THE MANY BENEFITS OF ECOTHERAPY

If you've spent more time tending to your garden or taking long walks outside during the pandemic, you're not the only one.

When COVID-19 shutdowns forced the closure of restaurants, bars and movie theaters, people instead flocked to parks, community gardens, beaches and hiking trails. A study by researchers at the University of Vermont found significant increases in outdoor activity during the early pandemic days of May 2020, especially among women. Getting outdoors has helped many people cope with the anxiety and uncertainty of the pandemic, but it has additional scientifically validated benefits as well.

Allegheny Health Network and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield are aiming to educate more people about those benefits through a new "ecotherapy" trail at North Park in Hampton, McCandless and Pine. Ecotherapy refers to the practice of interacting with nature to improve health and wellness. Unveiled in May, the trail is meant to help people relax and recharge by connecting to nature in meaningful ways.

"Parks have been really critical during COVID when you couldn't really go anywhere else," said Dr. Allan Klapper, president of AHN's Wexford Hospital. "We've got great parks in Allegheny County and they're so central to everybody who lives here. They're a tremendous resource that help us decompress from our day-to-day hectic lives."

The idea for the project came from the recognition that time spent in nature can have many positive effects on a person's overall health and well-being, he said.

The trail, which opened last month, involves 10 ecotherapy signs around the park designed to educate visitors about the health benefits of spending time in nature. Those benefits include lowering stress levels, decreasing blood pressure and stroke risk, increasing energy levels, boosting the immune system, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, and improving concentration, memory and cognition.

"At each of these stations, you have an opportunity to learn a little bit about what's around you and interact in a way that helps you decompress and reduce stress in your day-to-day life," Dr. Klapper said. "It's meant to enhance your normal interactions you have with the park."

Visitors can access a map of all 10 locations by using their smartphones to scan a QR code at any of the ecotherapy signs.

Science-backed benefits

We all know...