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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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“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.”
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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