Mr. Charles Denson, feeling down in his recovery room, suddenly brightens up upon seeing his beloved dog, Bart, come to visit. This 51-year-old heart failure patient feels relaxed every time he strokes Bart’s soft fur.
At a recent conference of the American Heart Association, researcher Kathie Cole from the University of California, Los Angeles, presented a study on the effectiveness of “pet therapy” in treating heart failure. This is considered the first study entirely based on scientific evidence that acknowledges the effects of reducing anxiety, stress, and pressure on the heart and lungs in patients.
Cole and her team studied 76 heart failure patients with an average age of 57, who received visits from a volunteer accompanied by a dog, only a volunteer, or no visitors at all. The team meticulously assessed the patients’ bodily responses before, during, and after each visit.
Observations showed that anxiety levels decreased by 24% in those who had a visitor with a dog, while it decreased by 10% in those who had only a visitor. The anxiety levels remained unchanged in the group that received no visits.
Epinephrine, a hormone released by the body during stress, decreased by 17% in patients who had both a visitor and a dog, and decreased by 2% in the group with only a visitor. This hormone increased by 7% in the “lonely” group.
Heart pressure decreased by 10% when patients had a visitor along with a dog. This pressure increased by 3% with just a visitor and 5% in the group with no visitors. Lung pressure also decreased by 5% in the group with both a dog and a person, but increased in the other two groups.
“When you see a pet dog, you initially smile and then all your worries seem to melt away” Cole stated. The author hopes that this research serves as reliable evidence showcasing the important role of “pet therapy” in treating heart disease.
Mỹ Linh (according to AP)
