7 Surprising Health Benefits of Dog Ownership
They can detect cancer
Scientific reports of dogs sniffing out cancerous growths go back at least two decades. According to a 1989 case study in The Lancet, a patient reported that her dog would constantly sniff at a mole on her leg, and once even tried to bite the lesion off. Prompted by this, she had her mole checked out and found it to be a malignant melanoma.
But dogs are not only good at sniffing out skin cancer, some can also detect bladder, lung, breast, ovarian and colon cancer. In fact, a specially trained eight-year-old black Labrador named Panda correctly detected colorectal cancer in 33 out of 37 samples of people’s breath and stool that scientists had collected. Moreover, according to the article in the journal Gut published this year, Panda appeared to be highly accurate at detecting early-stage colorectal cancer.
It’s unclear whether such dogs are zeroing in on some unknown, tumor-related volatile compounds, or more conventional substances in body fluids associated with an increased risk of cancer, such as metabolites of cigarettes, the researchers said. However, in this experiment, Panda identified cancer patients even among body—fluid samples from people with inflammation, a history of smoking, or other diseases.
They can keep you active
This is perhaps no surprise to owners that frequently walk or exercise with their dogs. After all, dogs are more likely to beg for a walk or a game of fetch than other house pets.
According to a 2010 study in the American Journal of Public Health, children with dogs spent more time doing moderate to vigorous physical activity than children without dogs.
And this effect extends to adult dog owners. According to a 2006 study done by Canadian researchers at the University of Victoria, dog owners were more likely to participate in mild to moderate physical activity. They walked an average of 300 minutes per week, compared with non-dog owners, who walked an average of 168 minutes per week.
The difference between dog owners and those who do not own a pet may be less dramatic, but still significant — in a 2008 study by the National Cancer Institute, dog owners only walked 19 minutes more per week by comparison.
Regardless, this still hinges on your willingness to walk the dog in the first place. According to a 2006 study by Johns Hopkins University researchers, while dog ownership might obligate owners to walk their dogs, only a fraction of owners walked their dogs at least three times a week, and that fraction was especially among elderly dog owners. Therefore, even though dog ownership might promote walking activity and motivate both the dog and the owner to go outside for some fresh air, you’re not going to experience those benefits if you’re too reluctant to walk the dog.
They can tell when you have low blood sugar
Some trained dogs seem to detect low blood sugar levels. According to a 2000 article in the British Medical Journal, more than one-third of dogs living with diabetic people have been reported to display behavioral changes when their owners’ blood sugar drops, sometimes even before patients themselves were aware of it. In two case studies cited by the paper, the dogs not only detected their owners’ falling glucose levels, they even nudged their owners into eating.
It’s unclear how the dogs did it, but it’s possible that they detected minute muscle tremors, or changes in the owners’ scents, according to the study.
And they might be able to learn the skill. Reportedly, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was recently taught to recognize low blood sugar by the Pups in Prison program at the Junee Correctional Centre in Australia, where inmates helped train service dogs.
They can reduce your risk of eczema
Many parents worry about exposing young children to dogs, fearing it could trigger allergy or eczema reactions. However, preliminary research showed that children were significantly less likely to develop eczema by age 4 if they began mingling with dogs at infancy.
The study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics in 2011, followed 636 children and found the rate of eczema was lower among kids who lived with a family dog. In fact, even for kids sensitive to dog allergens, having a dog did not increase their risk of developing eczema.
But before you rush out to get a dog for your kid, keep in mind that more research still needs to be done in this area. Previous research has shown that dogs can also increase the risk of asthma in some kids.
They can help you during seizures
The duties of a seizure dog are similar to those of a seeing-eye dog — to help their owners navigate day-to-day activities, and steer them away from harmful situations. There are many organizations in the United States that train seizure dogs. In most cases, these dogs are trained to recognize subtle behavior or body language changes during seizure events.
But some believe that the dogs are perceptive enough to warn their owners of oncoming attacks, allowing the owners to take seizure-blocking medication, get to a safe place or call for assistance. However, there are very few scientific studies supporting the idea that dogs can detect epileptic seizures ahead of time.
According to two articles in the journal Neurology in 2007, studies on seizure dogs were vulnerable to reporting bias because most relied on patient and family reports of dog and patient behavior. Despite such anecdotes, the study said, some dogs were more likely to respond to psychological seizures, which stem from emotional difficulties and are different than epileptic seizures. In a case cited by the paper, a dog actually triggered a nonepileptic seizure by licking its owner’s face.
Although some researchers have cast doubt that dogs are able to alert owners to seizures, most researchers agree that a dog can at the very least provide important support and companionship for patients with epilepsy.
They can steer you away from foods that you’re allergic to
Some dogs are good at sniffing out illicit substances and bombs. However, it appears that other dogs’ olfactory prowess is better used in detecting allergens.
For people whose peanut allergies are so severe that even miniscule residues in the air can trigger an allergic reaction, a peanut detection dog can come in handy, according to according to training facilities such as the Florida Canine Academy. These dogs, after going through vigorous training, can detect the trace presence of peanuts in a room, such as a cookie left on the table or a candy bar hidden in a lunch bag.
Owners with peanut allergies still have to be vigilant about peanut contaminations in food, and should always carry an epinephrine pen in case of emergencies. However, peanut-detecting dogs can help ease their minds.
They can help you rehabilitate from illnesses
In fact, that is the concept behind many pet visitation programs at hospitals and rehabilitation centers. Therapy dogs can encourage mobility, interpersonal contact and socialization among patients. According to a 2005 review in the British Medical Journal, dogs act as “social catalysts,” leading to greater interaction between people and alleviating feelings of loneliness, especially among elderly patients with physical disabilities.
Dog owners are also better at dealing with stressful events, and therefore helping them avoid anxiety-related illnesses, the study said.
Although some studies have suggested that dog owners are significantly less likely to die within one year of a heart attack than those who did not own dogs, those studies were based on a small sample and weren’t population-based.
7 Weirdest Medical Conditions
There are some real health conditions that even the greatest hypochondriac couldn’t dream up: Persistent, unwanted orgasms, an inability to feel fear, or strange fibers growing out of the skin.
While some are more controversial than others, here’s a look at seven medical conditions that top out on the strangeness scale — and make your weird zit look like child’s play.
Morgellons disease
Morgellons disease is a poorly understood condition in which people feel itching, biting and crawling under their skin. People with this condition also see filaments or fibers growing out of their skin, and can experience skin lesions, fatigue and memory problems, according to the Morgellons Research Foundation.
There is no known cause for the disease, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started investigating potential causes in 2008. The medical community is divided on the disease — some doctors say the symptoms are the result of mental illness, while others say the disease stems from a skin disorder, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Some health experts say the disease is caused by an unknown infectious agent. But others say that idea is flawed, because most patients with Morgellons don’t show evidence of an infection (such as elevated levels of white blood cells), according to a study to be published in February in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology.
Alien hand syndrome
The movie “Dr. Strangelove” tells the story of a man whose right hand seems to have a mind of its own. The strange condition is a reality for some people, and it’s known as alien hand syndrome. People with the condition usually have a hand that reaches, grabs and holds onto things without the intention of the patient, according to a description of the syndrome in a 2004 article in the journal Archives of Neurology.
For example, a 1998 case reported in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry told the tale of an 81-year-old woman right-handed woman whose left hand was uncontrollable. Her left hand choked her neck and hit her face and shoulder involuntarily, and the woman also had sensory processing and visual problems.
A 2009 article in the Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases found that a stroke in the brain’s right parietal lobe was the impetus for a case of alien hand syndrome. And an article published in December in the journal PLoS One reported that parts of the brain that control voluntary movements may be uniquely activated in cases of alien hand syndrome.
Cotard’s syndrome
Cotard’s syndrome, also called Cotard’s delusion and walking corpse syndrome, is a rare condition where people think that they have either died or part of their body has decayed, according to a 2004 study in the European Journal of Neurology. The syndrome is most commonly witnessed in people who have schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but some who suffer from migraines, tumors or trauma have also reported having Cotard’s syndrome.
People with Cotard’s syndrome may also believe they are missing certain organs or body parts, or they may believe their soul has died, according to a 2002 article in the journal Neurology.
The syndrome is named after Dr. Jules Cotard, a Parisian neurologist who was one of the first to induce loss of brain cells in animals, according to the Neurology article.
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
It sounds like something out of a superhero movie, but the syndrome is all too real. People who have the heritable Ehlers-Danlos syndrome have hyperflexibility — the ability to bend their limbs in seemingly impossible directions. Many people with the syndrome also have super-stretchy skin; however, they also bruise easily and have slow wound healing, according to a 2010 article in the journal Genetics in Medicine.
Half the people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome have mutations in their COL5A1 and the COL5A2 genes, with one in 5,000 people around the world thought to have the syndrome. However, the true number of people with these mutations may be a lot higher, according to the Genetics in Medicine article. There are eight known mutations associated with the syndrome, and they lead to a reduced amount of collagen in the patients’ connective tissues, the article said.
There are six types of the syndrome, with varying effects on the skin and joints, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Urbach–Wiethe disease
The case of a woman incapable of feeling fear has this disease, which is a rare genetic disorder that can lead to hardening of brain tissue, according to a 2010 report in the journal Current Biology. As is the case with the woman in the study, known as SM, the disease destroyed her amygdala — the almond-shaped structure in the brain that generates fear responses.
The woman was exposed to haunted houses, live snakes and spiders and films that would normally elicit a fearful response. But she didn’t exhibit anything beyond a mild fear response to any of the stimuli. SM also didn’t record anything indicative of fear in a daily journal she was required to keep.
The researchers said the finding could mean progress for treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Persistent sexual arousal syndrome
For people with persistent sexual arousal syndrome (PSAS), orgasms may bring more embarrassment and distress, rather than being pleasurable sensations.
That’s because this condition, which occurs mostly in women, causes hypersensitivity to orgasm with the slightest application of pressure — and sometimes without any trigger at all — even without feelings of sexual desire, according to Boston University School of Medicine.
The syndrome was first diagnosed in 2001, but little is known about its cause, according to BUSM. People who have PSAS often feel embarrassed, isolated and distressed because of the syndrome, a 2005 study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine reported. In fact, 40 percent of people in the study told of high levels of distress about the condition, with 35 percent reporting moderate levels of distress.
Haemolacria
Haemolacria is a condition in which a person cries tears of blood. It most often occurs in fertile women who are menstruating, according to a 1991 article in the journal Acta Ophthalmologica, but even then the blood is not visible to the human eye. Haemolacria can also occur as a result of severe conjunctivitis.
In October, a woman in India named Rashida Khatoon was reportedly crying tears of blood, even though doctors weren’t able to find anything medically wrong with her besides the haemolacria.
FILIPINO DOC-TOUR 