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EDITORIALS: Ambra Burls and Woody Caan Human health and nature conservation BMJ 2005; 331: 1221-1222 [Full text]

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For a cure, man has to go back to nature!

Rajan TD   (28 November 2005)

Ecotherapy resources

Linda E. Buzzell-Saltzman   (4 January 2006)

Heritage and therapy

Johan De Vriendt   (30 June 2006)

For a cure, man has to go back to nature! 28 November 2005
Rajan TD, Consultant Skin & Sex Transm Diseases, Andheri 0091-22-56982747 Andheri, Mumbai, India 400069. Tel: 0091-22-26820114 Send response to journal: Re: For a cure, man has to go back to nature!	No one can dispute the fact that man has gradually distanced himself from nature. The industrial revolution and the massive strides taken by science have made human beings akin to machines. Till an earthquake, a hurricane or some other natural calamity strikes his immediate vicinity man remains oblivious to the power of nature. We consider ourselves far too superior to what we actually are, while we mindlessly pollute and wreck our planet’s resources. Ill health is a natural consequence of our actions. Scientific advancements in farming techniques have brought along with it the hazards of pesticides in vegetable products. Faster cars have given rise to high sulphur and carbon monoxide levels in the air in most cities. Cooler refrigerators and aerosol perfumes have burned our atmospheric ozone barrier. Therefore it is only natural that when we take a break from our routine activities (which probably harm our natural wealth) we are unknowingly reducing the damage to the environment! Physicians routinely advise their patients suffering from stress-related illnesses to go on a short holiday. Ecotherapy has for long been advocated by practitioners of alternative systems of medicine – particularly in Kerala in South India. Play therapy with squirrels and owls is just a natural extension of this therapy. Surely, man has to go back to his 'roots!' Competing interests: None declared
Ecotherapy resources 4 January 2006
Linda E. Buzzell-Saltzman, Founder, International Association for Ecotherapy 20301 Ventura Blvd., Suite 214, Woodland Hills, CA 91364 Send response to journal: Re: Ecotherapy resources	For further information on ecotherapy as an optimal treatment for mental health dysfunction, readers may go to the website for the International Association for Ecotherapy at http://thoughtoffering.blogs.com/ecotherapy or may view the weekly blog on ecotherapy at http://thoughtoffering.blogs.com/ice_seeds which is sponsored by the International Community for Ecopsychology (www.ecopsychology.org) Linda Buzzell-Saltzman, M.A., M.F.T. Founder, International Association for Ecotherapy lbuzzell@aol.com Competing interests: The International Association for Ecotherapy
Heritage and therapy 30 June 2006
Johan De Vriendt, documentarist B-9130 Sint-Niklaas Send response to journal: Re: Heritage and therapy	Very interesting these stories about ecotherapy. I would also mention youth movements such as 'Wandervogel' (Germany end of 19th, beginning of 20th century) and the Horse whisperer Monthy... In my profession I deal with heritage (from monuments to small leaflets...). I can imagine that ecotherapy in a broader sense deals with getting in touch with your environment in a positive way. About ten years ago I was in Bretagne (France). Hiking back home (Flanders) I was lucky a psychologist took me with him. He was occupied with a building project in Bretagne. Together with his 'patients', the young 'apaches' of Paris, he was restoring an old castle. The youngsters were building in fact their own room. I have no idea what happened to them, but I still find this a good method of giving young 'drifting' people a feeling of being 'home'. Is there any research known to you about the interaction between heritage and therapy? Competing interests: None declared