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Thursday, August 4, 2022

Health Benefits 🐕‍ of Dogs

The Health Benefits Of Dogs 🐕‍
Make Them The Perfect Companion
For Your Heart And Your Well-Being
5 Months Old
Posted: 11/22/2013
The best parts of having a dog are obvious -- quality snuggling, great belly rub sessions and tons of precious photos to post on Instagram.

But research has shown that furry friends also offer tangible benefits to your physical health. People who live with a pup tend to have better blood pressure, lower risk of depression and increased longevity after heart attacks, to name only a few.

Dogs can also be an amazing stress reliever in the workplace, which the Huffington Post team experienced firsthand on Friday when HuffPost National Editor Kate Palmer brought along her buddy Nico, who she calls "part Shih Tzu, part devil."

Palmer talked with HuffPost Live's Nancy Redd about how Nico has changed her life for the better. Caring for a dog "requires some amount of coordinating," Palmer said, but the upsides far outweigh the burden of responsibility.
"They are just really wonderful creatures, and they give you back so much more than you give them," she said.
5 Years Old !
Aug 2014
Now 7 years old !
Benefits to the Pet
Reduced Stress
Health Benefits of  Pet
Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health

By Jeanie Lerche Davis
WebMD Feature Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
A pet is certainly a great friend. After a difficult day, pet owners quite literally feel the love.

 In fact, for nearly 25 years, research has shown that living with pets provides certain health benefits. Pets help lower blood pressure and lessen anxiety. They boost our immunity. They can even help you get dates.

Allergy Fighters
"The old thinking was that if your family had a pet, the children were more likely to become allergic to the pet. And if you came from an allergy-prone family, pets should be avoided," says researcher James E. Gern, MD, a pediatrician at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

 However, a growing number of studies have suggested that kids growing up in a home with "furred animals" -- whether it's a pet cat or dog, or on a farm and exposed to large animals -- will have less risk of allergies and asthma.
In his recent study, Gern analyzed the blood of babies immediately after birth and one year later. He was looking for evidence of an allergic reaction, immunity changes, and for reactions to bacteria in the environment.
If a dog lived in the home, infants were less likely to show evidence of pet allergies -- 19% vs. 33%. They also were less likely to have eczema, a common allergy skin condition that causes red patches and itching. In addition, they had higher levels of some immune system chemicals -- a sign of stronger immune system activation.
"Dogs are dirty animals, and this suggests that babies who have greater exposure to dirt and allergens have a stronger immune system," Gern says.

Date Magnets
Dogs are great for making love connections. Forget Internet matchmaking -- a dog is a natural conversation starter.
This especially helps ease people out of social isolation or shyness, Nadine Kaslow, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University in Atlanta, tells WebMD.
"People ask about breed, they watch the dog's tricks," Kaslow says. "Sometimes the conversation stays at the 'dog level,' sometimes it becomes a real social interchange."
Dogs for the Aged
"Studies have shown that Alzheimer's patients have fewer anxious outbursts if there is an animal in the home," says Lynette Hart, PhD, associate professor at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
"Their caregivers also feel less burdened when there is a pet, particularly if it is a cat, which generally requires less care than a dog," says Hart.
Walking a dog or just caring for a pet - for elderly people who are able - can provide exercise and companionship. One insurance company, Midland Life Insurance Company of Columbus, Ohio, asks clients over age 75 if they have a pet as part of their medical screening -which often helps tip the scales in their favor.
Good for Mind and Soul
Pet owners with AIDS are far less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets. "The benefit is especially pronounced when people are strongly attached to their pets," says researcher Judith Siegel, PhD.
In one study, stockbrokers with high blood pressure who adopted a cat or dog had lower blood pressure readings in stressful situations than did people without pets.
People in stress mode get into a "state of dis-ease," in which harmful chemicals like cortisol and norepinephrine can negatively affect the immune system, says Blair Justice, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health and author of Who Gets Sick: How Beliefs, Moods, and Thoughts Affect Your Health.
Studies show a link between these chemicals and plaque buildup in arteries, the red flag for heart disease, says Justice.
Like any enjoyable activity, playing with a dog can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine -- nerve transmitters that are known to have pleasurable and calming properties, he tells WebMD.

