Photo: Anetlanda/Depositphotos

Throughout the years, researchers have discovered new ways in which nature is good for you and your mental health. For example, did you know that spending time in nature reduces your stress? Now, a study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that, compared to urban settings, a walk in nature lowered negative emotional affect in people with major depressive disorder (MDD).

“While walking in nature has been shown to improve affect in adults from the community to a greater extent than walking in urban settings, it is unknown whether such benefits apply to individuals suffering from depression,” write the authors of the study. The team behind was set on working with individuals with mental health concerns, since most of the research done on the effects of nature don't feature people with a diagnosis or don't pay attention to the hours and days after the time spent outdoors. To do so, they set to find if a single 60-min walk had any repercussions in their mood.

The study had 37 participants, ages between 18 and 65, with more female than male representation, who were patients at a psychiatric outpatient clinic for persons with difficult-to-manage MDD. They were randomly assigned an urban walk on a busy street, or a stroll at a park away from the noise of the city. Both were to take place on a morning with good weather conditions. Participants were asked to avoid talking to each other for those 60 minutes.

The researchers collected data six different times before and after the walk—an hour before, during the walk, immediately after, and three, 24, and 48 hours after the stroll. While they didn't find any differences in positive affect, there was a decrease in negative affect, which stuck for two full days after the walk. The participants with the urban route also experience a decrease in negative affect, although it wasn't as strong as the nature group.

“There is a growing recognition that walking in nature could make us happier,” said Marie-Claude Geoffroy, study author and member of the Canada Research Chair in Youth Suicide Prevention to PsyPost. “A simple walk in nature, whether in the forest or in an urban park, is effective in relieving negative thoughts and feelings.”

A study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that, compared to urban settings, a walk in nature lowered negative emotional affect in people with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Photo: AlexBrylov/Depositphotos

“A simple walk in nature, whether in the forest or in an urban park, is effective in relieving negative thoughts and feelings,” said Marie-Claude Geoffroy, study author.

Photo: ArturVerkhovetskiy/Depositphotos

h/t: [PsyPost]

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READ: Study Says Walking in Nature Can Reduce Negative Feelings Among Those With Depression

Photo: Jian-Cheng Lai, Bao Research Group @ Stanford University

Waiting for a wound to heal can feel like forever. And as you wait, cuts and scrapes are vulnerable to infection, which can delay the healing process. However, soon there may be a solution that can help speed things up. Researchers at Stanford University debuted a “smart bandage” that not only helps treat wounds but also monitors their healing status.

Although it is the same size as your average bandage, this new piece of technology is actually composed of wireless circuitry that uses electrical stimulation to accelerate tissue closure and reduce the chances of infection. The entire electronic layer—which includes biosensors and a microcontroller unit (MCU)—is layered with hydrogel, which acts as a courier for the electrical stimulation to the injured tissue. In addition, all of the healing processes are monitored through the bandage and can be checked via a smartphone.

“In sealing the wound, the smart bandage protects as it heals,” says Yuanwen Jiang, the first co-author of the study and a post-doctoral scholar in the lab of Zhenan Bao, the K.K. Lee Professor in Chemical Engineering in the Stanford School of Engineering. “But it is not a passive tool. It is an active healing device that could transform the standard of care in the treatment of chronic wounds.”

Although the data looks promising, researchers still have to address how they will scale up the smart bandage to other larger sizes, reduce the cost of production, and take into consideration the possible negative effects the hydrogel will have on the skin, causing irritation in some. Even so, the hope is that the smart bandage will offer a new standard of care to those who are afflicted by recurring ailments.

Scientists at Stanford University have created a “smart bandage” that can help heal wounds faster and monitor their healing process.

Photo: Jian-Cheng Lai, Bao Research Group @ Stanford University

h/t: [DesignTAXI, EurekAlert!]

