Public health
fromNature
1 week agoHow 'forest bathing' keeps lungs healthy
Greater exposure to trees and time spent in forests correlates with fewer and less severe respiratory infections and supports therapeutic national programs.
It was late November, and I was standing in an ancient beech forest at the edge of Towada-Hachimantai National Park in Japan's Tohoku region. The area, deep in the Ōu Mountains on the northern tip of Honshu, is known for its autumn colors, hundreds of species of moss, and the Oirase Gorge, a river valley with abundant waterfalls. The Oirase Stream is fed by Lake Towada, a volcanic double caldera that is the primary source of the region's rich biodiversity.