Have you heard of dogs able to diagnose cancer or fish that are dermatologists? I bet you have never suspected our “brothers” to be so adroit!
Animals feed, dress and defended us. They can also become a vital element of therapy. Animals were first employed in medicine thousands of years ago and they are only getting better today.
Firs of all I would like to mention about the therapy dogs.
http://magazine.ucla.edu/depts/quicktakes/therapy-dog-530.jpg
Therapy dogs is used to find out the cancer. It started when one Corporal William Wynne, hospitalized during World War II, was allowed to see his Yorkshire terrier. The dog became a major diversion for almost all ill and injured soldiers. This was how 12-year career of the first therapy dog began. The animal brought relief and cheered patients up. As time went by, dog therapy grew to become a recognized method of reinforcing medical treatment with its own methodology, dog selection and training standards and dog therapist certification!!!
http://www.unitedwhiteshepherdclub.org/therapy_dog.jpg
What can therapy dogs do? Unlike horses, which assist in the treatment of neurological and motor disorders, dogs are at their best in rehabilitating mental conditions. They usually assist children, elderly people and patients suffering from autism, cerebral palsy, central nervous system disorders and chronic diseases. Stroking and hugging, giving commands and doing exercises together opens up patients in an amazing way. They begin to to initiate much better and active interactions with the environment, speak more, learn new words more quickly and concentrate better. Fear and anxiety disappear, memory improves and there is more motivation to participate in other element of therapy. Patients even become more physically active and their blood pressure goes down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYmFY2Mha1A&feature=grec_index
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-Dog-Therapy-Can-Help-Ailing-Children-253296038
But dogs can do a lot of more than that. In one astonishing research dogs were trained to diagnose cancer in samples of air exhaled bu patients! After few weeks, the animals were almost never wrong!!! Additionally, the quality of their measurement was not affected by the patient having smoked or eaten immediately before the samples was taken. Furthermore, dogs were even able to “nose out” the type of cancer - lung, breast or other cancer types...
Questions:
Have you ever heard about dog therapy?
Do you believe in this kind of reinforcing medical treatment is rather than traditional pharmacology?
Do you have any pet at home?
I didn't know dogs are so skilled! Great thing but very underestimated seems to me, thanks to people who only believe in traditional science. If it works, why not apply it?
ReplyDeleteI wish I had a dog - and someone to care about it:)
I have never heard about dogs in hospital but I think it's a great idea! By the way, I wonder what could be first reaction of personnel in Polish hospitals ;-) I'm sure that many people would be afraid, as always when something new is coming. Anyway, I hope we will have them to help patients soon :-)
ReplyDeleteOther thing is that animals are known as therapists since long time. Especially they help people to relax, to feel safe, needed and accepted. Dogs are great because of their unselfish love that they can offer. They show their devotion and share their warmth.
I don't think that dog therapy may replace traditional treatment, but I'm sure it can be a perfect addition.
At the moment I don't have any pets at home (except children ;-). I used to have cats and I hope to have some in the future, I think about a big fury dog too. I know my kids would like it.
What a lovely topic!
ReplyDeleteI heard and saw dogs in hospitals, it really works guys!
Animals have something amazing which is so natural and helps our state of mind. They are also very calm and peaceful which automaticly works on us.
I raised with dogs, and I love them, they not only helps with health but also they can teach us sensivity and taking care abou others. My dogs have been always watching me while I was swimming. I just felt they are like security.
Of course it's hard to replace traditional medicine with amazing animals, because f.e. how hard they won't try to help us, they can change the fact we have headache. They only can try to lick or stroke to us. But we shouldn't consider replacing, why like that? They can cooperate after all, can't they?
Atm I have two dogs, and they are awesome friends.
Believe there is not many things in the world that can compare that awesome feeling when you wake up and feel warm fur near your legs.
Yes I have heard about dog therapy, also I saw program on the discovery channel, there was showed that dogs therapy truly brings positive results. In my opinion, one of the most important thing is the power that man has in himself, for me man organism is the most complex mechanism which we knows from the whole world, many scientists have proved that our well-being, determination and desire helps us to win with disease. It accelerates healing of diseases and shortens duration of therapy.
ReplyDeleteIn my family home we had a dog and now we have two cats. I have a gecko's name's panchitta which is very cool pet even that its reminds some that this is a snake with paws :)
I have heared about cats and their influence on our body condition. What I have heared was that when something is wrong with your body (for example you have stomacheache), if you have cat on that part of body for a while, the pain will go away. I don't know how much true is that but this is what comes to my mind.
