Cover Story
DOCTOR’S ORDERS:
THE MEDICAL MOVEMENT TO
PRESCRIBE NATURE All around the world, the medical profession is beginning to wake up to the measurable health benefits of spending time in nature. But will a nature prescription ever catch on here in Hong Kong? Carla Thomas investigates.
I
magine going to see your doctor about a health problem, and rather than receiving a litany of unpronounceable medications, being prescribed a long walk outdoors instead. This is slowly becoming a reality in doctors’ offices around the world, from Canada to America, Japan to the Shetland Islands. There’s an increasing body of scientific evidence that suggests that time spent in nature might actually be essential to keeping us well in the long run, something that we miss out on with increasingly urban and sedentary lifestyles. Medical experts are starting to pay attention to that data, and using their prescription pads to effect change by recommending patients get outside and reap the long-ignored benefits of the great outdoors.
Image credit: Kembali 20
