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Category: Natural Science Discoveries

Some Science type Articles – nothing complex or complicated. Some of these Articles are what I call Natural Science based on Natural Principles. I find some occasionally. Enjoy!

Published on Leave a comment on Gardening 2 or 3 Times A Week To Relieve Stress

By SunnySkyz - Based on Survey!

A new study suggests that frequent gardening may be linked to increased health benefits.

According to the study posted on ScienceDirect, gardening just two or three times a week maximized the benefits of better wellbeing and lower stress levels. Gardening Encourages Family Togetherness, and it Keeps You Company if you live on your own too - I love to do this, my plants are great company. Folks, you don't have to have a lot of Plants to do this!

Benefits Of Gardening - Discover Them

The research explored why residents engaged with gardening and the extent to which they recognized any health benefits from the activity.

A questionnaire was distributed electronically within the UK, with 5,766 gardeners and 249 non-gardeners responding. Data was collated on factors including garden typology, frequency of gardening and individual perceptions of health and well-being.

"This is the first time the 'dose response' to gardening has been tested and the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the more frequently you garden – the greater the health benefits," said Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) wellbeing fellow and lead author Dr Lauriane Chalmin-Pui. "In fact gardening every day has the same positive impact on wellbeing than undertaking regular, vigorous exercise like cycling or running.…

Published on Leave a comment on Mood-Boosting and Over-all Benefits of Having Pets

WE BENEFIT FROM THE COMPANY OF AND INTERACTION WITH PETS AND ANIMALS. GUESS WHAT BENEIFITS HAVING A PET AT HOME AFFORDS? PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY. AND THE BETTER WE LOOK AFTER THEM, THE HAPPIER THEY ARE. HAVING A WELL CARED FOR PET/PETS IS A RELATIONSHIP OF RECIPROCATION. PEOPLE DERIVE A SENSE OF COMFORT, CONTENTMENT OR HAPPINESS INTERACTING WITH THEIR PETS. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT WE BENEFIT PHYSICALLY AS WELL? IT'S AMAZING WHAT SCIENTISTS AND RESEARCHERS CAN TELL YOU ABOUT THESE THINGS NOW. LET'S HAVE A PEAK AND SEE:)

Pets are Cute and Pets are Cuddly - Pets are Great!

Pets come with some powerful health benefits. Here’s how caring for a dog, cat, or other animal can help relieve depression and anxiety, lower stress, and improve your heart health.

The benefits of pets
Most pet owners are clear about the immediate joys that come with sharing their lives with companion animals. However, many of us remain unaware of the physical and mental health benefits that can also accompany the pleasure of snuggling up to a furry friend. It’s only recently that studies have begun to scientifically explore the benefits of the human-animal bond.…

Published on Leave a comment on Natural High: Why Birdsong Is The Best Antidote To Our Stressful Lives

From The Guardian Website - Past Edition

Dawn Chorus Day is a good time to celebrate the benefits to mental and physical health of birdsong.
Let us all speak up for protecting the different Species of Birds needing our voice.

A Beautiful Nightingale Photo by National Geographic

When I hear the first willow warbler of the spring, the first cuckoo, or the first booming bittern on my local patch, I feel an enormous sense of comfort and satisfaction. As the poet Ted Hughes wrote about the annual return of swifts, “They’ve made it again, which shows that the globe’s still working…”

It’s International Dawn Chorus Day on Sunday 5 May, and this year the RSPB has released a single of birdsong (currentlyat number 11 in the charts) as part of a campaign to draw attention to the situation facing British birdlife. Populations of once-common species such as the house sparrow, starling and swift are falling fast, while the nightingale, turtle dove and grey partridge are rapidly sliding towards extinction in Britain.

Climate change, intensive farming and pollution are just some of the genuinely existential threats to the future of our birds.…

Published on Leave a comment on A 60-Minute Walk In Nature Decreases Activity In Brain Regions Involved In Stress Processing

Researchers in Germany have found that a one-hour walk in nature reduces
stress-related brain activity.

The amygdala is the brain region involved in stress processing. It has been shown to be less activated in people who live in rural areas, compared to those who live in cities, hinting at the potential benefits of nature.

Nature Walks Are Good For Your Brain

However, no study so far has examined the causal effects of natural and urban environments on stress-related brain mechanisms.

"But so far the hen-and-egg problem could not be disentangled, namely whether nature actually caused the effects in the brain or whether the particular individuals chose to live in rural or urban regions," says Sonja Sudimac, predoctoral fellow in the Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience (LMGEN) and lead author of the study.

To address this question, researchers from LMGEN examined brain activity in regions involved in stress processing in 63 healthy volunteers before and after a one-hour walk in Berlin's Grunewald Forest and a busy city street using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

The results of the study revealed that activity in the amygdala decreased after the walk in nature, suggesting that nature elicits beneficial effects on brain regions related to stress.…

Published on Leave a comment on The Art of Self-Kindness and How it Helps Us Cope with Stress

By Juandri Buitendag and Prof Margareta James - Psychologists

Self-kindness can boost our mental health and help us navigate stressful situations. This is what we can do to nurture more of it.

Importance Of Practicing Some Self-Kindness - An Absolute Must!

Observing the breeze blow gently through the trees, savoring the delicate taste of a morning cuppa and curling up with a diverting novel in hand: far from being an extravagance, as these acts of self-kindness have sometimes been treated, they are in fact the fundamental building blocks of strong mental health.

In a world that is increasingly time-pressured and an economic model that has an unyielding focus on improving efficiency, it is easier than ever to overlook or de-prioritise your personal feelings and needs.

But according to psychologists, the art of self-kindness, although something that can be honed, is not something that should be optional. Whether it be in the realms of the physical, emotional, spiritual, or indeed professional, being conscious and sensitive towards yourself, they say, is key preparation for everything that life throws at us.

“It can change your life massively,” says Juandri Buitendag, a counseling psychologist who founded JB Wellness Dynamics, a London-based psychology therapy practice.…

Published on Leave a comment on What Does Reading Before Bed Do For Our Brain?

By Gemma Curtis – Sleep Matters Club Journalist

Some people can’t sleep without reading, but for others, the bedtime story is left in their child years. Reading before bed is an age-old tradition. Some people can’t sleep without reading, but for others, the bedtime story is left in their childhood. In recent times, reading interest has surged enormously. Whether it’s because people are running out of hobbies to try when they’re stuck at home or because they’re looking to expand their vocabulary is up for debate. Yet, the key question still remains: can the practice of reading before bedtime be beneficial? We explore how it affects the brain and see what the experts have to say.

Bedtime reading reduces stress

Reading before you sleep could relax you significantly. A study highlighted in the Telegraph by the University of Sussex raised a number of participants stress levels and then attempted to reduce them. Cognitive Neuropsychologist Dr David Lewis found that ‘reading worked best, reducing stress levels by 68 per cent’. It was better than listening to music (61%), drinking tea or coffee (54%) and taking a walk (42%). It only took 6 minutes for participants’ stress levels to be reduced.…

Published on

San Francisco. When the roads emptied of traffic in March and April because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bay Area residents reported hearing more birds—and they were halfway right.

Jennifer Phillips, a researcher at Cal Poly, and Elizabeth Derryberry, a professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, collaborated to evaluate whether and how songbirds responded to the quieter environment with much less traffic.

They compared the soundscapes and songs of the white-crowned sparrow recorded across the San Francisco area prior to and during the statewide shutdown.

“When I saw photos of an empty Golden Gate Bridge, it struck me just how little traffic there was,” said Derryberry, lead author of the study. “I realized we were in a unique position to look at how changes in human behavior might affect wildlife and what the noise reduction might mean for the songbird we study.”

The researchers found that the birds responded by producing softer songs that could travel over a larger distance, unimpeded by noise. The urban songs also became “sexier” in terms of vocal performance—meaning birds sang a wider range of notes in their song, in a wider bandwidth, during the shutdown.…

Published on Leave a comment on Sunny Days Ahead – Don’t Stay Away From Sunshine

So many are told to "Stay Away From Sunshine" in Western Countries like USA and Australia. That is based on Flawed Health Science. The Medical Profession is into a lot of that. Many times, if something is GOOD For You, they will tell you it's Bad for you, and Visa-Versa. I've found that through the years. As for taking our beautiful SUNSHINE away, no wonder so many people are feeling Bleak. Let's have Sunshine Inside (of us) and Outside. Both are Healthy, hey!?

Let's Have Sunshine And Brighten Up Our Days!!!

By Dr Al Sears Integrative Medicine Practitioner/International Researcher

Remember the first day of Spring when you opened the blinds to let the Sunshine in? Remember that full-of-energy, ‘happy-go-lucky’ feeling? Have you been missing those Sunny Days?

Many of my patients avoid the Sun like the plague. All they hear is that Sunshine poses serious threats to your health. With all these warnings about the Sun, why wouldn’t they?

Despite the bad rap it often gets, Sunshine is Good for You — if, like everything else, you don’t abuse it. Today, I’ll share some of the benefits of enjoying Sunshine each day – to Lift your spirits and Improve your Health.…

Published on

By Janet Vargas - Owner Of This Website

DID YOU KNOW THAT 75% OF FOOD WORLDWIDE IS LIMITED TO 12 PLANT CROPS (and 5 animal foods) AND THAT WESTERN COUNTRIES......... MORE INTERESTING FACTS IN THIS POST, PLUS WHICH FRUITS AND VEGGIES THE AFORE MENTIONED ARE AND SOME INSIGHTS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ENCOURAGING BIODIVERSITY HERE IN AUSTRALIA. ON A LIGHTER NOTE, I WILL ALSO MENTION SOME IMPROVEMENTS WE'VE HAD IN OUR FOOD CULTURE IN RECENT DECADES AND RECENT TIMES, TO WHAT WE HAD YEARS AGO. I HOPE YOU READ THIS POST.

According to TheFutureMarket.Com  we only grow a small percentage of Plant Food Crops in Western Countries that does not allow for much Food Diversity in our Diet or our Health. As mentioned, they state that 75% of the World’s Food comes from 12 Plants (and 5 Animals).

In this order, the highest turnover of Plant Foods produced are 1. Sugar, 2. Corn, 3. Rice, 4. Wheat, 5. Potatoes,  6. Soya Beans, 7. Cassava, 8.Tomatoes, 9. Bananas, 10. Onions, 11. Apples and 12. Grapes. We eat only 150 out of 30,000 edible plant species (worldwide). For example, the USA has lost 90% of it’s Fruit and Veg varieties since 1900.…

Published on Leave a comment on How Blue Light Affects Your Sleep And What You Can Do

 By Maureen Salamon from WebMd.Com 2020

Have you ever woken up to bright morning skies feeling energized? A big reason for your mood is the high-intensity blue light coming from the sun. Among the visible light spectrum, blue wavelengths have the most powerful effect on your sleep-wake internal body clock.

Both natural and artificial blue light can boost your alertness and mental sharpness. But too much of it may keep you awake when your body needs to wind down.

Sunlight

Need help waking up in the morning? Open the blind or get outside to feel more alert.

Light From Screens

Their “blue” light has a powerful effect on your brain. Turn them out about 2hrs before bed.

Artificial Light

Bright lights after dark signal our brain to wake up. In the evening. In the evening. Use dim light, and block outside light.

Block Out Light To Get Good Sleep

How Blue Light At Night Hurts Sleep

Your eyes aren’t good at blocking blue light. So almost all of it passes straight through to the back of your retina, which helps your brain translate light into images.

Exposure to all colors of light helps control your natural sleep-and-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm.…