WASHINGTON 鈥� 鈥淢y war is over. Battles are only memories …听nightmares that I sweat out during the dark of the night. The woods is serenity, hope and intrinsic light, that pulls us deep inside so we can observe her beauty.鈥�
Dr. Frederick Foote reads a few more lines from a leather-bound journal before closing the pages and returning it to the base of a bench, set within a wooded area on the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center campus. 听
The retired U.S. Navy neurologist and scholar at the Institute for Integrative Health has been at the forefront of modern medicine, working with wounded service members at the country鈥檚 flagship medical center, for more than 17 years.听
But perched on a large rock overlooking a natural stream on the base in Bethesda, Maryland, he feels confident that he鈥檚 sitting on the next advancement in PTSD and veteran health care 鈥� literally.
鈥淭he idea is just being in nature all by itself will heal the body,鈥� Foote explained. 鈥淲e want to really test to see if wild nature does heal.鈥�
On Sept. 26, the Institute for Integrative Health and its partners opened at Naval Support Activity Center Bethesda. The 2-acre outdoor area, which took six years to come to fruition, is relatively simple: There鈥檚 an active stream, plenty of trees and a few man-made places to take it all in, including a communal pavilion, a commemorative pavilion and some benches equipped with journals.
Foote says the point of The Green Road Project is twofold. It鈥檚 a quiet escape where wounded warriors and their families can go to find peace and solace; it鈥檚 also a laboratory-of-sorts, where he and a handful of the nation鈥檚 leading researchers are studying nature鈥檚 impact on whole-body healing.听
In the last several years, more physicians have been using complementary medicine 鈥� such as art therapy, acupuncture, yoga, nutrition and more 鈥� to rehabilitate wounded warriors. In fact, Foote estimates that about one-third of treatment hours are spent on alternative and holistic approaches.
Now, he鈥檚 hoping to show that even more treatment time can be dedicated to holistic medicine.
In a two-year study, currently underway at The Green Road with 50 service members suffering from catastrophic injuries, researchers are measuring nature鈥檚 medicinal effect using mathematics, combined with data from four biomarkers of the stress response.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of data that nature is good for stress and for people under stress, but it tends to be localized effects, rather than the whole body-type-of-approach that we鈥檙e using here,鈥� Foote said.
鈥淏ut if we鈥檙e able to show that the whole body is undoubtedly influenced by exposure to nature in a positive way, that kind of proves it all, doesn鈥檛 it? I mean, that鈥檚 a game-changer for environmentalism as well as medicine.鈥�
What is it about nature that helps the healing process?
鈥淲e have no idea,鈥� Foote said.
However, his first priority is to confirm that it does work, before answering 鈥渨hy.鈥� That way, the treatment approach can reach others 鈥� even beyond Bethesda 鈥� as soon as possible.
Despite the time it took to 鈥渂uild鈥� The Green Road Project, there鈥檚 very little tampering with the natural environment 鈥� and that鈥檚 just what Foote and his colleagues intended.
He says water, stone, wood and animals are the most important 鈥渇eatures鈥� when it comes to reflection and rejuvenation. The benches, pavilions and journals are just meant to enhance the experience and aid in expression.
鈥淵ou just provide the nature and the mind takes care of the rest,鈥� Foote said.
