NPR - Doctors are writing “social prescriptions” to get people engaged with nature, art, exercise and volunteering in the same way they would prescribe pills or therapy. Research has shown it can help with mental health, chronic disease and dementia. .... Julia Hotz, the author of The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging, shares details on the health approach:
Health providers in around 30 countries are practicing social
prescribing to address symptoms of Type 2 diabetes, chronic pain,
dementia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and
depression, and more. A growing number of U.S. providers are also
embracing the approach.
Social prescribing can save money due to a reduction in emergency
room visits and repeat visits to primary care physicians. Health care
systems have acknowledged that it can be cheaper to cover weeks of Zumba
classes than medication over the course of a lifetime.
People interested in social prescribing can visit the map on Social Prescribing USA's website to find a list of organizations and health systems involved in this practice.
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