Dogs And Pets
Provide Health Benefits
by: Robert Benson
Do dogs provide health benefits? Believe it or not they do! Did you
know that owning a dog and pet ownership in general, can help a
person in many ways? Owning a pet can improve your mental wellness,
reduce your visits to the doctor, improve your cardiovascular health
and allow for faster recovery time from surgery as well as higher
survival rates. Recent research suggests that dogs may be able to
detect cancer on a person's breath! Lets' explore these amazing
health benefits of pet ownership:
It has been proven that dog owners have lower blood pressure and
cholesterol levels than non-dog owners. These factors, in turn,
reduce the chance of cardiovascular diseases. In fact, just stroking
a pet has long been known to reduce blood pressure. Furthermore, a
study from the New York State University concluded that these
benefits continue even without the pet being present!
Hospital studies have shown that senior citizens and recent post-op
patients respond better to treatment and recover faster while in
contact with dogs and other therapy animals. Did you know that dog
owners have a greater chance to survive a serious illness than
non-dog owners? In fact, a study revealed that a pet affected a
person's survival rate even more than the presence or company of
family members or friends!
Studies conducted at Cambridge and UCLA concluded that there is a
direct correlation between pet ownership and improved overall
health, which leads to fewer visits to the doctor. The Journal of
American Geriatrics Society notes that pet ownership has a positive
effect on a senior's physical and emotional well being.
Additionally, a Medicare study of elderly patients also shows that
people who own a dog have fewer doctor visits than patients who do
not.
Pet owners have better emotional health and mental wellness than
people who do not own a pet. Pets offer unconditional love and
affection and their presence alone helps reduce loneliness. For
people who are isolated, disabled or handicapped, a pet offers
friendship and can even add a element of safety to their lives. Dogs
are used as a form of therapy in hospices, nursing homes and as
companions for the disabled and blind. In fact, there are studies
that prove that people with a major illness fight the stress of
having the illness better by having a dog as a pet.
There is new research that suggests that dogs may be able to detect
certain types of cancer. Researchers at the Pine Street Foundation
in San Anselmo, California and the Polish Academy of Sciences
exposed dogs to breath samples from breast and lung cancer patients
and samples from healthy people. They claim that the dogs were able
to detect cancer with astonishing results and accuracy. The dogs
were able to identify 99% of lung cancer breath samples (which
included early stage cancer patients) as well as 88% of breast
cancer samples. The study, which has been met with skepticism, will
be released early in 2006 and published in the March edition of the
Journal for Integrative Cancer Therapies. Experts agree that this
holds promise, but must be evaluated and researched further.
As you can see pet ownership or having a dog comes with many
benefits for an individual. Owning a pet encourages social
interaction, reduces stress levels, boosts self-confidence and
self-esteem and encourages exercise. Having a pet is a great
investment, not only in the joy and pleasure that the animal brings
into your life, but the many health benefits that come with the
territory!
See Also:
Pets Can
Greatly Improve Your Health
Having a pet is one of the
healthiest investments you can make to your long-term health and
happiness. We know that having a pet enriches our lives, and
scientific studies in the last decade, have clearly shown how
companion animals benefit both our bodies and our minds.
The Benefits of
Therapeutic Horseback Riding
Since the dawn of time, mankind has had an interesting relationship
with animals. In some ways, the history of modern man is intimately
linked to our interaction with animals. Dog's, for instance, have
long been considered man's best friend. Any dog owner will gladly
confirm this for you. Cat's, too, have been living in close quarters
with man for literally thousands of years.
Golden Years: Nine Ways a Dog Boosts Your Health
What if there was a simple way to reduce stress, prolong
and improve the quality of your life, banish the blues, and best of all,
decrease the number of doctor visits? There is! Get a dog. Here are nine
ways that having a dog can boost your health.
Canine
MD: Eight Ways a Dog Improves Your Child’s Well-Being
Some of our favorite childhood memories involve dogs. But did you know
that warm feeling is based in good science? Here are eight ways a dog
improves your child’s health and well-being.
Robert Benson operates http://www.ezshoppinghere.com
a website devoted to helping shoppers find unique gift ideas in
unique places. We carry Pet Supplies, Home Decor, Digital Cameras,
Three Stooges Collectibles & other fine merchandise.
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