13 Ways My Small Service Dogs Help My Immune System Fight Coronavirus
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Many experts are discovering the health benefits of owning service pets. In fact, it's undeniable.
Mary Sanchez
As a Mental Health Professional for 30 years, I can understand the rising fear from a virus, without a vaccination or pharmaceutical medication to treat it once you have it or medical way to prevent it.
We are going back to basics. Soap and water and we have gone to the DOGS for help!
13 Health Benefits of Small Service Dogs
Get A Emotional support Dog-If you don’t have one GET ONE
Just 10 minutes of interacting with cats and dogs produced a significant reduction in students' cortisol, a major stress hormone. Form a Study in the Science Daily 7/15/2019 reports at Washington State University
College is stressful. Students have classes, papers, and exams. But they also often have work, bills to pay, and so many other pressures common in modern life. Many universities have instituted "Pet Your Stress Away" programs
Get a service dog for Free- Read on and participate in the study-
Effects of petting a dog on immune system function. Existing research shows that dogs and their owners share much of the same gut bacteria over time. In addition, some studies have shown that dogs enhance immune functioning in children, reducing the risk for immune disorders, such as asthma and allergies.
“We think dogs might work as probiotics to enhance the health of the bacteria that live in our guts. These bacteria, or ‘microbiota,’ are increasingly recognized as playing an essential role in our mental and physical health, especially as we age,” said Dr. Charles Raison, principal investigator for the study and a UA professor of psychiatry in the College of Medicine. If you don’t have a dog and want one- apply in this study.
10 Health Benefits of Dogs and one Risk to health
This article 10 Health Benefits of dogs and one Risk to health Kristen Sturt Grandparents.com
Service Animals Improve heart health
Dogs don’t just fill your heart; they make it stronger. Studies show that having a canine companion is linked to lower blood pressure, reduced cholesterol, and decreased triglyceride levels, which contribute to better overall cardiovascular health and fewer heart attacks. What’s more, dog owners who do have heart attacks have better survival rates following the events.
ESA Animals Keep you fit and active
Health experts recommend that adults get about 2 hours and 30 minutes’ worth of moderate exercise per week. Dog owners are way more likely to hit that goal. “People love to be outside to walk their dog, and be with their dog,” says Kay Joubert, Director Companion Animal Services at PAWS, “It helps them be more active.”
Earlier this year, a study in the journal Gerontologist found that older adults who walked dogs experienced “lower body mass index, fewer activities of daily living limitations, fewer doctor visits, and more frequent moderate and vigorous exercise.”
Emotional Support Animals Help you lose weight
Research has repeatedly found that daily dog walks help you lose weight, since they force you to into moderate physical activity for 10, 20, and even 30 minutes at a time.
One small study discovered public housing residents who walked “loaner” dogs five times a week lost an average of 14.4 pounds over the course of a year. The best part: Participants considered it a responsibility to the dog, rather than exercise.
Service Animals Improve your social life
Researchers have found that about 40 percent make friends more easily, possibly because the vast majority—4 in 5, according to one British study—speak with other dog owners during walks. “When you start to engage them about their companion animal, people tend to open up and really blossom. They want to share stories about their favorite friend.”
Therapy Dogs Reduce stress
There’s a reason therapy dogs are so effective: Spending just a few minutes with a pet can lower anxiety and blood pressure, and increase levels of serotonin and dopamine, two neurochemicals that play big roles in calm and wellbeing.
People performing stressful tasks do better when there’s a dog around, too, and studies show dogs ease tension both at the office and between married couples. Therapy dogs that visit hospitals and nursing homes, have been shown to be effective in easing depression for a variety of people, old and young, sick and healthy.
Comfort Animals Add Meaning and Purpose
It can be difficult to find structure and meaning day in and day out. Dogs take care of that. “They force people to continue to do things,” says Kristi Littrell, Adoption Manager at Best Friends Animal Society in Utah. “So, even if you’re not feeling well emotionally or physically, the dog doesn’t care. I mean, they care, but they still want you to feed them and take them for a walk.”
Dogs help prevent loneliness and isolation, as well, which is key in staving off cognitive decline and disease. “It helps us to not just focus on our needs,” says Joubert. “It gives us a reason to really get up in the morning. ‘I need to get up and take care of my friend here.’”
ESA Animals Stave off depression
It’s widely believed that dog owners are less prone to depression than the dog-less, largely because they seem to help in so many other areas of health and well being.
The truth is somewhat more complicated. Though there’s evidence that certain small service dog owners—including isolated elderly women and HIV-positive men—suffer less from depression than those without pets.
Prevent Grandkids’ Allergies
Back in the ‘90s, experts believed having a dog in your home contributed to children’s allergies. Fortunately, recent research shows just the opposite is true: Dogs and cats actually lower a child’s chance of becoming allergic to pets—up to 33 percent, according to a 2004 study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
As a side bonus, young ‘uns might even develop stronger immune systems.
Reduce doctor visits
A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology established If you’re over 65 and own a pet, odds are you seek medical help about 30 percent less often than people who don’t have a pet.
The study established that animal-owning seniors on Medicare “reported fewer doctor contacts over the 1-year period than respondents who did not own pets.” And while cats, birds, and other animals were helpful, “Owners of dogs, in particular, were buffered from the impact of stressful life events on physician utilization.”
Battle disease and injury
It’s believed that owning a dog can help detect, treat, and manage a variety of illnesses and debilitation. A few examples:
Some dogs have been trained to sniff out skin, kidney, bladder, and prostate cancer, among others.
Small Service dogs are known to benefit people with everything from traumatic brain injury to autism to rheumatoid arthritis, increasing mobility and promoting independence.
Emotional Support animals are known to help calm and reassure from daily functioning affected by anxiety, stress or loss.
Psychiatric Service Dogs are trained to recognize and respond to an emotional crisis or wounds of war with PTSD symptoms, anxiety or depression and
Alzheimer’s patients are soothed by dogs, whose companionship also seems to mitigate emotional flare-ups and aggression.
When Dogs Are Not So Great
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), just over 86,000 falls per year are caused by pets ― 88 percent by dogs. Falls can be cataclysmic health events for people who are older, frequently leading to serious injury (broken hips, etc.) and long hospital stays. If you’re looking to adopt, consider mobility issues, and make sure to take steps to reduce the dangers of falls.
Conclusion:
Possibly help to calm your nerves as you put into perspective that 85% of the cases of the Coronavirus are mild. And if having a dog wasn’t a good reason before, maybe it is now.
If you want more information on how your small service dog can become an Emotional Support Animal or a Psychiatric Service Dog you can go to www.esapros.com or call Next Generation Psychology at 760-485-6784.
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