Tree Hugging Scientifically Proven to Improve Your Health

by Shellee Tyler
Tree hugging has now been shown to have scientific validity after all. Contrary
to popular belief, touching a tree does make you healthier. In fact you don't ev
en have to touch the tree to get better, just being within its vicinity has the
same effect
http://planetsave.com/2011/07/22/tree-hugging-scientifically-proven-to-improv...
My Comments:
There is so much that modern science does not know, or does not accept, when it
comes to natural healing and healing energy. But then, how can you patent and pr
ofit from tree hugging?
Modern science denied any benefits from accupuncture other than the placebo effe
ct until study after study proved them wrong. Some still cling to that view and
they continue to deny chakras and other healing energy that is outside their mai
nstram science.
Likewise, aromatherapy has long been written off as quakery, Then it was found t
o be quite scientifically valid. See:
"Taking Time to Smell Roses Really CAN Ease Stress"
A favorite target of mainstream medicine dating back over a century has been hom
eopathy. Science could not understand it and it also has represented a very big
threat to the profits of mainstream drugs and treatments. Then a nobel prize win
ning scientist discovered the basis for homeopathy:
Nobel Scientist Discovers Scientific Basis of Homeopathy
Besides the profit motive behind denial of anything which cannot be patented and
profited from, mankind continues to fall into the same centuries-old trap of be
lieving that the science of today has all the answers. That was true when scienc
e believed that the world was flat, it was true when science believed that the s
un and rest of the universe revolved around the earth, and it is true today.
Just as has happened time and again, a hundred years or two from now science wil
l look back upon today's lack of knowledge with disdain. And probably once again
believe that it has all the answers.
As a final note, It has yet to be determined if second-hand tree hugging is also
beneficial - that is, hugging a tree hugger - but I'm betting that it is.
Can taking a walk in the woods boost your immune system and increase your physic
al and mental healing? Turns out tree huggers may be right. Scientific studies h
ave shown that the ancient Asian practice of forest bathing, or walking, and sta
ying, in the woods, increases immune system function and lowers stress.
How a walk in the woods can improve your health
This natural healing treatment has been used as a traditional physical and menta
l healing way for thousands of years in Asia to cure a variety of ailments. Tree
hugging health. When you're sick, they send you to the woods.
Trees: A Natural Cancer Treatment?
Researchers in Japan have shown that people who forest bath have increased immun
e system function.
The scientists recently discovered that people who took "forest baths" dramatica
lly increased their level of a variety of immune defense cells including NK or n
atural-killer cells, a kind of "special forces" cell that seeks out and kill tum
ors and cancer cells.
Once a week for 2 hours is all it takes to increase your immune defense
The scientists sent 25 healthy men and women into the woods for 2-hour walks a d
ay for three days in a row.
They found that all the test tree hugger subjects experienced "significantly inc
reased" immune cell activity especially in NK or natural killer cells.
The researchers also found that these immune cell levels stayed increased when t
hey measured them a week and a month later.
A good walk in the woods for a few hours once a month should help most healthy p
eople keep their immune systems functioning well.
Certainly a walk in the woods is not all you need to cure cancer or heal an illn
ess, but the research has shown that this can be be a powerful complement to oth
er healing methods.
How does forest bathing work?
According to the research, plants and trees give off substances called phytoncid
es ("fight insides?") that help them defend against disease and insects.
Apparently we can absorb this stuff through our skin and breathing merely by bei
ng in the presence of plants and trees. Conveniently, phytoncides also boost our
own immune defenses and acts like a natural cancer cure.
Pass the pine tree, dude. Forests - the ultimate stress reliever
But wait, there's more. A forest bath can also help you relax. Different researc
hers studied nearly 500 people and discovered that after forest bathing, people
showed "significantly decreased levels of hostility and aggression" compared to
their everyday levels.
They concluded forests could be viewed as "therapeutic landscapes" for people wi
th chronic stress.
No city benefit
Just to be sure, when the researchers measured people who took a trip to a city,
there was no measurable increase in NK cells or activity and no stress relief.
A dream for the health industry
I image a time when hospitals and health insurance companies own vast tracts of
forests, "therapeutic landscapes" and send patients into them for low/no cost he
aling. Everybody wins.
More info on this alternative and natural healing and possible cancer treatment:
In an analysis of 18 years of data from 1,296 counties in 15 states, researchers
found that Americans living in areas infested by the emerald ash borer, a beetl
e that kills ash trees, suffered from an additional 15,000 deaths from cardiovas
cular disease and 6,000 more deaths from lower respiratory disease when compared
to uninfected areas.
Theres a natural tendency to see our findings and conclude that, surely, the highe
r mortality rates are because of some confounding variable, like income or educa
tion, and not the loss of trees, said Donovan. But we saw the same pattern repeate
d over and over in counties with very different demographic makeups.
Hugging trees cures cancer
A [2010] study [by Dr. Eeva Karjalainen, of the Finnish Forest Research Institut
e] claims the tranquillity of the natural setting helps the body create the kind
of cells it needs to kill disease. The report into the health benefits of fores
ts also revealed that if you go down to the woods today it could also help reduc
e stress, muscle fatigue, ADHD, depression and bring down an erratic heart rate.
The music of the plants in Damanhur in Northwestern Italy
As early as 1976, Damanhurian researchers had created equipment capable of captu
ring electromagnetic changes on the surface of leaves and roots and transforming
them into sounds.The trees learn to control their electrical responses, as if t
hey are aware of the music they are creating. Research continues on creating a m
odel of this device easily available to the public so that this profound experie
nce of communication with the plant world can be shared with whoever desires it.
Tree hugging now scientifically validated
In a recently published book, Blinded by Science, the author Matthew Silverstone
, proves scientifically that trees do in fact improve many health issues such as
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), concentration levels, reaction
times, depression and other forms of mental illness. He even points to research
indicating a trees ability to alleviate headaches in humans seeking relief by co
mmuning with trees. The author points to a number of studies that have shown tha
t children show significant psychological and physiological improvement in terms
of their health and well being when they interact with plants and trees. Specif
ically, the research indicates that children function better cognitively and emo
tionally in green environments and have more creative play in green areas. Also,
he quotes a major public health report that investigated the association betwee
n green spaces and mental health concluded that access to nature can significantl
y contribute to our mental capital and wellbeing.
Adding trees makes life more manageable
In a study conducted in a Chicago public housing development, women who lived in
apartment buildings with trees and greenery immediately outside reported greate
r effectiveness and less procrastination in dealing with their major life issues
than those living in barren but otherwise identical buildings. In addition, the
women in greener surroundings found their problems to be less difficult and of
shorter duration. Thus it seems that trees help poor inner city residents cope b
etter with the demands of living in poverty, feel more hopeful about the future,
and manage their most important problems more effectively.
Whatever scientific, intuitive, experiential or spiritual truths resonate for us
, I am convinced that living in close proximity to trees (and flowers and shrubs
and water) has a profound healing effect on us. I know it does on me and am gra
teful every day to look out my windows and see the abundance of the natural worl
d. It always gives me hope.