Prescribing Nature for Healing

In an innovative but (dare I say) natural partnership, healthcare providers nationwide have teamed up with Park agencies and city governments to promote the Nature Prescription.

The organization is called Park Rx America.

Spending time in natural environments increases physical activity and stimulates the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system, hence decreasing the risk of developing chronic disease. It can also decrease anxiety and the symptoms of depression and have a positive impact on many psychiatric conditions and behavioral problems. And pediatricians for over a decade have been collecting mounting evidence that a significant proportion of children diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) actually suffer from NDD (Nature Deficit Disorder).

But how do we take this recommendation to get out into nature and give it the weight of an actual prescription (Take 2 hours in the park 3 times a week).

Park Rx America founder Dr. Robert Zarr and his colleagues (myself included) have been telling patients and families for decades that getting outside and being active are keys to health. But it feels different for the patient to have that recommendations given in the form of a prescription. It increases the impact. It drives home that fact that time in Nature and outdoor physical activity are as important and healthy as taking your medicine (and they ARE!). And when the green spaces near a patient’s home are pointed out and clear instructions given, the patient is more likely to follow through with getting outdoor time.

Healthcare providers (not just physicians but also counselors, school nurses and others who care for patients) can sign up and receive free resources like posters and handouts that promote the benefits of time in nature, and they can map out the closest parks to where the patient lives and print a specific prescription.

In turn this focus helps park agencies get additional support to improve green spaces by reframing these outdoor spaces for policy makers as investment in a healthy populace that could decrease healthcare costs down the line.

This is not a new concept! In Japan, shinrinyoku or Forest Bathing has been used for a millennium to recharge the fatigued, and cheer the depressed. In Australia, Park Prescriptions have been used successfully for more than 25 years with great success and the California State Parks agency also instituted a program for ParkRx some years ago: https://www.parkrx.org/parkrx-toolkit

Recently, I was interviewed on Olympia Public Radio KUOW about the Park Rx America collaboration and it’s potential impacts.

King 5 News in Seattle also did a segment about this initiative and interviewed me about the health benefits of nature prescription.

The following week, Oregon Public Radio’s Think Out Loud also interviewed me about ParkRxAmerica and what it means for health.

So glad this is getting media attention and hope it encourages more people to get outside and more medical professionals to prescribe nature.

#NatureTherapy is not just a cool hashtag—it’s one of the keys to health.

One of my favorite places in the world for nature immersion: Playa Guijones, Nosara, Guanacaste, Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica.