Hi, I'm Dr. Tracey Marks,
a psychiatrist and I make mental health education videos.
Have you ever heard of a forest bath?
I hadn't until recently.
And after looking into it,
I saw that there's some real potential for it being calming,
offsetting the effects of quarantine,
and even boosting your immune system.
Forest bathing is based on a Japanese practice
called Shinrin-Yoku developed in 1982
by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries.
Shinrin-Yoku, which translates to forest well
or forest bathing in English
is defined as making contact with
and taking in the atmosphere of the forest.
And this is something that you can do on your own,
but the practice of forest therapy uses trained guides
who set the pace and help you mindfully experience
all of the forest using all of your senses.
And this experience is more than a guided nature walk.
There are some real healing effects
from exposure to the forest.
And here's just some of the benefits that have been seen
through research studies:
decreased blood pressure, lower heart rate,
increased parasympathetic nervous system activity.
And this is what's responsible
for your body's relaxation response.
Cortisol is a stress hormone,
and several studies have shown that forest bathers
have decreased cortisol levels.
And then this is a finding that I really liked.
Forest bathing was associated with enhanced immune function
through increased natural killer cell activity.
And that's not to be confused with the rapper Killer Mike,
who's a homie here in Atlanta.
Natural killer cells are a type of white blood cell
called the lymphocyte.
And they're a part of your body's defense system.
And what's even better
about this finding of the enhanced immune function
is that it lasted for a month after the exposure.
Here are some of the reasons for these effects.
Research has shown that plants and trees
give off aromatic compounds or essential oils
called phytoncides.
These natural anti-microbial substances
are part of the tree's immune system.
It helps protect them from invading insects and pathogens.
And these natural oils are volatile,
which means it can go from liquid to gas
at room temperature.
So you can inhale them.
The gas from the oil goes into your nose
and it penetrates the top of your nose,
which is the bottom part of your skull.
The chemicals then hit your olfactory nerve,
and then moves to your hippocampus
where it has an effect on your emotions.
That's the short explanation for how aromatherapy works.
Pine and Cedar trees,
which are very abundant in forests have oils
that have several volatile constituents,
one of which is 3-Carene.
And hang in there with me.
I'm explaining how we get these wonderful
therapeutic effects from being in the forest.
The 3-Carene substance binds to GABA receptors,
which you can think of as a relaxation receptor
in your brain.
GABA slow cell activity.
Sleeping pills like Ambien and benzodiazepines
act at your GABA receptors.
So at some broader level,
you can think of your walk through the forest
as similar to inhaling benzodiazepines, kind of.
Fun fact, though,
the oil from the cannabis plant also contains 3-Carene,
which has been studied to have hypnotic or sedative effects.
And that study is in the description
if you want to read more about that.
So that's one of the ways the forest benefits you,
is inhaling the therapeutic air.
The fresh air is more than just air without pollutants,
it's air laced with some feel good smells made by nature.
A second benefit comes from listening to the nature sounds.
So first we had your sense of smell,
and now your sense of hearing.
Soundscapes are environmental sounds from animals or nature.
And these are the sounds that we perceive as relaxing,
as opposed to sounds made by human activity,
such as vehicles and construction.
And some have theorized
that we instinctively find nature sounds relaxing
because nature brings us back to the basics of life.
Simple pleasures we see before us
in entire system of living beings,
whether it be plants, animals, or insects
that survive off of a few simple things like water,
light, and each other.
By contrast the sound of urban society
reminds us that life is difficult,
and mentally taxing.
Now, when you are outside,
you may not be consciously thinking of all of this,
but you realize the significance of the simplicity of nature
on an unconscious level.
And that realization relaxes you,
because remember your mind is still thinking of things,
and processing thoughts,
even when you're not aware of all the thoughts.
The third way forest bathing exerts its effect
is from visually feasting your eyes
on the beauty and simplicity.
So first we had your sense of smell,
then your sense of hearing, and now your vision.
So even if you don't inhale the plant oils
or hear the birds, because you're in a park
where there's a loud baseball game happening,
there are still benefit
from the visual experience of seeing nature.
The reason behind this effect isn't completely understood,
but it may be related to the same unconscious associations
that I just mentioned when you hear nature sounds.
The visual effect is important
because even if you don't have access to a forest
at the very least, watching forest videos or pictures
still has some relaxing effect.
So you can indulge in the experience of the forest,
but you can take it up a level by combining the experience
with some form of meditation.
And there are forest therapy programs
led by people trained in the practice,
and the therapy will include things
like breathing and mindfulness exercises,
or prompts for self-reflection.
And it's often done in groups.
So there's also a social aspect to having the experience
with other people.
And I've even seen some programs
that offer virtual forest bathing sessions
conducted by Zoom.
So get out and go to the forest.
How long you do it for is up to you.
But a 2019 study showed that spending two hours a week
in nature improved reported health and well-being.
The good news about that study
is that it included a broad range of natural settings,
including parks and the beach.
So if you live in an urban area
that doesn't have a lot of woodland, go to the park.
The denser the area of trees the better.
When you get there,
leave behind your phone or other electronics.
You want to disconnect from the outside world,
and immerse yourself in the moment.
You want to walk, pause, and look,
maybe even sit and do some deep breathing.
Watch this video for more
on how mindfulness changes your nerve connections
and improves depression.
And this one on how to relax using your vagus nerve.
Thanks for watching.
See you next time.