Page 8 - Health and Healing Through Nature Article
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Wilderness Access (continued)
Intervention Result/Outcome
Vacation in nature vs. city More relaxing and restorative 34
Walking/watching forest vs. Decreased Prefrontal Cortex activity in brain after forest walking
urban Decreased cortisol (“the stress hormone”) before and after watching
forest 35
Time in forest, sitting or Decreased sympathetic (“fight or flight”) and increased parasympa-
walking thetic (“calming”) nervous system activation 36
Nature trip for 3 days 7-day increase in Natural Killer cell count increased for forest group,
which was not found in the urban group 37
Forest bathing trip Natural Killer cell activity increased for more than 7 days
Phytonides increased, resulting in more Natural Killer cells, activity,
and antioxidant proteins 38
Green exercise Self-esteem and mood improved (independent of type, intensity, and
duration) 39
Rural vs. Urban exercise Pleasant wilderness scenes resulted in the most positive mood effect
Unpleasant urban screens resulted in the most negative impact on
mood 40
Exercise in nature vs. Increased mental well-being outdoors 41
indoors
Walking in nature Improved cognitive function and mood vs. city walking
Improved mood and cognitive functioning 42
Forest walking Decreased sympathetic and increased parasympathetic nervous
system 43
Walking/viewing city vs. Forest walking/viewing resulted in improved pulse and diastolic
forest blood pressure 44
Running in nature/city Felt more psychologically restorative in nature vs. city 45
Exercise vs. non-exercise in Better recovery from stress with exercise 46
green space
Nature and Healing - David Bilstrom, MD 8
