always grounding and elevates my mood and sense of wellbeing.  There are so many health benefits associated with walking.  The essential component for me is being out in nature. I've often thought that our cardiac rehabilitation group should make "moving in nature " a part of the program.  I also know that for many years, creative ideas with a focus on wellness and prevention have been viewed as a luxury.  Consistent budgetary cuts and ever increasing regulations, and licensing requirements have hospitals, health care agencies, not-for-profit service providers exhausted from jumping through hoops. I agree wholeheartedly that comprehensive health care reform can not wait.  I feel relieved that President Obama has promised that it will be an "inclusive, and transparent process, one where all ideas are encouraged."

During my walk, I found myself reflecting on "you tube" video clip (above).  I think at best, creative ideas have been viewed as a luxury, and at worst they have been viewed as "illegal" as Colin mentions in the clip.
As my thoughts and focus returned to my beautiful surroundings, I remembered that there has been so much research conducted on the psychological benefits of nature.  I thought of a book I had skimmed through, 
Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder (Frumkin & Louv, 2007).
Here is one of the tenets from the book: 
"While different psychological approaches (evolutionary, behavioral, cognitive, psychodynamic, systems, humanistic, and transpersonal) focus on different aspects of the psychological benefits of nature experiences, all have shown that nature experiences are desirable and healthy."  Research settings included a large range of nature experiences.  The book also references the limited, but suggestive, research that these findings are cross-cultural and universal!
Robert Ulrich, a researcher and architecture professor at Texas A&M University has worked for years studying the psychological benefits of nature.  In a study entitled, "The Role of the Physical Environment in the Hospital of the 21st Century: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity" he showed that if you split post-operative patients into two groups, giving one a view of trees and the other a view of a brick wall, the group that was exposed to the trees will need fewer painkillers, develop fewer complications, and will check themselves out of hospital more quickly than the group with the urban view.
"In study after study, Ulrich has shown that when exposed to pictures of natural settings, people's blood pressure drops, their heart rate falls, and muscles relax. Emotionally, people report feeling less stressed and anxious, less fearful, less aggressive, more focused, more alert, and better able to concentrate."
Given that I recently spent time in a hospital setting, I  found this subject matter extremely interesting.  Here is a result of a long term study:  
"Another study, by Ulrich and other researchers, looked at which pieces of wall-art were being destroyed by psychiatric patients.  They found that while patients attacked the abstract art, not once in 15 years had a patient destroyed a picture of a natural scene."

  The research concludes that viewing nature and nature experience is healthy.   I began to think how this research could translate into funding for nature programs, and for re-design of institutions, hospitals, and other healthcare agencies.  It was wonderful to feel ideas flowing freely again!
  What helped to allow this free flow was the intention to be open, inclusive, and transparent regarding reform, or change, (see Obama's statement above).  This intention allows creativity to flow.  Here's to the end of illegal creative ideas.  Here's to encouraging all new ideas!


To your health,
Chris