NATURE & OUR HEALTH

NATURE & OUR HEALTH!
The seed catalogue has been here for some time now and I have been flipping through it to see what I will put into the garden this spring.
Of course there is 2 feet of snow on the garden and it is still winter, but it got me thinking of plants, gardens, produce and our health. But it also reminded me of a book I picked up last fall called, “Your Brain on Nature” Just growing vegetation on our yard and plants in our homes can also be very healthful. After reading it, I decided to multiply the few plants I have in our house; the aloe Vera and spider plant.

I repotted the spider plant and took off 2 dozen clippings. They are now a good size and need to be put into larger pots so I bought 2 dozen new pots and covered them in red for Valentine’s Day.
I will save some for our home, but I want to give some away as well.

Until I read this book, I never realized how much influence nature has on our health, happiness and vitality. The environment we are in, what we see with our eyes, what we smell what we put into our bodies and how & where we move about & exercise all have an impact on our brain & health.

This fall our school teachers took in a day of instruction just before school started. A speaker asked the crowd what food would best feed their brain. The answer was a few prunes. What a simple and easy food to eat! We now have a couple every day.

Last summer I picked up the book I mentioned above. The authors share the results of many different studies done on the positive effects of nature on the brain in adults, children in schools and in many others situation.

Many different tests have been done between urban areas and places of forests, gardens, vegetation and even just pictures of these places. The results were always the same.
Nature can decrease anger, depression, sickness, fatigue, stress etc .

Just simple things like watching a sunset, closing one’s eyes and visualizing a peaceful natural setting, or viewing a photograph of nature can improve one’s mood, relax our mind, and restore cognitive energy.

Plants are like Vacuum Cleaners.
Chemicals from building material, furniture, electronics, carpets, air fresheners & other toxins pollute our homes & buildings. These affect our brain, influencing cognitive and emotional behavior negatively.

Plants can come to the rescue acting like a vacuum cleaner for the air.
We often think of plants & trees as only providing the oxygen we need and forget that they are also cleaners or purifiers in our environment; be it outside, or inside.

Light, water, the sounds of nature, exercise, animal interaction, gardening & everything we put into our bodies all play a very important role in our cognitive restoration and overall health.

I used to have only Aloe Vera plants in our home because I knew the gel was good for so many skin problems. Now I have added 15 spider plants as well. Yes, and the extras I will pass on to family, friends and maybe our school with the encouragement that nature can be a great help to their health as well.

Looking ahead though, I will send off the order of seeds for the garden and I do look forward to the results these seeds will bring; the fruits, vegetables and herbs for this coming year.
Happy Gardening!
Whether it is indoors or outside; to the health of you and your family! Winnie