The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point

Archive for the 'Animal-assisted Therapy' Category

Dog and cat exposure and the risk of respiratory symptoms and infections

Thursday, August 2nd, 2012

Researchers in Finland and Germany studied the first year of life. (more…)

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.

(more…)

Pet therapy for sundowners

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Dr. Ann-Marie Wordley from the University of Adelaide in Australia presented the preliminary results during the Alzheimer’s Association Dementia Care Conference. (more…)

Farm 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.”

But what about farm animals? (more…)

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?

(more…)

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.

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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.

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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.

(more…)