Archive for the 'Animal-assisted Therapy' Category
The history of animal-assisted therapy
Monday, May 3rd, 2010
National Pet Week is May 2-8.
Nurse Janet Eggiman reports a 10-year-old girl with post-traumatic stress disorder and a history of physical and sexual abuse. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) was used as part of a broader cognitive behavioral therapy, with a dramatic change in behavior.
Interesting, but of greater interest is the literature review of the history of AAT presented by Ms. Eggiman.
Pet therapy for sundowners
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010Farm animals help treat mental disorders
Monday, January 19th, 2009
Researchers from the Norwegian University tell us, “The benefits of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) for humans with mental disorders have been well-documented using cats and dogs.”Stress, heart disease, and what to do about it
Sunday, July 6th, 2008
Research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that psychosocial factors, such as cynical distrust, chronic stress, and depression are associated with higher blood levels of C-reactive protein (associated with acute inflammatory reactions), interleukin-6 (stimulates an immune response to tissue damage), and fibrinogen (causes blood to clot).
All are related to an increased risk of heart disease.
What can we do about this?
Use of CAM by children with autism
Saturday, November 3rd, 2007
Dr. Susan Levy reviewed charts for 284 patients at the Regional Autism Center, which is associated with The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She found that 32% of the children were using CAM.
Here’s why her work is important.
Huge recall of pet food
Sunday, March 18th, 2007 This is relevant because of the importance of animal-assisted therapy, and because I love little kittens and puppies.
Animal-assisted therapy and infection risk
Saturday, September 23rd, 2006 The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston forbids pet visits, because of their concern about infection and allergic reactions. I’s a reasonable position. However, I am unable to find any reports where infections increased in hospitals when animal-assisted activity (AAA) or animal-assisted therapy (AAT) was used.
That’s not to say they don’t carry bacteria.