Kokonut Pundit: Mount St. Helens

Lately I've been seeing some irrational rantings against certain people who like living out in the country or the wide open spaces of America in the great outdoors in the effort to somehow try and use that against them. Unbelievable. I believe there are more pros than cons in living out in the country than do city living. The most obvious one is that the amount of stress is considerably less living out in the country than to deal with the crowded people, the traffic jams, higher crime rates, the increased pollution, and so on. In fact, a recent study came out saying that spending time with nature helps boost your immunity, reduce stress and increase your sense of well being.

...spending more time in nature might have some surprising health benefits. In a series of studies, scientists found that when people swap their concrete confines for a few hours in more natural surroundings — forests, parks and other places with plenty of trees — they experience increased immune function.

Stress reduction is one factor. But scientists also chalk it up to phytoncides, the airborne chemicals that plants emit to protect them from rotting and insects and which also seem to benefit humans.

One study published in January included data on 280 healthy people in Japan, where visiting nature parks for therapeutic effect has become a popular practice called “Shinrin-yoku,” or “forest bathing.” On one day, some people were instructed to walk through a forest or wooded area for a few hours, while others walked through a city area. On the second day, they traded places. The scientists found that being among plants produced “lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, and lower blood pressure,” among other things.

A number of other studies have shown that visiting parks and forests seems to raise levels of white blood cells, including one in 2007 in which men who took two-hour walks in a forest over two days had a 50-percent spike in levels of natural killer cells. And another found an increase in white blood cells that lasted a week in women exposed to phytoncides in forest air.

In short, being out in the woods or the great outdoors among the plants and trees is quite therapeutic. So, before anybody start to make fun of deaf or hard of hearing people who choose to live out in the country, consider the many benefits in living out in the country. With technology today you can easily enjoy keeping in contact with your friends, work from home, and/or enjoy being away from the mad world of city life.

Below are some pictures of Mount St. Helens, Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams I took recently. These are the mountains I get to see almost everyday out in the woods whether it's working or driving around town. Sometimes I get to see all three mountains in one day or even four mountains if you include Mt. Hood from a distance in Oregon on a fantastically clear day. These are the beautiful snow-capped mountains and I never get tired looking at them. Such majestic features that can be admired up close or from a distance.

The Mount St. Helen picture I have below is an older one from last year and I have a better and more recent picture of it to upload tomorrow if I don't forget. Meanwhile, enjoy the fine scenery along with fresh air, green plants and trees, and the colorful splendor of what nature can offer you.