Shinrin-yoku
An ancient and modern path to holistic health
“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.” Edward Abbey
I love it when science confirms and supplements humanities’ collective understanding. There are things we’ve known for so long that testing these beliefs with science almost feels like a foregone conclusion. ‘It is true, and it will be true’. Science replies *Yes, it is true, but did you know…*, it's a classic ‘yes and…’scenario.
This is the case for shinrin-yoku, forest bathing. Nature is tranquil and tranquility brings us longevity and vitality. Science shows us exactly how nature impacts our mental and physical health. There is even a medical discipline referred to as ‘Forest Medicine’1 here’s a list of some of the potential benefits of shinrin-yoku:
Shinrin-yoku increases human natural killer (NK) activity, the number of NK cells, and the intracellular levels of anti-cancer proteins, suggesting a preventive effect on cancers.
Shinrin-yoku reduces blood pressure and heart rate, showing a preventive effect on hypertension and heart diseases.
Shinrin-yoku reduces stress hormones, such as urinary adrenaline and noradrenaline and salivary/serum cortisol contributing to stress management.
Shinrin-yoku increases the activity of parasympathetic nerves and reduces the activity of sympathetic nerves to stabilize the balance of the autonomic nervous system.
Shinrin-yoku improves sleep.
Shinrin-yoku increases the levels of serum adiponectin and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate.
In the Profile of Mood States (POMS) test, Shinrin-yoku reduces the scores for anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion, and increases the score for vigor, showing preventive effects on depression.
Shinrin-yoku may apply to rehabilitation medicine
Shinrin-yoku in city parks also has benefits on human health.
Shinrin-yoku may have preventive effects on COVID-19 by boosting immune function and by reducing mental stress.
Do you now feel compelled to get outside? Even if you don’t understand the scientific jargon above,the takeaway is that it’s good for you. How amazing are plants? If you consume a variety of them they repair and fortify your health. If you spend time in nature, the wilder the better, it also improves both your mental and physical health. Forests are natural havens. Get outside!
I’d like to share some of the photos from some of my walks in nature. I feel great outside, I love being outdoors. Whenever we spend an extended amount of time in nature, just outside of the deepest wildest parts, I always entertain the thought *what if we didn’t go back*. Please enjoy the sights and consider getting out into the wilderness for a bit, it’ll heal you.
This post was inspired by Julia’s Substack DeThink. https://substack.com/@dethink
Li, Qing. “Effects of forest environment (Shinrin-yoku/Forest bathing) on health promotion and disease prevention -the Establishment of "Forest Medicine".” Environmental health and preventive medicine vol. 27 (2022): 43. doi:10.1265/ehpm.22-00160