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READ: ‘Smart Bandage’ Designed To Help Heal Wounds Faster

Photo: Christin_Lola/Depositphotos

For many people, their pets are their world. The love they feel for their dog, cat, rabbit, lizard—any domesticated living creature they care for—is boundless. That's precisely why losing a pet is like losing a member of the family. However, this type of bereavement is rarely taken as seriously in professional and social settings. Though many people can sympathize with someone grieving the loss of another human, society generally lacks the same level of empathy for someone whose pet has passed away. In an effort to dissolve the stigma around a person grieving the death of a pet, a new review strongly encourages counselors to take different approaches with clients who are mourning their non-human companion.

The review—titled Overcoming the social stigma of losing a pet: Considerations for counseling professionals and co-authored by Dr. Michelle Kay Crossley (an assistant professor at Rhode Island College) and Colleen Rolland (president and pet loss grief specialist for Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement)—explores the importance of recognizing grief in patients and offering them a safe space to deal with it. The report explains: “While empathy may come more naturally when discussing human loss, there are other types of loss that are not acknowledged or given a similar amount of attention by society. Grief due to these socially unendorsed losses is referred to as disenfranchised grief and can include death by suicide, a lost pregnancy/miscarriage, and death from AIDS, in addition to the death of a pet.”

Dr. Crossley and Rolland explain how harmful the disregard of a pet owner's grief can be. As the paper states, “When relationships are not valued by society, individuals are more likely to experience disenfranchised grief after a loss that cannot be resolved and may become complicated grief.” In an effort to guide mental health consultants, the co-authors write: “It is important for counselors to recognize their own biases regarding the types of losses that are worth an empathetic response as individuals are better able to heal from a loss through social support and recognition.” They add, “A counselor can cause more pain to the client by not understanding or honoring the depth of the bond shared between the client and the pet. The distress that one can experience secondary to the loss of a companion animal can be intense, and it is critical to serving these clients in the same manner that we would have had they been grieving the loss of a human.”

Photo: vitalytitov/Depositphotos

The article also highlights the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on human-animal relationships. During this time, there was an increase in the adoption rates of cats and dogs. Additionally, since many individuals transitioned to working from home, people also relied more on their animal companions for comfort. As a result, many more people have bonded with their pets in the last few years. But, even in years prior to this uptick in animal adoption, the American Veterinary Medical Association recorded in 2018 that “57% of households owned a pet with 66% owning more than one companion animal. Of the individuals surveyed, approximately 80% consider their pets to be family members, 17% consider them to be a companion and only 3% consider them property.”

Ultimately, the article strongly urges counselors to consider pet bereavement with equal empathy to human losses, which are given greater acknowledgment by society, and provide safe spaces for clients to work through their grief. “Giving a voice to individuals grieving a disenfranchised loss is one way in which counselors can help clients through pet loss,” the co-authors advise. “It is also important to integrate pet loss work into counseling interventions and coping strategies that are already being used in the therapeutic space.”

A new review recommends that counselors take the loss of a pet more seriously for their clients.

Photo: anjajuli/Depositphotos

h/t: [IFL Science]

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READ: Counselors Are Urged To Take the Death of Their Clients’ Pets More Seriously

Photo: MitaStockImages/Depositphotos

Around the world, governments and health organizations have come up with regulations and campaigns to deter the use of cigarettes, from graphic warnings on labels to the push for smoke-free areas. Now, New Zealand has adopted a stricter approach that aims to put an end to tobacco use for good. After they were announced last year, the parliament has passed a series of anti-smoking laws, including one that means anyone born in 2009 or later will never be able to buy cigarettes or any other tobacco products.

“We want to make sure young people never start smoking so we will make it an offense to sell or supply smoked tobacco products to new cohorts of youth,” says Associate health minister Ayesha Verrall. “People aged 14 when the law comes into effect will never be able to legally purchase tobacco.”

