Already since about 100 thousand years ago, when people started with domestication, we have been aware of positive effects of living together with animals. And this doesn’t concern only healing methods. Already the very presence of our pets helps us to improve our mental and physical health. Let us have a look, how this happens.
Zootherapy is a type of healing treatment that uses the presence of an animal. It works on the naturalness and workings of nature, through which we can influence many human physical and mental ailments. Yes, even the presence of an animal itself provokes the feeling of calm and safety in a human, it decreases the level of stress and tension and there’s even evidence of it lowering the blood pressure. To put it simply, an animal supports both the physical and mental state of a human.
This happens, because mutual interaction of a dog and a human causes biochemical changes. For example, it causes an increase in concentration of phenethylamine, which improves attention, lowers tiredness and incites activity; or also of endorphins, which help stabilise the immunity system; and of dopamine – a neurotransmitter, which plays an important part in information processing within the cognitive functions of the brain and apart from other things, it also brings the feelings of happiness. All these substances also soothe and alleviate pain.
Stroking, but even just a presence of a dog, lowers blood pressure, along with heart and respiratory rate. It stabilises blood circulation and pulse. This is assisted by another factor: care for an animal. Because of the necessary walks, the owner is regularly active, which is beneficial both for the dog and for themselves. In elderly people, caring for a dog can raise motivation not only to take care of the dog, but to take care of themselves as well.
When you are cuddling with a dog, muscles relax and the breathing deepens. Allegedly, a dog may even boost your appetite, or to the contrary, it can help you lose weight, but it also can help in cases of alcohol or nicotine use.
Keeping animals is even recommended by some as a prevention against certain diseases, since it boosts immunity, supposedly against flu infections and colds. When you’re ill, even the feeling that someone “needs you” helps and it can lead to a faster recovery. Some studies even argue, that children born into a family with an animal have a lower risk of developing an allergy or asthma. In addition, if a child is taking care of a dog, such care teaches them to fulfil their duties, it leads them to responsibility and in this way, it strengthens their self-confidence and self-esteem.
Apart from the presence of a dog and the care for it, even its saliva is beneficial for our health. According to the researchers from a university in Arizona, bacteria which live in the gastrointestinal tract of dogs have the same effect on a human as probiotics, that is, they positively affect human health by improving the balance of their intestinal microflora.
In the current, busy times filled with stress and tension, a dog seems to be the right “medicine” and “therapist”. Of course, that even our four-legged darlings can make us proper mad and the right person needs to find the right dog. However, every pet owner will hopefully agree with me, that getting a dog has enriched their life, maybe even improved the quality of it in some way, whether in the physical or mental respect.
How about you, do you feel a change before and after getting a dog? Are you aware of how it affects your health?
Doing yoga with a dog, or doga in other words (the combination of “dog” and “yoga”), has become popular in the United States of America, but it has not become so popular in the Czech Republic yet. What is it about and what benefits does this sport have...
Earlier, this heart disease was attributed only to certain pure-blood breeds. Nowadays, it can even occur in cross-breeds. Another disease which reminds us of how important regular preventive check-ups at the vet are.
Days are getting colder and it is time again to prepare our furry friends who live outdoors for winter. All cats (whether they live outdoors or only go outside occasionally) need our greater attention in this season.
A Somali cat is a long-haired version of Abyssinian cat, one of the oldest cat breeds in the world. But it does not have an interesting or long history itself. Even though it is named after an African country, first Somali cats were born in the United...
Until recently, Cairn terriers were the most popular terriers in Great Britain (until they were overtaken by Westies). It comes from Scottish island Skye and it used to hunt foxes and otters here already in the times of Mary, Queen of Scots. That’s...
A team of Swedish athletes one of whom is Mikael Lindord regularly attends one of the most difficult races in the world to challenge other teams – the Adventure Racing World Championship. When Mikael and his friends stopped in the middle of an...
Each dog is an individual and has different needs. When it comes to diet, it depends on its health condition or physically demanding activities. However, we can generalize these needs to a certain degree according to a breed, age and mainly the size of...
Adopting a dog senior might save his life. They also need stable home and love which unfortunately can never be fully provided in the shelter. Nevertheless, most people who are considering adoption as an option automatically look for a puppy or at...
The International Rabbit Day is celebrated on the fourth Saturday or Sunday in September. This year, it was 22 September. This annual celebration of a cute mammal with long ears, short tail and a velvet coat is not only meant for the million of rabbits...
Do you also follow the recent trend which encourages us to come back to our roots and mind our planet more? I am personally very happy about that. More and more households live according to zero-waste and non-toxic principles and we don’t forget about...
Cats enjoying themselves in a doll house are a hit on Iceland. Their creators probably didn’t expect so much fame and first of all, they didn’t create the whole project for money, fame and for a short-time amusement. There is a much more noble purpose...
Your furry friend might get poisoned in a minute, only a few seconds of carelessness or a slow reaction is enough, especially if your dog is similar to mine and “eats everything he finds on the way”. Fortunately, my dog hasn’t been poisoned yet but I’m...
