Across the globe, doctors are beginning to prescribe alternative treatments to patients dealing with a wide variety of ailments. In Canada, they are prescribing visits to art museums. In Scotland, nature visits and activities are suggested, and Iceland has been using cultural changes such as after school activities to solve the drug and alcohol abuse problems it faced in the 90s.
In a study conducted in Iceland between the years of 1998 and 2016 based on the work of Harvey Milkman, researchers have found that among 15 and 16-year-olds percentages of being drunk, smoking daily, and cannabis use have gone significantly down. The number of teenagers who reported being drunk within the previous month dropped from 42% to 5% while daily smoking went from 23% to 3% and cannabis use from 17% to 7%. The major change has to do with the activities in which students are now participating. The rise in after school activities like clubs and sports has changed the entire country, and families in ReykjavÃk are even given $280 per child each year to spend on recreational activities. This study is a model for how cultural shifts can affect the well-being of an entire population.
In Scotland, doctors have begun to prescribe various nature outings to help treat mental and chronic illnesses. Some of the outings, as listed in the Guardian article, are birdwatching, rambling, beach walks in the Atlantic winds, hill walking, beachcombing for shells, and drawing snowdrops. Dr. Chole Evans notes that these should not replace classic prescriptions altogether, but rather give people more ownership over their health. There is a wealth of research to prove the nature has a positive impact on overall health, and now doctors are actually prescribing it.
Canada is following the alternative prescription trend in yet a different way. Doctors in Montreal want to begin prescribing visits to art museums. Art therapy has been known to help a variety of mental illnesses and improve overall well-being. Doctors will be able to prescribe up to 50 free visits per year, which includes two adults and two children, according to Quartz. In addition to conventional prescriptions, these countries are thinking outside the box in terms of mental and physical health. Iceland is a great model to the other countries that these alternative prescriptions can make a difference in the well-being of an entire population. Could America be making similar changes in its healthcare?