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Post by Admin on Sept 21, 2015 18:09:56 GMT -4
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Post by Daman Pannu on Sept 21, 2015 22:53:10 GMT -4
The issue with most alternative treatments is that they oversell how well they work; I do believe there are treatment options beyond medication that can make people feel better but it needs to be a part of the solution and not just the sole method used to manage a person’s mood. I wonder if our connection to nature is genetic. I feel people sometimes forget that humans are animals as well and no animal is going to be happy being stuck inside a concrete building. Evolutionarily we, as a species, have spent most of our time outdoors and our bodies have adapted to being outside. Maybe in the same way that our brains are wired to look for faces from birth, it wired to feels more relaxed being outside. The article mentioned that a feeling of awe induces lower levels of cortisol, I’d like to see if there has been any study looking at cortisol level before/after subjects look at pictures of nature.
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Post by Paul Moody on Sept 22, 2015 11:05:10 GMT -4
This is an interesting topic. I personally enjoy being outdoors as often as possible. I do believe there is something very therapeutic about nature. However nature as a true cure may be a stretch. Although we are aware of disorders such as SAD (seasonal affective disorder) which is treated with sunlight, the use of Soil to increase serotonin must be cautioned. There are many bacteria in soil and not all are non-harmful. Would the use of this also translate to mud baths? Now for the use of giving prescriptions for children that are obese to go to a park I 100% agree. There is an epidemic of over weight children leading to obesity and metabolic syndrome. I do believe this can be addressed with more outdoor activities. So the over all is that I agree with the use of nature as an adjunct to medicine but not as a replacement.
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Post by Ramin Ahmad on Sept 22, 2015 12:56:51 GMT -4
I find this article very interesting. I believe being outdoor in general will lead to a better well being. I definitely approve the pediatrician writing the prescription for obese children to go to parks. I find it very interesting that patients recovering from gallbladder surgery healed faster and with fewer complications when their room looked out on trees rather than a wall. I'm not too sure about holding "moist soil" for 20 minutes to elevate mood. My concern would be if that soil has been tested for other pathogens. Helping a patient with nature derived methods would be an excellent approach in medicine. I feel with these methods in ad junction with the evidence based treatments will lead to a better approach on patient care.
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Alicia Capilla Crespillo
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Post by Alicia Capilla Crespillo on Sept 22, 2015 18:34:31 GMT -4
I strongly believe that the human being needs the connection with nature in order to be healthier and sane. However, I don't see the nature as the unique cure but as a supplement for other interventions. For example, running is a good exercise but running outdoors and in the nature is even better because of several reasons: we can breathe better air; we increase our exposure to the sun light and we can forget about the stress of the city. I like the concept of “nature-deficit disorder”, I don’t know if it can be really scientific at some point but somehow I think it exists. In my opinion, I would get sick and even crazy if I couldn’t spent time just enjoying the nature instead of being closed in a room working and working and working…
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Post by Mario F Vigil on Sept 22, 2015 20:06:41 GMT -4
Excellent article! I didn’t know that Mycobacterium vaccae increase serotonin level but I do know that we are living in a world that people are confronted with a number of serious health and social issues such as obesity, diabetes, anxiety, and depression to name a few. During the last decades the trend towards a sedentary lifestyle is recognized as a major contributor towards many health and social issues. The many documented health benefits of staying active around nature include reduced obesity, a diminished risk of disease, an enhanced immune system and most importantly, increased life expectancy. I think that ecotherapy should be prescribed to everyone!
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Post by Parth Shah on Sept 23, 2015 15:14:42 GMT -4
Ironically enough, I was discussing with a colleague earlier this week how the typical psych unit doesn't have nice views or much natural light, on the contrary I found the one psych unit I worked at to be closed off with dark walls, white light and not very accessible windows. This was so much the case that in my three week rotation at the unit even I felt depressed by the end of the day. This article brings up a great point about ecotherapy, and directing more patients to it. I would love to see some studies done on the success of ecotherapy. Although some parts of the article were a bit bogus to me (the soil in your hand for 20 minutes having antidepressant effects), the general idea of getting outside more can ease the mind. Also seeing people walk around the park or on the street can have positive effects on ones depression, which many times is caused by lack of social interaction.
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Post by Peter Nowd on Sept 23, 2015 20:53:16 GMT -4
Mental health does not only include brain chemicals but also encompasses the social life of an individual. This is very important in the field of psychiatry. Of course, medical intervention is instrumental to the patient, however, the manner we live our lives plays a major factor in how incorporate ourselves in society. According to the article, “The Nature to Cure,” In the magazine, The Atlantic, asserts, “…research, conducted with actual humans, does support the idea that spending time in nature makes people healthier. Children with ADHD who regularly play in parks have been found to have milder symptoms than those who spend more time indoors, for example, and therapeutic-camping programs have been found to decrease relapse rates in substance addicts…” (Hamblin, 2015).
