Doctors in Shetland, an archipelago of Scotland, are going to start prescribing bird-watching, walks and picking up driftwood from the beach to help with health and well-being.
The Nature Prescriptions program is a partnership between NHS Shetland and The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Scotland. According to a release about the project, "Nature Prescriptions recognises the benefits of nature on reducing blood pressure and anxiety, and increasing happiness as well as the growing disconnection with nature throughout society.”
The project provides a structured way for patients to access nature as part of a non-drug approach to health problems. Depending on the time of year, suggestions might include walking on the beach to look for shells, going bird-watching, hill walking on the moors or just standing still and quiet for a few minutes for some outdoor mindfulness.
The nature walks won't replace traditional medicine, but they'll provide a supplemental treatment, says Dr. Chloe Evans, who piloted the program.