Prescriptions for nature and parks

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) – Being outdoors in nature is an important factor in staying healthy, according to the concept known as Biophilia.

“Biophilia means that we are wired to be connected to nature,” explained Dr. Brent Bauer, who holds an M.D. in General Internal Medicine. “That there’s something healthy about having nature either in our presence or us being present in nature. There’s actually a lot of research on the topic.

So it’s no longer just, ‘Nature sounds good,’ we know it’s actually really good. Those studies range from evaluating people who are in a city and then taken into a forest. What happens to blood pressure? What happens to heart rate?

Not only physical symptoms, but also mental health symptoms respond especially well to a walk in the woods, or an afternoon of bird watching.

“And in many, many studies, we do much better in the natural environment,” Bauer added.

Which is why some health care professionals are writing “park prescriptions.”

“It’s kind of, I think, heightening the importance of getting out into nature,” Bauer said. “More than just saying we should. Now we actually have a prescription.”

Studies suggest that the best dose of nature is a minimum of two hours a week, but preferably more.

If you really cannot get outside, perhaps due to medical conditions, do your best to bring nature to you.

“There’s still plenty of benefits to listening to bird song, listening to nature sounds, having a water fountain – just having elements around you that are made of stone and wood,” Bauer urged.

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