Wintery, healthy pine forest in Brandenburg - black and white by Silva Wischeropp

This enchanting and mysterious forest landscape was taken on 30 December 2022 in the late afternoon in Hubertushöhe in the district of Storkow(Mark) with the NIKON D800 (lens: NIKKOR 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8).
I used the remaining hours of the year coming to an end for a relaxing walk in the hilly mixed forest with tall, elegant pines and graceful birch trees.
The town of Storkow (Mark) is located in the western part of the Oder-Spree district. Storkow (Mark) is situated on the (large) Storkower See lake.

The forest makes people healthy, all by itself. The rustling of the leaves, the scent of the trees, birdsong and babbling brooks heal people and strengthen their health. Japanese scientists from immunology, cardiology, neurobiology and other faculties have proven the health-promoting effects of the forest in a series of studies.
Just the sight of the forest is enough to lower blood pressure, slow the pulse and reduce the concentration of the stress hormone cortisol, as the doctors J. Lee and Bum-Yin Park have measured in several field studies in Japanese forests.
People can smell some of the terpenes very clearly, while other terpenes are perceived unconsciously as their concentration in the forest is low. Nevertheless, they have an effect on the nervous system. "Odour is usually associated with instinct, emotion and preference" and that "odour has a greater influence on physiological changes than the stimuli of the other senses".
The forest also strengthens the immune system and even protects against cancer. Qing Li, professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tokyo, and his team have discovered that spending time in the forest stimulates the production of so-called killer cells. The body uses killer cells to fight cancer cells.