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"Pets, not pills"
I wonder if some of you saw the article about England offering prescription money for long-term ill people to buy pets! It really surprised and tickled me, since I have long believed that having pets keeps people healthier. In fact my husband says our playful little Basenjis Keesha and Kintu are better than Prozac! The article was written by Dr. Marty Beck, and says "at least one health authority has adopted the plan in the hope it will keep patients out of the hospital and save money." I wish I knew how to send the whole article, but I don't. It does say that pets not only make us feel good but are good for us, "provide an incentive for people to exercise and be social, deter depression, increase the feeling of general well-being, decrease doctor visits, shorten hospital stays and greatly reduce prescription drug use." The article says that general practicioners southeast of London will give regularly hospitalized patients $1,750 to spend on buying and caring for a pet. It quotes a 1991 study in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine that found that only one month after acquiring a dog or a cat, seniors had 50% fewer medical problems such as painful joints, insomnia, constipation, anxiety, indigestion, colds and flu, palpitations, breathlessness, back pain and headaches. Another recent US study of nearly a thousand Medicare patients concurred, according to the article. So all of us who have beloved pets (including horses!) are on the right track! I love reading or seeing pictures of your pets and I know what comfort they bring to each of us. The pounds are full of abandoned animals---now if we could just get them together with all the sick and lonely people who need them! Hugs, Tricia
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