Pets Benefit Your Health

People love having pets. They are loyal friends that have comforted people for years. But did you know that having a pet can actually benefit your health? For the past 25 years, research has shown that people that live with pets tend to be healthier than those who do not. Pets have been proven to do a number of things to help improve your health - including lowering blood pressure, boosting immunity, and even improving mood.

The Calming Effect

Pets help keep people healthy and active both physically and mentally. Research has reported finding pet owners to be less stressed than non-pet owners. People with less stress tend to also be more physically healthy. For example, pet owners tend to have lower blood pressure and be at a lower risk for heart disease.

One study done at the New York State University at Buffalo studied 48 male and female stock brokers who suffered from high blood pressure and no other medical disorders. The participants all lived alone with no pet for at least five years. Half of the participants were given a pet to take home and the other half were not. After six months, researchers found that the group of stockbrokers that now had pets also had significantly lower blood pressure than the stockbrokers that did not.

Allergy Fighters

Many people worry that if they bring a pet into a home where there are allergy-prone children, the children will be more likely to develop a pet allergy. However, recent studies have proved just the opposite. Children who grow up in homes with animals tend to be less likely to develop allergies and asthma. The results of one study claimed that children growing up with a dog were 14 percent less likely to develop pet allergies. They were also less likely to develop eczema, a common skin allergy. Researchers suggest that this may prove that pets help boost childrens' immune systems.

Alleviating Loneliness

Dogs have proved to be great companions for the elderly. Even if the dog is just a walking partner, they provide exercise and companionship for its owner. Research has also shown that Alzheimer patients that have pets tend to have fewer anxious outbursts. One insurance company even asks its clients over 75 if they have a pet as part of their screening process.

Pets have also been proven to help people with depression and diseases that commonly cause depression. For example, people with AIDS who have pets reportedly have lower levels of depression. Playing with a pet can raise the levels of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. These are neurotransmitters that are known to have a pleasurable and calming effect on the body.

While it has always been known that having a pet can be enjoyable, it is now also known that pets benefit your health. If you are debating if owning a pet is a good idea, use your health as a reason why a pet may be the best new addition to your life!

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http://corneranimal.com/

Buy the medications your pet needs with confidence at the Corner Animal Hospital's Online Pet Pharmacy. Owned by Ivy League Educated Dr. Dorothy Hayes and Dr. Judith Lombardi Daniels. "We treat your pets as family members. Their health and comfort are our primary concern."

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