ReplyDeleteAnother story I have heared was also with some cat. Somewhere (I don't remember city) in hospital there was a black cat, and when he appeared near patient for a while - it meant that soon this person will die - and it really happend
I didn’t know that dogs could diagnose cancer. I wonder how they "show" what kind of cancer it would be. I think this is very impressive.
ReplyDeleteI’ve heard a lot about animal therapy since my little sister was born and diagnosed with a brain disorder. I’ve heard of such kinds of animal treatments like hippotherapy, which include horses or dogotherapy including husky dogs. I’ve also heard about therapy using dolphins. The therapy involves dolphins, using some special system of communication, which are instructed to produce sounds that are normally impossible to hear. Although impossible to hear, the sound waves are recognized and influences the brain in some way. This therapy is used for the treatment of people with mental retardation. I’ve heard it is very effective, but expensive and unavailable for most patients who cant afford it.
I don’t think that animals could replace medicine, even if I’ve heard about many "miracles" that have occurred when medicine didn’t work and some pet somehow appears to be the best kind of cure for someone.
Yes, i have hears about that that dogs are able to detect cancer, but i did not know that they can become main part of therapy, and that their role in curing can be such important. It is commonly known that if on is no allergic it is good to have a pet, because their influence on our health is positive. I have heard also that cats murmuring can reinforce our bones structure. On the basis of this murmuring frequency there were constructed machines which were in use by astronauts to kip their bodies in good condition. I have got cat and dog (they are not living like cat and dog, they are able to sleep in front of radiator together).
ReplyDeleteYes I have heard about dog therapy and I have heard lot about the effectiveness of this type therapy.
ReplyDeleteYes I have some pets;) for lizards about which I wrote in last semester presentation.
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ReplyDeleteI've heard of this before. I think it may be nice alternative for some people who don't really like pharmacology treatment or who already tried everything else and it didn't work. But actually I don't think it can be much better than traditional pharmacology, it would be much more popular than it is. Of course it can develop and if it's really that good it will become more common form of helping people, then I'll believe it can replace traditional ways. I have a dog and a cat, maybe they unconsciously help me stay healthy;)
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ReplyDeleteVery nice point of view. Yes, I have heard about such therapy before. There were some TV programs covering that topic. Also they've presented how it works, I mean how dog is able to i.e. diagnose the cancer. Actually dogs are quite famous in medicine and therapy. Many years ago people learned how to teach a dog to be a guide - helper. But it fully depends on dogs personality. Some of them are being 'created' to help, some of them to kill. 'Created' because nowadays it's hard to see a native dog's breed. Most of them were artificially created - designed.
ReplyDeleteI remember the story, showing dog's predispositions depending on the breeds. My very good friend... She has got a Newfoundland since few years. Big and terribly strong dog, loves children and...swimming. Newfoundlands were used to rescue people - as lifeguards. That breed genetically formed a membrane in paws (between toes ?!).
All the time when she is going to swim a while she has to put her dog far far away from the water (a specially her current swimming place). Many times when the dog saw that she is swimming, thought she's sinking. Dog could destroy everything (doors, threes, ropes) just to catch her and pull out from water (Grab her hair or swimming dress). How smart are they...
So, back to the topic. I believe that such therapy is helpful, specially for children. They use to have a problem with accepting present situation, to understand why they are suffering. Dogs don't required such knowledge, they don't need the answers. And what's the most beautiful? They are helping gratuitously.
I have indeed heard about dog therapy but have never heard about patient who are tried with this method in Poland. I think it is a great and modern approach and even though there may not be enough facts to convince hospitals to fully support it, I still think that the method will become much more common in Poland too.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, dog therapy will never fully substitue traditional medicine and should not be considered as a rival method. It's a way of supporting the patience because as we all know - dog is a man's best friend :)
I don't have a pet at home. Unfortunately I'm allergic to pets with fur or feathers, so it disqualifies me from having most of common household animals.. Well I had a tortoise :)
1. I think it is good idea.
ReplyDelete2. Tradition pharmacology should go in pair with unconventional treatments.
3. No I don't.
Some animals are very clever and I thing they can help people not once. Please look at this movie: http://vimeo.com/19376227 It's amazing, this dog understand rules of skate boarding. This dog is better than me because I never ridden on a board :) I believe that animals have great skills and should be as friends of people and help us in the therapy. I don't have any animal at home.
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