Drug and alcohol addiction can be healed using outdoor environments which is known as environmental healing for susbtance abuse. By using the four elements of fresh air, sunlight, walking barefoot (especially on grass, dirt, or sand), and pure water, the spirit and body can be cleansed of impurities through environmental healing. Walking outdoors every morning before other daily activities stimulates proper blood flow; air is transferred from the nostrils and into the lungs, which fills the whole body with oxygen. Oxygen is the driving force of pure thought and action in the mind and body, assists in building bodily tissues, and promotes the production of serotonin and other “feel good hormones.” Oxygen is one of the main components of environmental healing for substance abuse. Qi Gong and yoga practitioners, midwives, doulas, and physicians tell mothers in labor to breathe so their energies are focused on the birth itself, providing much needed strength to her core, thigh, abdomen, shoulder, and chest muscles. Without proper breathing, the birthing process will not occur smoothly.
We have all experienced a better mood when walking outdoors, spending time in the elements this is environment healing. A schedule can be set to walk outside each morning just after sunrise. By receiving direct and indirect sunlight on the skin and into the eyes, Vitamin D production occurs, and the body is warmed naturally. During winter months, the eyes and face should still be exposed to the sun and fresh air when possible. Despite the fear of having too much sunlight, observing traditional cultures reveals long term exposure to the sun without incidences of skin cancer. Every individual has a different sunlight tolerance level which will depend on many factors including, their location, length of exposure, the angle and proximity of the sun to the earth, and their melanin content which determines the color and hue of their skin. In any case, sun exposure on some level, is absolutely necessary for health.
Walking, jogging, and sprinting barefoot in grass, dirt and sand are other ways to enjoy environment healing for substance abuse. Movement stimulates the reflex points on the bottom of the feet which correspond to the body’s internal organs. This stimulating helps to cleanse organs such as the liver, pancreas, and small and large intestines, which have been damaged by legal and illegal drugs, and alcohol. It also stretches the tendons, ligaments, and muscles in the feet and calves, which improves posture. Once posture is improved by straightening of the spinal column, one finds breathing much easier and a deeper intake of oxygen takes place.
Who would of thought environment healing for substance abuse would take on so many different facets and modes of use?
Thus we have a constant interplay of the healing elements that may also reduce the desire for drugs and alcohol which is why environment healing for substance abuse is so important as a part of holistic health.