MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Find some shade under a tree, get some fresh air, and call me in the morning.
Health care providers have long suggested that stressed patients spend time outdoors. Hundreds of healthcare providers are now going one step further and issuing official prescriptions. go outside. This tactic is gaining momentum as social media, political strife, and foreign wars weigh heavily on the American psyche.
Of course, no one needs a prescription to go out, but some doctors believe that issuing advice that way makes it easier for people to take it seriously.
“When I bring this up, it’s like giving them permission to do something they might think is frivolous when things seem serious and stressful,” said Dr. Suzanne Hackenmiller, a gynecologist in Waterloo, Iowa, who began dispensing natural prescriptions after the death of her husband, noting that spending time outdoors calmed her.
Being outdoors improves your health
Spending time in nature lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, and boosts immunity. What we learned from multiple studies.
“Study after study shows that we are hardwired to get out into nature,” said Dr. Brent Bauer, director of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. This program focuses on practices not normally included. conventional medicinemeditation, acupuncture, massage, nutrition and more. “It’s not just, ‘Wow, I think nature is beautiful.’ There’s actually a science to it.”
Telling someone to go outside is another thing. Follow-through is another thing. About 10 years ago, health care providers began formally suggesting that people go out with a prescription.
This article is part of AP’s Be Well coverage, which focuses on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health. Read more Hope you are well.
Dr. Robert Zar, who also works as a nature guide, started an organization called ParkRx America around 2016 to provide providers with protocols for prescribing nature outings. The guidelines ask patients to talk to patients about what they like to do outside, such as walking, sitting under a tree, or perhaps just looking at falling leaves, how often they do it, and where they go. All of this is included in the prescription and Park Rx America will send reminders to the patient.
Nearly 2,000 providers have registered with the organization, not only in the United States but also in many countries including Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, and Spain. Since 2019, they have issued more than 7,000 natural prescriptions, according to Dr. Stacey Beller-Striyer, associate medical director of Park Rx Americas. He said about 100 organizations similar to Park Rx America have been established across the United States.
Natural prescriptions increase motivation
Bauer specializes in treating CEOs and other business leaders. He said he issues about 30 natural prescriptions each year. He said the CEOs he treats sometimes don’t even know where to start, but a prescription can help them get started.
“I recommend a lot of things to a lot of patients,” he said. “I’m under no illusions that all drugs will work. When I get a prescription, someone hands me a piece of paper and says I have to take this drug…I’m much more likely to have it work.”
Hackenmiller, an Iowa gynecologist, said she is talking more with her patients about getting outside as a means of escaping a world locked in constant conflict.
“When so many things are out of our control, it can be helpful to step away from the media and be in nature,” she said. “I think spending time in nature often resonates with people as something that helps them find peace and draw them to other times in their lives.”
it’s important to go outside
The effectiveness of natural formulas is unknown. A 2020 joint study by the U.S. Forest Service, University of Pennsylvania, and North Carolina State University concluded that more research is needed to evaluate follow-through and long-term health outcomes.
But unless you’re choking on wildfire smoke or swatting away swarms of mosquitoes, getting outside can be helpful no matter your motivation.
At the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, students issue nature prescriptions to their peers. “Patients” receive their prescriptions by filling out an online application that includes information such as how far they need to travel to the park, when they can visit, whether they need rides, and their favorite outdoor activities.
Online prescriptions issued by students increased from an average of 12 per month in 2020 to an average of 22 per month in 2025.
Kelsey Wakiyama, a fourth-grader, grew up with her family and dog Duke on the hiking trails surrounding her home in Villanova, Pennsylvania. When she started her freshman year at Williamsburg, she didn’t know where to start. She saw an ad for a natural medicine prescription in her weekly student email and ended up getting a prescription that helped her find a trail near campus.
“I love green,” Wakiyama says. “Sitting indoors, I was in the library for four hours today, and the fresh air feels so good. It definitely calms down my nervous system. When I’m outdoors, I associate brightness, tranquility, and good memories. Being outside brings back those kinds of things.”