Besides the annually rising smoking age—a law believed to be the first of its kind in the world—the legal amount of nicotine in tobacco products will be reduced dramatically, and the amount of retailers that can sell them will be cut by 90%, from 6,000 to 600. Cigarettes will no longer be sold in supermarkets and corner stores, and can now only be purchased at specialty tobacco stores.

These efforts strengthen New Zealand's mission to be smoke-free by 2025. According to government statistics, the smoking rate is at a historical low, given that only 8% of New Zealand adults smoke every day, down from 9.4% last year. The initiatives hope to lower that number to less than 5% in the next two years.

On top of that, these new rules hope to close the life expectancy gap between Māori and Pacific communities and non-Māori citizens, which is as high as 25% for women. The overall smoking rate of these groups is 19.9%, which has come down from 22.3% a year ago. The government has also increased funding for health services and campaigns, and launched quitting services designed with these communities in mind.

“This legislation accelerates progress towards a smokefree future,” says Verrall. “Thousands of people will live longer, healthier lives and the health system will be $5 billion better off from not needing to treat the illnesses caused by smoking, such as numerous types of cancer, heart attacks, strokes, amputations.” And since New Zealand boasts a universal healthcare system, these changes mean a huge victory for public health.

New Zealand has passed a series of strict anti-smoking laws, including one that means anyone born in 2009 or later will never be able to buy cigarettes or any other tobacco products.

Photo: vichie81/Depositphotos

Besides the annually rising smoke age, the legal amount of nicotine in tobacco products will be reduced dramatically, and the amount of retailers that can sell them will be cut by 90%.

Photo: Nomadsoul1/DepositPhotos

h/t: [BBC]

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Photo: CREATISTA/Depositphotos

Have you heard of green exercise? The term—developed by University of Essex in 2003—refers to recreation and spending time in nature. It encompasses “green care” which is using nature for healing purposes. Such therapeutic interventions were put to a true test during the COVID-19 pandemic. People were locked down at home, with outdoors being the safest space to see others. A new study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that therapeutic community gardening decreased loneliness across this troubled period, while also bolstering life satisfaction and well-being.

The paper drew on a study of 53 participants who University of Essex researchers tracked from 2019 to 2022. Most had pre-existing mental health issues and were regular visitors to therapeutic community gardens run by the charity Trust Links throughout the pandemic. The results showed that overall loneliness among participants, as self-reported and scored, declined despite the rising levels across British society. Impressively, self-reported life satisfaction and mental well-being increased a whopping 9%. In short, gardening can help individuals with mental health troubles cope and even improve thier well-being in times of societal crisis.

Dr. Carly Wood of the University of Essex says: “There is growing evidence to support the use of nature-based interventions for the treatment of mental ill-health and great potential to upscale the use of therapeutic community gardening through the Government and NHS’ Green Social Prescribing agenda. The pandemic drew this clearly into focus and showed that even as we coped with unprecedented disruption and upheaval community gardening has the power to help some of society’s most vulnerable people. I’m hoping this study will show the power of therapeutic community gardening and inspire more research into its benefits.”

Trust Links is excited by the research, too. Matt King, the chief executive, noted, “Through this evaluation with the University of Essex it is clear that our Growing Together therapeutic community gardening projects have a powerful impact on mental health and wellbeing, improving connections with other people, providing positive activities, giving people’s lives meaning and hope, and enabling people to spend time outdoors with nature. Further investment in these services will help reduce demand on the NHS and social care, helping us to grow communities and transform lives.”

A study of community gardening opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the pursuit reduced the loneliness felt by many.

Photo: JULIEF514/Depositphotos

While loneliness among participants decreased, well-being and life satisfaction rose.

Photo: LONDONDEPOSIT/Depositphotos

h/t: [reddit]

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READ: Study Shows Therapeutic Community Gardening Reduced Loneliness During the Pandemic

Photo: celiafoto/Depositphotos

We all love our animal friends, and there's nothing better than spending some downtime with a loyal canine companion. In fact, science now suggests that interaction with a pet is comparable to one with human friends. According to the new study, petting and stroking our furry friends may even give us the same benefits as socializing, and the evidence of it lies in our neurology.

