Can the forest heal? Are essential oils of any real benefit?
One of the benefits of leaving “work hell” is the opportunity to read books and deeply delve into subjects. Previously when I read articles on the benefits of x or y, I was interested, but always skeptical. How deep was the science? One study? Twenty studies? How rigorous, how proven is the science? Turns out, many of the preliminary studies proclaimed in the media, upon deeper review… were false.
Reading a book allows you to enter the mind of someone who has read all the studies, talked to all the experts. A book allows you to go on a journey of discovery, follow along as someone invested years in discovering a deeper truth. I have blogged about minimalism, the benefits of being near water, the benefits of embracing nature. I have been fascinated by the science backing up what I have been living the past five months.
I have previously read articles on the benefits of aroma therapy with skepticism. Hippie hokum I had always suspected. Currently though, I have been diving into another book that has touted the current research ongoing in Japan, Korea, Europe and the US… all supporting the strong health benefits of spending time in a forest. Stress reduction, changes in blood chemistry, lasting impacts on the brain. I have also read about the forest impact on the level natural killer cells (NK cells). I didn’t even know what a killer cell is:
Natural killer cells (also known as NK cells, K cells, and killer cells) are a type of lymphocyte (a white blood cell) and a component of innate immune system. NK cells play a major role in the host-rejection of both tumours and virally infected cells.
These cells have a powerful impact on health. And we tend to lose them as we age. Three days in a cypress forest has been documented to boost NK cells by 40%. And the effect is not short-lived after leaving the forest. Further, they have linked just the smell of hinoki cypress oil to many of the health benefits. The chairman of the Japanese Society of Forest Medicine recommends using cypress oil in a humidifier every night during the winter.
Of course I am performing my own unscientific experiment now.