hgh dhea metformin

Calendar

January 2011
M T W T F S S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31  

Pages

Archives

Recent Posts

Blogroll






First Published Wednesday, 22 April 2009


Raul

Psychologist claims dogs reduce stress quicker than drugs


by Alec Young
News Staff


Monday, April 20th, 2009


There is a growing body of evi­dence that suggests man’s best friend also helps mental health. That’s according to Dr Stanley Coren, a researcher in the UBC department of psychology, who has just completed a study on dog ownership and depression.


His latest work is part of a se­ries of studies that conclude that individuals experience reduced stress levels when in the pres­ence of their pet.
When a subject suffering from depression or stress is with their dog, they experience immediate physiological changes, including slower heartbeat, muscle relax­ation and more regular breath­ing patterns.


What’s more extraordinary is that the beneficial effect is ex­tremely rapid, especially when compared to medication. While antidepressants can require sev­eral weeks to become effective, having a friendly dog nearby can counter stress within thirty sec­onds to a minute.


“We can show that the pres­ence of the dog is actually more stress reducing than having a family member around,” Dr Co­ren said. He believes this could possibly be because a dog’s affec­tion is almost unconditional. A dog will not criticize in the same way a family member might.


Dog ownership also has a ben­efit for the elderly, who are more prone to clinical depression and require more frequent medical attention. Elderly people with a dog’s companionship are only one quarter as likely to develop clinical depression.


Anecdotal evidence about the health benefits of dog ownership has existed for years. Sigmund Freud claimed that having a chow chow in his office helped calm visiting children. In the 1950s, psychologists began to note posi­tive change in autistic children’s behavior when they were with a dog. Now, says Coren, “we’re find­ing just how powerful these effects really are. We’re actually taking physiological measures, looking at the chemistry of the blood, find­ing that this is not just a placebo effect. These are real physiological effects and you can effectively see the stress drain away.”


Another study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania found that men who had suf­fered their first heart attack were much more likely to be alive years later if they owned a dog. Researchers there con­cluded that the stress reduc­tion offered by the pet helped reduce the effects of coronary disease.


The stress-reduction benefit is not breed specific. According to Dr Coren, when it comes to pet-specific therapy a docile Lab­rador retriever is just as effective as an energetic terrier. As long as the animal is familiar and friendly, it will have a positive effect.


Unfortunately for cat lovers, the health benefits of pet owner­ship are most closely associated with dogs.


“Cats tend to be more aloof,” Dr Coren said. “They’re better than nothing, better than [own­ing] a bowl of fish, but [the ben­efit] seems to be associated with the level of interaction.”


So are Canadian doctors likely to start prescribing dog owner­ship as a form of therapy in the future? Dr Coren says this is a possibility, especially since there is a cost-benefit ratio to be con­sidered. “If you can eliminate even two visits to a doctor or psychologist over the course of a year, that [saves] $200 or $300,” Coren said.


Dr Coren said that the UK is the only country where dogs, usu­ally papillons, are “prescribed” as companions for health rea­sons. However, the UK National Health Service website offers no information on this practice.


Source:   http://www.ubyssey.ca/?p=8064



Leave a Reply

*