We Are What We Smell
According to Joan Maloof in Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest, “Researchers working in the Sierra Nevada of California found 120 chemical compounds in the mountain forest air—but they could identify only 70 of them!” She also discusses the Japanese therapy of wood-air bathing, which supposedly reduces the blood sugar level of diabetics who walk in the forest. As a type 2 diabetic, I find this intriguing. You science students out there… how could I test this theory (not truly scientifically) on myself? Of course, to be valid science, numerous diabetics would have to participate in a study with a control group. But I’d still like to give this a shot, so help me design a little personal study that will mean nothing to anyone but me. Maybe someday, a doctor will prescribe a daily walk in the woods as a treatment, rather than a daily pill.
Labels: diabetes
posted by Mrs. Scherer @ 1:08 PM
4 Comments:
This Japanese "wood-air bathing" sounds very interesting. My uncle is a diabetic as well, but I think it may only be type 1 (I can't for the life of me remember). I would much like to know about how walking in the woods helps lower blood sugar levels as well (I may just have to suggest my uncle walks near trees more and on the concrete sidewalks less). I also wonder what those other 50 unidentified chemical compouds were that were in mountain air (But hey there are some things we may never know).
i think maybe you should one day not go for a walk and keep a record of how you feel the next day you should do the same thing except go for a walk and record how you feel then compare and contrast
Sheldon, that's an interesting idea. Unfortunately,(?) my diabetes doesn't have any pain or obvious feeling associated with it. So it would be a little harder. Each day I test my blood sugar. Maybe we could work that into our experiment. Taylor, I wonder too about those other 50 or so chemicals. But I sure love the smell of mountain forest air.
could that really happen one day a person can just take a walk in the woods instead of there pills? dj brooks
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