Previous research has proven that the prefrontal cortex of the brain is a key region that's active during different aspects of socializing, and in processing social interactions. The ability to understand what another person might be thinking and understanding the self in relation to others are both related to this frontal area of our brains. This means that the frontal lobe is also important for investigating the impact and effects of our interactions between humans and animals.

In this latest study, the participants first had interactions with real dogs—a 6-year-old female Jack Russell Terrier, a 4-year-old female Goldendoodle, and a 4-year-old Golden Retriever. They then interacted with a plush animal—a toy lion called Leo that had a hot water bottle tucked into the body to simulate the sensation of soft fur, animal body temperature, and the weight of a dog.

The researchers measured the oxygenated, deoxygenated, and total hemoglobin and oxygen saturation of the blood in the frontal lobe of the participants' brains, to assess their brain activity while they spent time in physical contact with the real animals. They then measured the same with the interactions with the inanimate Leo. The study proved a greater activation in this socially related part of the brain when the study participants interacted with the real dogs, in comparison with their interactions with the toy lion.

Interacting with an animal is an important social opportunity that becomes emotionally relevant and important, say the researchers. This kind of research also points to the value of close animals to vulnerable people in our society. There are many people whose opportunities for regular social contact are reduced; such as the elderly, those with cognitive differences, and people experiencing homelessness. “Integrating animals into therapeutic interventions might therefore be a promising approach for improving emotional involvement and attention,” the researchers explain. So, the evidence ultimately suggests that more time with your dog is as good as hanging out in the company of other humans—the activity in our brains show us this best.

A recent study has revealed that petting dogs may give us the same benefits as socializing with our human friends.

Photo: Yuliasis/Depositphotos

The research showed that interacting with dogs activates the prefrontal cortex of the brain, the same area that is active during social interactions with other humans.

Photo: Ijsphotography/Depositphotos

h/t: [IFLScience]

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Photo: tupungato/Depositphotos

Mental health issues are on the rise, and the impact of the pandemic hasn't helped to stem the tide. There are many ways to improve our mental well-being. Recent studies have shown that art and culture opportunities can boost our mental health—including lowering our anxiety and depression and even improving our critical thinking skills. Doctors in Brussels are taking this kind of research seriously and are putting academic papers into action. They can now prescribe a museum or gallery visit in the city to combat those encroaching blues.

This innovative initiative is a pilot program that grants museum visits the status of psychological treatment. The program currently partners with four of Brussels' museums and an arts center. Johan Newell, a psychiatrist at Brugmann University Hospital, emphasizes that the museum visits are not meant to be a solution, but a tool in the healing process, along with other interventions like therapy, medication, and lifestyle adjustments. “I think almost anyone could benefit from it,” he says. Patients will consult with their doctors before and after their outings.

Patients given a museum prescription are granted free entrance to explore the ancient underground pathways of the Sewer Museum, take a slow amble through the galleries of the contemporary CENTRALE, and lose themselves amongst the ancient textiles at the Fashion and Lace Museum, among other activities.

But what evidence is there that this new approach actually works? According to a review from the World Health Organization, results from over 3,000 studies over two decades have identified that the arts play a major role in the prevention of ill health, promotion of health, and management and treatment of illness across a person's lifespan. “The beneficial impact of the arts could be furthered through acknowledging and acting on the growing evidence base,” the literature states. It also suggests the promoting of arts engagement at the individual, local and national levels as well as supporting cross-sectoral collaboration, as the Brussels doctors and museums are doing.

