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Who wouldn’t want to walk in mountainexit at park or maybe by boat, instead of the drugs? Especially since, from many quarters, evidence is accumulating that speaks of it not as mere palliatives but as actual therapiescapable of relieving various ailments, especially for the mental health. We are actually talking nature-based therapies, in English nature-based therapy (nature-based interventions), a vast world of non-pharmacological interventions with potential beneficial effects. There are several variations on the theme: whether it is forest baths (Shinrin-yoku in the Japanese version), walks or visits to parks, rivers and lakes, gardening or horse riding, which have aroused interest for some years also among clinicians and public health experts. And in fact, just take a tour of Pubmed, the database that collects evidence from scientific literature, to understand that yes, in recent years the evidence on the effects benefits of nature it is a particularly prolific field of research.
More outings, less drugs
L’last in chronological order of research on the topic has arrived this week, with a publication on Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Claims that those who attend more often “green spaces” makes less use of drugs. In particular – say the Finnish researchers – greener means less use of psychotropic substances (used against such as anxiolytics or antidepressants), less than drugs against hypertension and against asthma (these are what usage habits were investigated for). How much? It depends: on average for about three or four outings a week in green areas, the likelihood of using medicines was reduced from 26% to 36% compared to those who frequented the areas less than once a week. The figure itself is small, involving approximately 6,000 participants and self-reported data, and establishes – like many studies in the field – only a link of association. It tells us nothing, as the authors themselves acknowledge, about the real state of health of the participants and it cannot be excluded that the relationships observed were due to a direction opposite to that imagined: feeling better leads to going out more often. True.
On the other hand though it is almost impossible, we said, to ignore the mass of studies that are accumulating on the subject. If it is true that there may be many confounding factors – those who are better off go out more, play more sports and maybe even relate more with others once away from homewith all the benefits related to physical and social activity – on the other hand it is true that there is more than one evidence supporting the benefits of nature-based therapies. What might they be useful for, and how? Some researchers have tried to put together the results of the research conducted so far. Everyone agrees that more studies are needed, that we need to shed light on the mechanisms underlying what has been observed, but here is what emerges.
Why are “green” therapies good for you?
A recent one review on the topic of some British researchers, who considered about fifty studies, say that the evidence at the moment indicates that interventions nature-based – from jogging, gardening, horticulture, walking, forest bathing, gardening activities mindfulness – would be effective especially for the aspects related to mental health more than the physical one, both for therapeutic and preventive purposes. In particular, they write Peter Coventry of the University of York and colleagues, there is good evidence in favor of group interventions for immersion activities in the wild in the reduction of symptoms of anxiety and depression. Particularly effective would be the activity of gardeningbut positive effects in this field have also been observed for theand sports activities carried out outdoors. Spending time outdoors, whether engaged or not, also helps boost the so-called positive affect, a complex term that can be rendered as the ability to get excited, feel joy and be active. But time also matters: two to three months are associated with the greatest benefits, with doses ranging between 20 and 90 minutes.
THE mechanisms with which these activities would have beneficial effects are different, partly linked to the activities themselves and partly enhanced by the nature aspect. For example: carry out a purposeful activity, such as that of gardeningor which reduces it stressanxiety and depression, like physical activity, they have benefits in their own right, plus sharing them with someone often. To all this, however, one could add the role of cool down offered by natureresponsible – according to some theories mentioned by the authors – of cognitive recovery from situations of stress and fatigue cognitive, and to promote a sense of well-being through the so-called nature connectedness.
The conclusions of another go in the same direction revision on the subject, which focused on the psychological benefits of therapies nature-based in people with long-term illnesses (such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke and kidney disease). Again, the researchers invite us to look beyond the beneficial effects associated with outdoor activities, such as physical movement. The green therapiesfor example, would promote relaxation by acting on defined physiological mechanisms, such as lowering blood pressure, reducing hormones linked to stress and in some respects even the inflammatory profile linked to some diseases.
There is no mention of throwing away i drugs perhaps, but to understand if and how also non-pharmacological interventions based on a greater use of nature they can help. For the benefit – and pleasure – of all.
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