References:
(i) Beetz A, Uvnäs-Moberg K, Julius H, Kotrschal K. Psychosocial and psychophysiological effects of human-animal interactions: the possible role of oxytocin. Front Psychol. 2012;3:234.
(ii) Arhant-Sudhir K, Arhant-Sudhir R, Sudhir K. Pet ownership and cardiovascular risk reduction: supporting evidence, conflicting data and underlying mechanisms. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2011 Nov;38(11):734-8.

 Mark Hyman, M.D. is a practicing physician, founder of The UltraWellness Center, a five-time New York Times bestselling author, and an international leader in the field of Functional Medicine. You can follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, watch his videos on YouTube, become a fan on Facebook, and subscribe to his newsletter.
For more by Mark Hyman, M.D., click here.
For more on personal health, click here.
An apple a day may or may not actually keep the doctor away, but what about an animal a day? Now, that's a different story. In fact, when it comes to pet ownership, there are a number of proven health benefits for people, including physical, mental and emotional improvements, from enhancing social skills to decreasing a person's risk of heart attack. 
Keep reading to find out five reasons to open your home to a furry friend, and why doing so might be just what the doctor ordered.
No. 5: Breathe Easier
If the idea of cuddling with a pet to help ward off allergies seems a little backwards to you, the following may come as a surprise: University of Wisconsin-Madison pediatrician James E. Gern has conducted a number of studies that demonstrate having a pet in the home can actually lower a child's likelihood of developing related allergies by as much as 33 percent. In fact, his research -- as published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology -- shows that children exposed early on to animals tend to develop stronger immune systems overall. While this might not mean much for adults who are already struggling with longstanding allergies, it is good news for families in which this isn't already an established issue, but rather just a concern about what could happen down the road.
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No. 4: Meet and Greet
One of the fringe benefits of taking on the responsibility of pet ownership is that animals can be an instant icebreaker, whether they're with you or you're just using them as a topic of conversation. Of course, few people would suggest getting a pet solely for this purpose, but it's hard to overlook the fact that pets provide a great means for improving your socialization skills across the board, especially in terms of meeting and interacting with other pet owners. Though people sometimes may have a hard time getting to know each other, pets can be the common denominator that helps them connect -- even among people who don't seem to be very much alike.
Places to Mix and Mingle with your Pet
Training classes: Many instructors offer group classes such as puppy kindergarten, where you'll find others trying to master the same pet parenting skills.
Dog parks: A great opportunity for both you and your dog to play and interact with other dogs and owners alike. Just be sure your dog is properly socialized and up to date on all shots before introducing it into the mix.
Outdoor cafes: Many restaurants with outdoor seating options are also pet-friendly, and some even offer dog-specific items on the menu as well.
Online: Dogster.com, Catster.com and Petpop.com are just a few examples of popular pet-focused social networking sites that provide an instant, fun way to trade tips, trends and more.
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No. 3: Stay Heart Healthy
Many pet owners would agree that a pet can fill your heart with love. So maybe it's only fitting that the presence of a pet can help improve the overall health of that organ, too. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) have both conducted heart-related studies on people who have pets. The findings showed that pet owners exhibit decreased blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels -- all of which can ultimately minimize their risk for having a heart attack down the road. For those who have already experienced a heart attack, research also indicates that patients with a dog or a cat tend to have better recovery rates. These benefits are thought to be connected with pets' tendency to help reduce or at least control their owners' overall stress levels.

Fun Ways to Stay Fit with Fido:
If you're a dog owner who needs more of a workout than walking can provide, here are a few ideas:
    Jogging or running
    Biking
    Hiking
    Agility Training (Obstacle course-based dog sport)
    Doga (i.e. Yoga for Dogs)
No. 2: Get a Move On
Need a little motivation in the exercise department? Dogs can act as the perfect personal trainer, if only because most of them need to be walked several times a day. According to studies like those conducted by the Wellness Institute at Northwest Memorial Hospital, as long as you're the one holding the leash, you'll reap the rewards, which can include losing -- or at least maintaining -- weight. Research conducted by the National Institute of Health also supports this claim -- including one study of more than 2,000 adults, which found that dog owners responsible for walking their pups are less likely to be obese than dog owners who pass the duty off to someone else or those who don't own dogs at all.

