"Natural

sounds and images, if they're the right ones in the right format, are

a safe, inexpensive and effective way to reduce pain and anxiety,"

said Dr. Noah Lechtzin, a postdoctoral fellow at Hopkins.

Lechtzin and

his fellow researchers made that conclusion after analyzing questionnaires

filled out by 80 patients who had undergone bronchoscopies in 2001. Doctors

perform the uncomfortable procedure where tubes are inserted into the

nose or mouth on people with known or expected lung disease to identify

a cause of infection for pneumonia.

About half

of the patients in the study, 41, looked at murals by their bedsides and

listened to tapes of nature sounds as they underwent the procedure. The

other 39 patients underwent the procedure without distraction therapy.

Members of both control groups received comparable levels of pain control

therapy.

"Patients

who looked at the mural during the bronchoscopy were 43 percent more likely

to report pain control as good or excellent, even after controlling for

such factors as pain medication, health, race and education," said

Dr. Gregory Diette, an assistant professor of pulmonary and critical care

at Hopkins. He was the lead author of the study.

"It makes

perfect sense," said Todd Imholte, president of Environmental Graphics,

a Hopkins, Minn., company that specializes in decorative products for

the home. "A lot of our customers who buy nature murals tell us they

help them relax."

The customer

base ranges from doctors and hospitals to individuals who want to bring

the sights and sounds of nature indoors. Bonnie Mueller of Eugene, Ore.,

recently bought one of Environmental Graphics' nature murals for her father,

who is wheelchair bound.

"I bought

the one with an outdoor scene of a stream and trees," said Mueller.

"We put it up in Dad's shop where he 'putters' around a lot because

he is unable to get out and fish anymore."

The mural Mueller

bought is called River Portage and is just one of Environmental Graphics'

nine nature scenes. The others include Lake in the Woods, Morning Forest,

Deer, Old Grist Mill, Oriental Garden, Cinnamon Bay, Hawaiian Sunset and

Florida Room. They are all 13 feet wide and eight feet tall.

You can find

the murals at Home Depot, Lowe's and Sherwin Williams stores for around

$70 apiece. For a free catalogue, call 888-205-0914 or check out the murals

online at www.environmentalgraphics.com.

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