Connecting Nature and Health

by Tom Selwick

Nature and natural products are very popular throughout America and are growing in popularity as people are becoming more aware of the environment. This is not surprising as studies have shown that being near nature can improve your physical, emotional, and mental health as well as your overall well-being.

These studies have also discovered that the closer you are to nature, the healthier you will be. For example, this study found that people who lived closer than .6 of a mile to a park or wooded area were generally less depressed and anxious.

While the correlation between nature and health seems like common-sense, these studies were the first to actually put numbers on the relationship. Another study showed that there was less of a difference in health between the poor and the rich in places that were located near a green area.

Since these first studies, many other studies have been performed that have found similar results. The improvements in health were not only notable in medical records, but in each person's perception of their personal health.

It was interesting to note however that the health benefits of being near nature only appeared when the person lived closer than one kilometer. The area outside of one kilometer generally faced the same amount of depression and poor health.

The only exception was for anxiety disorders, gastrointestinal digestive disorders, and unexplained ailments. It was also interesting to note that the people who suffered most from lack of nature were children and the poor.

These studies were published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The researchers had a more difficult time trying to decide which elements of nature had the biggest impact on health.

They were able to discover that increased amounts of natural sunlight had a profound effect on the severity of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is better known as winter depression or the winter blues. The light provides an increase in Vitamin D in the skin.

Studies on Vitamin D have shown that it can help people cultivate better moods and it will help people develop stronger muscles. Fresh air and the chance to exercise also have their obvious benefits.

However, many of the researchers suspect that most of the benefits that people receive from being out in nature have to do with the opportunity to de-stress. High levels of stress can do more damage to the body than many illnesses.

In the city, it is noisy, people have to watch out for their belongings and cars, and it is very easy to spend every spare moment running around doing something. In nature, it is quiet, you do not have to be aware of as many things, and you can have time to think while enjoying the beauty around you.

After these studies came out, several buildings in several cities tried to incorporate gardens into their architecture for their employees and visitors. However, further studies revealed that people have to pay attention to the nature around them.

If they are still thinking about work while they walk through the garden, their level of stress remains high and the nature around them does not give them very much benefit. However, these gardens can be effective if people pay attention to nature.

Another study showed that people who spend time in nature tend to be more social, generous, and cultivate a great appreciation of their community. These people usually had more vitality and energy as well.

Communities and cities are looking to curb the cost of health care of those within their domains. One option some of them have been looking into is providing more opportunities for more people to enjoy nature more often.

These cities have been planting more trees and building more parks in the hope that they will be able to lower costs and prevent illness. As a result, another research project took place that found that increased opportunities to be in nature for the citizens of a city resulted in lower crime rates, less violence, and fewer social problems within the area.

In the individual, aggression is also lowered tremendously. Children who have ADHD were also found to have higher levels of attention abilities after they were able to spend more time out in nature.

The benefits of nature to the individual and society are invaluable.

Tom Selwick has worked as a personal trainer for the last 14 years and written hundreds of articles about personal fitness. He recommends http://www.weiderfitness.com for your personal fitness needs.