Pet Health Geraldton WA

Pets are Good for your Health

Pets: you can love and hate them at the same time. One moment theyre sinking their teeth into your expensive shoes, and the next, they shower you with affection. But regardless of what they do and how you feel about them, there is no denying that there are various health advantages of having a pet:

1) Lower stress levels and blood pressure. According to studies conducted at the University of Warwick, interacting with pets (such as stroking them or playing with them) has the tendency to lower a persons blood pressure and relax them. In another study, stockbrokers with high blood pressure readings were asked to adopt a cat or a dog, and those who did were later found to have much lower blood pressure levels in stressful situations that those who did not adopt a pet. Of course, this will not work if you do not like animals or are afraid of them " then they will probably cause more anxiety than they resolve. 

2) Recovery from illness. Pets have been known to help ill patients in the most wondrous ways, but heart attack patients have benefitted from pet power most frequently. Numerous studies have shown pet owners who suffer from heart attacks live longer and have a lower risk of heart disease than heart attack patients who do not have a pet at home. Pets also offer a great amount of comfort to their bed-ridden owners, and this support speeds up their recovery.

In extreme cases, such as when a person is in a coma, surgeons have even recommended for a pet to be brought to the patients bedside. While there is no real evidence to support this claim, there have been incidences when the pets presence helped the patient awake from their coma. Dogs, in particular, have also been known to offer relief to Alzheimers and Parkinsons patients. 

3) Improvement in social life. Most domesticated animals are highly social creatures, and are therefore great company. Whether it is a dog that follows you around the house, or a cat that rubs up against your legs, pet owners have a constant source of social interaction. Pets can also be great conversation topics both in and outside the home. 

4) Happiness. People often forget how happy a pet can make us: they help us cope with difficult situations such as pain and loss, and have even helped people suffering from depression to feel better. Stroking a cat, dog, or rabbit elevates serotonin levels in the brain, and some psychologists have even used pets in their therapy sessions. Being greeted by a purring cat or an ecstatic dog every time you return home can be a great self-esteem booster, especially if the world has not been on your side. This is also why pets are sometimes taken to elderly homes " they work wonders against loneliness and isolation.

Regardless of whether you face unemployment or divorce, your pet will continue to love you unconditionally; and it is precisely this love that keeps human beings healthy and happy.

Andrew Mitchell, clinical director of the Osteopath Network, writes articles about musculo-skeletal conditions and Glasgow Osteopaths. The Osteopath Network has more than 550 clinics located throughout the UK and offers treatment at weekends and after hours

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/pets-are-good-for-your-health-923613.html