Montreal was the first city in the world to initiate museum prescriptions as a treatment tool. “By offering free admission to a safe, welcoming place, a relaxing, revitalizing experience, a moment of respite, and an opportunity to strengthen ties with loved ones, MMFA-MFdC Museum Prescriptions contribute to the patient’s well-being and recovery,” the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts website explains. Its projects don't only assist people with mental health concerns, but also offer help to those with eating disorders, on the autism spectrum, people with intellectual challenges, epilepsy, cancer, Alzheimer's, and the elderly.

Research from the University of London reveals that when a person views an artwork they find particularly beautiful, it releases dopamine into the brain—we literally get the same natural chemical hit when looking at cultural items of wonder or beauty as we do when we fall in love. This is, in fact, not new thinking in the history of our species. The German philosopher Hegel thought that art provided intuitive benefits to the viewer by showing us what earthly and divine freedom can look like. Plato, too, believed that the arts were powerful shapers of character, directly influencing our emotions and outlook.

This is more than the proverbial apple a day; perhaps if we all spent time exploring our local museums and galleries, we will know a deeper sense of fulfillment and connection. And if you're in Brussels and your depression has hit too hard, a prescription for free entrance to a museum might be just what your doctor orders.

Doctors in Brussels can now prescribe museum visits to patients struggling with their mental health.

Photo: giuseppemasci.me.com/Depositphotos

The prescribed museum visits are not meant to be a solution but are a part of a broader treatment plan.

Photo: anyaberkut/Depositphotos

Studies have shown that art and culture opportunities can boost our mental health.

Photo: Vicdemi/ Depositphotos

h/t: [Open Culture]

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READ: Doctors in Brussels Can Now Prescribe Museum Visits For Mental Health

Photo: slgckgc via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

In late summer 2014, no one could open up their social media feeds without encountering countless videos of people—from one's friends to celebrities—dumping buckets of icy cold water over their heads. The viral trend known as the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge began as a way to raise awareness and funds for research into ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The progressive neurological disease impairs nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, resulting in a loss of muscle control. The disease causes heartbreak for many families, so improving care methods is critical. What at the time might have seemed like not much more than a viral trend ended up raising over $115 million; and, as recently announced, it helped fund a new ALS drug.

The #ALSIceBucketChallenge was so popular that the likes of Kim Kardashian, Bill Gates, the entire freshman class of universities, and even Kermit the Frog got in on the action. Often responding to a nomination from a friend, one simply made a quick dedication to the cause, and dumped some ice water over their  head on film. From there, they’d pledge to donate to the ALS Association and nominate others to take on the challenge and do the same.

In recent years, the results of this massive funding campaign have become apparent. By 2019, research output funded by the association had increased by 20% with more gains expected. The clinical network working on research was expanded, according to a statement from the ALS Association. The pace of discovery accelerated and the association just announced a new milestone. Of the money raised by the challenge, $2.2 million helped fund a drug which was just approved for use by the FDA to treat ALS patients.

“We thank the millions of people who donated, participated, and enabled us to invest in promising therapies like AMX0035 that will immediately help people living with ALS,” said Calaneet Balas, president and CEO of the ALS Association. “This is a victory for the entire ALS community, which came together to advocate for early approval [of the treatment].” The drug is not a cure, but it slows the effects of the neurodegenerative disease. Certainly it is evidence of the power of social media when used for good, and the impact electronic community can have on society as a whole.

2014's viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge helped raised over $115 million for ALS research across 130 projects, including the development of a new drug to treat ALS.

Heidi Klum helps Tim Gunn with the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in NYC on September 5, 2014. (Photo: FASHIONSTOCK/Depositphotos)

The massive social media trend served a good cause, bringing awareness to and raising funds for ALS research.

h/t: [NPR]

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Photo: AndrewLozovyi/Depositphotos

Do you move at every opportunity, or are you more of a couch potato? Many of us sit for long stretches at work or enjoy a good Netflix binge in our downtime. But, this all means that we don't move as much as we should for optimal health. A new study published in Jama International Medicine confirms that the more you walk, the lower your risk of cancer and other conditions. Quality is important, too. The higher the intensity of steps, the better the overall benefits of the exercise.

