The most beautiful things in the world are not seen nor touched. They are felt with the heart.
– Helen Keller -

I am sending you my lovely reader, fresh breeze air and river drops from Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia to refresh your mind, body and spirit.

Many research show that viewing natural scenes has a positive health impact.

For example:

-         Ulrich (Ulrich, 1984), in a landmark study, demonstrated that hospital patients who viewed natural scenes, e.g. trees and animals from their wards, recovered faster, spent less time in hospital, required fewer painkillers and had fewer post-operative complications than those patients whose ward views consisted of other buildings and which were devoid of any appearance of plants and animals.

-         In prison, having a cell window with views of plants and animals, e.g. birds, lowered the number of sick calls of prisoners (Moore, 1981).

-         A number of studies have demonstrated that office workers experienced lower job stress, higher job satisfaction, and fewer illnesses if they had views of nature than if they did not (Kaplan and Kaplan, 1989; Lewis, 1996; Leather et al., 1998).

Placing trees next to freeways and roads, and having roads pass through and by green areas:

-         reduces driver stress as measured by blood pressure,

-         heart rate and sympathetic nervous system changes (Parsons et al., 1998).

In addition to physical health improvements, there is considerable evidence to suggest that psychological health is enhanced when a person views flora and fauna. Rohde and Kendle (Rohde and Kendle, 1994) concluded that viewing nature:

- reduces anger and anxiety,

- sustains attention and interest, and

- enhances feelings of pleasure.

The above benefits occur by viewing nature. Being in nature also impacts upon health. Many studies have shown significant health gains for those in contact with nature. Some of these relate to assisting new immigrants to a country to cope with the transition of migration. Wong (Wong, 1997) reported benefits such as:

-         increased empowerment,

-         feelings of integration, and

-         willingness to participate.

Exposure to nature was shown to:

- reduce mental fatigue,

-  irritability and accidents, and

- improve problem solving ability and concentration in people from urban areas who are located in a natural environment for a few days (Herzog et al., 1997).

Gardening is an international activity. For many it is propagating and growing one’s own food supply and/or providing food for others. Millions of people who live in urban environments cultivate gardens of varying sizes. In many cities community gardens exist.

Lewis (Lewis, 1996) and Furnass (Furnass, 1996) provide evidence to suggest that gardening:

-         reduces stress, encourages nurturing characteristics,

-         builds social networks and enhances social capital.

Even indoor plants have a positive effect. They have been shown to:

-         improve office air quality,

-         increase productivity and

-         facilitate relationships between workers (Randall et al., 1992; Larsen et al., 1998).

Physical, mental and spiritual health is all enriched when we engage with nature. It is a challenge for us to make sure it happens.