Acupuncture and Mental Health Part 2

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Feeling low? Take a walk!

Just over 50% of the world’s population now live in urban areas, and forecasts indicate that this could rise to more than 70% within the next 30 years. As more of us live in city areas, away from the natural environment the numbers of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety have risen dramatically.

Various studies have shown very clearly that living in a city increases your risk of suffering from anxiety by 20% when compared to living in a rural area. If you were born and raised in a city you are twice as likely to develop schizophrenia.

So, could getting out into the countryside make a difference?

A new study finds quantifiable evidence that walking in nature could lead to a lower risk of depression.

Specifically, the study, published in Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Science found that people who walked for 90 minutes in a natural area, as opposed to participants who walked in a high-traffic urban setting, showed decreased activity in a region of the brain associated with a key factor in depression.

“These results suggest that accessible natural areas may be vital for mental health in our rapidly urbanizing world,” said co-author Gretchen Daily, the Bing Professor in Environmental Science and a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. “Our findings can help inform the growing movement worldwide to make cities more liveable, and to make nature more accessible to all who live in them.”

 

 

In the study, two groups of participants walked for 90 minutes, one in a grassland area scattered with oak trees and shrubs, the other along a traffic-heavy four-lane roadway. Before and after, the researchers measured heart and respiration rates, performed brain scans and had participants fill out questionnaires.

The researchers found little difference in physiological conditions, but marked changes in the brain. Neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex, a brain region active during rumination – repetitive thought focused on negative emotions – decreased among participants who walked in nature versus those who walked in an urban environment.

You can read the full article here.

The next part of this series of articles will look at the effects of meditation on stress, anxiety and depression and how, when combined with acupuncture can have very profound effects.

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Read Full Article Here: Acupuncture and Mental Health Part 2