A Healthy “Prescription” – for WV Wilderness
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
It's a unique prescription for a healthier West Virginia. Health professionals say wild lands are good medicine, and they're rallying to save West Virginia wilderness in hopes that more people will enjoy and benefit from it.
More than 100 healthcare workers from around the state are part of a new campaign that calls for federal protection for selected areas of the Mon National Forest. Dr. Mary Wimmer of the West Virginia University School of Medicine says wild areas are a great place to get exercise -- and the benefits don't stop there.
"There are a number of health-related benefits to wild, undeveloped lands. We go there for stress relief, and there's generally a lack of pollution, which of course, means clean water and clean air."
The group, known as Healthcare Professionals for Wilderness is calling on Congress to pass wilderness protections for 15 areas within the Mon, an area in which no new wilderness acres have been designated since 1983. Wimmer points to West Virginia's poor record compared to other states for several chronic health-related problems. She says "getting back to nature" can be an important part of the solution.
"The wilderness recreation that we're talking about can really help in terms of taking care of some of the causes of these diseases, like the obesity and the hypertension.
Learn more about the "wilderness prescription" online, at www.wvwild.org/health_professionals_support.htm.
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