The benefits of forest therapy

DrWeil July 25, 2018

In its simplest form forest therapy, also called forest bathing, is just spending time in the woods as an antidote to the sometimes-jarring sounds, sights, and smells of city life. Of course, you can get that kind of respite on your own, but a more organized version of forest therapy has now been introduced in the U.S. The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs, founded in 2012, is currently training forest therapy guides. The group hopes to raise awareness of the benefits among health care professionals, and programs are being established nationwide.

As you note, forest therapy originated in Japan, where researchers have been studying its physiological effects for many years. It appears that forest therapy does have measurable health benefits; for example, it can lower levels of salivary cortisol, the hormone that rises when we’re under stress. One Japanese study showed that gazing at forest scenery for as little as 20 minutes reduced salivary cortisol levels by 13.4 percent. Forest therapy can also lower blood pressure and heart rate and trigger a dramatic increase in the activity of natural killer (NK) cells (produced by the immune system to ward off infection and fight cancer). Spending three days in the forest has been shown to increase NK activity by 50 percent, a beneficial effect that can last up to one month.

Stress could be just as harmful to the human body as a nutritionally poor diet.

Rdmag  10/17/2017

A diet full of junk food isn’t the only thing that can have a negative impact on the digestive system.

Researchers from Brigham Young University (BYU) found that stress could be just as harmful to the human body as a nutritionally poor diet.

The scientists discovered that when female mice were exposed to stress, their gut microbiota—the microorganisms vital to digestive and metabolic health—morphed to look like the mice had been eating a high-fat diet.

“Stress can be harmful in a lot of ways but this research is novel in that it ties stress to female-specific changes in the gut microbiota,” BYU professor of microbiology and molecular biology Laura Bridgewater said in a statement. “We sometimes think of stress as a purely psychological phenomenon but it causes distinct physical changes.”

The team performed an experiment on a large group of eight-week old mice and exposed half of the males and half of the females to a high-fat diet. After 16 weeks, all of the mice were exposed to mild stress over the course of 18 days.

Microbial DNA from the mice’s fecal pellets were extracted before and after the stress to test how the gut microbiota was impacted. They also measured mouse anxiety based on how much and where the mice traveled in an open field arena.

After analyzing the results, the researchers learned males on a high-fat diet exhibited more anxiety than females on the high-fat diet. Males on the high-fat diet also showed decreased activity in response to stress.

However, stress only caused the gut microbiota composition to shift in female mice as if they were on a high-fat diet.

“In society, women tend to have higher rates of depression and anxiety, which are linked to stress,” Bridgewater said. “This study suggests that a possible source of the gender discrepancy may be the different ways gut microbiota responds to stress in males vs. females.”

The study was published in Scientific Reports.  

7 Hidden Causes of Stress

By Sylvia Huang 
We are all familiar with the usual sources of stress — work, money, love and health. Our lives can greatly improve once we address not only those but the hidden causes of stress.
Here are seven frequently neglected stressors:

1. Too much bad, too little good.
   Depending on your answers to the following questions, you might need a lifestyle adjustment:
   • Have I been consuming too much caffeine, alcohol, sugar or junk food?
   • Have I been sleeping at least 7 to 8 hours daily?
   • Have I been engaging in moderate exercise for at least 150 minutes a week?
   • Have I been eating enough greens and healthy food daily and staying hydrated daily?
2. Being constantly connected.
   Even machines have to be powered down or reboot every so often. Make an effort to unplug and disconnect as frequently as you can. Remember, there is no text, email, call or notification more urgent than restoring your peace of mind.
3. Not dealing with food allergies and intolerances.
   Food allergies can disrupt our days with itchy rashes, stomach upsets, and vomiting. Food intolerances can make a peaceful day unpleasant with headaches, bloating, irritable bowels and more. They are certainly a source of physical stress we should be actively managing.
4. Letting FOMO run your life.
   Life these days is often laden with a strong fear of missing out (FOMO). We get bombarded by images of how our lives could be different or better via the social media feeds of our friends and network. Overcome this by reminding yourself that social media feeds are nothing but distorted and heavily edited reality.
5. Being your own harshest critic and having unrealistic expectations.
   In this highly competitive society we live in, it’s unsurprising that often we are our own worst enemy and feel what we do isn’t good enough. It’s also human nature to keep shifting or creating new goals once we have achieved our initial goals. Try practicing gratitude daily so you can appreciate what is, not what should be.
6. Not staying clear of toxic friends.
   We can practice positive thinking and mindfulness all we want, but if we remain immersed in a circle of toxic friends, every day becomes a challenge to ward off stresses from the people around us. As taught in Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, draw a circle on a piece of paper. In the circle, write in names of people who are loving, supportive and caring toward you. Outside of the circle, write the names of people who suck your time, energy and money or leave you feeling small or down. Try to increase your time with the people in the circle and gradually increase your distance with the people outside of the circle.
7. Having too much clutter at home and at work.
   It’s amazing how just coming home or going to work to a clean desk free of clutter can make us feel almost instantly lighter. If we put in some effort to keep our homes clutter-free, we can have a peaceful haven to return to each day. Similarly, we can create an oasis of calm at work simply by maintaining a clean desk. De-stressing does not always need to involve fine dining or an expensive getaway.

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