Paintings and sculptures can be a feast for the eyes of visitors to art museums, but today their viewing is also an unconventional treatment for people with mental illness.

Last month. a group of Canadian doctors started to write a new kind of prescription (处方), which gives patients free access to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA). There, they will have a “relaxing. revitalizing experience” looking at the museum’s collection.

Nathalie Bondil. the museum’s director general. believes that being in contact with culture and arts can help with wellbeing. “In the 21st century, culture will be what physical activity was for health in the 20th century.” she said.

Each prescription will allow not only the patients but also their families or friends to go with them. In the museum. the visitor can appreciate the artworks, and take part in a wide range of activities including drawing, sewing (缝纫) and making a sculpture with recycled materials.

The new treatment is said to be the first of its kind in the world. But there’s increasing evidence that the display of visual art, especially art depicting (描绘) nature, can have positive effects on people with depression, anxiety and self-respect problems.

In 2017, the UK’s All Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing

(APPGAHW) also released a report stating that “the time has come to recognize the powerful contribution the arts can make to our health and wellbeing”.

Is it possible for art to improve overall health? We may not know the answer yet. But one thing is certain, more and more people today are persuaded by the idea that “art is good medicine”.

No one would much like the idea of eating 61 pounds of tomatoes a day. But if their goodness was put into an easy­-to­-swallow pill that you were told might prevent strokes (中风) and heart attacks you would probably be putting in an order tomorrow.

Researchers believe they may have come up with just that after trials. The daily pill contains a chemical called lycopene which makes tomatoes red and is known to break down fat in the vessels (血管). A Cambridge University study found taking the pills improved blood flow and the lining of vessels in patients with pre­existing heart conditions. It also increased the flexibility (灵活性) of their vessels by 50 percent. The scientists believe it could limit the damage caused by heart disease—responsible for 180,000 deaths a year—and help cut the 49,000 deaths a year from strokes. They also hope it could benefit those with arthritis (关节炎), diabetes (糖尿病) and even slow the progress of cancer.

Each pill is equal to eating around 61 pounds of ripe tomatoes. Studies have shown eating a Mediterranean­style diet rich in tomatoes, fish, vegetables, nuts and olive oil can significantly reduce cholesterol (胆固醇) and help prevent cardiovascular disease.

Preliminary results from a two­month trial, in which the pill was given to 36 heart disease patients and 36 healthy volunteers with an average age of 67, were presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association. It was shown to improve the function of the endothelium—the layer of cells lining blood vessels. It also improved their sensitivity to nitric oxide, the gas which causes the enlargement of the vessels in response to exercise.

Ian Wilkinson, head of Cambridge University’s clinical trials unit, said, “These results are potentially very significant and it meets the goal, but we need more trials to see if they translate into fewer heart attacks and strokes.”

Further studies are planned, with researchers hoping it could offer a choice for heart disease sufferers who can not take the cholesterol­lowing drugs.

Mike Knapton, head of the British Heart Foundation, said, “Although this showed lycopene improved blood flow in people with heart disease, that's a long way from demonstrating that taking it could improve outcomes for people with heart disease. The best way to get the benefits of a good diet is to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.”