The article "Dogs And Pets Provide Health Benefits" talks about pets, it has been written 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?
Owinng 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 ownres. These factors, in turn,
reduce the chance of cardiovascualr 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 contcat 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 affceted 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 docotr 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 aolne helps reduce loneliness. For
people who are isolated, disabled or handicapped, a pet offers
friendship and can even add a element of sfaety 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 fgiht 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 calim 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 incluedd 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 agere 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.
Owinng 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!
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