Besides stealing our hearts by being cute — and in many cases, fluffy — our four-legged friends who are trained as therapy animals have numerous health benefits to offer. Animal assisted therapy is proven to help with both mental and physical conditions. Even healthy people can benefit from animal therapy. Many hospitals offer various animal therapy programs to assist patients in healing. In fact, this is a practice that dates back to the ancient Greeks, who were said to use horses to cheer up patients. Benefits of Animal Therapy Animal therapy has physical benefits that include: Lowering blood pressure Releasing oxytocin, which has a calming effect Lessening any physical pain patients have On top of the physical benefits, animal therapy also has mental health benefits such as: Decreasing feelings of loneliness and isolation Lowering stress Providing a sense of comfort Nemours Children’s Health System offers animal therapy programs at their hospitals in Delaware and Florida as a part of their commitment to caring for the whole child. One program offered in Florida […]
