I received this emergency alert a few days ago.
Wait…why can’t I go outside alone or with my family that I’m already quarantined and in close quarters with?
But I need forest bathing to stay healthy!
Look, I get social distancing or wearing masks. So if I observe those, why is nature off limits? Seriously, what is the logic in this?
For those of you not familiar with the term forest bathing, it’s all about the science showing that being out in nature is good for your health. (Specifically forests, but all nature will have the same benefits to a greater or lesser degree.)
This image from a systematic review lays out everything found so far.[1]
They write, “The results demonstrated that forest bathing activities might have the following merits: remarkably improving cardiovascular function, hemodynamic indexes, neuroendocrine indexes, metabolic indexes, immunity and inflammatory indexes, antioxidant indexes, and electrophysiological indexes; significantly enhancing people’s emotional state, attitude, and feelings towards things, physical and psychological recovery, and adaptive behaviors; and obvious alleviation of anxiety and depression.”
In conclusion, “Forest bathing activities may significantly improve people’s physical and psychological health.”
Basically it supports your health in every way!
Just another example of how our health leaders are at best very ignorant of what health is truly about…or, at worst, criminally culpable.
It’s the same people that would deny that herbs can do anything for your immune system. In their minds, if it’s not a drug, it doesn’t work.
During these times we need MORE nature not less.
That’s why yesterday I was breaking the law in going to the forest. Civil disobedience to enhance my health. Wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last.
Here’s more on forest bathing from my book, Powered By Nature.
Forest bathing is the English term for what the Japanese call Shinrinyoku. Recent research in the East has begun to investigate these benefits heavily. These include reductions in stress, anger, anxiety, and depression, and better sleep. Hormonal changes have been noted in cortisol and adiponectin as well. These are hormones of stress and metabolism, which govern, among other things, your ability to lose weight.
The benefits of forest bathing are driven by the quality of the air. In a forest, surrounded by trees, you’ll be breathing in phytoncides or wood essential oils. These are also volatile organic compounds, but in this case, they’re good for you. In fact, they seem to do the very opposite of many of our man-made pollutants, possessing anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous and neuroprotective benefits. Not only do these provide the benefits listed above but also have antibacterial and antifungal properties as well.
The word phytoncide was coined by Dr. Boris Tokin, a Russian biochemist. He found that a pinch of crushed spruce or pine needles could kill all the protozoa in a glass of water in less than a second. He also found that air in a young pine forest is virtually germ free because of these. In short, they clean the air of both man-made and natural pollutants.
The great old-time wrestler Martin “Farmer” Burns stated that, “The morning air contains more vitality than at any other time of day.” In my experience, and that of many others, this is true. But what makes it so?
Overnight the temperature drops. In the morning, you generally have a cooler temperature, but the sunlight starts to come out and the temperature begins to rise. Essential oils are extremely volatile substances, meaning that they easily become gas. This is why the smell of a plant with a strong scent, lots of essential oils, can take over a room. With the heat rising and the plants waking up from their slumber, these oils are released into the air, effectively cleaning the air with their antimicrobial properties. Hence the air is freshest in the morning. As noon approaches, the heat continues to rise and most of these molecules will further volatilize out of the area.
The second reason for morning freshness has to do with electricity and water. Moisture content, the dew, tends to build during the night, and similarly evaporates over the day as temperature increases. Water, being a dipolar molecule, has an electromagnetic effect on the air. This is why a forest, right after a rain storm, is also similarly fresh.
There are many reasons I love living close to the forest. The air quality is one of the many benefits. Even if you live in the city you’d want to find time to get out to nature when you can. A park is still going to deliver some of these benefits.
Being in nature you have a literal connection to plant life. You breathe in the oxygen they produce. They breathe in the carbon dioxide we produce. Contemplating this connection can be profound. Neither animal nor plant life could exist without the other. The web of life extends to the very air we all breathe. If we could perceive this dance of molecules it would give us an intimate look into how connected every living thing really is.
I doubt that forests are the only beneficial types of nature either, though a large amount of plant life certainly is a part of it. I’d bet that various bodies of water, deserts, and mountains would bring about similar benefits. Remember that air is always circulating outdoors, so even if trees and plants aren’t all around, many of these benefits will still be there.
Getting outdoors in nature is best. Plus, this effect may be mimicked, at least in part, through the following method indoors to help clean up toxicity.
References:
- Ye Wen, Qi Yan, et al. Medical Empirical Research on Forest Bathing (Shinrin-yoku): A Systematic Review. Environ Health Prev Med . 2019 Dec 1;24(1):70. doi: 10.1186/s12199-019-0822-8.
- Tsunetsugu, Y., Park, B., & Miyazaki, Y. (2009). Trends in research related to “Shinrin-yoku” (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing) in Japan. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 27-37.
- Cho, K. S., Lim, Y. et al. (2017). Terpenes from Forests and Human Health. Toxicological Research, 33(2), 97-106.
- BC Wolverton, WL Douglas, K Bounds (July 1989). A study of interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement (Report). NASA. NASA-TM-108061.
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