Contemporary Development of the Nature-Based Intervention System and Its Potential for Public Health Services

This research mainly aims to explore the application potential and future prospect of nature-based intervention (NBI) system in the field of public health service as an auxiliary means for modern medical technology.

By combing the context of human thoughts and historical development involved in NBI, the boundary between spontaneous healing behavior and professional nature-based therapy (NBT) is defined, and the social motivation and operation mechanism for the evolution of NBI system from a folk spontaneous healing method relying on natural medicine to a professional and systematic auxiliary means for modern medical technology are revealed. Based on this, the distribution and characteristics of NBI system in medical care facilities of different countries are summarized.

In combination with the crucial theoretical model of NBI in Europe and the US, the health promotion mechanism and extensive health effectiveness as well as its implementation sites and service targets are further analyzed. From the perspective of historical evolution and contemporary development trend, NBI system originates from simple natural medicine and folk traditions with a broad foundation for social implementation, and shows strong vitality and solid and natural background for the combination between daily leisure activities and medical treatment along with the progress of modern medical technology and the evolution of social demands.

By fully taking advantage of identity and genetic homology between human and the natural environment, NBI system has been favored by humans during different historical processes, and gradually become a low-cost, high-yield, scientific and convenient means for disease recovery and health promotion. With evidence-based researches, a scientific system of classification and grading will be established to form a complete horticultural practice module and intervention process, which will endow NBI with incomparable advantages, making it a potential non-drug treatment method or comprehensive medical method for human beings in the future.