By Shontel Zamora, MPA
Like most of the world today, we are challenged to do our best to stay healthy and safe. Many people take special precautions through medicinal interventions, while supplementing their health with vitamins, a good healthy diet, and good old fashion exercise. These are great ways to stay and maintain your health, but I have recently discovered the fascinating world of Arts and Medicine. I never really thought about how positive and influential the arts could be on one’s health.
After diving further into the topic, I learned that the world of the arts, whether that is dance, music, or painting, can have very therapeutic benefits. In fact, a number of different studies in the Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care and Frontiers in Psychology have shown the benefits of simply looking at art. This has inspired some hospitals to add art to their rooms and doctors to prescribe non-medicinal artistic therapies. These unconventional therapies have proven to be very helpful for those with anxiety, stress, and mental health conditions. So as a friendly reminder be sure to wash your hands frequently, take your supplements, eat a healthy diet, take a daily walk, and take a trip to your local art museum or have a solo dance party to release those endorphins.
Shontel Zamora, MPA, is a Budget Analyst for California State University at San Bernardino. Shontel can be reached at szamora@csusb.edu.