a body-mind approach to chronic illness
I’m Rodger Douglas and I treat fibromyalgia with homeopathy. I use a body mind approach that revolves around simple and healthy living.
books on reconnecting with nature
People seem to know instinctively that spending time outdoors is a good thing. But, with our modern lifestyles, where we spend most of our time inside staring at screens, we’ve become detached from nature.
I love reading and have a huge library on homeopathy and health. All the books that I review on this site I've read, and have found practically useful as a practicing homeopath. Here is my list of the most handy books on connecting with nature.
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the hidden life of trees
Peter Wohlleben
Peter Wohlleben shares his observations of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in the forest and the amazing scientific processes behind the wonders of which we are blissfully unaware. Much like human families, tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, and support them as they grow, sharing nutrients with those who are sick or struggling and creating an ecosystem that mitigates the impact of extremes of heat and cold for the whole group.
The reason I recommend this book and that is that spending more time in nature will impove your health. However, there is a mental/emotional component to fibromyalgia (fibro fog, overthinking, depression, anxiety) and one of the best ways to over come this is through mindfulness or living more in the present moment. Spending mindful time in nature is even better than spending time in nature. I believe the information in this book will inspire you to seek out nature and really begin to observe it in a more mindful and scientific way.
how to read nature
Tristan Gooley
When most of us go for a walk, a single sense, sight, tends to dominate our experience. But when expert navigator Tristan Gooley goes for a walk, he uses all five senses to “read” everything nature has to offer. A single lowly weed can serve as his compass, calendar, clock, and even pharmacist. If you tend to live too much in your head then there is no better way to awaken your senses not only to the outdoors but to yourself.
forest bathing
Dr. Qing Li
Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness is the definitive guide to the therapeutic Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or the art and science of how trees can promote health and happiness
Notice how a tree sways in the wind. Run your hands over its bark. Take in its citrusy scent. As a society we suffer from nature deficit disorder, but studies have shown that spending mindful, intentional time around trees--what the Japanese call shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing--can promote health and happiness.
Once you've discovered the healing power of trees, you can lose yourself in the beauty of your surroundings, leave everyday stress behind, and reach a place of greater calm and wellness.
the nature principle
Richard Louv
The Nature Principle presents a compelling case that a conscious reconnection to nature can make us whole again and that the future will belong to nature-smart individuals, families, businesses, and communities. Supported by evidence from emerging empirical and theoretical research and eye-opening anecdotes, Louv shows that when we tap into the restorative powers of the natural world we can boost mental acuity and creativity, heal illness, increase immunity, broaden our compassion, and strengthen human bonds. As he says in his introduction, The Nature Principle is about the power of living in nature, not with it, but in it.
https://archive.org/details/natureprincipleh0000louv/page/n14/mode/2up
Rewilding
Micah Mortali
Rewilding: Meditations, Practices, and Skills for Awakening in Nature will help you reconnect with your wild essence as you awaken your innate bond with the natural world. Micah Mortali brings together yoga, mindfulness, wilderness training, and ancestral skills to create a unique guide for reigniting your primal energy―your undomesticated true self―and deepening your connection with the living earth.
For hundreds of thousands of years, humans lived intimately with the earth. We were in the wild and of the wild. Today, we live mostly urban lives―and our vital wildness has gone dormant. As a result, we’re more isolated, unhealthy, anxious, and depressed than ever, and our planet has suffered alongside us. With Rewilding, Mortali invites us to shed the effects of over-civilization and explore an inner wisdom that is primal, ancient, and profound.
earthing
Clinton Ober
Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever introduces readers to the landmark discovery that living in contact with the earth's natural surface charge - being grounded - naturally discharges and prevents chronic inflammation in the body. This effect has massive health implications because of the well-established link between chronic inflammation and all chronic diseases, including fibromyalgia. I've included this book because eathing is really easy to do, it's really cheap, and it really helps with the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
