Waldtherapie

Schuh, Angela; Immich, Gisela

doi:10.1007/978-3-662-59026-3

Cited by 16 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Forests with a closed canopy are comparable because they provide a special interior forest climate with reduced air temperature, high air purity and humidity, and special light conditions. These climatic factors are beneficial to health and relieve the respiratory tract and the thermoregulation system [ 11 ]. Another important factor is the peace and quiet in forests, which is essential for mental recovery in a time of acoustic stimulus overload in urban settings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A key component is the perception of the forest environment with all five senses (“five-sense experience”, including vision, smell, hearing, touch, and taste), which can be combined with meditation and walking or hiking in the forest, as well as various recreational activities and cognitive behavioural therapy [ 10 ]. In Germany, forest therapy and forest bathing have been successfully combined with classical naturopathic elements, such as water immersion (e.g., Kneipp therapy) and climatotherapy (climatic terrain cure, heliotherapy, fresh-air rest cure) to enhance the health benefits of forest therapy programs [ 11 ]. In 2017, the first European “cure and healing forest” was established in Northern Germany in the seaside resort of Heringsdorf on the Baltic Sea island of Usedom.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Forest therapy and its presumed preventive effects have recently received growing attention in the international scientific world. Many international studies have reported the health-promoting effects of exposure to the forest environment on both body and mind [ 9 , 11 ]. Primary studies, systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) have been conducted to determine the preventive and therapeutic effects of forest bathing, forest therapy, and forest medicine for various indications.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Forest interventions are sometimes also called “forest (healing) programs”. Schuh and Immich [ 11 ] proposed separate definitions for the two concepts “forest bathing” and “forest therapy”. “Forest bathing” should be used for preventive purposes in healthy people, while the term “forest therapy” should be used when interventions in the forest are intended to achieve therapeutic goals in people with existing conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A.S. and G.I. are the authors of a recently published book on forest therapy [ 11 ]. They also developed a scientifically based curriculum for training in forest therapy and forest bathing in 2018.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

The Psychological and Physical Effects of Forests on Human Health: A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

Stier-Jarmer

Throner

Kirschneck

et al. 2021

IJERPH

Self Cite

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The aim of this systematic review of systematic reviews was to identify, summarise, and synthesise the available evidence of systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) on the preventative and therapeutic psychological and physical effects of forest-based interventions. Methods: Both bibliographic databases and grey literature sources were searched for SRs and MAs published until May 2020. Eight databases were searched for relevant articles: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PsycInfo, CiNii, EBSCO, and Scopus. Grey literature was sourced from Google Scholar and other web-based search tools. SRs and MAs that included randomised controlled (RCT), non-randomised controlled (NRCT), and non-controlled trials (NCT) on health-related effects of forest-based interventions were eligible if they had searched at least two databases. The methodological quality of eligible reviews was assessed by AMSTAR-2. Results: We evaluated 11 systematic reviews covering 131 different primary intervention studies, mostly from Asian countries, three of which included supplementary meta-analyses. The quality assessment resulted in moderate confidence in the results of two reviews, low confidence in six, and critically low confidence in three. The results of the eight moderate and low-rated reviews indicated that forest-based interventions are beneficial to the cardiovascular system, immune system, and mental health (in the areas of stress, depression, anxiety, and negative emotions). Evidence for the effectiveness of forest-based interventions on metabolic parameters in adults, the severity of atopic dermatitis in children and adolescents, and social skills and sociality in healthy primary school children was weak. Discussion/Conclusions: Evidence suggests beneficial therapeutic effects of forest-based interventions on hypertension, stress, and mental-health disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Changes in immunological and inflammatory parameters after forest therapy should be verified in bio-geographically native forests. In the future, more attention should be paid to careful planning, implementation, and reporting of primary studies and to systematic reviews on the effects of forest-based interventions.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations