Dear Elwood, My person says I help him lower his blood

Pressure.  Is that right?  Surprised Pet in Tate

Elwood: That may be true,  

An article at www.geocities Lists eight ways pets help people of all ages live longer, healthier lives.  These are:

1) Pets provide a healing touch.  Tests show that within minutes of petting a dog, The dog AND human get a massive release of beneficial

hormones such as prolactin, oxytocin, and phenylethamine.

2) Pets help lower blood pressure.  A study of stockbrokers in New York City found that once pets were brought into their homes, their blood pressure dropped significantly.

3) Pets Help people survive heart attacks. A study showed that heart attack victims that own pets have an eight times better chance of surviving for one year. 

4) Pets improve child reading scores, empathy, and perhaps IQ.  Studies in which children read aloud to their dogs showed a jump of whole grade levels in reading skills after just a few months.  Studies also suggest that children with pets develop higher levels empathy, responsibility, and IQ than children who don’t keep companion animals.

5) Pets help blunt pain.  Pets can help people relax, elevate their moods, and keep them moving.  There is also evidence that through physical contact with their pets people can block transmissions of their pain from the periphery to the central nervous system, shutting down pain processors.

6) Pets help keep people moving – Studies of elderly people found that those with pets scored higher on all activities of daily living than elderly who did not have pets.

7) Pets benefit senior health.  Studies showed that after acquiring a pet, seniors reported 50% fewer minor medical problems, such as joint pain, hay fever, insomnia, anxiety, general tiredness, headaches, back pain and indigestion.

8) Pets help combat allergies.  Early exposure to pets reduces the risk of becoming allergic to animal dander.

Now don’t you people all go out there and get a pet expecting miracles.  It isn’t just having a pet, but the quality of your relationship with the pet that creates the healing response.  Before you acquire any pet, ask yourself, what do I want in a pet?  Consult veterinarians, animal trainers, and other pet owners before you decide.  Remember – you are going to be responsible for the well being of this pet.  And in return, your pet will contribute to your health and well being for a long, long time.