Why Does Nature Therapy Work?
When it comes to Nature Therapy you need to know about two things: phytoncides and negative ions. Both of these are available to anyone who chooses to receive them. That’s the beauty of it, you can get this almost anytime you want!
Let’s start with understanding phytoncides. Phytoncides have antibacterial and anti-fungal qualities which help plants and humans fight diseases. When you absorb these microscopic phytoncides, you increase the amount of white blood cells, specifically the Natural Killer (NK) cells. These cells kill tumors and viruses in our bodies. While helping our physical health, they also help our mental health. Phytoncides help us to relax and lower the autonomic nervous system activity, which reduces stress and cortisol levels and increases our quality of sleep. Not only that, phytoncides also regulate our blood pressure and blood glucose levels. So how do we get these phytoncides? All you have to do is breathe! No fancy breath patterns, but you do want to breathe through your nose and at a normal pace. You don’t need to go too slow or deep with your breath, but you do want to avoid breathing too quickly, as that will aggravate your nervous system and take longer for your body to absorb the phytoncides. When phytoncides were being studied in Japan they found that daily walks around trees helped immensely, but the best way to receive phytoncides and their healing power was a two-hour walk in a forest once a month. Figure out what works best for you, and implement any time with trees that you can, something is better than nothing. If you are interested in trying a Forest Therapy Walk click here to join me. When trying on your own make sure you are with trees that have green leaves. Half of the year the only trees that you can get phytoncides from are evergreens like cedar and pine. Onions and garlic also produce phytoncides so don’t be afraid to have those around your house and cook with them! Lastly, indoor plants also produce phytoncides, so beautify your home with plants that you love. Snake plants are easy to take care of and don’t need much sunlight or watering. Try it out and let me know how it goes.
It’s probably weird to hear that something named negative is good for us, but it’s true! Negative ions are a positive thing and we should try to get more of it. I think the best way to explain negative ions is to tell you about positive ions. Positive ions come from pollution, toxic chemicals, pollen, mold, pet dander, cigarette smoke, microwaves, cell phones, televisions, wifi, and more. Are these bad for you? Only if you don’t have negative ions to balance it out. So where do you get negative ions from? Pretty much anything in nature! Specifically: waterfalls, mountains, forests, ocean, salt, soil, fire, and a lot more. Because negative ions are a form of charged electrons and our bodies are an electrical system (nervous system), we absorb these through breath and touch. The breath directions are the same as described above with phytoncides. For touch you need your bare skin and because we have pores in our skin the quickest way is through our feet. You’ve probably heard about “grounding” or “earthing”, but if you haven’t, it’s the simple act of walking barefoot on the natural ground. When we absorb negative ions either through breath or our skin, our cell metabolism revitalizes and many things happen. Our nervous system and immune system are enhanced, inflammation is reduced, sleep improves, depression and anxiety are alleviated (over time), energy increases, and more. This all happens because the negative ion attaches to the positive ion and neutralizes it. We need about 30 minutes of daily negative ion absorption for these benefits. I’m sure you’re thinking, “What about the winter months when I don’t want to go barefoot?” The good news is that going barefoot is not the only way to absorb negative ions. Indoor plants, salt lamps, taking showers, indoor water fountains, and burning beeswax candles all produce negative ions! So light a beeswax candle while you read a book, let yourself take a longer shower, or invest in a few salt lamps around the house. I do challenge you to try going barefoot, for only a few seconds, on the snow sometime. I have found it exhilarating! I look forward to the rush of endorphins I get from it. If you do try it, send me a picture!
I feel so passionately about all of this because these are the things that helped me improve the most. I added indoor plants and salt lamps, I go barefoot every day (even when it was -5), I focus on my breath, and spend time with my trees outside. In two years I went from several depressed and sick to the happiest and healthiest I have ever been! Talk therapy, diets, and exercise were helping, but it wasn’t enough. I was missing a key component to a truly healthy life, nature. Now it’s my duty to make sure no one else is missing it either.
May you have sunshine over your head and earth beneath your feet, always.
