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Nature as Medicine Patient Resources 

The Osher Center offers Nature Prescriptions for interested patients as well as ongoing Nature as Medicine resources and support.

How to get a Nature Prescription:

  • Tell your UC Health provider that you are interested in a Nature Prescription
  • Self-refer by contacting Dava Leonard by phone 513-245-3011 or email at dava.leonard@uchealth.com

Welcome! To get started, please watch this Nature Rx Welcome Video from Barbara Walker, PhD, Clinical Director, Nature as Medicine Program.

Why Nature as Medicine?

group of people sitting on blankets in a park during a sound immersion experienceResearch has shown that spending time in nature offers numerous health benefits. Being surrounded by nature can help reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure, enhance immune system function, and boost self-esteem and mood. People living with chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, cancer, depression, and anxiety, as well as those pre- and post-surgery, have been shown to have improved health outcomes when spending time in nature. Read more: UC News: The Healing Power of Nature 


Nature as Medicine Monthly Meetup

group of people doing tai chi at a parkPlease join Dr. Barbara Walker, Clinical Director of the Nature as Medicine Program, for a monthly virtual meetup to learn about the Nature as Medicine program, how to write your own personalized nature prescription that will work for you, evidence-based nature as medicine education and tips, and upcoming wellness events and classes that will help you meet your nature prescription goals.

Date: the first Thursday of each month from noon-12:45 p.m. (beginning November 7, 2024)

Where: virtual via teams - Join the meeting now | Meeting ID: 214 569 641 151. Passcode: rM6Xya

How to Write Your Own Nature Prescription 

Write your own prescription through Park Rx America

  • Place: Where do you feel safe and comfortable outside?
  • Activity: What do you enjoy and can commit to doing outside?
  • Frequency: How many days per week and for how long?
Tips for Incorporating Nature into Your Routine
  1. IMG_3168Schedule regular "nature breaks" throughout your day, even for 10 minutes at a time.
  2. Bring greenery or images of natural spaces into your home and office, both of which have been shown to lower stress according to studies.
  3. Try “green exercise” — moving your workout outdoors provides benefits. A recent study found that a short, leafy stroll improves working memory and concentration substantially more than completing the same brief walk inside.
  4. Turn a regular meeting into a walking meeting outdoors.
  5. Eat a meal outside in nature (turn any meal into a fun picnic).
  6. Try a no-cost Cincinnati Parks Foundation wellness program such as yoga, forest bathing or meditation.

Read more: UC News: The Healing Power of Nature 

Parks for Wellness

group of people seated on yoga mats performing yoga in a park surrounded by trees

Through a new Parks for Wellness collaboration, the Osher Center, the Cincinnati Parks, and the Cincinnati Parks Foundation are on a mission to provide Cincinnatians with opportunities to harness the healing power of nature by providing innovative, evidence-based care and a deeper connection to our local natural world and the communities in which we live and work. The Parks for Wellness collaboration will provide health and wellness education as well as movement and mindfulness therapies in the parks, providing opportunities for social connection, and healing.

Video Resources

Nature & Lifestyle Medicine

patient and provider during lifestyle medicine consultationThere are 6 Official Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine, and now mounting evidence supports Nature As Medicine as The 7th (Unofficial) Pillar of Lifestyle Medicine.

The Osher Center offers lifestyle medicine consultations, covered by insurance like any other visit with your provider, you will initially meet with your physician or nurse practitioner for one hour. They will learn about your personal, medical and family history; your dietary, exercise and sleep habits; your sources of stress and coping mechanisms, and then will assess your health concerns and evaluate your symptoms, order any necessary tests and create mutually agreed upon lifestyle prescriptions.

Our goal is to work with you to create a personalized self-care plan that you can implement and sustain with your lifestyle. To schedule a consultation, call 513-475-9567.

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Contact Us

Osher Center for Integrative
Health at UC

Medical Sciences Building Suite 4358
231 Albert Sabin Way
PO Box 670582 
Cincinnati, OH 45267-0582

Mail Location: 0582
Phone: 513-558-2310
Fax: 513-558-3266
Email: ucihw@uc.edu