We live in a world brimming with competitions. Everyone is competing with the other to stay on top, in terms of money, lifestyle and status. Hectic work schedules, hard manual labour, sweaty toil has become a part and parcel of our daily lives.
But with this continuous drudgery comes unrestrainable exhaustion and weariness besides several other boldily troubles. It is an undoubted factor that with the growing work-pressure and excess mental stimulation charging us, increasing number of diseases are also moving on a parallel path attacking human beings. Heat diseases, Artherities, Spondylitues(cervical and muscular), Diabetes and a host of other chronic conditions are on the go, dooming us for a lifetime worth suffering.
The real pleasure of working hard in order to be independent and self secured, enough to live life lavishly, is never fulfiled. In one way greed is condemning us to a more early death, leaving our hard-earned money to rot for years. But life is all about this. Its best to get accustomed. While ‘Therapy’ always helps us teach there. It literally means “curing, healing” and “is the attempted remediation of a health problem”. A man’s best friend is always a healer. Feel wonderful to know that your pet feline or canine friend is your best therapist. You return home, tired and unwell, but you feel elated to see your dog jumping and howling on the doorway or your cat giving that amazing catty smile from a distance; this is how the therapy works wonder. Just a quality time with your beloved pet is all that you desire after a tiring day at office. You dog’s unconditional love makes you forget all your worries and the cat’s pleasant mew fills you in with vigour and rejuvination. A pet animal at home is an important key to good health. They are used as companions to help in the recovery and well being of stroke victims, decrease patient anxiety, increase sensory stimulation, ward off depression and also assist teens at juvenile detention centers and those with developmental disabilities.
A therapy dog is a dog trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, disaster areas and to people with learning difficulties. During World War 2, Corporal William Wyne found an adult female Yorkshire Terrier abandoned on the battlefield. He named it Smoky. Smoky began as a therapy dog when Wyne was hospitalized and later continued for 12 long years. Golden Retrievers are excellent therapy dogs. They are used in health care institutes. The health care professionals noticed the theraputic effects of animal companionship like relieving stress, lowering blood pressure, raising mood and henceforth the demand for therapy dogs have continued to grow. They supposedly help children overcome speech and emotional disorders. They are useful in building self-confidence.
A cat can be a more cute and adorable pet as she can provide real therapy. By interacting with people or by simply purring or being petted, cats or felines often work miracle. Cats provide their own brand of unconditional love and comfort. The most important characteristic of a Therapy Cat is its temperament. They must be friendly, confident, gentle and at ease in all situations. They are trained to help ailing humans in a medically beneficial way to take advantage of the human-animal interaction for purpose of relaxation and healing. Stroking or cuddling a cat can have a positive effect on your health. This makes the cat ideal for the elderly, especially nursing home residents. They are valuable when interacting with Alzheimer patients, by stimulating both memory and forgotten emotions. In our daily lives, cats are excellent stress busters. Picture this. You come home feeling like it was like the worst day of your life. Work is stressing you out, bills are due. Your cat quickly gives you a meow and jumps to your lap. As you run your fingers through the white fur, she purrs, you relax and is thankful that your feline friend knew exactly what you needed.
Animal Assisted Therapy is a kind of therapy that involves animals as a form of treatment. Its goal is to improve patient’s social, emotional or cognitive functioning. They can be domesticated, farm animals or even marine animals. Advocates state that animals can be useful for educational and motivational effectivess for participants.
Research always states that the relationship between humans and companion animal is always favourable. There is nothing quite like the warmth of a cold nose or the touch of the soft fur. Cuddling up a pet animal friend can boost your spirits. Years back when Bryce Greenwell was diagonised with leukamia and had to undergo treatments for more than three years, his mother found it amazing to find the tolerance level of his son staring high. A little pup named Smoosh made his hospital visits much bearable. Bryce got excited everytime he saw Smoosh. The doctors found it interesting to know that the dog was making a difference, that interaction was making a difference. This gave the kid a welcome distraction. “There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face”. True that. Bring a home a pet and you will understand better