Healing & Horticultural Therapy

Nature contact may serve to supplement or augment medical treatment and therapy. Both passive exposure to landscapes and more active interactions with nature provide mental and physiological benefits that contribute to healing and therapy.

Fast Facts
Hospital patients with plants in their room display less fatigue and pain, shorter hospitalization, less anxiety, and higher hospital and room satisfaction.
Patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain who participated in a 4-week horticultural therapy program experienced an increase in mental and physical health as well as an improved ability to cope with chronic pain.

A study of children with Attention Deficit Disorder who played in windowless indoor settings had significantly more severe symptoms than those who played in grassy, outdoor spaces.

Patients with clinical depression who participated in routine therapeutic gardening activities experienced a reduction of severity of depression, and increased attentional capacity, benefits that lasted up to three months after the program ended.

Gardening may be a preventative measure to help reduce the onset of dementia; gardening on a daily basis was found to reduce risk factors for dementia by 36%.
Dementia patients who have access to gardens are less likely to display aggression or experience injuries as well as improved sleep patterns, balanced hormones, and decreased agitation.

Studies have shown that participating in activities and/or interacting with natural environments can ameliorate and help stave off attentional fatigue both before and after breast cancer treatment or surgery.

Ever more studies confirm the relationship between neighborhood open space and physical activity. A study calculated a $2,200 reduction in average annual healthcare charges per adult for those who had been sedentary, but became active.

Reference: https://depts.washington.edu/hhwb/Thm_Healing.html