Continued from page 1.
SOME OF THE SCIENTIFIC RESULTS
There are good reasons why Japan's government has spent a
considerable amount of money developing and promoting these trails --
they've got years of good data and their research is getting
increasingly sophisticated.
The U.S. and South Korea are also studying changes at the
neurological level using functional brain imaging and other tests.

Sharp Top (above) does look sharp
from Harkening Hill. And nearby Flattop Mtn. (below) does look
relatively flat from this angle.
It's a little over 4,000 feet high. I
haven't hiked up Flattop yet. (11-16-12)

Four million $$$ worth of scientific studies in Japan since 2004 have proven
the psychological and physiological benefits of forest therapy to the
hundreds of stressed-out people who have volunteered to be monitored and
tested so far.
"While a small but impressive shelf of psychological research in
recent decades suggests that spending time in nature improves cognition,
relieves anxiety and depression, and even boosts empathy, scientists in
Japan are measuring what's actually happening to our cells and neurons
. . . they're using field tests, hormone analysis, and new
brain-imaging technology to uncover how the magic works on a molecular
level," the author of the article writes.

Above and below:
interesting boulders on the trail to the peak of Sharp Top
(11-10-12)

The article goes into some detail about the testing of research
subjects and the scientific evidence discovered so far. I'll try to
summarize it more simply here. I encourage you to read the article to get the
medical explanations.
In addition to psychological and mental benefits already mentioned,
data indicates that the Japanese version of "forest bathing"
also has these physiological benefits:
- lowers blood pressure
- decreases stress hormone levels
- protects against inflammatory disorders and allergies
- helps the body combat disease by boosting production of natural
killer immune cells that fight cancer tumors and viruses
- enhances the ability of the brain to form new connections (neuroplasticity)
- improves muscle endurance
- helps produce stronger, denser bones
- improves eyesight in children (near-sightedness) and adults
(myopia)
- may lower blood sugar levels in diabetics
The author of the article writes that the science is so
convincing that other countries are following Japan's lead in
studying and promoting nature as a cure. South Korea and
Finland, for example, are pouring money into their own versions
of woodland trails and fostering cooperation between the forestry and medical
fields in their countries.
WHY NATURE THERAPY WORKS
This was one of the most interesting parts of the article to me.
Briefly, the physiological anthropologist who is primarily
responsible for the development of the theories behind forest
therapy, Yoshifumi Miyazaki, explains that because humans
evolved in nature, it's where we continue to feel the most
comfortable despite all the creature comforts and technology we
embrace in the 21st Century.
More boulders near the peak of Sharp Top
(11-10-12)
Those "improvements" to our lives are but a speck in time
relative to the millions of years humans have been evolving.
Miyazaki explains, "Throughout our evolution we've spent 99.9%
of our time in natural environments. Our physiological functions
are still adapted to it. During everyday life, a feeling of
comfort can be achieved if our rhythms are synchronized with
those of the environment."
That makes sense to me. That concept was also driven home in one of
the books Jim and I really enjoyed,
Younger Next Year, by Henry
Lodge, MD and Chris Crowley.
IMPLICATIONS FOR US
Japanese people aren't the only ones who are stressed out.
It's probably just as stressful to live in the U.S. We've got
our own high-density urban living conditions, long commutes to
work, competition for colleges and jobs, economic uncertainty,
natural and man-made disasters, and other stress-inducers.
Even the holidays cause a lot of stress for
many people. I smile when I see the bows someone places on
a few trees along the trail at Chestnut
Ridge in late November each year we're still in town this late.
Patriotic flag someone from the
neighborhood placed on a tree along the trail
to Stewart's Knob; that makes me smile,
too, unless it was put there because
of the horrible school massacre in
Connecticut yesterday. (12-14-12)
We're also totally addicted to electronic devices in this
country. Most kids and adults would rather stay inside and
interact with their various screens than talk to people in
person or, goodness gracious, actually get out in the woods
or another calming place outdoors.
The article points out how significantly nature-based recreation
has declined in the U.S. in the last four decades. Our health
and human interactions are declining with it.
Jim (R) and our friend Steve after a tough but fun ride on
the trails
at Carvin's Cove this morning (12-15-12)
Here's some good news for those who either don't have much
opportunity to go to a pleasant outdoor venue to unwind or are unwilling to
seek such places:
The data from the research in Japan and elsewhere indicates that
just looking at pictures of nature helps to calm the mind and
body -- not nearly as much as being out where the
phytoncides lurk in the forest (read the article to see what I'm
talking about), but still a little bit beneficial.
There. Don't you feel better just
looking at this scenic view of
the Blue Ridge Mountains from Sharp Top??
(11-10-12)
Another encouraging finding that should motivate folks to get
