gnome
10-23-00, 09:43 PM 10-23-00
Hey, read this...
I wonder if keeping more dogs will lower my blood pressure further http://petshub.com/ubb/smile.gif
By Alan Mozes
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For people with hypertension, controlling high blood pressure and heart rate may only be a bark away, new research suggests.
According to scientists, dog owners caring for a brain-injured spouse experienced significantly lower stress responses than their non-dog-owning peers did.
``Somehow, nurturing and caring for the animal makes a difference in managing their stress--people perceive that these animals are somehow caring for them,'' according to Dr. Karen Allen, from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Allen presented her findings Thursday at the annual meeting of the Society for Psychophysiological Research in San Diego.
Allen spent one year monitoring the blood pressure and stress responses of 60 men and women who were taking medication for high blood pressure while caring for spouses who had undergone various types of traumatic brain injuries.
Half the group adopted dogs for 6 months, while all the participants continued their care-taking activities. After half a year, the other half of the participants also adopted dogs.
At the outset, all the participants registered similar reactions to real-life stresses and artificial laboratory stresses, Allen reported. But after the first 6 months, the group that adopted the dogs had a much smaller rise in blood pressure than those without the pets during stresses.
Furthermore, 6 months after pets were given to all the caregivers, the blood pressure readings again became balanced--with those who adopted pets at a later date matching the low blood pressure readings of those initially taking dogs into their homes.
The findings may prove to be very important because while typical hypertension medications are effective for normal daily activities or while resting, they have not proven to be helpful for people engaging in particularly stressful lifestyles or situations, Allen told Reuters Health.
Although more research needs to be done to pinpoint exactly why the dogs have such a beneficial effect on their owners, she said, ``it seems to help to have a little time in your day when someone isn't judging you--when someone is just being with you and sharing your life.''
I wonder if keeping more dogs will lower my blood pressure further http://petshub.com/ubb/smile.gif
By Alan Mozes
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For people with hypertension, controlling high blood pressure and heart rate may only be a bark away, new research suggests.
According to scientists, dog owners caring for a brain-injured spouse experienced significantly lower stress responses than their non-dog-owning peers did.
``Somehow, nurturing and caring for the animal makes a difference in managing their stress--people perceive that these animals are somehow caring for them,'' according to Dr. Karen Allen, from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Allen presented her findings Thursday at the annual meeting of the Society for Psychophysiological Research in San Diego.
Allen spent one year monitoring the blood pressure and stress responses of 60 men and women who were taking medication for high blood pressure while caring for spouses who had undergone various types of traumatic brain injuries.
Half the group adopted dogs for 6 months, while all the participants continued their care-taking activities. After half a year, the other half of the participants also adopted dogs.
At the outset, all the participants registered similar reactions to real-life stresses and artificial laboratory stresses, Allen reported. But after the first 6 months, the group that adopted the dogs had a much smaller rise in blood pressure than those without the pets during stresses.
Furthermore, 6 months after pets were given to all the caregivers, the blood pressure readings again became balanced--with those who adopted pets at a later date matching the low blood pressure readings of those initially taking dogs into their homes.
The findings may prove to be very important because while typical hypertension medications are effective for normal daily activities or while resting, they have not proven to be helpful for people engaging in particularly stressful lifestyles or situations, Allen told Reuters Health.
Although more research needs to be done to pinpoint exactly why the dogs have such a beneficial effect on their owners, she said, ``it seems to help to have a little time in your day when someone isn't judging you--when someone is just being with you and sharing your life.''