Episode 4 - Nature Deficit Disorder

Blog/Podcast - Do Right HEADMED

A Movement Back to Nature: How and Why Developed Nations are Looking to Nature to Improve their Citizens' Health and Wellbeing.

“To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves.” – Mohandas K Gandhi

Close your eyes and imagine yourself outdoors in a hidden corner of the world where you are surrounded only by nature. Here there are only rocky beaches, overgrown forests, endless prairies, and quiet, calm deserts. Skyscrapers, the internet, cell phones, cars, and television do not exist. Only the song of the starlings, the slight breeze that brushes past your cheeks and the tall and proud redwood exist here. Imagine yourself walking barefoot on the earth through this hidden place in nature and slowly become aware of how that earth feels against the bottoms of your feet. Become aware of your overall emotional state. How do you feel? Probably pretty good! We have all experienced the healing power of nature first-hand, whether from hiking through the Alps or gardening in the backyard. It is therefore alarming to many people that rapid urbanization in the last decades has begun to isolate people from the natural world.

The people of developed nations are beginning to see the value in Gandhi’s wise words above about the positive effects nature has on the soul. They are realizing that a disconnect from nature brings about a similar disconnect from one’s own self. The energy from this new collective consciousness is manifesting itself in an international movement back to nature. Government programs, school curriculums, and various campaigns are educating the general public about the importance of spending time in nature and also offering people opportunities to reconnect with the natural world. Even medicine is encouraging people to head outdoors and experience the healing power of nature on a regular basis in order to maintain good health. In fact, one of Naturopathic Medicine’s six tenets is “vis medicatrix naturae,” or in English, “the healing power of nature.”

During the majority of evolutionary history, humans have lived in direct contact with the environment. It has shaped our muscles, our physiology, our eyesight, our ability to think and reason and all of our senses. As Dr. Louise Edwards, N.D. puts it, “life is predicated on evolving for the conditions in which we find ourselves exposed to.” Since we have evolved with nature, it makes sense that exposure to it is crucial for a healthy life. Luckily, there is a growing global awareness that it’s not healthy to live isolated from nature and that a society connected to nature is healthier society.

Many give credit to Richard Louv for working towards publicizing the importance of nature’s impact on our mind, body, spirit and communities. In his book, Last Child in the Woods, he introduces the term “nature-deficit disorder” which is not a medical diagnosis. Instead, it is a term used to describe the growing dissatisfaction and listlessness seen in children due to their, as Louv puts it, “fixation on artificial entertainment rather than natural wonders.” Louv feels strongly that if people spend too much time indoors with electronics then they will be cheated of the restorative effects of nature. Many people are beginning to agree and are becoming advocates of the movement back to nature.

Why such a rush towards nature? Well, with increasing rates of diabetes, obesity, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and feelings of depression and dissatisfaction, people are trying to explain the prevalence of these societal problems and to find solutions. People are especially concerned about the impact nature-deficit disorder is having on children, and this is ever apparent in the amount of research being done on childhood health and wellbeing and in the amount of programs aimed at reconnecting children with nature.

It is evident that children are living more sedentary lifestyles and becoming sicker and more unhappy in the process. According to the CDC, the percentage of overweight children in the United States, ages 6-17 has increased from 6% in 1976 to 17% in 2006. This is probably because children are six times more likely to play a video game then to go outside and ride a bike.

Younger generations are becoming engrossed in a multimedia culture obsessed with being ‘plugged in.’ In the U.S., adolescents, eight to eighteen years old on average use entertainment media which includes TV, computers, video games, cell phones and movies for 7.5 hours each day. Cumulatively, that is over 50 hours a week and with an eight hour night’s sleep, that means they are ‘plugged in’ nearly half of the time they are awake! Moreover, today in England, only 10% of the children play outdoors in the woodlands, countryside and heaths, while 40% of their parents played in those areas when they were young.

With obesity on the rise and less time outdoors, it’s no wonder why our children are reportedly less happy and healthy than in past years. Today, UK rankings in childhood satisfaction surveys are low. Is it just a coincidence that overall satisfaction has decreased as the amount of people who are living in suburban areas, away from nature, has increased? In 2007, the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre in Florence, Italy published what they called “Report Card 7” titled “Child poverty in perspective: An overview of child well-being in rich countries.” The report ranked both the USA and the UK at the bottom of the list after determining the overall well-being of the countries’ children. In response to this report card, investigators in the UK did a bit of research themselves and concluded that decreased opportunities for children in the UK to participate in fun, outdoor activities was a“significant contributor towards poor well-being in the UK.” With so much research proving that developed nations’ citizens are experiencing more health problems - both physically and emotionally - than ever before, there is a growing scrutiny of the detrimental effects our current lifestyle habits have on our health. Likewise, societies are beginning to honor the important role nature plays in our health, and in effect, people are becoming more interested in connecting with nature.

And they are smart to do so. Research suggests that nature makes us healthier and happier. In 2008, the Greenspace Scotland Research Report found a high correlation between greenspace and improved health. They speculated that this is likely because people who live near greenspaces are more physically active and that this exercise in the outdoors reduces stress and promotes wellbeing. The study also suggests that greenspace improves emotional disorders in children, which, to the U.S. is big news considering the percentage of children who have been reported to have ADHD by their parents has grown by 22% from 2003 to 2007. In fact, it has been found that children are better behaved and actually learn more when their school lessons are held outside. Perhaps this is due to the fact that people are calmer when trees are in their environment.

