News From The Wonderful World of Soil And Plants (57)

“Your Brain on Nature – The Science of Nature’s Influence on Your Health, Happiness, and Vitality”, by Eva M. Selhub MD and Alan C. Logan ND, Collins Publishing, 2012, ISBN: 978-1-44342-808-8 

This book is for anyone whom loves gardening or nature. On many occasions I have wrote about studies that show how gardening drastically improves one’s health and well being. Numerous scientific studies have shown that natural environments can have remarkable benefits for human health. Natural environments are more likely to promote positive emotions, and viewing and walking in nature have been associated with heightened physical and mental energy. Nature has also been found to have a positive impact on children who have been diagnosed with impulsivity, hyperactivity and attention-deficit disorder. 

This book gives hundreds of additional ways that being exposed to nature helps reduce our risk of many health problems from dementia to heart attacks and strokes. “Physician Eva Selhub and naturopath Alan Logan examine not only the effects of nature on the brain, but the ubiquitous influence of everyday technology on the brain, and how IT overload and its many distractions may even be changing it. Offering an antidote for the technology-addicted, the book outlines emerging nature-based therapies including ecotherapy, as well as practical strategies for improving your (and your children’s) cognitive functioning, mental health and physical well-being through ecotherapeutic, nutritional and behavioural means. A powerful wake-up call for our tech-immersed society, Your Brain on Nature examines the fascinating effects that exposure to nature can have on the brain.”    

A statement from the book that I love is: “We are long past the time when the difference between soil and dirt should be a point of confusion: soil must no longer be confused with dirt. It is a living, breathing form of nature.” 

About the Authors: 

Eva M. Selhub , MD, is a Clinical Associate of the Benson Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is the author of The Love Response has been published in medical journals and featured in national publications including The New York Times, USA Today, Self, Shape, and Fitness. 

Alan C. Logan , ND, is a naturopathic doctor, scientist, and independent researcher focusing on nutritional medicine and ecotherapy. He is currently invited faculty in the mind-body medicine courses in Harvard’s School of Continuing Medical Education. He is the author of The Brain Diet and co-author of The Clear Skin Diet and several other books. He was among the first contemporary scientists to discuss the connection between friendly microbes and mental health.