Scottish Doctors Are Now Prescribing Hikes & Time Outdoors For Their Patients
A health authority in Scotland has deemed it OK for doctors to actually prescribe nature to their patients, as an alternative to certain medications.
Is it time we truly get back to nature? Why don't we already? Why do we put so much trust in our doctor? Who does our doctor put their trust in? It's OK to do your own research and question what your doctor is telling you. It was so great to find out that doctors in Scotland are actually prescribing hiking as a form of medication, something that will not put money into the medical industry and into the doctors pocket. It’s a prescription based on the health and well-being of the patient, recognizing that medication can often be a harmful option unless direly needed, and that in most cases there are alternatives to certain ailments. NHS Shetland, the health authority in the Scottish archipelago, has authorized the move to officially prescribe nature as a healthy supplement to traditional health care.
The goal of the program is to open the eyes of health professionals around the world to such simple, non-traditional treatments for the body and mind. For everything from high blood pressure to diabetes, anxiety, and depression, the medical community is learning (though lots of us have always known) that many ailments and diseases can be treated with activities like birdwatching, maybe a little kayaking, perhaps combing a beach for shells, even skipping pebbles across a slow-moing stream. Even just sitting silently in a forest, meditating. (Adventure Journal ) The science is quite clear about nature being essential for optimal health and well being. We are designed to be in it, and it’s a shame our system could not work with nature while at the same time developing the way we have. Instead, we’ve worked against it, used it and abused it, and we hardly spend any time in it given the choices we make in modern day human lifestyle. Here is an article summarizing research that shows hiking can literally change the brain. I also published an article that provides a number of sources detailing what can happen to our body when we try “Earthing,” or walking barefoot on the ground. It can reduce inflammation, change your blood pressure, heart rate, etc.
There are a whole host of benefits and ailments that can be managed through regular grounding practice. You can read more about that in the article linked below. Studies Show What Happens To The Human Body When We Walk Barefoot on Earth Further, here is an article I published discussing how meditation affects different areas of the brain, and one more showing the same thing, as well as its effect on the human gut. Scotland’s move to begin doing this is something that’s going to become more prevalent as the consciousness of our planet continues to shift and people continue to think more holistically. Our society is trying to transition into one where well being comes first and is the driving factor behind our decisions, not money. Right now, the main things doctors do, unless they are trauma doctors, working in the ER and performing surgeries (a key aspect of modern day medicine), is prescribe medication, this leaves little room for preventative advice, even though that is changing slowly as well. Looking at a baby, you see something that is the closest thing to our natural state at the moment. It’s a time when we are extremely curious and there is nothing on our mind but exploration and discovery. Today, things have changed and the human lifestyle requires us to work frivolously hard to keep a roof over our head and food in our mouths. This has created a number of health and wellness challenges, including a rise in mental health challenges that arise for many reasons. One thing is for sure, if we spent more time outside in nature we would begin to feel a whole lot better, and significantly reduce our chances of contracting various diseases and ailments. That being said, I do not mean to paint a depressing picture, we are here to learn and play within this human experience, and ultimately change it for the better as time goes on. Sometimes we have to face the starker realities of our current world, to realize what we need to begin shifting.
There are some challenges, our consciousness and the ‘system’ we have for medicine. Firstly, we have chosen to stay asleep in many ways. Even when life pokes at us to wake up and change ourselves, our lifestyle etc. we keep our heads down and push on, blaming the other things for all of our problems, when it’s only part of it. We have to begin to wake up, and be proactive in what we can change in our lives. We have more power in that area that we realize. When it comes to the system, most of what is done is done for profit first. Humanity, well-being, and empathy seem to come second, or not at all.
The medical field is a perfect example. Imagine if doctors were actually properly educated, and prescribed nothing but healthy, proven remedies instead of prescription medication that sometimes don’t even go through appropriate safety testing? Prescription medications cause approximately 100,000 deaths every single year (( Null, G PHD. (2011). Death by Medicine. Mount Jackson, VA: Praktikos Books), and they’re also responsible for a number of adverse effects on the human body. What’s worse is the corruption and deceit from where these medications come. It’s also noteworthy to mention that pharmaceutical companies cannot be held liable for issues that arise from their product, they are completely protected and have no incentive to develop safe medications. This, alongside their domination over government regulatory agencies, provides a recipe for disaster, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing today. What’s even more bothersome is that we are talking about professionals with giant hearts, who enter into this profession to do nothing but good, with good intentions. Doctors have no choice but to prescribe medications, it’s part of how they make money and it’s a big part of what they’re trained to do. Little effort is put into actually looking at the medication, where it comes from, the approval process it’s gone through and the independent research that usually completely counters the pharmaceutical research. Doctors can actually get in trouble for prescribing something that does not cost any money. Take alternative treatments for cancer, for example, they exist outside of a doctor scope, so they can’t touch them or they could lose their license.
The only two options doctors are even allowed to mention are radiation and chemotherapy. It’s patented, so that’s what we get.
There are so many ailments where prescription medications are simply not necessary. Inflammation, arthritis, many mental health diagnoses and more.
The pharmaceutical industry loves to create new ailments, and perpetuate them, because they can make a pill for each one. It’s quite clear that there is a big problem with healthcare when our doctors are learning absolutely nothing about these types of interventions, and are simply trained to prescribed drugs. What about nutrition? What about meditation and spirituality? Dr. Asseem Malhotra, a well-known Doctor in Britain had some choice words to say in front of the European Parliament about modern-day medical education and overall knowledge doctors possess. He stated that we are in “an epidemic of misinformed doctors.” He’s one of many who continues to emerge and speak out. You can watch that video and read more in-depth about it here.
The point is, you don’t need to constantly rely on your doctor for something that’s not so serious and life-threatening. You have the ability to think and do your own research.
The issue here is that people are putting their complete trust in doctors, with no questioning or research themselves. At the end of the day, spending time in nature and away from our modern day lifestyles is vital for anybody who wants to achieve optimal health, take care of themselves and feel good. .
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