Hike With Healers| Berkshires

Our Mission

Our mission is to encourage healthy social, physical and psychological activity for Berkshire residents of all ages and reverse the consequences of a disconnected, indoor, & stressed culture in order to improve health and well-being.

Hike With Healers was created by Eric Krawczyk, a licensed mental health counselor who practices with Berkshire Health Ranger and developer of Nature Treatment Programs based in Berkshire County.

Our program invites champion health practitioners to headline a monthly recreational activity in various local parks. Activities primarily center around hiking, but can also include biking, skiing, running, skating, fishing and paddling. They are 1-2 hrs long and include an introduction and overview of the guest "Healer's" specialities. Hike With Healers offers a space for community members to interact with healthcare providers and each other while engaging in meaningful discussions about assessment options, treatment choices, the management of diseases, prevention of illnesses, and preservation of wellness. In recreating and talking with a practitioner there is a relationship formed around care that is much richer than the traditional relationships providers have within the confines of the current healthcare system. These experiences of recreating and talking enliven the patient-provider relationship where participants begin to see and understand their health differently achieving what was once thought impossible.

According to the American Heart Association, walking has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity. Think it doesn’t do any good? Think again. Walking for as little as 30 minutes a day can have the following health benefits:

Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease
Improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels
Maintain body weight and lower the risk of obesity
Enhance mental well-being
Improve blood lipid profile
Reduce the risk of osteoporosis
Reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer
Reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes

Hiking is low impact; easier on the joints than running. It is safe– with a health practitioner's permission for various trail levels– for people with orthopedic ailments, heart conditions, and those who are more than 20% overweight. In addition, research has shown that you could gain two hours of life for each hour of regular exercise! That quick wander around the bend in the trail seems a little more
worthwhile now, doesn’t it?

Make outdoor recreation a part of your fitness regimen. Join your health practitioner and other people looking to improve their health at the next Hike With Healers event. Ask your health practitioner for details.

Thank you for participation in changing the course of heart disease, obesity, mental illness and quality of life.

Please sign up for our hike newsletter, contact us about volunteer opportunities, email us at info@naturetreatment.org or call 413.591.WELL(9355).

Health Reasons to Hike

Participate

February Hike

“81% of physicians describe themselves as either overextended or at full capacity...” ※ On average, physicians see 20 patients a day.

-The Physicians Foundation, 2014

※ Often due to time constraints, “Doctors typically begin to diagnose patients the moment they meet them.”

-Jerome Groopman, 2007, Author of How Doctors Think

※ “White coat hypertension, also referred to as white coat syndrome, is the occurrence of higher than normal blood pressure when taken in a doctor’s office rather than at home.

-European Journal of Internal Medicine, 2004

※ “Physical activity is known to reduce weight gain, which has additional health benefits including preventing early death, chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, and some types of cancer.”

- Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2012

※ “Social relationships—both quantity and quality—affect mental health, health behavior, physical health, and mortality risk.”

-Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 2010

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