prettyfulpitbull
04-11-2006, 07:34 PM
<IFRAME border=0 name=frame1 align=right marginWidth=0 marginHeight=0 src="http://www.drdrew.com/includes/SponsorContent-categ.htm" frameBorder=no width=125 scrolling=no height=125>http://www.vitacost.com/affiliates/Banners/banner10000027.gif</IFRAME>Pets: The Antidepressant Alternative
Patricia Curtis
Are you lonely? Stressed? Packing some unwanted pounds? Maybe you don't need a shrink, a massage, or a gym membership. Would you believe that the solution to these and other problems could be as simple as getting a pet? Studies have consistently proven the positive therapeutic effects that pets have on people. Pet therapy is now standard in settings ranging from nursing homes to hospitals to prisons. According to Karen Allen, Ph.D., a researcher at the State University of New York at Buffalo, pets can be even better for you than people in some situations. "Unlike people, pets are nonevaluative," she says, "Even if someone is on your side, you don't always perceive it that way. But pets accept you unconditionally." And unconditional love is only the beginning.
Put Some Bark in Your Relationship
"We've gotten reports from married people who say that dogs and cats defuse their arguments by physically getting in between them, making the couple realize the futility or absurdity of their argument," explains Allen. Studies have shown that couples that own a pet are more satisfied with their marriages, have closer relationships, and respond better to stress than couples that do not have pets.
Pets are also the ideal social lubricant (and you thought it was alcohol!). If you have any doubt, just borrow a friend's dog, and take it for a walk. Dog parks are full of pet owners getting to know one another while their animals run around. "We don't know if social people are more likely to acquire pets, but I don't think that's it. Pets add a unique dimension to your social life," explains Allen.
How Fido Can Keep You Fit
Pets can also positively affect your physical health, and not only because walking a dog is a great form of cardiovascular exercise. Some of the surprising physiological benefits of pet ownership include the following:
People with pets make fewer doctor visits, and their mortality rate is one-third that of people without pets.
For women living alone who have little contact with the outside world, a pet provides the same beneficial effects on cardiovascular health as social interactions.
A 1992 Australian study by the Baker Medical Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia, involving nearly 6,000 people found that pet owners not only had lower blood pressure than people who did not own pets, but they also had lower levels of cholesterol and other unhealthy blood fats.
Men with AIDS who own a dog or cat are less likely to be depressed than male AIDS patients who don't have a pet, says Judith Siegel, Ph.D., a professor at the UCLA School of Public Health in Los Angeles, CA, who has studied the benefits of pet ownership.
Pets can make psychotherapy progress faster.
Pet Ownership for People With Allergies
Despite all the evidence that pets can be better than Prozac, not everyone should run out to the animal shelter or pet store. If you suffer from allergies, you'll want to give some serious thought to the type of pet you choose. The good news is that with a little planning, even an allergic person can live with a furry friend, according to Barbara Niven, P.A.C. (Physician's Assistant-Certified), of Asthma and Allergy Associates, a private medical practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The best pets for people with allergies are tropical fish, lizards, turtles, and other animals that don't have hair or fur or shed their skin flakes (dander). If those critters aren't the first ones that spring to mind when you think of the words "unconditional love," don't despair. Simply follow these handy guidelines for living with a pet and allergies:
Keep the pet out of your bedroom, and restrict him to as few rooms as possible.
Clean, clean, clean. Vacuum carpets, clean walls, and wash the animal often.
If your house has central air-conditioning, invest in an air filter or cleaner, which will remove significant amounts of allergens.
Place the litter box in a low-traffic area.
Other Special Considerations
If you're pregnant and own a cat, have someone else handle the litter box, because cat feces is associated with toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease that can cause retardation, liver damage, and eye damage in the fetus. If you have a compromised immune system (for example, you are HIV positive), make sure you speak to your doctor about taking precautions to avoid contracting an opportunistic infection from your pet.
Provided by http://www.drdrew.com/Topics/article.asp?id=625
Patricia Curtis
Are you lonely? Stressed? Packing some unwanted pounds? Maybe you don't need a shrink, a massage, or a gym membership. Would you believe that the solution to these and other problems could be as simple as getting a pet? Studies have consistently proven the positive therapeutic effects that pets have on people. Pet therapy is now standard in settings ranging from nursing homes to hospitals to prisons. According to Karen Allen, Ph.D., a researcher at the State University of New York at Buffalo, pets can be even better for you than people in some situations. "Unlike people, pets are nonevaluative," she says, "Even if someone is on your side, you don't always perceive it that way. But pets accept you unconditionally." And unconditional love is only the beginning.
Put Some Bark in Your Relationship
"We've gotten reports from married people who say that dogs and cats defuse their arguments by physically getting in between them, making the couple realize the futility or absurdity of their argument," explains Allen. Studies have shown that couples that own a pet are more satisfied with their marriages, have closer relationships, and respond better to stress than couples that do not have pets.
Pets are also the ideal social lubricant (and you thought it was alcohol!). If you have any doubt, just borrow a friend's dog, and take it for a walk. Dog parks are full of pet owners getting to know one another while their animals run around. "We don't know if social people are more likely to acquire pets, but I don't think that's it. Pets add a unique dimension to your social life," explains Allen.
How Fido Can Keep You Fit
Pets can also positively affect your physical health, and not only because walking a dog is a great form of cardiovascular exercise. Some of the surprising physiological benefits of pet ownership include the following:
People with pets make fewer doctor visits, and their mortality rate is one-third that of people without pets.
For women living alone who have little contact with the outside world, a pet provides the same beneficial effects on cardiovascular health as social interactions.
A 1992 Australian study by the Baker Medical Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia, involving nearly 6,000 people found that pet owners not only had lower blood pressure than people who did not own pets, but they also had lower levels of cholesterol and other unhealthy blood fats.
Men with AIDS who own a dog or cat are less likely to be depressed than male AIDS patients who don't have a pet, says Judith Siegel, Ph.D., a professor at the UCLA School of Public Health in Los Angeles, CA, who has studied the benefits of pet ownership.
Pets can make psychotherapy progress faster.
Pet Ownership for People With Allergies
Despite all the evidence that pets can be better than Prozac, not everyone should run out to the animal shelter or pet store. If you suffer from allergies, you'll want to give some serious thought to the type of pet you choose. The good news is that with a little planning, even an allergic person can live with a furry friend, according to Barbara Niven, P.A.C. (Physician's Assistant-Certified), of Asthma and Allergy Associates, a private medical practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The best pets for people with allergies are tropical fish, lizards, turtles, and other animals that don't have hair or fur or shed their skin flakes (dander). If those critters aren't the first ones that spring to mind when you think of the words "unconditional love," don't despair. Simply follow these handy guidelines for living with a pet and allergies:
Keep the pet out of your bedroom, and restrict him to as few rooms as possible.
Clean, clean, clean. Vacuum carpets, clean walls, and wash the animal often.
If your house has central air-conditioning, invest in an air filter or cleaner, which will remove significant amounts of allergens.
Place the litter box in a low-traffic area.
Other Special Considerations
If you're pregnant and own a cat, have someone else handle the litter box, because cat feces is associated with toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease that can cause retardation, liver damage, and eye damage in the fetus. If you have a compromised immune system (for example, you are HIV positive), make sure you speak to your doctor about taking precautions to avoid contracting an opportunistic infection from your pet.
Provided by http://www.drdrew.com/Topics/article.asp?id=625