Wednesday, June 25, 2003

Nature sights and sounds can help reduce patient stress

A study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore has proven what a lot of doctors have believed for a long time. The sights and sounds of nature can ease a patient's pain.

"Natural sounds and images, if they're the right ones in the right format, are a safe, inexpensive and effective way to reduce pain and anxiety," said Dr. Noah Lechtzin, a postdoctoral fellow at Hopkins.

Lechtzin and his fellow researchers made that conclusion after analyzing questionnaires filled out by 80 patients who had undergone bronchoscopies in 2001. Doctors perform the uncomfortable procedure where tubes are inserted into the nose or mouth on people with known or expected lung disease to identify a cause of infection for pneumonia.

About half of the patients in the study, 41, looked at murals by their bedsides and listened to tapes of nature sounds as they underwent the procedure. The other 39 patients underwent the procedure without distraction therapy. Members of both control groups received comparable levels of pain control therapy.

"Patients who looked at the mural during the bronchoscopy were 43 percent more likely to report pain control as good or excellent, even after controlling for such factors as pain medication, health, race and education," said Dr. Gregory Diette, an assistant professor of pulmonary and critical care at Hopkins. He was the lead author of the study.

"It makes perfect sense," said Todd Imholte, president of Environmental Graphics, a Hopkins, Minn., company that specializes in decorative products for the home. "A lot of our customers who buy nature murals tell us they help them relax."

The customer base ranges from doctors and hospitals to individuals who want to bring the sights and sounds of nature indoors. Bonnie Mueller of Eugene, Ore., recently bought one of Environmental Graphics' nature murals for her father, who is wheelchair bound.

"I bought the one with an outdoor scene of a stream and trees," said Mueller. "We put it up in Dad's shop where he 'putters' around a lot because he is unable to get out and fish anymore."

The mural Mueller bought is called River Portage and is just one of Environmental Graphics' nine nature scenes. The others include Lake in the Woods, Morning Forest, Deer, Old Grist Mill, Oriental Garden, Cinnamon Bay, Hawaiian Sunset and Florida Room. They are all 13 feet wide and eight feet tall.

You can find the murals at Home Depot, Lowe's and Sherwin Williams stores for around $70 apiece. For a free catalogue, call 888-205-0914 or check out the murals online at www.environmentalgraphics.com.