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Therapeutic Landscapes Network is a gardening/landscaping resource, newsletter and blog that explores the connection between nature and health, and so much more. Here's a recent article that explains how to get the most from this resource and outlines all its offerings:
http://www.healinglandscapes.org/blog/2011/02/use-us-getting-the-most-from-the-therapeutic-landscapes-network/?utm_source=Therapeutic+Landscapes+Network&utm_campaign=3cef02dcbf-Newsletter_6_106_9_2010&utm_medium=email


Mission: "Connecting people with information...people...nature. "
The Therapeutic Landscapes Network provides information, education and advocacy about gardens, landscapes and other green spaces that promote health and well-being.
We are an international, multidisciplinary community of designers, health and human service providers, scholars, gardeners and nature enthusiasts who believe that access to nature, both wild and designed, enables people to live fuller, richer, healthier lives.
Our website, a knowledge base and virtual gathering space, is free and available to everyone with access to the internet.

Explore and sign up for the newsletter - http://www.healinglandscapes.org/




It's In The Dirt!

Many people, including me, talk about the restorative benefits of gardening (see last Tuesday’s post, for example) and the reasons why it makes us feel good. Just being in nature is already therapeutic, but actively connecting with nature through gardening is value-added. And why is that? All sorts of reasons have been posited: It’s a meditative practice; it’s gentle exercise; it’s fun; it allows us to be nurturing and to connect with life on a fundamental level.

And some recent research has added another missing piece to the puzzle: It’s in the dirt. Or to be a little more specific, a strain of bacterium in soil, Mycobacterium vaccae, has been found to trigger the release of seratonin, which in turn elevates mood and decreases anxiety. And on top of that, this little bacterium has been found to improve cognitive function and possibly even treat cancer and other diseases. Which means that contact with soil, through gardening or other means (see Elio, above), is beneficial. How did this discovery come about?

cont'd
http://www.healinglandscapes.org/blog/2011/01/its-in-the-dirt-bacteria-in-soil-makes-us-happier-smarter/

:shrug:

and is more relevant. The one that was hacked just talked about that main site and how to use it.

mud pies, mud cakes whatever I could fashion. And now I know why I resist using gloves when I'm gardening.

I was always covered in dirt like Charlie Browns friend Pig-Pen.
Loved to play in it.