In these times, I’m always searching for ways to lift my spirits (and yours!) Here’s one: I always have fresh cut flowers in the house to brighten my day (and Scott’s!) Well well well… The American Society for Horticulture Science recently performed a study to discover if plants have therapeutic influences on surgical patients. The results were shocking. Ninety patients were split into rooms either with plants or without plants, and those with flowers had lower blood pressure and heart rate, lower ratings of pain, anxiety, and fatigue, and more positive feelings than the patients without foliage. Further, a study published in Complementary Therapies In Medicine gave college-aged women a fresh vase of roses for their dorm rooms, and the subjects reported feeling more relaxed and stress-free than before. So, get yourself some flowers. Or send some to someone (or the shut-in down the street) just to say, “Thinking of you.” There’s proof it will be a net gain.
