Animal Therapy: How dolphins, cats, pigs and horses treat people
Medicine rests on animals: Whether we like it or not, it is on them that new means or therapies are tested before starting research on people. Tissues and animal cells are used to develop drugs, and in alternative medicine leeches, snakes, and bees are used.
Recently, more and more people are talking about animals as a source of emotional support - we talked about Hamlet's little pig instagram, which helps the owner to endure epilepsy. It comes to comical situations: in November last year, a passenger was taken off a flight of US Airways, a therapeutic mumps of which began to pace the aircraft cabin. We talk about the very good use of animals in medicine - pet therapy, in which animals do not suffer, and it becomes easier for people.
Why ask animals for help
Animal therapy, or pet therapy, is one of the methods in rehabilitation and psychotherapy. Boris Levinson began to seriously develop this area in 1961: the doctor noticed that the presence of a dog helps to establish contact with the child with autism. It is known that animals help not to be afraid of children, who are coming painful procedures like injections. Even a small aquarium in the lobby of a polyclinic or medical center should already dull a little fear.
There are two directions to pet therapy. The first is the actual therapy with animals (animal-associated therapy), that is, actions that are aimed at treatment and assistance: the development of motor skills, recovery from serious illnesses, alleviation of the symptoms of mental illness and establishing contact taking into account the peculiarities. The second is called the animal-associated activity - this is a more general work with animals, aimed at evoking positive emotions in patients. In Russian, there are no full equivalents of these terms: treatment with animals is called zoo therapy or animal therapy, and some areas have their own names: hippotherapy (work with horses), dolphin-training room, canistherapy (working with dogs) and feline-therapy room (working with cats).
Animals are approached for help in a variety of situations, such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and even after a stroke. Pet therapy is used for diseases that are not related to the nervous system, but in which the patient has an increased risk of developing depression due to long-term treatment - for example, cancer, or in palliative medicine. As Levinson remarked more than half a century ago, animals help to communicate with people with different neuroobjectives, such as autism. And of course, animals are used to treat mental disorders, from depression to post-traumatic stress disorder. For specific work with patients, animals that can be trained and trained are best suited: horses, dolphins, dogs, pigs. But fluffy rodents, birds, lizards, and other animals, even donkeys, help fight diseases.
How can pigs and cats help
Scientists are still figuring out exactly how pet therapy works and to what extent it is effective. According to some studies, when observing animals, the activity of the prefrontal cortex of the cerebral hemispheres increases - this area is involved in decision making and is responsible for social interaction. Endorphins are released from contact with animals in our bodies - like when playing sports, kissing or pleasant memories. Endorphins have an analgesic effect, so pet-therapy to some extent reduces the severity of pain syndromes, for example, in fibromyalgia. The same substances reduce the level of stress and anxiety, calm and raise the mood. Contacts with animals, apparently due to the same hormones, normalize high blood pressure and improve the cardiovascular system.
It cannot be said that any one animal helps to cure a specific disease. All animals improve the condition of patients in general: thanks to working with animals, patients are more committed to treatment (apparently, in a good company it is more interesting to be treated), they experience more positive emotions, relax and even recover faster after anesthesia. Watching animals distracts from their own problems and helps them switch. Contact with animals is communication that helps to fight the feeling of isolation from patients with mental disabilities and saves older people from being alone.
But zootherapy also has effects that depend on the particular animal. For example, hippotherapy - treatment with riding - is recommended for neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy. Physical strength, balance and coordination are needed to stay on horseback and manage it — and horse riding helps develop all these skills. In addition, a horse is an animal with character, and it is necessary to communicate with it, even sitting astride, which helps to develop social skills. It is also nice that self-esteem rises - literally because a person is “on horseback”. Together, this turns hippotherapy into an instrument of socialization.
Similarly, dolphin therapy affects a person. Movement in water and contact with a smart animal develops physically and emotionally, helps a person to move, to perform non-standard actions. And feline therapy, that is, communication with cats, is usually recommended for relieving stress: the vibrations from the purr and the observation of the soft movements of the cats help to relax. When choosing animals take into account their character. People with impairments that interfere with their movement are selected as companions of calm, phlegmatic animals. Patients who need to motivate, help cope with depression or fear, fit active animals.
Is it possible to buy a dog and get well
All this sounds seductive and raises the question: is it even possible to replace medicines with animals? It would be great to have a hamster and get rid of bipolar disorder, and stroke the cat, say goodbye to childhood injuries. But the animal itself is not a pill or a graduate. The animal does not know how and whom to treat (despite the common myths about the special sensitivity of cats). Therefore, it is necessary to work with pets, if it requires a therapeutic effect, together with a specialist. Pet therapy is usually not used on its own, but as part of a comprehensive treatment.
Of course, to a certain extent an animal can improve the health and quality of life by its presence alone - this is called “non-directional pet therapy”. For example, the fact that a person started a dog imposes a number of obligations on him: the dog needs to be walked, that is, to take a leash in his hands and walk the streets. This is physical activity, that is, useful activity, and dog owners, especially those who love to walk, are more likely to remain healthy, even if they are not involved in sports. In addition, dogs sometimes function as if not a psychotherapist, then a trustee: things that patients do not dare to tell another person can tell a dog.
Anna, a patient in the neurosis department of a psychiatric clinic, recalls: “I had two illnesses right away: I suffered from depression and panic attacks. I was afraid to leave the house because of panic, but even behind closed doors I was scared. If it wasn’t scary it was just bad, I could lie in bed all day or not brush my teeth for several days. During the treatment I had a guinea pig. I had to get out of bed at least to clean the cage, get to the store to buy food. and vegetables - I am I didn’t do anything, the innocent hungry animal began to whistle shrilly.Every way out was a feat, these feats helped me - because if I could get up and clean up after the beast, I already did something. It was a daily small victory. In addition, the mumps are soft, warm and smell like sawdust. "
Why horses and dolphins are not shown to everyone
Of course, we must understand that zootherapy is a method that requires serious research and evidence. Unfortunately, sometimes animal therapy is advertised in bad faith, especially when it comes to rehabilitating children. For example, they promise unprecedented progress from classes with dolphins - while there is no serious evidence that dolphins improve the condition of patients.
If pet therapy is still considered an auxiliary method of treatment, the animal must be selected with a specialist. It all depends on the goals of treatment, the patient's condition and his personal characteristics. Even if a person needs a faithful friend and walks in the fresh air, but he is simply afraid of dogs, you should not drag him into communication with them. A patient with spinal injuries should not ride a horse, even if he wants to try hippotherapy, with a lack of warmth and close relationships, the little bug is unlikely to seriously help.
There are more prosaic contraindications. For example, allergy to wool and skin, in which you should not start a cat. In addition, not every animal can be curative. Animals can be aggressive and fearful, and in this case, communication with them will not be beneficial, especially for a person with mental disorder or neurological disorders. But restrictions can be circumvented - choose an animal that does not scare and is not allergic, engage in places where animals are prepared to meet with patients - and then classes will bring more benefits than harm.
Photo: Hasbro