Thus, ecotherapists may have a major factor in individual’s mental health. Although an unconventional practice, understanding and respecting nature can help patients with mental health conditions. As the article claims, “ …And even if you don’t “give back,” it’s tough to argue against doctors’ prescribing time in a park, crazy as it may seem that they need to do so. Soil-holding remains optional.” (Hamblin, 2015). In essence, mental health does not only need the usage of medication, the ability to enjoy ecology with therapeutic care can help improve symptoms for individuals with psychiatric conditions.
Reference Hamblin, J. (2015, October 1). The atlantic , “-The Nature Cure”. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
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Post by Ramez Ghanbari on Sept 23, 2015 22:27:00 GMT -4
It is an interesting article looking at the beneficial effects of eco-therapy – nature-based activities to elevate mood and in some cases, interestingly, treat “both mental and physical” health disturbances. It is absolutely true that everything has a power to change our thinking and the sate of ‘self’. In fact, there are PET scan studies that show patients on placebo have similar activities in specific brain regions as those on SSRIs. When placebo has such a profound effect, then it is not surprising that spending time outdoor or “walking into the garden” would make you feel “better”. In fact, there are well-documented PET scan studies demonstrating that presenting different pictures produces various activities in different regions of the brain. But, I don’t agree with the statement “You have all the antidepressant you need in the ground”.
Another important point to keep in mind is the duration of response that eco-therapy may induce. For instance, If you try eco-therapy on a patient with major depression, how long the “antidepressant response” would last?! These approaches, however, have a beneficial effects in junction with pharmacotherapy.
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Post by Tatjana Radmilovic on Sept 23, 2015 23:01:59 GMT -4
Reading this article brought back some wonderful memories from my childhood. From preschool through my teenage years, I would spend most of my free time outside in the nature. I had the privilege to grow up in two different countries where families spend all of their time enjoying numerous outdoor activities. From coffee shops to shopping centers to parks, you would see people everywhere in the sun and nature, as many places were set up so that individuals would spend more time outdoors and enjoy everyday life to the fullest. Work schedules of majority parents in these countries were set up so that parents are able to finish their work early so that they can spend more time with their children. Here, in USA is a complete opposite. We have everything from parks to outside shopping centers but the problem is parents in United States do not have enough time to spend with their children because of their grueling work schedules. The system in USA is set up so that there is no time for parents to enjoy free time with their kids. A lot of parents are scared to let their children play outside due to safety reasons. This same thinking continues into adulthood and the sedentary lifestyle becomes a never-ending cycle. As much as this article gives great points of how to make use of eco-therapy in treating depression, it does not seem to take into account that we as adults fail to teach our children the proper way of thinking. We need to start implementing the right behaviors from a very young age in order to see changes in the future.
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Post by Travina Varghese on Sept 24, 2015 6:17:33 GMT -4
Another interesting article for this week. In psychiatry, we understand that stressors in the home and work environment play an important role in a person’s overall mental health. In a patient experiencing severe mood fluctuations and significant stress from environmental factors, medication alone might not be sufficient to stabilize his/her mood. This is where psychotherapy becomes necessary. And during many of our interactions with patients, we recognize the absence of a healthy social support system or social connections in their lives. This article mentions how outdoor spaces allow people to develop and foster those connections. In the past, children used to spend most of their time outdoors. Nowadays, children and adolescents spend most of their time indoors with electronic devices (television, computer/tablet, cellphones, etc). Add to that, various schools have been cutting down on recess and physical education due to budget cuts. In addition, adults spend more time working late indoors to meet deadlines and quotas, having less time for regular in-person social interaction. Given this scenario, writing prescriptions to encourage people to spend time outdoors at a park seems like a worthwhile effort. It will not only help with physical conditions such as obesity, diabetes and ADHD, but also with mental health. With patients who experience depression along with symptoms like psychomotor retardation and fatigue, I think it’s a useful supplement to encourage them to take walks often. The activity itself forces them to do something that they normally would not feel like doing, but it increases their chances of interacting with people. In addition, I believe for those who experience weight loss due to this activity, it would bring added elevation in their mood. It has been recognized that the hospital environment plays an important role in causing delirium in elderly patients. It is interesting to see that a lot of hospital hallways are lined with beautiful paintings and artwork to provide a break from the stark-white walls. Therefore, I believe that some of the practices of ecotherapy hold merit in improving one’s overall wellbeing and can be used as an adjunct to existing clinically-proven treatment options.
