Health
Pain could be reduced by watching nature scenes, new study suggests
Scientists have long suspected that exposure to nature may reduce people’s experience of pain, and now there may be research to prove it.
A new study led by a team from the University of Vienna and the University of Exeter, which was published in the journal Nature Communications, revealed that nature not only relieves psychological symptoms of pain, but also affects the pain centers of the brain, as reported by SWNS.
This discovery could lead to further progress in the exploration of non-pharmaceutical pain treatments, according to the researchers.
COMMON PAIN MEDICATION COULD REDUCE CANCER SPREAD, STUDY FINDS
In the study, 49 healthy adults sat inside an fMRI scanner — a machine that monitors brain activity — while they received mild electric shocks.
Participants received electric shocks while exposed to three different scenes: nature, urban and a control image of a nondescript room. (Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)
Screens shown to the participants displayed three different images: a nature scene, an urban scene and a control scene of a nondescript room. Their brains were then checked to see if there was a difference in how much pain they experienced when viewing each scene, SWNS reported.
The researchers then used advanced machine learning to analyze raw sensory signals that the brain receives during periods of physical pain. Results showed that these signals were reduced when participants were exposed to nature scenes.
‘SPOOKY’ PROPERTY FOR SALE IN NATURE-DRENCHED SPOT HAS A FEW STRINGS ATTACHED
This could mean that nature’s pain-relieving effects are not just due to the participants being more relaxed, but that they actually alter the brain’s pain-sensing pathways, according to the researchers.
The study revealed that exposure to nature has a physical effect on the brain’s pain-sensing pathways. (Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)
This research deepened a pre-existing understanding of how nature can affect symptoms of pain, according to University of Vienna PhD student Max Steininger, the lead author of the study.
“Numerous studies have shown that people consistently report feeling less pain when exposed to nature,” he was quoted as saying in a press release from the University of Exeter.
FDA APPROVES OPIOID-FREE PAIN MEDICATION WITH ‘NO SIGN OF ADDICTION’
This study supports previous research that suggested similar findings.
Forty years ago, American researcher Roger Ulrich studied how hospital patients used fewer painkillers and had faster recoveries when their windows overlooked a green space with trees compared to those who looked out at a brick wall, the release stated.
“Numerous studies have shown that people consistently report feeling less pain when exposed to nature,” stated the lead study author. (Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)
“Our study is the first to provide evidence from brain scans that this isn’t just a ‘placebo’ effect – driven by people’s beliefs and expectations that nature is good for them,” said Steininger.
“Instead, the brain is reacting less to information about where the pain is coming from and how intense it feels.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
These findings suggest that the pain-relieving effect of nature is genuine, although still significantly less than traditional painkillers.
Those involved in the study hope to incorporate alternatives, like experiencing nature, to improve overall pain management strategies.
The study highlights how even virtual encounters with nature may be beneficial for pain management. (Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)
Dr. Alex Smalley, a co-author from the University of Exeter, noted that virtual encounters can bring the healing potential of nature to people when they can’t get outside.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
“But we hope our results also serve as renewed evidence of the importance of protecting healthy and functioning natural environments, encouraging people to spend time in nature for the benefit of both the planet and people,” he said in the press release.
He added, “The fact that this pain-relieving effect can be achieved through virtual nature exposure, which is easy to administer, has important practical implications for non-drug treatments, and opens new avenues for research to better understand how nature impacts our minds.”
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27.
In a post on Substack titled “The Day I’ll Never Remember,” she detailed a sudden episode that left her unable to recall the current month, year and president.
“I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president,” she wrote.
ONE WALKING HABIT COULD SIGNAL A HEALTHIER BRAIN AFTER 80, SCIENTISTS SAY
The event occurred while Couric was attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, during which she participated in two public panels — one on AI and one on journalism — both of which she cannot remember at all.
“I have no idea what we talked about, or of what occurred when the panels ended,” she said.
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27. (Getty Images)
John Molner — Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels — also shared his account.
After the event, someone told Molner that Katie wasn’t feeling well. When he reached her, an EMT and a doctor were tending to her. “I could tell something was off,” he wrote. “It could have been altitude sickness, but Katie was definitely not all there.”
WOMAN WITH ADVANCED ALZHEIMER’S REGAINED SPEECH AND MEMORIES AFTER TAKING MAGIC MUSHROOMS
At the hospital, when Couric struggled to recall the year, the president and her grandchildren’s names, doctors began checking for a stroke.
An MRI revealed no signs of stroke, which was a relief, but “Katie’s ‘fog’ became a lot more apparent,” Molner wrote.
John Molner, Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels, also shared his account. (Getty Images)
“She repeatedly asked me the same questions: ‘What was I doing before we got to the hospital?’ ‘Why am I at the hospital?’”
Couric was ultimately diagnosed with transient global amnesia, a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that prevents a person from forming new memories and may also erase some recent memories, according to Mayo Clinic.
“The cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself.”
It is not caused by a stroke, seizure or head injury, and it usually resolves completely within 24 hours.
