Un baño de bosque no es más que un paseo largo por esos lares. Permitirse disfrutar de la naturaleza caminando en silencio o en tranquila conversación. Algo que los seres humanos han hecho a diario durante miles de años. Hoy parece que algunos están volviendo a rescatar esta sencilla práctica dándose cuenta de sus beneficios para la salud física y mental.
La naturaleza nos produce efectos saludables. Cuando nos solazamos en el mar o en la montaña es frecuente sentir bienestar, tranquilidad y alegría. La naturaleza está cada vez más alejada de nuestros entornos habituales de trabajo y vida. Quizá por eso notemos más el contraste y sintamos con más fuerza su capacidad sanadora. En Japón, donde el ritmo de vida urbano es especialmente gravoso para sus habitantes, están haciendo el esfuerzo de medir el efecto de los baños de bosque en la salud. Cada vez hay más evidencias científicas de su capacidad tranquilizante y normalizadora de la tensión arterial y otras variables.
Es curioso comprobar que en muchas ocasiones los modos y usos occidentales para relajarse pasan por someterse a más estímulos, pese a estar hartos o cansados de los mismos. De este modo tras una jornada laboral trabajando en un ordenador nos sentamos en el sofá enfrente de otra pantalla para ver nuestra serie favorita. Al desplazarnos en transporte público acudimos a nuestro móvil o tableta para buscar información o ver vídeos. Al salir a correr nos ponemos unos auriculares con música movida.
Nuestro cerebro tiene una alta capacidad para procesar información pero por grande que sea solemos llevarlo al límite y acabamos agotados. Volver al bosque, a la tradición del paseo tranquilo en un entorno natural no es una cuestión accesoria. Puede proveernos muchos beneficios a un coste muy bajo. La única inversión que tendremos que hacer es desplazarnos a un lugar que consideremos bello. Si tenemos la suerte de tener bosques o montañas cercanas será fácil, si no es así podremos buscar parques o senderos por despoblado en los que disfrutar del horizonte, el espacio abierto y los juegos de las nubes, la luz y el viento. El secreto es concedernos esos tiempos como premio y manjar para disfrutarlos en soledad o bien acompañados.
Me gusta recomendar a mis pacientes iniciativas seguras, eficaces y que a ser posible haya probado yo mismo. Cuando el médico sabe si la medicina que provee es dulce o amarga la prescripción de la misma tendrá un fundamento más sólido. Por esta razón me gusta sugerir tomar baños de bosque a aquellas personas que pasan por circunstancias difíciles o viven tiempos de enfermar. También me gusta hacerlo con los que están sanos y quieren mantenerse en ese estado.
No puedo aventurar si esta actividad se convertirá en una moda más. De momento es uno de mis remedios saludables no farmacológicos que junto a la música, la escritura, la belleza y el silencio suelo usar con frecuencia en mi práctica médica.
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