The animal-assisted therapy

The animal-assisted therapy.
People undergoing chemotherapy and dispersal for cancer may get an demonstrative lift from man's best friend, a new study suggests. The study, of patients with direct and neck cancers, is among the first to scientifically test the effects of therapy dogs - trained and certified pooches brought in to expedite human anxiety, whether it's from trauma, offence or illness. To dog lovers, it may be a no-brainer that canine companions bring comfort find out more. And group therapy dogs are already a fixture in some US hospitals, as well as nursing homes, social service agencies, and other settings where living souls are in need.

Dogs offer something that even the best-intentioned human caregiver can't fully match, said Rachel McPherson, executive director of the New York City-based Good Dog Foundation. "They give unconditional love," said McPherson, whose classifying trains and certifies remedy dogs for more than 350 facilities in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts herbal. "Dogs don't review you, or try to give you advice, or tell you their stories," she pointed out.

Instead psychotherapy dogs offer simple comfort to people facing scary circumstances, such as cancer treatment. But while that sounds good, doctors and hospitals fancy scientific evidence. "We can view for granted that supportive care for cancer patients, like a healthy diet, has benefits," said Dr Stewart Fleishman, the premier researcher on the new study. "We wanted to fact test animal-assisted therapy and quantify the effects". Fleishman, now retired, was founding headman of cancer supportive services at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City - now called Mount Sinai Beth Israel.

For the recent study, his team followed 42 patients at the convalescent home who were undergoing six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation for head and neck cancers, mostly affecting the hot air and throat. All of the patients agreed to have visits with a therapy dog make up for before each of their treatment sessions. The dogs, trained by the Good Dog Foundation, were brought in to the waiting room, or sickbay room, so patients could spend about 15 minutes with them.