Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Easy Ways to Improve Your Health in a Garden

Enjoy the View: A landmark study by Roger S. Ulrich, published in the April 27, 1984, issue of Science magazine, found strong evidence that nature helps heal. Ulrich, a pioneer in the field of therapeutic environments at Texas A&M University, found that patients recovering from gallbladder surgery who looked out at a view of trees had significantly shorter hospital stays, fewer complaints, and took less pain medication, than those who looked out at a brick wall.

Plant a Seed, Grow Hope: Planting a seed is an act of hope, that something will grow. "There are many reasons to conclude that gardening may be therapeutic – there is evidence for physical, cognitive and social benefits. However, there may be something in gardening associated with providing hope for those who may have little else to hope for. This might, ultimately, be the most beneficial aspect of gardening therapy." - M. Page, Nursing Times, 11/11/2008.

Decrease Stress: A study conducted by the Tennessee State University found that people who garden regularly believed that the greatest benefit they received from gardening was a significant reduction in the stress they felt in their lives. Another study at Iowa State University concluded that the actions of digging, pruning, cutting, and mulching alleviated stress and tension levels in the body. Need to get out some extra aggression? Try chopping plant stalks for the compost pile or pulling weeds. Tired of people giving you negative feedback? Plants will never call you names or nag you.

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