A new type of treatment is gaining popularity - forest therapy
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Specialists from Japan, representing the Tokyo Nippon Medical College, determined that walks in the forest stimulate the activity of protective killer cells, which are responsible for responding to the invasion of viruses and the development of tumor processes. The results of the research are published on the pages of the online edition Quartz.
For eight years, the Japanese government has invested in research into the physiological and psychological benefits of forest therapy.
Leading staff member of the Nippon Medical College in Tokyo, Dr. Qing Li, evaluated the function of the killer killer cells before and after the forest walk. It was found that people who regularly performed similar walks had stronger immune defenses, which especially increased during the week and even a month after visiting the forest.
During the experiment, in which almost three hundred volunteers from 20 to 25 years took part, scientists managed to find out: finding in the forest lowers the amount of cortisol - the famous stress hormone, the high concentration of which can lead to obesity, sleep disorders, coronary diseases and early aging of the body. To notice the positive effect of forest therapy, it takes half an hour to stay in nature.
Scientists noted that clean air in the forest is rich in phytoncides - peculiar substances that can inhibit the activity of pathogenic microorganisms. In addition, treatment with forest air slows the heart rate, stabilizes blood pressure, improves the condition of patients with respiratory diseases. At the same time there is no need for active pastime: you can walk among the trees, or just sit down and relax.
It should be noted that observation of the nature of gardens and park areas is part of the nationwide culture of Japan. Since 1982, forest therapy, which is known to the Japanese as the "synrine yoku", is part of the health care program adopted at the legislative level. A similar type of health protection is created in America. There, the Association for Natural and Forest Therapy was created, which means helping all those who wish to undergo the proposed treatment.
Almost a decade ago, experts representing the University of Illinois, reported on the results of monitoring a group of children suffering from impaired concentration. Regular walks in parks and squares allowed to significantly increase the concentration abilities of small patients. And those children who took part in the experiment of the doctor of psychiatry David Streier - it was a 3-day trek through the forests - almost doubled the ability to solve complex problems.
In our country, many sanatoriums practice so-called terrenkury - metered pedestrian walks on the previously planned routes. Such walks increase endurance, stabilize the work of the heart and blood vessels, activate the respiratory system and metabolic processes, and normalize the nervous system.
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