“Nature does the healing.
“The physician only cares,” said Hippocrates, the father of medicine.
Drawing on these age-old insights and cutting-edge scientific evidence, this book introduces the amazing healing power of forests, which have been shown to boost immunity, lower blood pressure, slow aging, alleviate depression, and prevent adult diseases.


As a family medicine physician with 15 years of experience, the author, who has personally experienced healing of body and mind in the forest, presents the "Forest Code" 6-week program, proven through various patient cases and research results.
Just by breathing in phytoncides in the forest, walking with good posture, and changing our eating habits, amazing changes occur within our bodies.
If you practice the 'forest prescription', which is easier and simpler than any other medical technique, along with this book, you will be able to experience a 'small miracle' that will change your life.

Introduction
Forest Code is a metaphor for the healing power of forests, which acts on the human DNA code (genetic code) and positively influences epigenetics.
Just as a barcode is deciphered when scanned by a barcode reader, the healing code of the forest is connected to our genetic code through our five senses, and healing occurs at a speed and in ways we are unaware of.
--- p.9

Chapter 1: The Forest Knows My Body's Secrets
Nancy Wells, a professor at Cornell University in the United States, claims that children in green spaces have better concentration and clearer thinking skills, which helps them cope with stress more effectively.
At the age of 7
There is a study that asked guardians of children diagnosed with ADHD up to the age of 12 to classify activities such as camping and fishing as "green activities" and activities such as watching TV, playing video games, and doing homework as "non-green activities," and then observed changes in the children's behavior according to their after-school activities.
This study found that children who engaged in green activities and were in contact with nature every day had significantly improved attention spans compared to children who engaged in non-green activities.
Min-gyo's change, which occurred after moving to Jeju Island and playing in the forest and the sea almost every day, was the result of green activities.
--- pp.48-49

Chapter 2: Most illnesses can be cured simply by walking in the forest.
I had a lot in common with nurse Miyoung, who I worked with during my residency, and we became close.
Ms. Miyoung had a bright and cheerful personality, making everyone around her feel good.
I had lost contact with him for over 10 years while he was working in another region after obtaining his medical license. Then, I happened to run into him at a department store while I was wondering about him.
While we were happily chatting about each other's recent activities over a cup of tea, I heard some unexpected news.
A few years ago, I was diagnosed with depression after suffering from severe panic disorder.

Masked depression is a type of depression in which the depression is not apparent, as if wearing a mask.
Ms. Miyoung said that because her symptoms did not improve, she resigned from the university hospital where she had been working for a long time and worked at another hospital, but her symptoms still did not go away, so she returned to her hometown of Jeju Island in desperation.
Miyoung, who ate food prepared by her mother, went to Mt. Halla, and climbed the mountain almost every day, said that at one point she felt her heart open.
The symptoms that did not go away even after taking medicine consistently completely disappeared after going to the mountains.
Thanks to that, I have now started working again at a private hospital in Jeju Island and am happy to tell you that I will be getting married soon.
--- pp.74-75

Chapter 3 Slow aging starts with a walk in the forest once a week
Forests also have a positive effect on mitochondria, which affect aging.
There are about 200 to 300 mitochondria in every cell in our body.
Mitochondria act as the power plants within cells and are also involved in various biological processes such as cell differentiation, growth, and death.

However, there comes a point where the mitochondria, which were once actively working, are pushed out by reactive oxygen species.
Living organisms age due to the accumulation of active oxygen in their cells.
And this leads to a chain reaction of degenerative diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes, and lung disease.
Free radicals are produced in greater quantities due to toxins, obesity, stress, lack of exercise, etc.
The antioxidants produced when you walk in the forest help reduce the production and accumulation of these free radicals.
It goes without saying that it slows down the aging process.
This is also why children who play in nature are less likely to suffer from chronic diseases as adults.
--- pp.111-112

Chapter 4: How to Use Forest Code 100 Times More
Dr. Dispenza's theory touches on the source of the forest's healing power.
Chronic stress and illness can lead to elevated cortisol levels and a persistent overstimulation of the autonomic nervous system, which can affect the hippocampus and limbic system, leading to allostasis overload and ultimately disease.
However, the forest's various healing elements, such as phytoncides, oxygen, and sunlight, have a positive effect on the hippocampus, relieving anxiety and stabilizing cortisol and the sympathetic nervous system.
At the same time, it reduces fatigue in the frontal lobe, providing energy to shift conscious thinking from 'survival mode' to 'creative mode'.
It is about guiding the consciousness that was swayed by anxiety and distracting thoughts to become the master of the feelings and thoughts of this moment.
--- p.130

Chapter 5: Practice! Forest Code 6-Week Program
Nietzsche, a representative German poet and philosopher, had to give up his professorship at the age of thirty-five due to poor health.
After that, I stayed in a village high in the Alps and walked alone in the forest every day.
Nietzsche, who loved the vastness, silence, and sunlight of the forest, overcame deep despair and constant pain by walking through the forest.
For Nietzsche, who said that spending eight hours a day in nature often brings about 15 minutes of deep sleep, a walk in the forest was a path to his inner self, a time for meditation in nature.
His meditative walks in the forest became the source of his great creativity.
--- pp.179-180

Chapter 6: How the Forest Changes Your Attitude to Life
Norwegians consider nature to be a spiritual sanctuary essential for a happy life, and they spend time in nature whenever they have the chance.
This way of life and philosophy is called 'Friluftsliv'.
It is a word that is made up of 'freedom fri', 'air lufts', and 'life liv', and means a life where you can enjoy free air.
I consider living a life where I feel comfortable in nature as my home as an important condition for happiness.
That's why 75% of Oslo residents go to the forest at least once a month, and in Norway, the law guarantees that anyone can freely use forests, mountains, and lakes, regardless of whether they are public or private land.
This is true not only in Norway, but also in other Nordic countries and Switzerland.
It is an incredibly enviable civic spirit and system.

--- pp.223-224