How Nature Therapy Helps Me Live Better With a Rare Disease

Access to lush, green natural spaces feels like a privilege to me. As a person living with a rare disease, narcolepsy, it isn't always easy to safely access the outdoors.

However, when I spend time in nature, I feel better – not only emotionally but also physically. Living close to forest trails helps me have an improved life quality as a person living with a rare disease.

Access to medicinal herbs

One of the benefits of local green forest space is access to free medicinal herbs. As a person with a rare disease, treatment options are limited. My rare disease, narcolepsy, isn't as well understood as other, more common diseases.

My treatment plan has improved over time but has been stagnant for years now since stabilizing. There just aren't any more pharmaceutical drugs to try for narcolepsy...I've tried them all! And my narcolepsy symptoms still disable me, though they are mercifully improved with treatment.

Adding herbal remedies to my narcolepsy treatment plan

I like adding herbal remedies to my treatment plan to help improve my health outcomes. For example, this winter, I'll be drinking echinacea tea to keep my immune system stimulated and my body healthy through this upcoming cold and flu season. I don't harvest this herb locally, but it is a goal of mine to learn to (safely) harvest local herbs for similar medicinal uses. It feels empowering to know that I can make small changes in my health or quality of life by doing so.

Be an informed forager

Other natural medicines found in forest spaces include mushrooms and other fungi. Mushroom or plant identification requires a great deal of skill. To safely consume wild mushrooms or plants, you have to know all of the possible local mushrooms and plants, which are edible or not, which are poisonous or not, and which are medicinal. It is difficult to do, but not impossible. This is one skill I hope to gain, so I can benefit even more from the beautiful green forest spaces around me.

Please note that it is important to ask your doctor before starting or stopping treatments, including herbal or fungal medicines, as there are many drug interactions or side effects that can occur.

Access to green space makes me feel better

Overall, I have found that having access to a local forest green space has improved my health in many ways as a person living with a chronic rare disease like narcolepsy.

Hiking allows me to move my body in ways that feel good and increase my stamina and strength. On days when I have more severe symptoms but still want to spend time in nature, I can spend little to no time and effort getting to a trail to see some trees, plants, and birds. And I feel better for it, even if I am still tired afterward.

Do you find nature therapy beneficial for your rare disease? How so? Please share with us in the comments below!