Nature that Nurtures

Scientific American, March 12, 2012 p. 24

Nature that Nurtures

Dismissed as peripheral to medical treatment for much of the

20th century, gardens are back in style, now featured in the de- sign of most new hospitals, according to the American Society of Landscape Architects. In a recent survey of 100 directors and ar- chitects of assisted-living residences, 82 percent agreed that "the design of outdoor space should be one of the most important considerations in the design." But can gardens, in fact, promote healing? It turns out that they often can. Scientists around the world are now digging into the data to find out which features of gardens account for the effect.

The notion that the fresh breezes, dappled sunlight and fragrant greenery of a garden can be good for what ails us has its roots in ancient tradition and common sense. But a much cited study, published in 1984 in the journal Science by environmental psy- chologist Roger Ulrich, now at Texas A&M University, was the first to use the standards of modem medical research?strict experimental controls and quantified health outcomes?to demonstrate that gazing at a garden can sometimes speed healing from surgery, infections and other ailments.

Ulrich and his team reviewed the medical records of people recovering from gallbladder surgery at a suburban Pennsylvania hospital. All other things being equal, patients with bedside win- dows looking out on leafy trees healed, on average, a day faster, needed significantly less pain medication and had fewer postsur- gical complications than patients who instead saw a brick wall.

The more greenery versus hard surfaces, the better. "We found that a ratio of at least 7:3 seems to work best," Cooper Marcus says. Less greenery signals a "plaza or shopping mall courtyard" and is not as relaxing. '

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Billy
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Here is another URL which I feel relevant.

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Always wondered why the word vacation replaced the word holiday ?

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Bill who putters

Bill who putters wrote: ...

something to do with secularization of holyday to vacate(ion).

i.e. a sanctioned religious holy day becomes a secular get away.

songbird

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songbird

And if you play your cards right. you get to recreate.

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Billy

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