outside: measurable mental and physiological
benefits have been found in research subjects even if they
didn't enjoy their forest therapy experience because of bad
weather.
The message is pretty clear that we still need to get outside on
cold, rainy, windy, and/or snowy days for "forest bathing."
Who cares if it's overcast and in the 30s
this morning? It's still a great day
for a walk or bike ride in the woods around
Carvin's Cove. (12-15-12)
It's harder to get out the door when the weather is lousy but the rewards are there if you
are in a natural place conducive to relaxation and mindful of your surroundings.
Here's another insight from me, not the article:
if you want to master the art of thoroughly immersing
yourself in the outdoors -- or just want to increase the
fun factor -- take a dog with a keen sense of smell and
hearing with you!
Seriously. A puppy is even better because everything is new to
it and must be thoroughly inspected.
Cody should have had some sort of a scent
job because his sense of smell is so keen.
(Harkening Hill in the Peaks of Otter,
11-16-12)
Casey-pup goes one further -- she also has to
taste much of what she sniffs out.
(15 weeks, 11-30-12 on her first hike up
Harkening Hill)
The five Labrador retrievers I've had have been excellent
teachers in environmental awareness because they hear and smell
so many things I'd have missed otherwise.
And yeah, they get a lot of nature's "snacks" along the way,
too. Dead animals and horse poop are favorites. <frown>
NATURE'S RX IS PRETTY SIMPLE, REALLY
There are three links accompanying the online article on the
left side of the first
page. I recommend opening up all eight pages of
the article on one page
to make it easier to read offline (click on "view all pages"), then open the three links
separately. Only one of the photos from the magazine article
displays on these eight pages so it's mostly text.
One link is called
"Free Medicine" by Madison
Kahn. It lists more than a dozen ways research supports the
therapeutic benefits of playing outside. The second is
"The Nature Cure" with the
other photos shown in the magazine.
Casey and Cody run ahead of me on the
Stewart's Knob trail. (11-28-12)
The third link is
"Outside RX" written by
Gretchen Reynolds: six natural prescriptions for
improving your mind and body. You can also open that link so all
the pages are on one page to read offline.
I'll summarize the six
"prescriptions" briefly here.
- Reduce the amount of screen time on computers, smart phones, TVs,
etc. Spend more time outside. Go "green" in that sense.
- Get out of sterile urban environments, including your house, more often. Make contact
with natural habitats to increase your exposure to microbes that help
regulate the immune system.
- Increase the amount of time you're around water. "Blue" is an
important part of our well-being, too.
- Regain your natural circadian rhythm with more sunlight.
- Make time outdoors a part of daily life. Even five minutes help.
Five days are better!
More boulders along the trail to Sharp Top
(11-10-12)
The 6th prescription will probably be anathema to some of our endurance
running and cycling friends: "train naked" as often
as you can if you want the mental and physical benefits of
de-stressing your life.
Studies show that electronics re-shape your experience in
nature, resulting in less cognitive downtime and less mind-body
restoration.
Go unplugged from electronic devices on some runs/hikes/rides.
Listen to your body and what's around you. Be mindful of what
you see, hear, and smell. Rather than detract from your overall
training routine, some quiet time in the woods should enhance
recovery on rest days.
Pretty fall colors at Chestnut Ridge
(10-23-12)
For thirty years I used to think I "didn't miss a thing" when I
was running through the woods. I've heard other runners, even
really fast ones, claim the same thing.
I didn't realize all the things I was missing until I had to
stop running three years ago and "just walk."
One of my biggest regrets re: my running "career" is not
taking more time when I did my Appalachian Trail Adventure
Run/Hike in 2005. I was overly optimistic to think I could set a
new female record on the AT at age 56. As if.
I'm sorry I went
so quickly that I missed much of what makes an AT thru-hike so
rewarding.
Two of the outbuildings at the Old Johnson
Farm at Peaks of Otter along the Blue Ridge Pkwy.
I missed a lot of similar historic places
when I speed-hiked the AT. (11-16-12)
If I had the insight then that I have now, I would still sleep
in the camper at night instead of back-packing but I would do
fewer miles each day, walk all of it "mindfully," take more time
to talk with the other hikers, and take more days off to enjoy
the local towns and activities along the way.
Jim would have had more fun crewing that way, too. The way we
did it was very stressful to both of us. We're glad we did it,
just wish we'd done it in a more relaxed fashion.
As I was preparing this entry I was looking at old
topics pages in this journal to find the link to Younger Next Year. Look
what I found in the 2009 journal: a heartfelt
entry about my need for the wilderness, written soon after I
discovered I could no longer run! It's also about the therapeutic
benefits of nature. You might want to read it, too.
Next entry: Probably a recap of what
we've been up to this fall and winter and where we plan to go in
our RV in January. Stay tuned.
Happy trails,
Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil,
Cody the ultra Lab, and Casey-Pup
Previous
Next
© 2012 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil