One-Hour Nature Walk Can Reduce Stress in Brain
In a recent study, researchers from the Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development found that an hour walk in Grunewald forest in Germany decreased stress in participants, while a walk for the same duration on a busy street in a shopping district in Berlin, Germany, did not reduce stress.
The study revealed that activity in the amygdala, a central region in the brain that regulates emotions, including fear and stress, decreased after the forest walk. The result suggests the nature walk had beneficial effects.
“The results of our study show that after only [a] one-hour walk in nature, activity in brain regions involved in stress processing decreases,” Sonja Sudimac, a predoctoral fellow and lead author of the study, told Medical News Today.
Researchers examined the brain activity of 63 healthy participants using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before and after the participants took their walks. The amygdala activity remained stable in those who walked through the urban environment.
Researchers were trying to determine the influence of urban and rural environments on mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. Prior studies found that living in urban regions can affect stress processing.
“This is an important finding because it demonstrates for the first time a causal relationship between exposure to nature and change in stress-related brain regions,” Sudimac said.
Read the full study—originally published in Molecular Psychiatry—online at nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01720-6.
“Delving into the Lymphatic System”
The Rebel MT
The lymphatic system may not be the most popular of the anatomical systems, but understanding this unsung hero is fundamental to the work we do. Join Allison Denney as she explores the lymphatic system.
abmp.com/podcasts/ep-277-delving-lymphatic-system-rebel-mt-allison-denney
Study Finds High Blood Pressure Could Lead to Faster Bone Aging
A new study found that when high blood pressure was induced in young mice, the mice suffered bone loss
and osteoporosis-related bone damage comparable to older mice.
The study, which was presented on September 7, 2022, at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2022, compared young mice with induced hypertension to older mice without hypertension to assess the potential relationship of hypertension and bone aging.
High blood pressure and osteoporosis are prevalent diseases, and people may have both at the same time. In this study, researchers examined inflammation associated with high blood pressure in mice and found it may be connected to osteoporosis.
“Bone marrow is where both new bone and new immune cells are produced. We suspect that more proinflammatory immune cells in the bone marrow may be leading to damage of the bone and making it weaker,” says Elizabeth Maria Hennen, lead study author and PhD candidate in biomedical engineering at Vanderbilt University. “By understanding how hypertension contributes to osteoporosis, we may be able to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and better protect people later in life from having fragility fractures and a lower quality of life.”
The results of the study led Hennen to say, “We should screen for osteoporosis in people with high blood pressure.”
Read the full study at newsroom.heart.org/news/high-blood-pressure-may-accelerate-bone-aging.
“Anabolic Steroids”
I Have a Client Who . . .
A client is a body builder. He tells his massage therapist he started using anabolic steroids to help him achieve his goals. Host Ruth Werner discusses risks for the client or the massage therapist, how much of this is really our business as MTs, and what this means in relation to other possible drug use among clients.
abmp.com/podcasts/ep-275-anabolic-steroids-i-have-client-who-pathology-conversations-ruth-werner
“Soul Scents: Aromatherapy for the Spirit”
Aromatherapist Anne Williams shares her unique model of aromatherapy in this special course for MTs. Explore the relationship of plants and people through history. Then, use the cultural histories and properties of juniper trees, bergamot, and lavender to create essential oil blends for use in diffusers, aroma mists, massage lubricants, baths, and steam showers. You’ll learn that every plant has a history. Every plant has a truth. Every plant has a story that can help us regenerate our energy and bring our best selves to the practice of massage and the practice of life.
abmp.com/learn/course/soul-scents-aromatherapy-spirit
Kentro
KEN-troh
NOUN
Kentro body balance is a technique of gentle centering and balancing movements that stretch, exercise, relax, limber, and strengthen every area of the body.
Founded by Angelika Thusius, Kentro is based on her observation of people around the world who move with ease into an advanced age. Kentro movements can be practiced by anyone and are easily integrated into everyday activities for muscular and joint relief.
Outside the Room Podcast
In the September 12, 2022, edition of Massage Heights’ Outside the Room podcast, Cancer for Wellness Founder and Executive Director Julie Bach talks about her journey of understanding wellness with host CG Funk, and shares her cancer self-care tips.
abmp.com/updates/news/outside-room-podcast-julie-bach-and-wellness-cancer