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Post by Ajay Varughese MS3 on Sept 24, 2015 7:39:46 GMT -4
This article was particularly interesting and evoked memories of when I was a child, laying in the grass and gazing at clouds. I do agree that ecotherapy is something, to some extent of course, that medical doctors should consider for their patients. Prescribing outdoor time and giving step to by step direction to patients who need direction I think is crucial, especially to patients suffering from obesity and depression. Much like seasonal affective disorder in which patients are prescribed to be in indirect bright light for 15 minutes, I do believe that patients who who suffer from diseases such as depression, obesity, osteoarthritis, etc. should be prescribed time outdoors if they are physically able and with caution of course. What this article brings to mind is how when attending elementary school in Chicago we had mandatory recess outside. It didn't matter the weather, even if it was 10 degrees out and there was a foot of snow, we went outside. So the question that this article arises is, does spending time outdoors become a crucial component to the development and maturation of young minds? I think most would agree yes. Another question that comes to mind is if patients who are admitted for weeks on end and have to undergo physical therapy in the hospital, will they benefit from spending 10 to 15 minutes sitting outside getting fresh air under the watchful eye of a medical professional? I think yes. Instead of patients having to use a incentive spirometer to prevent pneumonia if they are in the hospital for an extended time and if they are physically able, an in expensive walk outside might do them just as good. In my opinion this article is great because it highlights an in expensive treatment for most patients, however things like "holding soil in one's hand" I do believe is something that should not be encouraged due to the possibility of overwhelming infection. What's even better is that medical doctors cannot be sued for prescribing time outdoors, at least I hope.
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Post by Jennifer Banarez on Sept 24, 2015 8:24:43 GMT -4
Being up to date with new research and technology is a must in medicine. This article points out to what I believe would be a very useful adjunct therapy, not the mainstay treatment for any condition. According to the article ecotherapy has helped with children experiencing ADHD. I think for that study I would have to look more in depth to see as to whether or not it was the outdoors or the activites they were doing outside. Children with ADHD are taught specifically with many breaks so maybe they just gave the children an outdoor classroom. For patients with PTSD, in conjugation with pharmacological therapy patients are also recommended relaxation training, support groups and family therapy. The use of ecotherapy could have already been incorporated into one of those treatments options just not given its own category.
I cannot imagine a patient walking out of a doctor’s appointment thinking being prescribed a walk in the park is a serious recommendation. It should be recommended along with a more tried and extensively well studied form of therapy as well. Some people pay insurance companies privately or have it attached to their job so how exactly would that work out? I believe the use of ecotherapy should be that of an adjunct treatment. I am sure it has had benefitted many patients through the years and now people can actually claim a specific profession to it. But I know if I want to continue to see patients when I am finally a doctor and keep them I will never only prescribe them to walk in the park or to smell the roses because then I will probably live in a box.
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Post by Chris Yulo on Sept 24, 2015 9:14:41 GMT -4
Many people who seek reinvigoration go camping or hiking. This is not new, but, to attach it directly to supplement therapy cannot be a negative addition. I'm interested in seeing how the biochemical explanation of this modality evolves. On the bright side, this method of therapy is very low risk, inexpensive, and easy to 'administer,' so I think: 'why not just test it on more patients?' More research is definitely a must on this topic, and the only way to really discover if there is a true effect is to have large controlled studies. If in the end it works, then it works, and I am all for it.
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Post by Princess aleke on Sept 24, 2015 9:49:24 GMT -4
Great to see an Article about nature here, I love nature and it think it’s a good idea that they are incorporating it into the medical field. One thing I have experienced with nature is that it brings inner peace to the mind and soul, keeps you calm and make you appreciate the beauty of nature or life. Now listening to bird songs and starting a garden is mainly done by the old people in which the younger once are now copying, I have wondered why they do that a lot but most of them that I asked gave a reply of them finding joy, happiness, the inner peace I said earlier that it uplifts their minds and make them worry less and decreasing the risk of depression and loneliness. It makes them to have a responsibility, like caring for the gardens and watching the birds as they sing, making them to develop an hobby in taking care of the birds too like feeding them. It’s just like a depressed patient that is given a dog to care for, they both become emotionally attached which helps the patient.
As for Children with ADHD who regularly play in parks may have less symptoms maybe because they get to see other kids to play with, and their love ones around them unlike when they are alone making them to be prone to bulling, these can elevate their spirit making them to function well and socialize with people of their age and parents friends.
As for obese children or patients walking and playing at the park is necessary because it helps them lose weight even without them noticing that they are losing weight, it’s like making an effort with less stress with the idea of having fun.
Now patients recovering from gallbladder surgery with their room looked out on trees may heal faster and with fewer complications, well maybe if they love nature and tend to gaze at its beauty, these thoughts occupying their mind, makes them to be less worried and less depressed thus improving their potential of healing faster .And as for the Soil-holding I am not sure.
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