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Nature Cure: Health Benefits of Nature

October 28, 2014October 21, 2014 by elisha

From the beginning, humans have been surrounded by nature, and one cannot deny that humans have a connection to nature. Not only is nature beautiful to look at, but it also has some health benefits. These health benefits may be different based on your exposure or encounter with nature.

Viewing Nature

One does not have to be in nature to view it. The health benefits from viewing nature can even be obtained from viewing a picture on a wall of a scene involving nature, or looking out a window. The following list of health benefits can be obtained from simply viewing nature:

Decreased physical symptoms including headaches
Better test results (in regards to exams)
Better performance in attention demanding tasks
Decreased stress and quicker recovery from it
Increased well – being
Increased mood and faster recovery from mental fatigue
Increased job satisfaction
Improved immunity
Faster recovery following surgery

Being in Nature

Being in nature can involve many different things including sitting outside, playing outside, or working outside. The health benefits of being nature depend on what an individual is doing and how they may experience being in nature. As a result, this is not a comprehensive list, but can provide insight into the health benefits of being in nature:

Decreased severity of symptoms in children with ADD
Increased concentration
Improved cognitive functioning
Aid individuals recovering from substance abuse
Increase confidence (if performing different tasks in nature)
Increased physical activity, and subsequent health benefits from physical activity

Observing Plants and Gardens

Many communities have developed community gardens and many individuals have plants in their home. By observing either of these, one can experience several health benefits, including:

Increase feelings of peace
Improved psychological well – being

Observing or interacting with animals

Observing animals in nature can be very peaceful and tranquil, but there can be added benefit from also spending time with an animal (preferably a well – known animal) such as a dog or a cat:

Express intimacy and facilitate social connection
Decrease stress
Decrease blood pressure and heart rate
Decreased minor health problems
Improved mental health
Decreased cholesterol
Decreased triglycerides
Improved quality of life

With all of these different ways of interacting with and experiencing nature, I would encourage you to find your own way of interacting with nature and embrace the health benefits that can be obtained from that. The information from this article was derived from the following resource: http://www.georgewright.org/262maller.pdf. For more information please refer to this resource or ask Elisha Cook for more information.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC today and let me help you achieve your health goals.

Your Mind and Your Brain: What you did not know

December 2, 2014July 8, 2014 by elisha

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a conference where the guest speaker was Dr. Caroline Leaf, whom happens to be a cognitive neuroscientist. There were quite a few take home messages that I received from listening to her, that I have summarized into 5 key points, that I wanted to share with you, my readers:

You are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.

Your body is a wonderful, amazing piece of machinery that has the capacity for health and wholeness. You are unique and there is no one like you. Embrace this, and embrace who you are and who you were created to be.

You have a great gift

Though most people might think that this strictly means talents, it actually doesn’t. Yes we all have skills and abilities that are wonderful and unique, but we also have a great gift within us which is the gift of choice. You have a choice as to whether you live your life happy or sad. Some people might immediately start to think “You have no idea what it is like to be me or live in my shoes.” And you are absolutely right, but you have a choice. You can choose to be sad, angry, envious, etc.; or you can choose to step out from your circumstances and choose to be happy, loving, caring, compassionate, and whole. No one said this was easy, or that it could be done overnight. But you do not have to wake up and be depressed just because you feel depressed. As Dr. Caroline Leaf eloquently put it, “Your mind contributes to the cause and healing of what ales you.”

Negative Thoughts can be Destructive, Positive Thoughts can be Protective

Not only do negative thoughts lower your self-confidence and make you feel angry, depressed, or anxious; but they can also be physically destructive. Negative thoughts can cause inflammation in the brain (which could transcend to the body) and also cause destruction and decreased connection of brain cells. Positive thoughts have the benefit of not only making you feel better, but also of protecting your brain from damage, as well as causing the growth and increased connection between brain cells.

Your Thoughts can Impact Others

Your thoughts have great potential beyond yourself. This can be explained through research in Quantum Physics (stay with me, I will not go into it too much). Basically, the way you act and think impacts those around you (and even those not around you). Quantum physics explains that basically time and space are endless, and our mind and thoughts are able to reach across this expanse, and impact one another, because of this common connection that we each possess. As a result, if we are angry, bitter, and ungrateful; this not only affects our bodies, but can also impact others.

Stress is not the Enemy

Many people think that stress is a bad thing. This is actually not quite true. It is actually how we respond to stress that is either beneficial or destructive. If you remain positive in the face of struggles and stress, you are more likely to live longer according to recent research. On the other hand, if you tend to be negative in regards to your stress, you are more likely to die early.

The bottom line is, don’t you owe it to yourself to start changing your thinking? You do not have to continue to live in the critical mindset that you may have, and you can choose to change your thoughts and perceptions to those that will be health promoting.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

The Benefits of Exercise

December 2, 2014July 2, 2014 by elisha

Many people know that exercise is good for you, but what exactly is it good for other than getting that “beach body”. Aside from helping maintain or gain a healthy weight, exercise has also been shown to have the following benefits:

Boosts energy
Encourages healthy sleep
Relieves stress
Improves mood
Lowers blood pressure
Lowers bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol
Reduces sensation of pain through release of endorphins (natural pain killers)
Reduces risk of future disease such as heart dsease and cancer
Enables more time in nature – causing more exposure to fresh air

Even as little as 30 minutes a day for 3 days of the week has been shown to have benefits for one’s overall health. With having more of a focus on being active, one might be better able to achieve their health goals.