With an overwhelming amount of research coming out showing the health benefits of getting out into the woods, various organizations in the US and the UK are doing their part to educate the general public. In the UK, the Children & Nature Network’s mission is to connect all children, their families and communities to nature. They do this through education (campaigns and workshops), getting people involved (volunteerism and support of grassroots leadership), projects (to increase the number of and access to adventure playgrounds) and political action. In the US, KaBoom! is a non-profit organization that has created a website where people can go to see “A Map of Play,” or basically a map of their own city or town that shows where all parks and playgrounds are located. The National Wildlife Federation has one goal of “turning inside kids out,” or in other words, getting children back in contact with nature so that they grow into healthy, happy stewards of the environment who show an appreciation of the natural world. The federation has a running campaign called “Be Out There!” that not only asks people to pledge to get outdoors, but also guides them through the process of making it happen. You can visit www.NWF.org for more information.

The US government is also joining the movement to get people out into nature. “Let’s Move!” is an initiative, launched by the First Lady of the United States, that aims to fight obesity through exercise and nutrition. One of the programs that the initiative encourages children to get involved with (there are many), is the Junior Rangers program that exists in all 50 national parks. Junior Rangers creates fun outdoor activities for children to participate in and gets them physically active. “Let’s Move” is primarily focused on getting children to exercise, but there are other government-funded projects that specifically focus on building the child – nature relationship. For example, the PSA campaign, funded by the US Forest Service and the Ad Council, encourages adolescents, 8-12 years of age and their parents to “reconnect with nature, experiencing it first-hand.” The campaign runs various public service announcements, titled “Unplug,” that claim that “getting closer to nature can get you closer to your family.” The campaign also offers a search program that allows individuals to search for forests and parks near their home and even awarded a $1,000.00 grant to the winner of the best idea to get their community outdoors.

Richard Louv commented that “the twenty-first century will be the century of human restoration in the natural world." He is probably right. Humans will always feel the pull of nature, for if they deviate too far from it, and consequently do not live in accordance with the laws that govern it, they will pay the price with their health. It is a proven fact that people are happier, healthier, and smarter when connected to nature. Moreover, it is a proven fact that people have a greater appreciation for nature and other people, and also heal faster when they have a connection to nature. Nature leaves our bodies rejuvenated, our senses sharper, our minds more open and our souls more grounded. It's exciting that research, along with a growing consciousness that separation from nature results in the forgetting of ourselves, is fueling a social and political movement back to nature!

Hopefully the movement is just in its infancy, for the people in developed nations need more guidance and support than what is being offered today in order to maximally reap the health benefits of nature exposure. All types of medical professions need to acknowledge the healing power of nature. Outdoor educational programs need to be included in all school curriculums (the No Child Left Inside Act in the U.S. is attempting to accomplish this). City planners need to incorporate more greenspaces within city limits, such as was done in London with the “green belt.” Parents need to be educated on the detrimental effects that being ‘plugged in’ too often can have on their children’s and their own health. More programs that give children the opportunity to play outdoors are needed and natural areas must be easily accessible to everyone. Looking towards the future, it would be a great self-gift to humanity if people made it a priority to remain connected to the land, trees, skies and rivers. For now we must have faith that one day all people will, as Matthew Oats, the UK National Trust’s specialist on nature and wildlife experience, so simply puts it, “go out and experience nature and recall that in the end, we belong to it and it's part of us.”

It's possible, because after all, we create our reality.

---

Resources:

1. Pearly. "Nature Deficit Disorder Presentation." YouTube. YouTube, 11 Nov. 2009. Web. 19 Jan. 2016.

2. Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges. The 6 Principles. aanmc.org

3. Edwards, Dr. Louise, N.D. The Basics.

4. Richard Louv, the Nature Principle. 2012. richardlouv.com

5. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Overweight Children Ages 6-17: Percentage has increased from 6% in 1976 to 17% in 2006. 2009. cdc.gov

6. Texas Parks & Wildlife, Coalition launches Texas natural resource/environment literacy plan. 22 Jan 2013. www.tpwd.state.tx.us

7. England Marketing, Report to Natural England on Childhood and Nature: A survey on changing relationships with nature across generations. 2009

8. Black, Richard. BBC News & Environment: Nature Deficit Disorder ‘damaging Britain’s children.’ 29 Mar 2012. www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17495032

9. UNICEF: Innocenti Research Centre, Report Card 7. Child poverty in perspective: An overview of child well-being in rich countries. 2007. www.unicef.org/media/files/childpovertyreport.pdf

10. Play England. A world without play: A literature review. 2012. www.playengland.org.uk/media/ 371031/a- world-without-play-literature-review-2012.pdf

11. Greenspace Scottland Research Report. Greenspace and quality of life: A critical literature review. Aug 2012. Openspace.eca.ac.uk/pdf/appendix/openspacewebsite_appendix_F_resource _9.pdf

12. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Data and Statistics. 2013. Cdc.gov

13. Barford, Vanessa. BBC News: Magazine. Do trees on the streets make people happy? 6 Dec 2010. www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11889768

14. Play England: Freedom to Play. http://www.playengland.org.uk/about-us.aspx

15. Kaboom! Map of Play. http://mapofplay.kaboom.org/?utm_source=psf&utm_medium=se-redirect

16. National Wildlife Federation. Nature Find: Find nature in your neighborhood. http://www.nwf.org/NatureFind.aspx

17. Let’s Move. America’s move to raise a healthier generation of kids. www.letsmove.gov

18. Ad Council and US Forest Service. Discover the Forest: Find forests and parks near you. http://www.discovertheforest.org/where-to-go

19. Black, Richard. BBC News & Environment: National Trust aims for nature generation. 16 Feb 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17048988