A Slice of Nature a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
A new study of international evidence for “nature prescriptions”—a recommendation to spend time in nature— has found that spending time in green spaces such as forests, gardens, parks, and meadows can heal high blood pressure, depression and anxiety, and insomnia.
Published on April 5 in the Lancet Planetary Health, the systematic review and meta-analysis led by Professor Xiaoqi Feng from the University of New South Wales Medicine & Health and Prof. Thomas Astell-Burt from the University of Wollongong assessed 92 international studies that tested nature prescriptions in patients.
Because contact with nature encourages healthy behaviours such as socialising and physical activity, Feng said this could potentially help to reduce the need for prescription medications for conditions like depression, asthma, and cardiovascular disease.
“The evidence shows that nature prescriptions can help to restore and build capacities for better physical and mental health,” Feng said.
“What we need now is to work out how to make nature prescriptions happen in a sustained way for those people with high potential to benefit but who currently spend little time in nature.”
Feng said that this study is built upon a long-term program of research, including his study, which found that living close to certain types of green spaces can be therapeutic.
Amongst 50,000 people in New South Wales, those living in areas with 30 percent or more tree canopy reported better general health and reduced psychological stress.
This research has informed the City of Sydney’s $377 million (US$254 million) investment to reach 40 percent green cover by 2050.
“But even if you have a high-quality green space like a park nearby, it doesn’t mean that everyone will visit and benefit from it,” Feng said.
“How can we encourage and enable people to (re)connect with nature? That’s where the idea of a nature prescription comes in.”
Reducing the Need for Medications
A Finnish study published in the British Medical Journal of over 7,300 people found that those who visited green spaces three to four times a week were 33 percent less likely to use psychotropic medication, 36 percent less likely to use antihypertensive medication, and 26 percent less likely to use asthma medication, compared with those who visited natural environments less than once a week.
The two-year study is another piece of evidence that stepping into natural environments is beneficial for human health.
Dr. Gyaltsen Lobsang, a preventive medicine expert and director of Dr. Lobsang Preventive Medicare Clinic, encourages his patients to go into the forest because of the many health benefits including:
- Reduce chronic inflammation
- Boost immunity and prevent cancer
- Relieve stress, improve mood, and regulate the autonomic nervous system
- Lower blood pressure and manage diabetes
- Manage ADHD and improve concentration
- Manage asthma and improve lung function
- Improve eye health
Growing Interest in Nature Prescriptions
Nature prescriptions are becoming more widespread around the world as a supplement to standard medical care.
The UK government recently invested £5.77 million (US$7.22 million) in a pilot program for ‘green social prescribing’, and Canada has a national nature prescription program.
Feng says that Australia also needs a large-scale nature prescription program.
“So how long should the nature prescription be for? What should be in the prescription? How should we deliver it, and by whom? These questions don’t have firm answers yet,” Feng said.
“If we want nature prescriptions to become a national scheme, we really need to provide the evidence.”
