Vitamin N: nature as part of your care

Vitamin N, or vitamin nature, is not a pill. It is the power nature has to do us good when we experience it with our senses awake: when we look, listen, touch and smell with attention.

It does not replace your treatment or your medicines. It is an add-on to look after your physical, emotional and social wellbeing, and it can support the management of conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

Why it is good for your heart

Stress raises your blood pressure and your pulse. Studies show that contact with nature is linked to less stress and anxiety, better sleep, better mood, lower blood pressure and more physical activity. It also brings us closer to other people. Biophilia explains why.

Seven ways to take it

1. Learn: look at trees, gardens, plants, birds and flowers; get close and get to know them.
2. Take it in directly: breathe in the country air, smell the plants, touch the water.
3. Relax: close your eyes in a natural place and learn to tell its sounds apart.
4. Connect: sit under a tree, on the grass or in the woods.
5. Keep company: have plants or a pet.
6. Go on outings: visit nature parks or plan your holidays in a nature reserve.
7. Feet on the ground: walk on grass or sand. If you have diabetes or reduced feeling in your feet, keep your shoes on and avoid hot sand or hot ground.

Ideas for every day

Air

Open doors and windows so the air can flow.

Water

Watch the rain, sit by a river or look at the sea.

Planting

Plant something at home or at the office and watch it grow.

Park

Visit one, sit and breathe, and learn to tell the trees and flowers apart.

Street

Walk looking at the trees and stop to smell the flowers in a garden.

Sky

Look for the moon or watch the clouds.

Animals

Spend time with your pet.

Your doctor can prescribe it

At Servicios Especializados del Corazón, your specialist or our Vitamin N professional will explain how to take it and put together a plan for your condition: which activities to do, how often and for how long. The plan is recorded in your medical record. Ask about Vitamin N at your next appointment.

Take it safely

• Go out early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when it is cooler, and bring water. If your doctor has limited how much you drink, drink only what you were told.
• If you will be in the sun for more than a few minutes, wear a hat and sunscreen. If you take medicines that make your skin more sensitive to the sun, ask your doctor.
• If you have diabetes or reduced feeling in your feet, do not walk barefoot or on hot sand or hot ground: wear comfortable shoes and check your feet when you get home.