There is a caveat, however. The advantages of walking seem to level out once you've done around 10,000 steps. So, should we be aiming to walk this amount every day?

If you have a watch that doubles as a step counter, you may already be clocking your miles. This also seemingly offers a very clear guideline; if you put in your 10,000 steps, you're walking the path to health and happiness, right? But our bodies are not perfect machines, and we have the complexities of genetics and other lifestyle factors to contend with. Additionally, it's not as simple as if your health drops with any step less than 10,000, or over that number, your health and well-being curve keeps increasing.

The general consensus is that keeping your step count up is ultimately better for your body. The same study found that the people who take 10,000 steps have a lower risk of cancer than those who take 8,000 and a lower risk than those who take 6,000. But step counts above 10,000 have a similar risk and health benefit as hitting it, so you don't have to push yourself to do much more than that.

A similar study found that our risk of dementia also decreases with the more steps we take every day. The people who took 3,800 steps had roughly half the reduced risk for dementia as people who took 9,800 steps. For those who are too comfortable on the couch, even the lower number would be an excellent step count to aim for as a start.

Middle-aged and senior folks have been shown to reduce their chances of early death through daily step counts. Elderly women who take 4,400 steps per day are better off than those who take 2,700 per day, and more is even better. Middle-aged people who take more than 7,000 steps have a 50% to 70% reduced risk of dying, compared with people who take fewer than 7,000 steps per day. And if you want to reduce your chances of diabetes or joint stiffness, similar results were shown for reducing both of these through increasing step counts each day.

So make sure you get up and take movement breaks during your day—even if it's walking to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. It's not just the routine 30 minutes of scheduled exercise that keeps us healthy. As science has shown, it's every step that counts.

A new study confirms that the more you walk, the better it is for your health, although the benefits level out at around 10,000 steps a day.

Photo: HayDmitriy/Depositphotos

Walking up to 10,000 steps a day also reduces the chances of dementia and joint stiffness and is great for increasing the health and longevity of middle-aged and elderly people.

Photos: olechowski/Depositphotos

h/t: [Lifehacker]

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Photo: TENKENDE/Depositphotos

Diet is a critical factor to individual health. Along with determining your intake of vitamins and minerals, diet can be protective against certain serious health concerns which may develop over time. Among these concerns are cancers of the digestive system, such as colon cancer. A new meta-analysis paper published in Frontiers of Public Health demonstrates that a plant-based diet can be protective against a variety of cancers affecting the digestive system. In short, eating your veggies is protective in a metaphorically similar way to a seatbelt or sunscreen.

Researchers at the Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine searched five English databases—including PubMed, Medline, Embase, Web of Science databases, and Scopus—for studies linking diets to cancers of the digestive system. The studies they collected included a total of 3,059,009 subjects. The results of the studies were meta-analyzed for effect sizes and confidence intervals. Essentially, the researchers wanted to collect the already discovered correlations between different populations and incidences of cancer.

“The overall analysis concluded that plant-based diets played a protective role in the risk of digestive system neoplasms,” the paper concludes. A neoplasm is abnormal tissue mass which grows in ways it shouldn't. They can be cancerous or benign. By looking at subgroups from the meta-analysis, the researchers also “demonstrated that the plant-based diets reduced the risk of cancers, especially pancreatic, colorectal, rectal, and colon cancers, in cohort studies. The correlation between vegan and other plant-based diets was compared using Z-tests, and the results showed no difference.”

Do you have to go vegan to reap these benefits? This might be unrealistic or undesirable for many people, but the study certainly shows that eating your veggies and transitioning towards a more plant-based diet could reap rewards in the long run.

A study has discovered that plant-based diets are protective against a variety of digestive system cancers.

Photo: MAGICMINE/Depositphotos

h/t: [The Vegan Herald]

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READ: Study Finds Plant-Based Diets Protect Against Digestive Cancers