Green Care

Have you ever wondered about an alternative to drugs or therapy? What if your doctor could give you a prescription to work on a farm?

Well, if you live in Europe, this might be a reality for you. Norway, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom have recently begun to include ‘green care farms’ in their mental and social health programs.

How does it work?

A doctor or psychiatrist can refer a patient to work on a ‘care farm’ for a continuous period or as a weekly activity. In some countries, social workers or occupational therapists may also suggest that their clients seek out work on a care farm. Farmers are paid for providing this service and also benefit from the added workers.

Who gets a prescription?

At one time, the focus of green care programs was on people struggling with psychiatric difficulties and those with intellectual disabilities. However, green care has since grown to include people suffering from addictions, burnout, and chronic unemployment, as well as the elderly and young children. And in some countries, it’s growing by leaps and bounds. For example, in the Netherlands, the number of green care farms recently rose more than a thousand-fold, from 75 care farms in 1998 to more than 800 in 2008.

What are the benefits?

Participants in these programs are reporting great benefits, and many have expressed the importance of being involved in the entire lifecycle of plants - from seeds to harvest. Working with nature becomes a metaphor for their own struggles and journeys in life as they notice and reflect on natural and seasonal cycles of life and death.

The bottom line

While medication sometimes seems to be the easiest route (and in some cases is necessary), getting outside is being proven again and again to be important to human health, and therefore could at least enhance the effects of medication. 

Many of the veterans I've talked to who are involved in organic farming are reporting that:

1) working on a farm complements their prescribed medications and/or therapy, or

2) they don't need medication because working in the garden or on the farm is very effective in managing their symptoms related to post-traumatic distress, and

3) they've known other veterans who were able to come off their anti-anxiety meds and sleep aids after working on a farm for a while

We need to start pushing our medical professionals to become aware of this research, and to start looking at alternative avenues to supporting our health and well-being!

References

Di Iacovo, Francesco, and O’Connor, Deirdre (Eds). (2009). Supporting policies for social farming in Europe: Progressing multifunctionality in responsive rural areas. Press Service srl, Sesto Fiorentino (FI). Retrieved from http://sofar.unipi.it/index_file/arsia_So.Far-EU_def.pdf

Elings, Marjolein and Hassink, Jan. (2008). Green care farms, a safe community between illness or addiction and the wider society. Therapeutic Communities, 29(3), 310-322.

Hickey, Brendan. (2008). Lothlorien Community: A holistic approach to recovery from mental health problems. Therapeutic Communities, 29(3), 261-272.

Hine, Rachel, Peacock, Jo, and Pretty, Jules. (2008). Care farming in the UK: Contexts, benefits and links with therapeutic communities. International Journal of Therapeutic Communities, 29(3), 245-260.

Mind (2007a). Ecotherapy: The green agenda for mental health (executive summary). Retrieved from http://www.mind.org.uk/assets/0000/2139/ecotherapy_executivesummary.pdf

Mind (2007b). Ecotherapy: The green agenda for mental health. Retrieved from http://www.mind.org.uk/assets/0000/2138/ecotherapy_report.pdf

Blood Pressure ... and Nature Walks?

Are you on blood pressure medication? Bet your doctor didn’t tell you to take daily walks in the forest. She did probably tell you to lower your stress levels, but this conversation was most likely focused on your work, perhaps how much you are working, and identifying other areas of stress in your life. And maybe you are now taking daily walks outside, but down the busy street during your lunch-time break.

Ever stop to wonder about the effects of an urban versus a nature walk? How about how the view from your office window might affect your blood pressure? Then you might be interested in two experiments by Terry Hartig’s research team.

Experiment 1
1) The researchers tested participants while sitting either in a room with a view of trees or a room with no window. 

Results: Blood pressure decreased for the people in the room with the view, but increased for those in the room with no window. 

Experiment 2
2) They took research participants walking, in either a nature reserve or a medium-density housing development.

Results: The participants who walked in the nature reserve experienced a decrease in blood pressure and reported a decline in feelings of anger and aggression, while those who walked in the urban setting experienced an increase in all three areas (including blood pressure).

 

The bottom line

Exercise is considered important for lowering your blood pressure, and the associated stress emotions. However, you might want to where you exercise. It might make a world of difference!

References

Hartig, T., Evans, G. W., Jamner, L. D., Davis, D. S., and Gärling, T. (2003). Tracking restoration in natural and urban field settings. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23(2), 109-123.

Motherhood Musings

Since our son was born, my husband and I have spent a lot of time looking at and reading books with him, and I’m often struck by the huge number of children’s stories that feature animals, insects, plants, rocks, the moon and stars, oceans, rivers and lakes.

Most of the animals talk and have relationships with one another, with human beings, and with the readers. The animals are not the passive animals that we adults tend to think them to be—they are animated and wise, cunning and clever with wonderful senses of humour. They do both fun and foolish things when the humans aren’t watching—talk to one another, play together, and make fun of the humans.

And this leads me to wonder, at what point do we begin to assume that other animals are passive and less clever than us? At what point does nature lose its enchantment?