Welcome to Chasing Life.

As you probably know, Earth Day is next week, and every year when April comes around, it does get me thinking about just how intricately our health is tied to our nature, our climate.

I really have enjoyed covering this topic on the show over the years because I've learned so many fascinating things.

I've learned so much compelling science that helps explain and even quantify our relationship

with the environment.

For instance, you know that calming effect you get at the beach. You know that.

But it turns out there are proven psychological benefits to just being near big bodies of water.

And on the flip side, there's now plenty of data that tells us that things like mood disorders,

mental illness, insomnia, even gun violence and aggression, all of those can be exacerbated by extreme heat,

which we know is becoming more common as our climate changes.

When I think back to all these conversations I've had over the years, they've enforced an

idea to me that nature does truly give and take. It can be one of our greatest sources for healing,

and it can challenge us as well in unexpected ways. So today I thought it would be good to dig

into the Chasing Life Archives and share two of my favorite conversations that tackle this idea.

The first is about the health benefits of just spending time outdoors.

What do we really know about that?

How do we quantify that?

And later, a psychologist is going to talk about the pervasive threat,

but also the silver lining of climate anxiety.

I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent,

and this is chasing life.

A first guest is Dr. Melissa Lem, one of the first doctors in Canada to start prescribing time in nature to her patients. She gives prescriptions for people to be outside.

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