Fall/Winter Digital Newsleaf 2024

In this issue, we'll discover the true science behind nature's medicine, tips to create change through civic engagement, and read "ground-breaking" details about the future of Long Branch Farm & Trails. There are also lots of engaging and exciting seasonal programs you won't want to miss this season!

Growing up, my parents rarely knew

where I was, only that I was in the

woods. The environment inside my

house was volatile at best, and violent

at worst. But, while it could sometimes

be lonely, it was easy to avoid

angering my parents by just keeping

myself hidden in the woods. Their

general lack of interest in me meant

that I had unfettered and unsupervised

access to the great outdoors.

Being outside made—and still makes—

me happy. Knowing what I know now,

it’s clear that my urge to be barefoot

in the woods was not solely motivated

by fear of being inside, but also

because being in the woods was a

form of self-medication.

There is ample evidence supporting

the role of nature in our physical and

mental well-being. There is also plenty

of data showing how time in nature

can help build resiliency in children.

It would take volumes to present

all these data, so instead, I want to

present a small curation of my favorite.

Tere’s Real Science Behind the Forest’s

FEEL-GOOD NATURE

BENEATH OUR FEET

There is a bacteria that lives in the

soil named Mycobacterium vaccae

that stimulates our brains to release

serotonin. This, in turn, reduces stress

and helps make us happy. This same

bacteria has also been extensively

studied in the medical field because

of its tendency to strengthen immune

responses in patients with cancer

and other autoimmune diseases. Just

consider that again. A bacteria that we

regularly encounter outside actually

improves our bodies’ ability to fight of

disease, and it helps make us happy

through a well-studied neurochemical

pathway via serotonin. This same

pathway is often manipulated by

pharmaceuticals to achieve the same

result. In the interest of full disclosure,

I choose to supplement my time

outdoors with exactly these types

of pharmaceuticals.

Interestingly, tuberculosis is caused

by a related species of bacteria called

Mycobacterium tuberculosis. And in

a poetic twist, doctors now use M.

vaccae to boost the immune system

of people sufering from tuberculosis.

That is, they use one Mycobacterium

to fight another. But I digress.

My point is that even microscopic

organisms in the soil beneath your feet

have direct and beneficial impacts on

human health and happiness. “Rub

some dirt on it,” indeed!

THE CONIFEROUS

AND ODORIFEROUS

The needles of conifers contain a

group of phytochemicals called

phytoncides that are naturally

produced by plants to repel

herbivorous insects. In particular, a

phytoncide called pinene (which gives

pines their addictive smell) stimulates

white blood cells to destroy cancer

cells and viruses. It seems that not only

does pinene activate a specific group

of white blood cells called “Natural

Killer Cells,” but they make the Natural

Killer Cells even more lethal to cancer.

Other odoriferous plants also produce

pinene, including eucalyptus, oranges,

marijuana, and aromatic herbs like dill,

rosemary, and basil. So, every time you

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