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Pets Helping People Heal
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By Alex Cukan
UPI Health Correspondent
"Have two dogs visit and see me in the morning," a patient was told eight years ago by his doctor as he was recovering in the hospital after prostate surgery.
"I was surprised when I found out the dogs were actually ordered by the doctor when I was at the UCLA Medical Center and it was in my file," Larry Lachman, a California licensed clinical psychologist, told UPI's Caregiving. "Therapy dogs were ordered to come to my room to help in my recovery – two collies did."
There's a fair amount of research that says not only do animals help lower blood pressure and help manage the stress levels of people, they help those in nursing homes, hospitals and schools, as well as the mentally and physically challenged and even those recovering from a traumatic event such as the attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001. A pet not only helps the patient, it also can help the caregiver.
Karen Allen, a social psychologist at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine, has conducted a series of studies on the effects of pets on blood pressure and stress.
Cardiovascular reactivity reflects the physiological changes from a resting or baseline state to some type of psychological or physical challenge or stressor. It is widely thought individuals showing exaggerated cardiovascular responses to stressful conditions may be more at risk for hypertension or coronary heart disease, according to Allen. Medication can treat elevated blood pressure, but it cannot address the spikes in blood pressure caused from stressful conditions, Allen said.
For a year, Allen studied 60 men and women caring for a spouse suffering from traumatic brain injury. All had elevated blood pressure and were being treating for hypertension.
For six months, half were asked to adopt dogs. Both groups had their blood pressure monitored while taking care of and interacting with their spouses and new pets.
"Caregivers of those with a traumatic brain injury had their blood pressure recorded at certain time of day – at meals and during other activities," Allen told Caregiving. "The blood pressure of the people who had adopted the pets went down dramatically."
After six months, the other half of the caregivers were also asked to adopt dogs. After another six months, these subjects' blood-pressure levels decreased as well. There was no noticeable difference between the two groups, Allen said.
"The people with pets talk to them, they're less isolated and their lives are different with an animal by their side," said Allen.
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Psychophysiological Research in 2000. Allen said she was not sure what exactly pets do to achieve such positive results.
"Pets give us three things people often won't: unconditional love, uninterrupted listening and permission to touch and be touched without embarrassment," Lachman said. "Those three factors, I believe, are key to the pets comforting and potential healing impact as animal caregivers, for people coping with chronic illness."
Lachman, author of "Parallel Journeys: A Spirited Approach to Coping and Living With Cancer" and several books on pet training and therapy, said his dog Max was key to his recovery.
"Following surgery I was in pain, weak and depressed. If it weren't for Max, I would still be in bed," he said. "He lessened my feelings of loneliness and depression and he wasn't scared of my cancer or me."
Pets long have been recognized for their healing impact. Sigmund Freud had several chow-chows and his favorite, Jofi, stayed with him through his sessions, Lachman said.
"As Jofi walked to the door at 10 minutes to the hour on the hour, Freud knew when to end his sessions," he said.
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Alex Cukan is an award-winning journalist, but she has always considered caregiving her real job. E-mail: sciencemail@upi.com
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