Connecting with nature is good for your health

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Researchers recommend ecotherapy for improving health and wellbeing.
Many people in urban areas rarely see green open spaces or animals. Does this matter? Yes, say researchers at Anglia Ruskin University in Essex, England. They believe that ecotherapy - in short, getting close to nature - can benefit your health.

For instance, people taking part in nature conservation projects have reported an increase in their wellbeing which comes from being in the open air. Such projects also give a sense of meaning, develop new skills and give people an opporunity to exercise. And contact with animals has been shown to improve emotional problems in children.

The charity English Nature is now looking seriously at ecotherapy, developing a national strategy for re-connecting people with wildlife and the environment. Meanwhile, the Anglia researchers want some larger-scale studies of the benefits of nature upon human health.

Source
British Medical Journal 26th November 2005 Volume 331 pages 1221-1222