ABSTRACT
The aim in this literature review was (1) to explore the physiologically and psychologically therapeutic benefits of forest bathing on adults suffering from pre-hypertension or hypertension, and (2) to identify the type, duration, and frequency of an effective forest bathing intervention in the management of pre-hypertension and hypertension, so as to provide directions for future interventions or research. The electronic databases PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsyINFO, and the China Academic Journals (CAJ) offered through the Full-text Database (CNKI) were searched for relevant studies published from the inception of the databases to April 2019. Of the 364 articles that were identified, 14 met the criteria for inclusion in this review. The synthesis of the findings in the included studies revealed that forest bathing interventions were effective at reducing blood pressure, lowering pulse rate, increasing the power of heart rate variability (HRV), improving cardiac-pulmonary parameters, and metabolic function, inducing a positive mood, reducing anxiety levels, and improving the quality of life of pre-hypertensive or hypertensive participants. Forest walking and forest therapy programs were the two most effective forest bathing interventions. Studies reported that practicing a single forest walking or forest therapy program can produce short-term physiological and psychological benefits. It is concluded that forest bathing, particularly forest walking and therapy, has physiologically and psychologically relaxing effects on middle-aged and elderly people with pre-hypertension and hypertension.
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Young Adult , Forests , Hypertension , Prehypertension , Relaxation TherapyABSTRACT
AIMS@#This study focused on the newest evidence of the relationship between forest environmental exposure and human health and assessed the health efficacy of forest bathing on the human body as well as the methodological quality of a single study, aiming to provide scientific guidance for interdisciplinary integration of forestry and medicine.@*METHOD@#Through PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library, 210 papers from January 1, 2015, to April 1, 2019, were retrieved, and the final 28 papers meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the study.@*RESULT@#The methodological quality of papers included in the study was assessed quantitatively with the Downs and Black checklist. The methodological quality of papers using randomized controlled trials is significantly higher than that of papers using non-randomized controlled trials (p < 0.05). Papers included in the study were analyzed qualitatively. The results demonstrated that forest bathing activities might have the following merits: remarkably improving cardiovascular function, hemodynamic indexes, neuroendocrine indexes, metabolic indexes, immunity and inflammatory indexes, antioxidant indexes, and electrophysiological indexes; significantly enhancing people's emotional state, attitude, and feelings towards things, physical and psychological recovery, and adaptive behaviors; and obvious alleviation of anxiety and depression.@*CONCLUSION@#Forest bathing activities may significantly improve people's physical and psychological health. In the future, medical empirical studies of forest bathing should reinforce basic studies and interdisciplinary exchange to enhance the methodological quality of papers while decreasing the risk of bias, thereby raising the grade of paper evidence.
ABSTRACT
The positive healthy physiological effects of <I>shinrin-yoku </I>in elderly persons were studied. <I>Shinrin-yoku </I>or forest bathing is considered to promote physical relaxation and to have physical and mental health benefits. In this experiment the subjects were elderly 24 male (65.5±2.5years) and 24female (65.0±3.0years) persons who participated in three measurements of <I>shinrin-yoku </I>effects from 2008 to 2010. All the subjects were healthy and volunteered for the experiment. The subjects participated in the <I>shinrin-yoku </I>measurements three times of two hours each on Wednesday in the third week of August in each year. The weather at the time of the three measurements was clear, with temperature of 30°C-32°C, humidity of 58%-60% and wind velocities of 0m/sec-2m/sec. Non-<I>shinrin-yoku </I>measurements were also performed on a different day in an indoor resting environment with the same subjects under the same conditions. For both the <I>shinrin-yoku </I>and non-<I>shinrin-yoku </I>measurements, the subjects were divided into three groups of 8 male and 8 female subjects equally. One was for the visual isolation group in which subjects wore eye masks, another was for the smell isolation group in which subjects wore masks, and the other was the control group in which subjects wore non-isolation material. The concentration of phytoncides in the air was measured using gas chromatography mass spectroscopy. Heart rate (HRs), blood pressure (BP), fasting levels of plasma catecholamine (adrenaline, noradrenalin and dopamine), plasma cortisol and circulating natural killer (NK) cell activity were measured before and after <I>shinrin-yoku</I>. Three kinds of phytoncides derived from trees were detected at the forest-bathing measurement spot in this study. The mean HRs for male subjects under <I>shinrin-yoku </I>and non-shinrin-yoku were 89bpm and 85bpm respectively. The mean HRs for female subjects under <I>shinrin-yoku </I>and non-shinrin-yoku were 86bpm and 85bpm respectively. In the smell isolation group and the control group, systric blood pressure for male and female subjects decreased significantly after <I>shinrin-yoku</I>. In the smell isolation group and the control group, diastolic blood pressure for male subjects decreased significantly after <I>shinrin-yoku</I>. In the smell isolation group and the control group, adrenaline levels for male and female subjects decreased significantly after <I>shinrin-yoku</I>. Among the male under the control and the female under the smell isolation and the control, noradrenaline levels decreased significantly after <I>shinrin-yoku</I>. Similarly, under the smell isolation, and the control, the male and female subjects showed significant decreases in the cortisol level. The NK cell activity of male and female subjects and had no significant change after <I>shinrin-yoku</I>. The BP, catecholamine level, cortisol level, and NK cell activity of male and female subjects showed no significant change after non-<I>shinrin-yoku</I>. The authors believe that this issue, and the general topic of <I>shinrin-yoku </I>and other environments with natural health benefits merit further study. It has been pointed out that the phytoncides and green forest environment in <I>shinrin-yoku </I>have a relaxing effect on the human body. As physical effects of shinrin-yoku, this study of male and female elderly subjects suggested the possibility of physiological effects in which appear within a short time and consist of multiple elements related to the human five senses, including the effects of phytoncides.<BR> Future issues include accumulation of study results on the linkage between physiological/psychological responses and quantitative/qualitative data on odor and the visual sense.
