When you walk into a clinic, you might expect a pill, but 10 unbelievable things are now showing up on doctors’ prescription pads. Physicians are gradually shifting from solely recommending medications to writing orders for unconventional activities and items that can support recovery and well‑being.
10 Unbelievable Things Doctors Could Prescribe
10 Guinness
Guinness has long been touted for its health‑boosting qualities, thanks to antioxidant compounds that may help fend off heart attacks. It also supplies iron – a single pint delivers about 3 percent of the 19 mg daily iron requirement for an adult.
Because of its iron content, Guinness was historically prescribed to pregnant women and patients recovering from surgery. Irish blood donors even receive a free can of Guinness right after giving blood. On top of that, the stout contains phytoestrogen, which is linked to better mental performance, obesity prevention, and denser bones.
It’s no surprise that Australian doctors wrote a Guinness prescription for a patient in 2017. The patient, Dave Conway, an Irishman from Dublin – the home of the famous stout – had suffered a catastrophic fall from a seven‑story construction site in Brisbane, Australia.
Conway survived the fall but endured severe injuries, undergoing 26 surgeries, including double amputations below the knee. While learning to use a wheelchair, his doctors prescribed a daily pint of Guinness to aid his recovery.
9 Playing
We’d all agree that today’s children don’t play as much as they did a few decades ago. Many parents mistakenly think play is merely a chance for kids to get dirty, while youngsters often prefer passive screen time.
Physicians warn that a lack of play can harm a child’s health because play fuels learning, creativity, stress reduction, and overall mental development. That’s why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urge doctors to issue play prescriptions.
The AAP and CDC recommend at least one hour of daily play plus another hour of physical activity. Doctors typically write the order as “Play Every Day,” giving kids a legitimate excuse to get outside and have fun.
8 Cycling
If you’re not motivated to pedal, your physician can help. In Cardiff (UK) and Boston (US), doctors can prescribe cycling to patients who need more exercise or want to shed pounds.
The prescription comes with a membership card for a partner bike‑sharing service. In Cardiff, patients redeem the order at nextbike free of charge, receiving a six‑month, 30‑minutes‑per‑day cycling plan.
In Boston, the prescription is fulfilled through Blue Bikes (formerly Hubway). While Hubway originally charged $85 annually, the prescription covers $80 of that cost for low‑income patients, leaving them to pay just $5.
7 Bird‑Watching And Strolling By The Beach
In 2018, Scotland’s National Health Service in Shetland announced that doctors could prescribe bird‑watching to patients battling chronic illnesses such as diabetes, mental health disorders, and heart disease. The same programme also allows prescriptions for beach strolls or simple wandering.
Patients receiving a bird‑watching prescription are treated to a guided tour organized by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, complete with calendars and route lists highlighting the birds and plants they might encounter.
Those prescribed beach visits spend time watching seabirds, collecting oyster shells, or hiking coastal hills. In winter, patients may be directed to specific sites where strong ocean breezes add a refreshing element to the experience.
6 Gardening
In 2016, the UK’s National Health Service explored offering gardening prescriptions to patients dealing with cancer, obesity, heart conditions, and mental health challenges, including dementia. The NHS notes that gardening and other outdoor pursuits improve sleep, cut loneliness, and lower anxiety, stress, and depression.
Gardening also promotes recovery, encourages activity, and provides a sense of purpose. A study found that dementia patients who spent time in gardens were 19 percent less likely to become violent compared with those who didn’t, with violence rates soaring sevenfold among the latter.
The initiative was already active in London boroughs such as Bromley and Lambeth. In Lambeth, hospital‑based gardens let patients grow food, which they then sold to the hospital kitchen to prepare meals for other patients.
5 Singing, Music, Sports, Arts, And Other Hobbies
The UK NHS is also weighing the idea of prescribing music to dementia patients. Health Secretary Matt Hancock framed the move as a strategy to curb the nation’s tendency to “over‑medicalise” its population.
Research showed that dementia patients who sang or listened to music were less distressed and required fewer medications. In a study run by Hull’s stroke‑recovery service together with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, roughly 90 percent of stroke survivors reported health improvements after music therapy.
The stroke patients experienced reduced dizziness, anxiety, and seizures, slept better, and showed sharper concentration and cognitive function. In Gloucestershire, physicians even prescribed singing to individuals with lung conditions.
Beyond music, UK doctors may prescribe sports, arts, and other hobbies as part of a “community activities” package aimed at patients suffering from loneliness, a plan slated for nationwide rollout by 2023.
4 Museum Visits
In 2018, legislation enabled doctors in Montreal to prescribe museum visits. Patients receive complimentary tickets and may bring friends, relatives, or caregivers along. The program partners with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA).
Nathalie Bondil, director of the MMFA, explained that museum visits positively affect the nervous system. Helene Boyer, vice‑president of Medecins francophones du Canada (MdFC), added that such outings boost serotonin secretion, lifting mood.
Boyer also noted that walking through a museum provides exercise equivalent for seniors and those with chronic pain, while viewing art can aid patients battling serious illnesses like cancer.
3 Electricity
Even within medical circles, doctors have been criticized for defaulting to drug prescriptions for almost every condition. Patients often expect a pill and may doubt a physician’s credibility when none is offered.
Now, researchers are exploring “electricity prescriptions” as a low‑intensity, barely perceptible alternative. The idea is not to deliver jolts, but rather to emit faint electrical signals that the body’s nervous system can interpret.
The technique is still experimental, but scientists argue it could work because the brain already uses weak electrical impulses to command muscles and organs. Nerve injuries, which cause paralysis, often stem from disrupted signals.
Future plans involve implantable devices that release precise electrical cues to stimulate insulin production in the pancreas for diabetes, or to modulate heart rate for cardiac conditions, alongside repairing damaged nerves.
2 Food
Not every patient needs a pill; some simply require the right diet. California doctors have pioneered a “Food is Medicine” program that allows them to prescribe meals, though initially limited to 1,000 low‑income patients with congestive heart failure.
The initiative builds on a 2013 study by the Philadelphia nonprofit Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA). That year, MANNA provided three square meals and a snack each day to 65 heart‑failure patients.
One year later, the study revealed that participants’ monthly medical expenses dropped from $38,937 to $28,183. Hospital admissions halved, and stays became shorter when patients were admitted.
Researchers attribute the success to the low‑salt, heart‑healthy meals required for managing congestive heart disease, a dietary need often hard to meet amid a market flooded with high‑sodium options.
1 Park Visits
In 2015, South Dakota’s Department of Health teamed up with the Game, Fish and Parks Department to launch a pilot program allowing doctors to prescribe park visits. Patients received a “prescription” directing them to any state‑owned park or recreation area.
Similar programmes have sprouted across the United States, such as Baltimore’s “Docs in the Park” and Albuquerque’s “Prescription Trails,” encouraging patients to reap the health benefits of nature.