Nature therapy

This article is part of a series on
Alternative medicine
show General information Alternative medicine History Terminology Alternative veterinary medicine Quackery (health fraud) Rise of modern medicine Pseudoscience Antiscience Skepticism Skeptical movement Therapeutic nihilism
hide Fringe medicine and science Acupressure Acupuncture Alkaline diet Anthroposophic medicine Apitherapy Applied kinesiology Aromatherapy Association for Research and Enlightenment Auriculotherapy Bates method Black salve Bodywork Bonesetter Bowen technique Breathwork Camel urine Fake COVID-19 treatments Cancer treatments Charcoal cleanse Chiropractic Chiropractic treatment techniques Vertebral subluxation Christian Science Chromotherapy Colon cleansing Coffee enema Colorpuncture Colloidal silver Craniosacral therapy Crystal healing Cupping therapy Dental amalgam controversy Detoxification Foot detox Ear candling Energy medicine Correactology Esoteric energy Therapeutic touch Fabunan Antiviral Injection Facilitated communication Feldenkrais Method Functional medicine Hair analysis Herbal medicine Holistic dentistry Hologram bracelet Homeopathy Bach flower remedies Biological terrain assessment Hypnotherapy Iridology Ionized jewelry Jilly Juice Lightning Process Lymphotherapy Medical intuitive Mesmerism Magnet therapy Manual therapy Megavitamin therapy Mind–body interventions MMS Myofascial release NAET Naturopathy Oil pulling Orgone Orthomolecular medicine Orthopathy Osteomyology Osteopathy Ozone therapy Parapsychology Phrenology Psychic surgery Psychodermatology Radionics Rapid prompting method RBOP Reiki Reflexology Rolfing Scientific racism ThetaHealing Thought Field Therapy Urophagia Vaginal steaming Vision therapy Vitalism Young blood transfusion Zero balancing
show Conspiracy theories (list) Big Pharma conspiracy theory HIV/AIDS denialism OPV AIDS hypothesis Anti-vaccinationism in chiropractic Vaccines and autism MMR vaccine and autism Water fluoridation controversy GMO conspiracy theories COVID-19 misinformation
show Classifications Alternative medical systems Mind–body intervention Biologically-based therapy Manipulative methods Energy therapy
show Traditional medicine African Muti Southern Africa Ayurveda Dosha Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health Balneotherapy Brazilian Bush medicine Cambodian Chinese Blood stasis Chinese herbology Dit Da Gua sha Gill plate trade Meridian Moxibustion Pressure point Qi San Jiao Tui na Zang-fu Chumash Curandero Faith healing Iranian Jamu Kambo Japanese Korean Mien Shiang Mongolian Prophetic medicine Shamanism Shiatsu Siddha Sri Lankan Thai massage Tibetan Unani Vietnamese
show Diagnoses Adrenal fatigue Aerotoxic syndrome Candida hypersensitivity Chronic Lyme disease Electromagnetic hypersensitivity Heavy legs Leaky gut syndrome Multiple chemical sensitivity Wilson's temperature syndrome
v t

Nature therapy, sometimes referred to as ecotherapy, forest therapy, forest bathing, grounding, earthing, Shinrin-Yoku or Sami Lok is a practice that describes a broad group of techniques or treatments to use nature to improve mental or physical health.

Spending time in nature has various physiological benefits such as relaxation.^[1]

History[]

In the 6th century BCE, Cyrus the Great planted a garden in the middle of a city to increase human health.^[2] In the 16th century CE, Paracelsus wrote: “The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician.”^[3] Scientists in the 1950's looked into why people chose to spend time in nature.^[4] Shinrin-yoku (森林浴) or forest bathing was coined by the head of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, Tomohide Akiyama, in 1982 to encourage more visitors to forests.^{[2][5][6][7][8]}

Health effects[]

Mood[]

120 minutes in nature weekly could improve health and well-being.^[9] As little as five minutes in a natural setting, improves mood, self-esteem, and motivation.^[10] Nature therapy probably has a benefit in reducing stress and improving a person's mood.^[11][12]

Forest therapy has been linked to some physiological benefits as indicated by neuroimaging and the Profile of mood states psychological test.^[13]

Horticulture therapy has been linked to general well-being by boosting positive mood and escaping from daily life stressors.^[12]

Stress and depression[]

Interaction with nature can decrease stress and depression.^{[12] [2]} Forest therapy might help stress management for all age groups.^[14]

Social horticulture could help with depression and other mental health problems of PTSD, abuse, lonely elderly people, drug or alcohol addicts, blind people and other people with special needs.^[15] Nature therapy could also improve self-management, self-esteem, social relations and skills, socio-political awareness and employability.^[16] Nature therapy could reduce aggression and improve relationship skills.^[17]

Other possible benefits[]

Nature therapy could help with general medical recovery, pain reduction, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, dementia, obesity, and vitamin D deficiency.^[18]

Criticism[]

A 2012 systematic review study showed inconclusive results related to the methodology used in studies.^[19] Spending time in forests demonstrated positive health effects, but not enough to generate clinical practice guidelines or demonstrate causality.^[20] Additionally, there are concerns from researchers expressing that time spent in nature as a form of regenerative therapy is highly personal and entirely unpredictable.^[4] Nature can be harmed in the process of human interaction.^[4]

Grounding[]

Grounding, or earthing, is a pseudoscientific practice that involves people grounding themselves using devices by touching the earth or removing shoes.^[21][22] People who ground themselves believe that they have been exposed to high levels of electromagnetic radiation.^[23] Possible changes in mood could be due to a placebo effect.^[24]

Support[]

In Finland, researchers recommend five hours a month in nature to reduce depression, alcoholism, and suicide.^[3] Forest therapy has state-backing in Japan.^[14] South Korea has a nature therapy program for firefighters with post-traumatic stress disorder.^[3]

References[]