ABSTRACT
The positive healthy physiological effects of shinrin-yoku in elderly persons were studied. Shinrin-yoku or forest bathing is considered to promote physical relaxation and to have physical and mental health benefits. In this experiment the subjects were elderly 24 male (65.5±2.5years) and 24female (65.0±3.0years) persons who participated in three measurements of shinrin-yoku effects from 2008 to 2010. All the subjects were healthy and volunteered for the experiment. The subjects participated in the shinrin-yoku measurements three times of two hours each on Wednesday in the third week of August in each year. The weather at the time of the three measurements was clear, with temperature of 30°C-32°C, humidity of 58%-60% and wind velocities of 0m/sec-2m/sec. Non-shinrin-yoku measurements were also performed on a different day in an indoor resting environment with the same subjects under the same conditions. For both the shinrin-yoku and non-shinrin-yoku measurements, the subjects were divided into three groups of 8 male and 8 female subjects equally. One was for the visual isolation group in which subjects wore eye masks, another was for the smell isolation group in which subjects wore masks, and the other was the control group in which subjects wore non-isolation material. The concentration of phytoncides in the air was measured using gas chromatography mass spectroscopy. Heart rate (HRs), blood pressure (BP), fasting levels of plasma catecholamine (adrenaline, noradrenalin and dopamine), plasma cortisol and circulating natural killer (NK) cell activity were measured before and after shinrin-yoku. Three kinds of phytoncides derived from trees were detected at the forest-bathing measurement spot in this study. The mean HRs for male subjects under shinrin-yoku and non-shinrin-yoku were 89bpm and 85bpm respectively. The mean HRs for female subjects under shinrin-yoku and non-shinrin-yoku were 86bpm and 85bpm respectively. In the smell isolation group and the control group, systric blood pressure for male and female subjects decreased significantly after shinrin-yoku. In the smell isolation group and the control group, diastolic blood pressure for male subjects decreased significantly after shinrin-yoku. In the smell isolation group and the control group, adrenaline levels for male and female subjects decreased significantly after shinrin-yoku. Among the male under the control and the female under the smell isolation and the control, noradrenaline levels decreased significantly after shinrin-yoku. Similarly, under the smell isolation, and the control, the male and female subjects showed significant decreases in the cortisol level. The NK cell activity of male and female subjects and had no significant change after shinrin-yoku. The BP, catecholamine level, cortisol level, and NK cell activity of male and female subjects showed no significant change after non-shinrin-yoku. The authors believe that this issue, and the general topic of shinrin-yoku and other environments with natural health benefits merit further study. It has been pointed out that the phytoncides and green forest environment in shinrin-yoku have a relaxing effect on the human body. As physical effects of shinrin-yoku, this study of male and female elderly subjects suggested the possibility of physiological effects in which appear within a short time and consist of multiple elements related to the human five senses, including the effects of phytoncides. Future issues include accumulation of study results on the linkage between physiological/psychological responses and quantitative/qualitative data on odor and the visual sense.
ABSTRACT
We performed a physio-psychological research on the mental, physical relaxation and health-keeping effect of <i>Shinrin-yoku</i> (forest walking) in Kawaba village. Eleven male and 8 female healthy elderly residents in Kawaba village, whose average age was 74.0±3.5 years old for male and 74.9±2.9 years old for females volunteered for this experiment. All members walked for one hour in the Kawaba Forest on August 17 under cloudy skies, 30-32°C temperature, 58-60% humidity, and, 0-2m/sec wind condition and walked again for another one hour in a non-forest rural agricultural area on August 21 under almost the same weather conditions. Phytoncides in the air, Profile of Mood State (POMS) test, blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), fasting levels of serum natural killer cell activity (NK), plasma catecholamine (adrenaline, noradrenalin and dopamine), plasma cortisol, and serum adiponectin were measured before and after walking. Phytoncides were detected in the forest and non-forest, all members showed a decrease of POMS total scale, BP, adrenalin and serum cortisol. Six (3 male and 3 female subjects) of them expressed an increase of serum NK cell activity after the forest-walking. One female showed a high serum NK cell activity after both forest and non-forest rural walking.<br>Our experiment on the forest-walking in Kawaba village indicated that its relaxation and health-keeping effects, probably due to walking in the fresh forest air.