Many, such as the father of chiropractics D.D. Palmer, have emphasized the healing power of nature. Indeed, many modern-day diseases can be said to be a result of an overstimulation of technology and a shortage of time spent in nature. At the same time, the natural world holds many potential cures to a host of physical and emotional illnesses.
Nature-Deficit Disorder
In his book, "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder," author Richard Louv links ADHD to a lack of exposure to nature, calling it "nature-deficit disorder." He writes that prolonged exposure to nature can be powerful therapy for treating ADHD. He discovered that exposure to nature has a beneficial influence on concentration and that children are better able to focus after a 20-minute walk in nature. Louv also found that walks in nature (as opposed to walking in urban or residential areas) have resulted in improvements in ADHD symptoms.
Health Benefits
According to medical writer and chiropractor Dr. Meridel Gatterman, about 20 percent of the U.S. population is affected by depression every year. A common non-medicinal treatment recommended for alleviating depression is exercise. Dr. Gatterman's research has found that outdoor exercise in natural settings with trees and landscape views makes participants feel more rejuvenated and less angry, anxious and depressed than people who exercise in a gym. Gatterman also found that it reduces stress.
Childhood Depression
Children also suffer from depression, and Gatterman notes how the increase in depression in children is associated with the rate at which American children have been prescribed antidepressant drugs. He notes that reports have linked the increase in antidepressant usage with higher rates of adolescent suicide. According to "Psychology Today," rural children who have access to nature seem better equipped to handle stress than kids who don't. The magazine also reports that children who are the most vulnerable to depression and stress benefit the most from adding greenery to their lives.
Childhood Obesity
Dr. Gatterman says the word "nature" rarely appears in childhood obesity literature and that the effects of physical activity in a natural environment have not been adequately studied. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion recommends offering nutritious choices in school meals and physical activity. Dr. Gatterman believes additional rigorous controlled studies to test the benefits of play in natural settings are necessary to be able to recommend time in nature as a way to fight childhood obesity.
Potential
Louv writes that there is a direct relationship between exposure to nature and health. Louv and Gatterman both believe nature should not be overlooked as a healing agent for the emotional hardships and stress that life presents. They say it is possible that the healing benefits of spending time in nature is the most overlooked field in modern medicine, though it is widely recognized that exposure to plants or nature greatly speeds up a person's healing time from trauma.
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