How Nature Restores Health

We spent three days backpacking in the Wallowa Wilderness area during our vacation. We saw no one outside our family until we were hiking out on the last day. We slept beside a rushing creek with a view of majestic mountains on both sides of the creek. We day hiked to a gorgeous mountain lake and enjoyed a lunch while taking in the beauty around us. It is hard to describe how wonderful it felt to be out in God’s creation for those three days. 

Being out in nature has been shown to have many benefits. A very interesting study was published in 2007 by a Japanese researcher on “forest bathing.” Researchers took a small group of medical students to the forest for a weekend. They slept in a cabin in the woods and during the day took two walks of 2.5 kilometers each. Blood tests to measure natural killer cells, as well as other things, were done –  before they left for the forest, each morning they were there, one week later, and thirty days later. These blood tests showed significant increases in natural killer cell activity at the end of the weekend. These levels had not fallen at the end of seven days and the positive effects were still present thirty days later. The same researchers did another study that confirmed that it was actually being in the forest that provided the positive benefits – not just being away from medical school for a weekend.

We shouldn’t be surprised by results like this. Our first home was a garden and we can learn about God from all of His creation. Maybe we need to let Him lead us beside still waters and make us to lie down in green pastures often for the sake of our bodies and so that He can restore our souls and lead us in His path. 

"Forest Bathing Enhances Human Natural Killer Activity," 2007,  

     Volume 20,  number 2, (52) 3-8.