A Bit of Nature Each Day Keeps the Doctor Away

In this article I share a few more details about how I integrate Nature Prescriptions into my clinical practice. 

I gave my interview in the beautiful Dundas EcoPark

I gave my interview in the beautiful Dundas EcoPark

In it, I share: 

“I try to see conventional medicine as a tool” explains Dr. Sichler. “Another tool is walking in the woods, another is group therapy, meditation, hypnosis, and imagination”. Dr. Sichler tries to strike a balance between these different medical tools when working with patients.

Dr. Sichler sees people as more than just a bunch of anatomy. He sees people as social, psychological, and spiritual beings. The social and spiritual parts, “in the broadest sense are that of nature,” says Dr. Sichler.  Dr. Sichler’s convictions are consistent with the prolific Buddhist scholar, Joanna Macy, who has argued persuasively in her writings that open spaces are vitally important for our spiritual growth and the raising of mankind’s collective consciousness.

“We often think of nature and health when something bad happens…like a natural disaster… but if it weren’t for the plants around us we wouldn’t be able to breath” says Dr. Sichler. “So obviously clean water, healthy food, and some contact with nature are pivotal to someone’s health. We can’t separate them.”

Folks who don’t think they have a deep connection with the earth can also benefit. Dr. Sichler says, “someone doesn’t have to have a certain philosophy to benefit from nature because our connection to the earth is so long standing that it is beyond any set of beliefs.”

You can read the full article here

How nature can make you healthier

This is another great article and interview I gave to Reader's Digest's Best Health Magazine

Check out the following excerpt: 

What medicine has been recognizing increasingly is that the mind and the body aren’t separate, and what happens to one affects the other,’ says Dr. Conrad Sichler, a family physician and psychotherapist in Burlington, Ontario. Sichler regularly writes ‘nature prescriptions’ in which he directs patients to spend time in natural settings. Sometimes his prescriptions include a map of a local conservation area, other times they’re just two words: ‘Go outside.’

I practice what I preach! Here's me getting ready to enjoy the great outdoors on a recent vacation! 

I practice what I preach! Here's me getting ready to enjoy the great outdoors on a recent vacation! 

Check out the full article here including some great tips on how to make the most of your time outdoors! 

 

Doctors prescribe the great outdoors to get patients moving

In this article with Toronto's Star Magazine, I talk about how Mother Nature can help relive stress and anxiety.  

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Read a quick excerpt: 

The outdoors “can give people a space to simply be apart from the hectic demands of their daily lives,” he says. “It can also put people in touch with a sense of beauty and reverence that can enhance their mental and emotional health.”

Sichler grabs the same pad he uses to prescribe antibiotics and blood pressure medication to jot directions to the walking trails at nearby Mount Nemo or Dundas Valley conservation areas.

“Sometimes I'll write, ‘Repeat as often as you can.' ”

Check out the full article here