Nature’s


It Wisdoms Lessons Inspire, Heal and Sustain Us


by Christine MacDonald


Exposure to nature can help adults escape from today’s wired lives; reinvig- orate, be fitter and less likely to suffer from obesity, diabetes and heart disease, as reported in studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and a University of Washington research summary. It can also unlock understand- ing of the spiritual essence of life. Hours regularly spent by youth out- doors stimulate imagination and creativ- ity and enhance cognitive development, helping them learn. Nature also helps youngsters develop social awareness, helping them better navigate human relations (Tinyurl.com/OutdoorHealth- Benefits Research). “It’s strange and kind of sad that


The environment is not separate from ourselves; we are inside it and it is inside us; we make it and it makes us.


~ Davi Kopenawa Yanomami, Amazon shaman W


hile the idea that we humans stand apart from—or even above—nature is a prevailing


theme in much of modern civilization, naturalists and other clever souls through- out the ages have observed that the oppo- site is true: We are part of, depend on and evolve with nature—and we ignore this vital connection at our peril. “If one way is better than another,


that you may be sure is nature’s way,” admonished the Greek philosopher Aristotle, in the third century B.C.E. “Time destroys the speculation of men, but it confirms the judgment of na- ture,” Roman politician and philosopher Cicero ruminated two centuries later. Nobel Prize-winning physicist and


philosopher Albert Einstein remarked, “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” Today, more of us are looking to


nature for ways to improve physical, mental and emotional health, develop intelligence, innovate, overhaul how we


16 Twin Cities Edition


build homes and neighborhoods, and raise our children.


Healthful Nature As Henry David Thoreau wrote in his classic 1854 book Walden, “We need the tonic of wildness.” While we know firsthand how


walking in the woods can elevate mood, scientists have documented that a regular dose of nature has other far-reaching ben- efits. It can lower stress hormone levels, blood pressure and undesirable choles- terol; help heal neurological problems; hasten fuller recovery from surgery and heart attacks; increase cancer-fighting white blood cells; and generally aid over- all health (Health Promotion International research report; also Nippon Medical School study, Tokyo). Regular playtime outdoors helps


children cope with hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders, according to research published in Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care.


NaturalTwinCities.com


we are so removed from nature that we actually have to ask why nature is good for us,” says Dr. Eva Selhub, a lecturer at Harvard Medi- cal School, author of the new book Your Health Destiny, and co-author of Your Brain on Nature. “The


fact is our brains and bodies are wired in concert with nature.” Recognition of nature’s positive ef-


fects has grown so much in recent years that physicians increasingly write their patients “prescriptions” to go hiking in the woods, counting on the healthy ex- ercise and exposure to sunlight, nature and soothing views to address health problems stemming from poor diets and sedentary lifestyles. Healthcare clinics and hospitals in Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, Indianapolis, Albuquerque, New Mexico, California’s Bay Area and elsewhere have launched Prescription Trails programs aimed at objectives from preventing obesity in children to healthful activities for retir- ees (Tinyurl.com/AmericanHealthTrails). Bestselling author Richard Louv calls


the positive nature effect “vitamin N” in The Nature Principle. He contends: “Many of us, without having a name for it, are using the nature tonic. We are, in essence, self-medicating with an inexpensive and unusually convenient drug substitute.” Such ideas are commonly accepted


in many cultures. The Japanese believe in the restorative power of shinrin-yoku, which could be translated as “forest medicine” or “forest bathing”. Indige- nous peoples like the Brazilian tribe led by Shaman Davi Kopenawa Yanomami,


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32