Kurt Beil, ND, LAc, MPH presents: The Healing Power of Nature: Preventive, Restorative and Therapeutic Benefits of Contact with the Natural World.
Time in nature is more than just a walk in the park. A variety of research fields, including clinical medicine, epidemiology, psychoneuroendocrinology, and environmental psychology, are demonstrating that contact with natural environments has preventive, restorative and therapeutic potential for addressing diseases such as depression, ADHD, and cardiovascular disease. This session will explore the evidence and practice of nature-based “ecotherapy” through paradigms of stress-reduction, attention-restoration, and salutogenesis (i.e. holistic health promotion). Case studies and clinical techniques will be shared. The session will conclude with a description of clinical programs and health policy initiatives that are incorporating this approach.
Learning objectives:
- Become familiar with relevant terms, including biophilia, shinrinyoku, ecopsychology, etc…
- Know the pathological conditions for which an ecotherapeutic approach may be beneficial
- Acquire clinical knowledge & skills for utilizing ecotherapeutic techniques with patients
- Recognize the current programs and policies that are incorporating these techniques
- Understand the potential for wider inclusion of this approach within the medical professions
Dr. Kurt Beil is a clinician and researcher who has lectured and published widely on the topic of “health in nature”. He is adjunct research faculty at NCNM (his alma mater) where he has taught classes on Environmental Medicine & Health, Microbiology and Public Health, and Stress Management. His Masters of Public Health degree focused on urban green space as a sustainable integrative-medicine health-promotion strategy. Dr. Beil maintains a clinical practice in Westchester County, and “walks his talk” by hiking and camping in his native Hudson Valley as often as he possibly can.
Kurt Beil, ND, LAc, MPH
Hudson Valley Natural Health
The Center for Health and Healing
4 Smith Ave, 2nd Floor Mount Kisco, NY 10549
www.hudsonvalleynaturalhealth.com
www.center4healing.net
drkurt@earthlink.net
(914) 362-8315