“The more we understand the interaction between humans and nature, the more we realize the benefits that can occur — physical, mental and emotional — like the reduction of stress and positive effects on ADHD and depression,” said Nadkarni, who co-founded Nature and Human Health — Utah. The group, a collaboration between those in academia and members of the local community, such as park rangers and arborists, studies and promotes the connections between nature and human health. “There’s an awareness that’s present in other countries where there are health and medical management regimes that we’re not aware of in the West, and with more and more literature solidly based in real science with reproduceable results, now we realize they can be very effective,” she said.