Weekly newsletter of Dr Kpakpo - Issue #2

The simplest things are often best.

As I mentioned in my last email, your mind is paramount.

A healthy body is nothing without a healthy mind.

It's one of the reasons I left the UK & moved to Asia.

Years of stressful shift work, fluorescent lighting, hospital food & snack food temptations were playing havoc with my health

Even when I knew exactly the right things to do.

Knowledge is nothing without right action.

You don't have to move to the other side of the world, but you do have to take action.

And the simplest thing to do is just get outside.

Since moving to Japan, I've replaced parts of my sit down meditation with Forest bathing (‘shinrin-yokua’ in Japanese).

It's a traditional meditative practice characterized by walking in a forest combined with breathing and meditation exercises.

A growing body of evidence indicates that forest bathing may benefit the immune system, respiratory function, cardiovascular health, and psychological well-being.

A review of 16 studies investigated the effect of forest bathing on psychophysical well-being and its potential use as a therapeutic practice.

The researchers included systematic reviews of clinical studies investigating the health-related outcomes of forest bathing on healthy and subhealthy participants (i.e., individuals with mild-to-moderate and non-life-threatening chronic conditions).

Of the 16 systematic reviews, half investigated the effect of forest bathing on overall health (8 studies), and the other half focused on psychophysical stress (3), mental illness (3), hypertension (1), and the immune system (1).

Overall, the researchers found adequate evidence that forest bathing promotes overall well-being, with promising effects on relaxation and stress relief, anxiety reduction, and mood improvements. Interestingly, they reported that as little as 10 minutes of forest bathing can have positive short-term effects on mental well-being.

While I wouldn't use this as a clinical intervention, just finding a leafy, green area in your garden or park to walk around & relax in can do wonders for improving your mental state.

Try it.

To your best health.

Dr Kpakpo