No. 1: Keep Your Chin Up
Pets are a great way to beat the blues. Not only are they known to they offer unconditional love, but they may also give their owners a sense of purpose, which can be crucial for those feeling down in the dumps. Pets also combat feelings of loneliness by providing companionship, which can boost your overall mood and even bring you feelings of joy and happiness. This is particularly apparent among groups -- including the sick and elderly -- who may be on the receiving end of Animal-assisted Therapy (AAT) or Pet-facilitated Therapy (PFT). Many hospitals and nursing homes use these types of programs on a regular basis.
http://animal.discovery.com/pets/benefits-of-pets.htm

Sources


29 Benefits of Owning a Pet

There are a lot of reasons to own a pet. Some of us have grown up with pets and it’s hard to imagine living without one as an adult. Others of us may work with animals and sometimes find that there’s one little stray that borrowed its way into our hearts and homes or that foster pup ended up being a furever pup. Sometimes pets find us and literally follow us home (this happened to my cousin years ago).

Regardless of why you have a pet, the health benefits are great and plentiful. Studies have shown that pet owners have decreased levels of stress and tend to have better levels of cholesterol than those who do not own pets. We’ve talked about the benefits of having a dog and when it comes to getting out of the house and exercising as well as the silly things our pets do that make us laugh.

Here are the Benefits of owning a Pet
  1. They reduce allergies in children who grow up with them
  2. Petting a pet can reduce stress
  3. Walking or jogging with your dog can help you stay fit
  4. When you least expect it, they can make you laugh
  5. Hugging a pet can help relieve sadness
  6. Taking care of a pet can keep us from falling into funks
  7. Dogs can detect illnesses in us (like cancer) and help us get treatment sooner
  8. They are great therapists and always listen to our woes
  9. When it’s cold, a pet snoozing on the bed can warm it up before we go to sleep
  10. Pets won’t judge us if we eat popcorn for dinner or ice cream for breakfast
  11. Pets also don’t care if our socks don’t match
  12. Dogs are more than happy to help clean up any dropped food, especially around the high chair of your baby
  13. Dogs will bark to alert you someone is near your house
  14. If you lose something in the house (like keys) chances are your pet knows where they are, like under them. My cat sits on the things I tend to need.
  15. They’ll gladly help you finish that ham and cheese sandwich
  16. If you need to turn the soil in your yard, your dog may volunteer and dig those holes for you (just might not be where you want them)
  17. Alarm clocks aren’t necessary when your dog has a routine and will gladly keep you on it too
  18. Can help fidgety people calm down. Pet fish can help people learn to sit still and relax
  19. Dogs trained to notice health changes can keep us safe like diabetic and seizure alert dogs that can detect changes in our body before we can
  20. Pets can help children with autism communicate better
  21. Shedding pets will remind us to vacuum! Else we are all furry
  22. Some are just so ugly that they are cute and make us smile for no reason
  23. Pets can reduce the risk of eczema
  24. Some dogs can be trained to sniff out things – like food that contains ingredients you are allergic to and steer you away from them
  25. They remind to live in the present and stop worrying about the future or wishing for a different past. They are your Zen gurus
  26. Dogs can help you make friends at the dog park or on a walk
  27. A teething puppy can remind you to “let go” of material goods (especially when they chew them up!)
  28. Decrease stress
  29. Lowers blood pressure
by Kathy — September 2013
http://www.petswelcome.com/articles/29-benefits-of-owning-a-pet.html
What would YOU add to this list?
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1 comment:

carolyn said...

The particular animal-assisted therapy involved a 45 minute session once weekly. Activities included getting to know the pet and its handler, grooming, washing, basic obedience, and agility. It occurred in the garden when the next thunderstorm was nice, and in a space inside when it was damp. As well as individual sessions with all the animal and handler, there were group sessions with others involved in the program.

April 8, 2016 at 12:39 AM

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