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Shinrin-Yoku (森林浴) or “Forest bathing” can be defined as taking in a forest’s atmosphere with the intentions of practicing holistic health and/ or improving ones physical and mental well-being. This commonly includes, but is not limited to, meditating in a natural setting, walking through natural paths without urban distractions (cell phones, tablets etc.), or participating in other hobbies such as sketching or writing while in a forested area. The practice originated and is most widely practiced in Japan, and has since gained traction in international heath communities in North America, the United Kingdom , Australia , China (sēnlínyù (森林浴) in Mandarin), and Korea (sanlimyok (산림욕) in Korean). A forest-bathing trip often involves visiting a forest for relaxation and recreation during which participants inhale volatile substances called phytoncides (wood essential oils). These antimicrobial volatile organic compounds derived from trees, such as α-Pinene and limonene are believed to be the primary source of the mental and physical health benefits attributed to “forest bathing.

Formal studies in Japan have aimed to measure changes in immune markers and stress hormones in people who regularly visited and/or walked through specific forests in Japan. Additional studies have aimed to demonstrate that people suffering from diabetes found that forest bathing provided substantial benefits by lowering blood glucose levels without the additional injection of insulin.

Condensed History
The origin of the “forest bathing” concept is often contested. The first formal recognition of ‘Shinrin-Yoku”, however, appears in Japan’s 1982 National Public Health Program when the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) first coined the term to help promote “time in nature” as a form of therapy. This recommendation was also intended to help combat Karōshi (overwork death), a growing medical concern at the time caused by stress and starvation. Since it’s initial promotion, it has become a recognized relaxation and stress management activity in Japan. It's prevalence prompting an increasing number of studies focusing on the mental and physical health benefits of “forest bathing” and/or the detrimental affects of human isolation from natural spaces. These studies have primarily been undertaken in an effort to specify and quantify the qualitative health benefits stated by participants.

As the practice became a formalized section of the Japanese’s government’s recommendations for a “good life”, it began to spread to neighbouring states that were also observing an increasing number of deaths associated with overwork including South Korea [gwarosa (과로사/過勞死)] and China [guolaosi (Traditional:過勞死 Simplified:过劳死)].

As an increasing number of studies demonstrating the benefits of Shinrin-Yoku are completed, the number of Western holistic health practitioners showing an interest in incorporating forest bathing into their practices is growing. This trend is most evident in North America, the United Kingdom , and Australia where the number of forest bathing guides has been readily increasing annually. For more information on location specific tours or to find an expansive list of registered guides guests can visit can visit the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy’s website. There are also an increasing number of resources narrated/ written in English on the market and online that target a Western audience.

Psychological effect
Forest environments have also been found to be advantageous with respect to acute emotions, especially among those experiencing chronic stress. These results align with the aforementioned studies that found greater expanses of time spent in natural settings can reduce cortisol levels in participant’s endocrine systems. Healthy adults participating in Shinrin-Yoku have also demonstrated significant drops in hostility and depression after a session, and have shown increased psychological and physiological liveliness.

There is also a growing number of studies directly demonstrating the impacts forest bathing, or interaction with natural settings more generally, have on children. The surrounding impacts can be referred to as “Nature Deficit Disorder” (NDD), a term originally coined in Richard Louv’s book “Last Child in the Woods” (2008). While the term has not been directly integrated into the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems has been used to describe the increasing negative impacts a lack of direct contact with nature and unstructured free play children as they are increasingly deprived of time spent outdoors. Studies show children that spend decreased amounts of time in natural settings are not only more likely to experience childhood obesity, but are slower to develop critical thinking skills, have more difficulty focusing, have higher rates of diagnosed stress and anxiety, may have a more difficult time connecting to others, and are more likely to be diagnosed with depression in their later years of life.

General benefits of being outdoors in nature
Forest bathing fits in the more general recognition that there are benefits from being outdoors in nature. These concepts are intrinsically related to the greater concept of an ecosystem approach to human health, which focuses on holistic, proactive well-being rather than “end of life” reactive care.

Western healthcare in it’s current accepted is widely accepted to focus on reactive treatment and care that is concentrated in the least 6-12 months of an individual’s life, and it heavily focused on pharmaceuticals. Many instructors and participants of Shinrin-Yoku believe that healthcare as a whole could be more effective and efficient if it shifted to these more holistic approaches that focus on mental, emotional, and physical well-being. These practices have been deemed pseudoscience in the past, however, in recent years a growing number of modern health practitioners are suggesting holistic, proactive approaches to health, deemed ecohealth, are going to be the future of health and well-being.