Another month has gone by in a flash, and since we posted our Ecotherapy News in May, much has happened on the eco front. In our effort to scour the web for the latest and greatest of ecotherapy and related topics, we have found many interesting snippets..

Feel free to grab a cup of coffee and sit back while reading this month’s ecotherapy tidbits..

Ecotherapy in the UK

1. Britain’s Green Party endorses ecotherapy. Early in the month,  a conference organised by MIND (National Association for Mental Health), Caroline Lucas MEP spoke about the benefits of ecotherapy and how it can help mentally ill patients.

2. Depression-therapy helps depressive patients with effective treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and interpersonal approaches. When depression-therapy is used, therapists often utilize hypnosis, which can show greater therapeutic outcomes than drug therapy. Depression-therapy patients are usually expected to have repeat therapy, taking from 5 - 9 sessions.

3. Hertfordshire might soon be dubbed the home of civic group therapy. With the arrival of American based “charrette”, a town planning forum, Hertfordshire will most likely move into more eco-friendly town planning if reports are anything to go by. The first planning charrette in England takes place from June 24 to July 1 and is run by the University of Hertfordshire.

Eco-Medicine

1. An Australian based company in Tasmania may have struck gold with a new discovery. Tasmanian company, Marinova, claims it has developed techniques for extracting derivatives from seaweed, creating a safe alternative to controversial anticoagulant drug heparin, having caused already dozens of deaths alone this year.

The drug, most often used in the treatment of thinning blood against thrombosis, has been said to be contaminated. The new discovery is said to offer an eco-friendly alternative, reducing the risk to people. Further studies will have to be made before this could be used on human patients.

2. Ecotherapy has been said to help kids with ADHD/ADD. Emerging studies are showing positive signs to kids who are living a healthier life. They seem less affected by their condition which allows them to reduce medication. However, despite the good outlook, officials will have to collect more proof to convince parents.

3. Eco-Atkins Diet proven to reduce bad cholesterol by 20% within 4 week study group monitored by the University of Toronto.

Ecotherapy news snippets

1. Stress specialist Dr. Kathleen Hall knows from proven research studies that nature can eliminate and ease stress in humans. By going for a simple walk we can tune back to nature and let go of the burden in our daily lives. This is the true essence of ecotherapy. Research also shows us to keep reminders of happy days close to heart if we can’t go outside daily.

• Keep a fish tank
• Display photos and reminders of happy times
• Buy a water fountain
• Listen to relaxing music

"Over 70% of people report they have significantly decreased symptoms of depressions when they’re out in nature and 88% of people say that their moods change immediately just after they begin a walk," Dr. Hall says.

2. Bugs in your local landfill might become starters for your own Plastic Eating Bacteria recycling setup. With Daniel Burd’s remarkable discovery (mind you, the kid is only 16), green living might just have made a massive step forward.

Daniel discovered, by design, that bugs taken from a local landfill can be fed plastic bags as a sole source of food and within 6 weeks of his test, the plastic weight has been reduced by 42%. His home lab design is a new eco-discovery worth taking further by science for sure. Who knows, it might form the basics of future recycling landfills to help minimize our plastic.

3. Chocolate lovers will love the word chocolate-therapy. It allows us to eat chocolate guilt free, knowing we are actually doing something for our heart (and the soul). But chocolate isn’t just chocolate. To indulge in true style chocolate-therapy we need to eat the right kind of chocolate.

Ecotherapy and fashion

The eco word has hit the fashion industry full frontal. More and more do we see fashion designers and high street clothing shops using the more natural approach to getting dressed.

1. Gone are the unnatural fibres and in comes organic cotton. The latest craze in denim is made by hip Seattle based Certified Jeans. Their range of organically certified jeans has taken "green" dressers by storm. These organic certified jeans are not available through main street outlets at this stage and will have to be ordered directly from the company.

2. Another eco "design" is the new Eco-Pod chair. While the chair looks a little like a remnant of the more funky 1970s, how ‘eco’ it is seems unclear, but it also doesn’t have the appearance of a very comfortable chair. And for a price tag of $1200 it had better not be as awkward as it looks.

Ecotherapy around the world

1. Venice Beach (L.A.), residents and visitors to the area were lucky enough to be able to attend an Eco-Fest on June 28th. This eco-friendly exhibition was aimed at living clean with a higher conscience. The Eco-Fest was held in conjunction with Earth Day 2008.

2. A similar event is taking place in Sydney (Australia) on July 27th 2008, Soul In the City. Coming together for one day to celebrate and reflect on how we live, relate and interact in modern society.

We hope you enjoyed this issue of ecotherapy news and look forward to hearing from you via the comment section below. Any suggestions, questions or feedback is all welcome!