14 DAY TRIAL // Investigators from the University of Illinois announce that they managed to develop a new type of therapy against attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Their method is very effective in reducing symptoms associated with this condition in children.
The new method is extremely simple, scientists who conducted the new study say. It simply involves children spending more time outdoors, without having to complete assigned activities or any other task.
This is not the first time that scientists establish exposure to fresh air and natural light to be beneficial for the human body. Earlier fundings suggested the same thing, but no clear link had been established.
In the new experiments, more than 400 children already diagnosed with the condition were surveyed for prolonged periods of time. The youngsters played either indoors, in built outdoor environments, or outdoors without being bound to constructed structures such as parks.
After the study period, the team established that kids in the latter category were a lot more likely to display reduced ADHD symptoms than their peers who had played indoors or in confined outdoors environments. Being exposed to abundant grasses and trees seems to make all the difference.
What puzzled investigators to some extent was the fact that factors such as socioeconomic status did not appear to have an influence on the overall result, even if it usually tends to have at least some significance in other types of therapy.
UI scientists detailed their investigation in the latest issue of the medical journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, PsychCentral reports. The paper was authored by experts Andrea Faber Taylor, PhD, and Frances Kuo, PhD.
What this research suggests is that parents could use this natural approach as a low-cost alternative to pumping their children full of drugs like Adderall and Ritalin. This method has zero side-effects, too.
Interestingly, children who were exposed to total outdoor environments displayed the same improved concentration and impulse control capabilities as peers who had only been shown pictures of green settings, such as forests, parks and fields.
“Before the current study, we were confident that acute exposures to nature – sort of one-time doses – have short-term impacts on ADHD symptoms,” Kuo goes on to explain.
“The question is, if you’re getting chronic exposure, but it’s the same old stuff because it’s in your backyard or it’s the playground at your school, then does that help?” the investigator concludes.