This work, key to UVM's and the Osher Center's Planetary Health efforts, reflects a growing body of evidence showing that regular, intentional contact with natural environments can support healing, resilience, and quality of life—while also fostering care and stewardship for the ecosystems on which health depends.
Why Nature as Medicine?
For most of human history, daily life unfolded in close relationship with natural rhythms of light, temperature, seasons, and landscapes. Today, many people spend most of their time indoors and on screens, increasingly disconnected from the natural settings our bodies and minds were shaped by.
The Need
Research shows that disconnection from nature has consequences:
- Increased stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms
- Higher risk of sedentary‑related conditions, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and
- metabolic disorders
- Disrupted sleep and circadian rhythms due to limited natural light exposure
Greater feelings of isolation and reduced sense of connection and well‑being
The Benefits
Increased time spent in natural settings has been associated with:
- Reduced stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms
- Improved mood, attention, and emotional regulation
- Lower blood pressure and improved cardiovascular indicators
- Enhanced immune function and overall well‑being
Nature‑based approaches have shown benefits for people living with chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, depression, and anxiety, as well as for those recovering from illness or surgery. Nature as Medicine offers a simple, low‑risk, and accessible complement to conventional and integrative care.
Nature as Medicine and Whole Person Health
Nature as Medicine fits squarely within a Whole Person Health framework. Time in nature can support multiple, interconnected dimensions of health:
- Physical – movement, circadian regulation, and physiological stress reduction
- Mental and emotional – attention restoration, mood support, and resilience
- Social – opportunities for connection, belonging, and shared experience
- Spiritual – meaning, reflection, and relationship with something larger than oneself
- Ecological – reciprocity, stewardship, and care for the living systems that sustain life
By supporting these dimensions together, Nature as Medicine helps bridge personal well‑being and planetary health.
Nature as Medicine at the Osher Center for Integrative Health
The Osher Center is actively working to expand Nature as Medicine as part of our clinical, educational, research, and community engagement efforts. Our vision is to integrate nature‑based approaches into Whole Person Health care in ways that are evidence‑informed, equitable, and responsive to individual needs and local environments.
Current and emerging efforts include:
- Nature Prescriptions that support both patients and healthcare staff as they work to incorporate time in nature into daily life in personalized and meaningful ways
- Resources and guidance to support safe, accessible, and culturally responsive nature engagement
- Education and training for health professionals on the role of nature in health and healing
- Research and evaluation to better understand the health and planetary co‑benefits of nature‑based interventions
- Community partnerships that connect people to local green and blue spaces
Looking Ahead
Nature as Medicine is both a clinical practice and a cultural shift. By helping people reconnect with the natural world as part of their health and healing, we aim to support individual well‑being while nurturing the values of reciprocity, relationship, and stewardship that are essential for planetary health.
At the Osher Center, Nature as Medicine reflects a simple but powerful idea: when we care for nature, we care for ourselves—and for future generations.