Forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku in Japanese, is a term coined by Tomohide Akiyama for the simple practice of connecting to and taking in nature through most if not all of the physical senses [1]. By reengaging with nature we reattune ourselves with its rhythms and reinvigorate our bodies by stepping back into harmony. As Dr. Qing Li has spoken to, universal scripture is written in nature for the holy book of God is the natural world itself [2].
Spending time in a tranquil, outdoor setting allows for ‘involuntary attention’ or ‘soft fascination’ whereby the mind may rest and our capacity for clear cognition may be restored [3]. Forest medicine kindles our faculty of self-healing, and in 1984, Dr. Roger Ulrich published a paper in the journal Science which reported that patients assigned to hospital rooms with windows looking out on a natural scene experienced enhanced recovery from surgery (multiple subsequent studies confirmed his findings) [4]. As the work of Dr. Richard Taylor has shown, viewing of the fractal patterns ubiquitous in nature can reduce physiological stress and beneficially alter brain wave activity [5] [6]. Being a student of Plato, Aristotle surely understood the health-giving and divine quality of the living world when he stated that “In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” Through forest bathing we gift ourselves with the original means of aromatherapy and inhale an abundance of phytoncides from surrounding trees and plants [7]. Phytoncides are volatile compounds that can have antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects and which play vital roles in air purification and communication within ecosystems [8] [9]. The air around rivers, streams, and woodlands is also rich with negatively-charged ions, a healthy uptake of which can protect the body against stress exposure, exert an anti-cancer effect, and enhance activity of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase [10] [11] [12]. Forest bathing also brings us into contact with the healthy microbes we have coevolved with, one example of such being Mycobacterium vaccae. Mycobacterium vaccae is a nonpathogenic mycobacterium species found normally in healthy soil that can serve as a beneficial psychobiotic when ingested or inhaled [13]. Mycobacterium vaccae can notably impact the gut-brain axis and bring about a decrease in anxiety, an increase in learning efficacy, and an improvement in immune responses (mycobacteria have been studied as immunotherapy agents) [14] [15]. Furthermore, M. vaccae has shown promise in the treatment of allergic disorders, and it can be argued that a lack of being exposed to this mycobacterium from our modern way of living is partly responsible for the heightened prevalence of allergic disorders we now see [16] [17] [18]. Through various means, the practice of shinrin-yoku is also capable of lowering both blood pressure and blood glucose, bettering depression and mental health, boosting the number of natural killer cells and the making of intracellular anti-cancer proteins, raising parasympathetic tone and lowering cortisol, dropping LDL cholesterol, heightening working memory performance, and simply improving overall well-being [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28]. In conclusion, connecting with nature irrefutably profits the mind, body, and spirit, and there is no doubt that forest medicine will continue to grow as a beautiful bestowal in both healthcare and transcendentality [29]. References:
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AuthorDenton Coleman is an Exercise Physiologist and Medical Researcher. Archives
October 2023
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