We all know that spending time in nature is good for us. That’s nothing new. I studied natural sciences and became a landscape professional because I enjoyed being outside.
Forest bathing
Then I discovered the Japanese who got serious about data collection because they wanted to show that shinrin-yoku– translated as forest bathing- really was good for us. That was news to me so I bought one of the best books on it.
Outside magazine bomb
Now there is a new twist. Doctors are starting to prescribe time in nature instead of pills first. I think that’s an awesome development.
I recommend you read the excellent May, 2019, Outside article by Aaron Reuben. Until you get your hands on it, keep reading this blog post.
In the past, when I took my kids to the local clinic we would inevitably come home with pills. But doctors are not seeing any change in their sad, heavy and sick patients. Something has to change. So they’re prescribing time in nature before pills.
Now some doctors ask you two questions: What do you like to do outside? and Where do you like to do it? Then they boot up a new app and send you links to local parks.
What if you don’t fill your prescription? It can happen, especially when the patients are from poor families but the data suggests that people go outside when their doctor says so.
Besides, there are new apps coming up that will automatically register the prescription as filled in real time as the patient goes outside.
Why go outside?
As Reuben writes, ” exposure to nonthreatening natural stimuli…lowers blood pressure, reduces stress-hormone levels, promotes physical healing, bolsters immune system function, raises self-esteem, improves mood, curtails the need for painkillers, and reduces inflammation.” That’s not a bad list.
Right now there are funding problems and calls for more hard data. It’s obviously hard to get data without funding but it will come. It would be nice to have numbers showing that time spent in nature helps.
It would be strange if a landscape professional’s kids were inactive. They have travelled and experienced nature since they were babies. When they have their own kids it will most likely be standard for the family doctor to prescribe time in nature.
