강미형
좋은습간이네요 잘보고가요
Reporter Kim Seong-hun (kisada@kormedi.com)
Walking through a forest path reduces inflammation and stabilizes heart rate. Nature is a powerful medicine for treating illness. [Photo = Getty Images Bank]
In her new book, Good Nature: Why Seeing, Smelling, Hearing, and Touching Plants is Good for Our Health, Cathy Willis, a biology professor at Oxford University in the UK, argues that nature is a cure for disease.
Live Science, a popular American science publication, asked Professor Willis for his rationale. He explained not only the health benefits of nature, but also how the natural environment can be utilized to treat disease.
-Why did you explore the effects of nature on health?
A study found that gallbladder surgery patients who could see trees outside their windows used less pain medication and recovered significantly faster than those who saw brick walls. This suggests a direct correlation between vision and the speed of recovery. I wanted to understand how the body's mechanisms work to accelerate recovery and reduce pain when exposed to nature.
-Does the surrounding plants and nature also have a psychological and physiological impact?
When our senses interact with certain types of nature, significant changes occur in our bodies. These are automatic responses. For example, hormone levels change, adrenaline levels drop, and heart rate changes.
-What mechanism occurs in the body when we see green?
Green affects us in three ways. First, it influences the autonomic nervous system, lowering heart rate and blood pressure. Second, its hormones alter amylase levels, which are linked to stress. Third, it significantly calms us mentally and reduces anxiety.
-Are you affected just by being surrounded by nature?
Yes, that's right. The molecules in plant odors are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which cross the pulmonary membrane and enter the bloodstream. Walking through a pine forest increases the blood level of pinene (a hydrocarbon abundant in conifer essential oils, responsible for its refreshing aroma). This interacts with the same biochemical pathways as taking prescription medications for anxiety.
When people breathe in the air of Cupreciaceae (mainly conifers with needle-like or scale-like leaves) and Ficusaceae, the VOCs they inhale not only reduce adrenaline levels but also increase natural killer cells in their blood. These cells attack cancer and viruses. A study published in the Journal of Cancer found that people living near Cupreciaceae forests had significantly lower rates of autoimmune diseases. After a five-hour walk through Cupreciaceae forest, the natural killer cells increased, and the levels remained high seven days later.
-Would it be effective to use artificial plants?
In a study of Japanese students, looking at a pot of real pansies for 10 minutes lowered their blood pressure. The same was true for artificial plants made of plastic. However, the sensory experience isn't limited to sight; it's also dependent on smell.
-Are there any body systems that are influenced by nature?
Children at a Finnish daycare played on concrete in one area, mats in another, and dirt taken from a boreal forest in a third. The researchers measured their gut microbiomes and then blood markers of inflammation. After 28 days, the children who played in the dirt had a completely new microbial community. These children also had significantly reduced inflammatory markers.
-Is there anything we can do to bring nature into our homes?
Let's say you have a vase of roses on your desk. Research shows that looking at white and yellow roses lowers blood pressure. Placing a vase of roses on your desk is something we can do.
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Can just walking in the forest help lower blood pressure?
Even if it's not a round of the neighborhood, even after the busy farming season is over
My father goes to the field almost every day.
This is a good habit