“[It’s] just a very weird neural episode that’s pretty uncommon and, at least in most cases, is a ‘one and done’ experience,” Molner said.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Couric said she finally began feeling “like herself” again around 9 p.m. and went to sleep at 2 a.m.
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.”
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.” (Getty Images)
Data shows that approximately three to eight people per 100,000 will have an episode of transient global amnesia, with people 50 years of age and older at higher risk.
The specific cause of TGA is not known, but some experts believe it stems from a “temporary dysfunction in the brain’s hippocampus — the area responsible for creating new memories,” Couric shared.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“Doctors believe this is driven by brief interruptions in blood or oxygen flow, or microscopic spasm in the blood vessels.”
Episodes could potentially be triggered by intense physical exertion, emotional distress, extreme temperature changes or migraines, experts say.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Approximately 15% of patients will have a recurrence 10 years later.
“Why did this happen to me? Was the altitude an issue? Was I dehydrated? Tired? Stressed? The literature doesn’t seem to indicate that these are contributing factors, but the cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself,” Couric wrote.
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise. (iStock)
“All I know is that those hours will be forever lost. Someone described it as my brain failing to hit the ‘record button.’”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious. So ultimately, I’m relieved — even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers.
That’s according to a recent study led by Stony Brook Medicine in New York, which evaluated the cognitive function of 4,000 adults 80 and over who participated in multiple aging and longevity studies over several years.
Among this group, 6% to 10% were classified as super movers, which means they walk at a much faster pace than others of the same age and gender — at speeds comparable to people three decades younger.
COMMON VITAMIN MAY INFLUENCE BRAIN AGING IN WAYS SCIENTISTS DIDN’T EXPECT
The super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed.
The findings were published in the journal Neurology on June 16.
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers. (iStock)
“The study reinforces that mobility and brain health are closely connected,” lead study author Dr. Joe Verghese, MD, neurologist at Stony Brook Medicine, told Fox News Digital. “This suggests that preserving mobility may be an important marker of healthy brain aging and resilience.”
‘LONGEVITY GENE’ MAY PROTECT THE BRAIN FROM ALZHEIMER’S BY BOOSTING DNA REPAIR, STUDY FINDS
The most intriguing finding, according to Verghese, was that super movers maintained cognitive function despite having similar dementia-related brain changes as their peers.
In postmortem brain analysis, there was no difference in dementia-related pathologies between the super movers and the slower walkers, the study stated.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“This suggests they may possess resilience mechanisms that help preserve brain function even in the presence of age-related changes,” he said. “Understanding these resilience factors could lead to new strategies for promoting healthy brain aging.”
As the study was observational, there were some limitations, and it does not prove that walking faster prevents dementia, the researchers noted.
Super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed. (iStock)
“Other factors, such as cardiovascular health, physical fitness or genetics, may also contribute to both faster walking and better cognitive outcomes,” Verghese said.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
This study adds to growing evidence that what’s good for the heart and muscles also benefits the brain, he noted, adding that “staying physically active remains one of the most effective, evidence-based ways to support healthy aging.”
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment.”
“The broader message is that physical activity is important at any age,” Verghese said. “Walking is an easy step-up point because you don’t need any special equipment. You can do it inside or outdoors, and you can do it on a regular basis. You can walk with a dog, you can walk with a friend.”
Any activity is beneficial if it’s done regularly and with the right intensity, he added.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Rather than just trying to walk faster, the neurologist recommends that seniors focus on maintaining mobility through regular physical activity, strength training, balance exercises and good cardiovascular health.
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment,” Verghese noted.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking. (iStock)
This can be achieved by walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or about 20 to 25 minutes most days. Another option is to engage in shorter sessions that add up over the day.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“You have to do it within your health limitations and medical conditions,” Verghese advised. “So if there are any medical concerns, I would get your physician to clear you before starting exercise.” The good thing about walking, he added, is that you can start at a slow pace and then gradually build up to a brisker pace.
“And then adding on strength and balance training, whatever age you are, I think is also important.”
Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.
Use escape to exit the menu.
Sign Up
Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
Already have an account? Login
-
Washington, D.C2 minutes agoPolice search for suspect caught on camera slashing tires in Georgetown
-
Cleveland, OH9 minutes agoOhio ICAC Task Force’s “Operation Guardians’ Watch” Results in 25 Individuals Arrested and Charged for Attempting to Meet with an Underage Child to Engage in Sexual Activity
-
Austin, TX12 minutes agoTexas’ Goosby hosts camp to benefit heart research
-
Alabama17 minutes agoAlabama teen charged with stabbing mom to death issued vile threat to dad — as new pic shows bloodbath left behind
-
Alaska24 minutes agoOutmigration, inflation, choice schools: Alaska school closures likely to continue without changes
-
Arizona27 minutes agoWATCH: Arizona’s health insurance marketplace is seeing dropping enrollment
-
Arkansas32 minutes agoARKANSAS SIGHTSEEING: Randolph County can claim many firsts in Arkansas | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
-
California39 minutes agoToddler sustains brain injury in fall after California childcare worker threw him into the air, lawsuit says
