Get Outdoors These School Holidays with Earthing to help ADHD

You know about Attention Deficit Disorder in children, but have you heard of Nature Deficit Disorder? You or your kids may be suffering from it.  How Can Earthing Help?

Regular Earthing may help your children from suffering Nature Deficit Disorder and its side effects. 

 

Below you can  see just some of the negative outcomes that children may face when they do not get outside enough.  

 

Many professionals have always been advocating to get back to nature.  Nature writer Dr Richard Louv coined the term ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’, and while it’s not a diagnosed medical condition, it describes the lack of connection to nature in our modern lifestyles. And us Earthers know that being barefoot, outside, and Earthed is even better!

According to one of Australia’s experts on the topic, environmental psychologist Dr Kathleen Bagot, has reported, that  kids aren’t getting enough time in nature—and how it’s affecting their social, physical and cognitive development.

Bagot says, “There’s lots of different anecdotal and scientific evidence about this”.

“People in my generation might have been sent outside and told to come back in when the street lights came on, whereas now we have two thirds of young children not allowed outside their garden gate – because [parents] are afraid they’re going to be killed or kidnapped."

“The numbers of children who are outside in nature in their own community environments is decreasing, so their access to nature is decreasing.”

 

The Downside of Too Much Inside Time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to Dr Bagot, children who don’t get outside enough are facing a lot of negative outcomes. They include:

  • A lack of hands-on exploring time
  • Less chance to experiment with their hands
  • Poor development of long-distance sight
  • Less physical exercise
  • A lack of fresh air
  • Missing out on ‘awe’ experiences
One other very important point, that Dr Bagot would not have been aware of, is that the body builds up quite a large positive charge from being exposed to all our indoor modern electronics today , like TV, computers, wi-fi, etc.  This charge is also increased from indoor pollutants, chemicals and stale air, which can then lead to excess Free Radical Damage to their growing tissues and cells, causing chronic inflammation, which may then lead to painful and debilitating diseases.  By putting out the fire of inflammation every day by walking barefoot on the Earth or using indoor Earthing products  the body can heal and repair this deficit.  So if possible make sure those outdoor times are without shoes!  Our indoor Earthing Mats are also great for kids to put their feet or hands on while at the computer, watching TV or playing electronic games.

 

Nature Even Reduces Crime Rates

A fascinating study conducted in the USA even showed that apartment blocks with vegetation around them experienced a 7-percent crime rate, said Dr Bagot.

“The argument is that exposure to nature, whether through a window view or where you walk or live, helps people to relax and be less stressed,” she said.

“You’re therefore able to handle what comes your way more easily and are therefore less likely to become aggravated and violent.”

 

A Walk In The Park May Help Kids With ADHD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The world of medicine is realising the benefit of nature on human health, too. The Journal of Attention Deficit Disorders published a research article titled Children With Attention Deficits Concentrate Better After Walk in the Park.

The researcher, Andrea Faber Taylor from the University of Illinois, knew that exposure to the natural environment improved attention for the general population, and wanted to test whether it helped children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

She tested children with ADHD aged 7 to 12, by giving them 20-minute walks in various outdoor settings, and found that they concentrated better after the walk in the park than after the walks through urban and neighbourhood settings.

Ms Taylor concluded that ‘doses of nature’ could be used to help managing ADHD symptoms.

The important message here is try and get outdoors these school holidays with the kids  - Doses of nature might serve as a safe, inexpensive, widely accessible new tool in the tool kit for managing ADHD symptoms and inflammatory conditions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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