Treating various physical and mental disorders through interaction with animals began as early as the 18th century. Today, this method is called animal-assisted therapy, and it has many subsections, each named after the animal used.
Felinotherapy
Cat owners often claim their pets can sense their ill health and "treat" them. Their furry friends are often credited with lowering blood pressure, alleviating headaches, and other types of pain.
Numerous experiments have shown that interaction with cats produces pleasure hormones in the human brain, which help fight illnesses.
Interacting with cats is recommended for people with heart disease and mental and brain disorders. Many psychotherapists note that interacting with cats has a positive effect on patients with drug addiction and depression.
Fish relieve stress
Aquarium fish can bring many benefits to modern people. City dwellers often suffer from regular stress. The best way to combat it is to get more rest. But rest needs to be truly effective, and the abundance of information surrounding us 24/7 makes it very difficult to relax.
To truly unwind, you can use any meditative practice. However, this isn't suitable for everyone, as learning to meditate is quite difficult. This is where a fish tank comes in handy. Watching their movements without distracting yourself with unnecessary thoughts can be just as effective as real meditation. Using this method, you'll feel truly rested and better able to manage stress.
Hippotherapy
Interacting with horses is a special experience for everyone. But hippotherapy is more than just entertainment. First and foremost, horseback riding, especially for an untrained person, can be a significant physical challenge. Therefore, this pastime is beneficial for the body. For this reason, hippotherapy is used to help people with cerebral palsy recover.
Moreover, even without riding, interaction with horses can be a lot of fun and can be an excellent way of rehabilitation for people with mental disorders.
Canistherapy
In most cases, psychologists prefer dogs when using animal-assisted therapy with patients. Interaction with these animals brings numerous positive changes to patients. Furthermore, dogs are easily trained, making them safe to use in medical settings. Even a single canine therapy session normalizes patients' blood pressure, reduces stress and anxiety, and improves overall well-being. Dogs are often used with children, the elderly, and the disabled.
Songbirds for depression
The effects of birdsong can be compared to music therapy. However, to improve patients' condition, it is necessary to travel to the birds' natural habitats, as well as to special botanical gardens where birds are kept in natural conditions. In this case, in addition to the pleasant sounds of birdsong, the person will also benefit from natural factors such as fresh air and pleasant visuals such as trees and shrubs.
Dolphin therapy
Dolphin interactions are often used in work with children with special needs (autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, etc.). Dolphins also help people suffering from depression, severe stress, chronic fatigue, and many other problems common to modern city dwellers. But mental health issues aren't the only problem that can be addressed through dolphin interactions.
Physical ailments are more easily treated when the patient swims with dolphins. This method is used to treat cardiovascular diseases, respiratory problems, and hearing problems. The method's effectiveness stems from the dolphins' ultrasound, which has a positive effect on the body's cells.
Hirudotherapy
Leeches have been used in folk medicine for many years. When attached to a human body, this worm releases its saliva into the epidermis, which provides the main therapeutic effect, as it contains numerous beneficial components. Through the skin, the leech's saliva enters the bloodstream, spreads throughout the body, and helps treat many ailments.
Hirudotherapy is used to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases, relieve inflammation and pain, and prevent blood clots. However, it's important to understand that hirudotherapy sessions should only be performed in specialized facilities, as leeches should only be applied by a specialist.
Hamsters for complexes and joint pain
Some hamster owners believe their pets can cure joint pain simply by interacting with their cute rodents more often. Whether this is true or not is up to you, but interacting with hamsters can be truly beneficial for children. If you offer a withdrawn and insecure child the opportunity to care for a hamster and spend at least 30 minutes a day with it, it will help them connect with their peers more easily.
Apitherapy
Like leeches, bees are often used in folk medicine to treat physical ailments. Bee venom has numerous beneficial effects on the human body. Among its many beneficial properties, it reduces inflammation, improves gastrointestinal function, treats respiratory diseases, and normalizes blood pressure. Bee venom is also used to combat alcohol and tobacco addiction.
Knowing that interacting with animals can be not only enjoyable but also beneficial to your health, you can confidently devote much more time to your pets. Those who are just considering getting a cat or dog can add a few arguments in favor of this decision.
