Traditional Korean Medicine-Based Forest Therapy Programs Providing Electrophysiological Benefits for Elderly Individuals

Jiyune Yi, Boncho Ku, Seul Gee Kim, Taegyu Khil, Youngsuwn Lim, Minja Shin, Sookja Jeon, Jingun Kim, Byunghoon Kang, Jongyeon Shin, Kahye Kim, Ah Young Jeong, Jeong Hwan Park, Jungmi Choi, Wonseok Cha, Changseob Shin, Wonsop Shin and Jaeuk U. Kim
Additional contact information
Jiyune Yi: Department of Forest Therapy, Graduate School of Chungbuk National University, Chungju, Chungbuk 28644, Korea
Boncho Ku: Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 34054, Korea
Seul Gee Kim: Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 34054, Korea
Taegyu Khil: Department of Forest Therapy, Graduate School of Chungbuk National University, Chungju, Chungbuk 28644, Korea
Youngsuwn Lim: Department of Forest Therapy, Graduate School of Chungbuk National University, Chungju, Chungbuk 28644, Korea
Minja Shin: Department of Forest Therapy, Graduate School of Chungbuk National University, Chungju, Chungbuk 28644, Korea
Sookja Jeon: Department of Forest Therapy, Graduate School of Chungbuk National University, Chungju, Chungbuk 28644, Korea
Jingun Kim: Department of Forest Therapy, Graduate School of Chungbuk National University, Chungju, Chungbuk 28644, Korea
Byunghoon Kang: Department of Forest Therapy, Graduate School of Chungbuk National University, Chungju, Chungbuk 28644, Korea
Jongyeon Shin: Department of Forest Therapy, Graduate School of Chungbuk National University, Chungju, Chungbuk 28644, Korea
Kahye Kim: Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 34054, Korea
Ah Young Jeong: Department of Forest Therapy, Graduate School of Chungbuk National University, Chungju, Chungbuk 28644, Korea
Jeong Hwan Park: Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 34054, Korea
Jungmi Choi: Human Anti-Aging Standards Research Institute, Uiryeong, Gyungnam 52151, Korea
Wonseok Cha: Human Anti-Aging Standards Research Institute, Uiryeong, Gyungnam 52151, Korea
Changseob Shin: Department of Forest Therapy, Graduate School of Chungbuk National University, Chungju, Chungbuk 28644, Korea
Wonsop Shin: Department of Forest Therapy, Graduate School of Chungbuk National University, Chungju, Chungbuk 28644, Korea
Jaeuk U. Kim: Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 34054, Korea

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 22, 1-20

Abstract: We aimed to develop forest therapy programs (FTPs) to prevent dementia and related health problems in the elderly population, with the assumption that health benefits are FTP-type specific and depend on the participant’s psychophysiological traits. For this purpose, we developed two distinct FTPs, namely, a guided-breathing meditation program (BP) and a walking program (WP); we adopted the approach of Sasang constitutional (SC) medicine, which categorizes individuals into one of three SC types (SC1, SC2, or SC3) for medical care. The FTPs ran 11 sessions over 11 weeks. We recruited 29/31/28 participants who were 65 years of age or older for the BP/WP/control groups, respectively; obtained electrophysiological measurements via electroencephalogram (EEG), heart rate variability (HRV), and bioimpedance; and analyzed the intervention effects with analysis of covariance. Compared with the control, the BP and WP resulted in benefits for neural activity and parasympathetic nervous activity (PNA), respectively, and both FTPs yielded distinct beneficial effects on bioimpedance. Constitution-specific effects were also present. The SC1- and SC2-type participants gained positive effects in neural activity from the BP and WP, respectively. The SC3-type participants showed improvements in PNA from the WP. In conclusion, for older individuals, both programs conferred health benefits that would help prevent dementia, and the benefits were program-specific and constitution-specific.

Keywords: forest therapy; cognitive impairment; dementia; breathing program; walking program; Sasang constitutional medicine; electrophysiology; EEG; HRV; bioimpedance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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