The study conducted by Kathie, used therapeutic dogs. There were 76 patients with an average age of 57, that had been hospitalized with heart failure.

Patients received a visit from a volunteer with a dog, just a volunteer or no visit at all; physiological responses were measured before, during and after the visits. The findings were that anxiety dropped 24%, in the patients that were visited by a volunteer with a dog.  There was only a 10% drop in patients when visited by a volunteer and those with no visits stayed the same.

When your body is under stress, levels of (epinephrine), which is a hormone, will rise, but after a visit from the dog and volunteer the levels dropped 17%. When a visit by a volunteer was over the level dropped only 2%, the levels rose by 7% when there was no visit at all.

You will find more information on the site below.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10051979/

Post from: Blisstree

Pet Therapy For The Heart