Benefits of Pets Essay Example for Free

Benefits of Pets Essay 1. Decreases stress In a 2002 study at State University of New York at Buffalo, researchers found that when conducting a stressful task, people experienced less stress when their pets were with them than when a spouse, family member or close friend was nearby. Promises Treatment Centers, which specializes in addiction, not only recommends its patients consider getting a pet, but even allows pets in its rehabilitation facilities, according to Dr. David Sack, CEO of Promises. â€Å"One of Promises core beliefs is that we need to remove obstacles that prevent people from getting help,† Sack says. â€Å"We are committed to making Promises a safe and reassuring homelike environment. And what could be more like home than to have your pet accompany you?† 2. Lowers blood pressure While some studies have found a stronger connection than others, having a pet has the potential to lower blood pressure, especially in hypertensive or high-risk patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). â€Å"If you have a dog around, your blood pressure is lower,† says Marty Becker, DVM, veterinary consultant for Good Morning America and author of the upcoming book, Your Dog: The Owner’s Manual. â€Å"A lot of it goes back to reducing stress: You might lose your job, your house, your 401(k) — but you’ll never lose the unconditional love of your pet.† 3. Eases pain Believe it or not, pets can be the best medicine, especially when a person is dealing with chronic pain such as migraines or arthritis, says Becker. â€Å"Just like Valium, it reduces anxiety. The less anxiety, the less pain,† he says. â€Å"Some studies about acute pain actually found that adults who used pet therapy required 50 percent less pain medication than those who did not.† 4. Lowers cholesterol According to the CDC, another heart-healthy result of owning a pet is lower cholesterol. â€Å"They lower cholesterol by about five points,† says Becker. It isn’t clear whether the pet’s presence decreases cholesterol, or if those who maintain a healthier lifestyle are more often pet owners. However, it is known that male pet owners, in particular, have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels than non–pet owners. 5. Improves mood A lot of the health benefits of owning a pet may stem from the mental and emotional benefits. â€Å"People who have pets are less harried; there’s more laughter in their life,† says Becker. â€Å"When you come home, it’s like you’re George Clooney. You’re a star.† This is a primary reason pets are used in various forms of therapy. â€Å"At Walter Reed Army Medical Center, they’re using dogs to help soldiers dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder,† says Katy Nelson, DVM, associate emergency veterinarian at the VCA Alexandria Animal Hospital in Alexandria, Va. â€Å"They’re finding the guys who have a pet are able to re-enter society a little bit easier. They’re showing a decreased suicide rate, one of the biggest health threats [veterans] face. These guys who have a pet have someone they’re responsible for, someone who cares about them. And they don’t have to explain what they’ve been through.† 6. Helps people socialize While it may seem a bit counterintuitive, owning a dog actually increases a person’s opportunities to socialize, according to Michael Landa, CEO of natural pet food brand Nulo and founder of Los Angeles–based dog-walking service The Pet Staff. â€Å"I take my dog for a two-mile walk every day, and I run into five to 10 people whom I stop and talk to,† he says. Christie Keith, the online and social media editor at PetConnection.com, agrees. A 1999 Canadian study found that pet owners were more socially engaged than non–pet owners, she says. In addition, an Austrian study â€Å"found that pet ownership led to an increase in social contact, more socialization within neighborhoods [such as neighbors chatting as they walk their dogs], and even a greater perception to observers that the neighborhood seems friendly.’† 7. Prevents strokes Although dogs are often touted for their health benefits, cat owners can see gains, too. Felines are just as beneficial to your health as dogs. â€Å"If you have a cat, you’re 30 percent less likely to have a heart attack, and you’re 40 percent less likely to have a cardiovascular incident like a stroke,† Becker says. In addition, pets can aid in the recovery of a heart attack. â€Å"If you have a heart attack and you have a dog, you are eight times more likely to be alive a year later,† Becker says. 8. Monitors blood sugar levels for diabetics According to the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Forecast magazine, a 1992 study found that one-third of the pets living with diabetics (mostly dogs, but other pets included cats, birds and rabbits) would change their behavior when their owner’s blood sugar level dropped. Most likely a reaction to chemical changes in the owner’s body, the behavior noted in the study has resulted in organizations like Dogs4Diabetics, which trains dogs to be companions for patients at risk of unstable blood glucose levels. 9. Prevents allergies and improves immunity Becker says pets can dramatically improve immunity and prevent allergies. â€Å"A study found that children ages 5 to 7 from pet-owning households attend school three weeks more per year than those who don’t have pets,† he says. He also says that the more pets you have earlier in life, the fewer allergies you will develop. â€Å"Kids who grow up on farms and around animals don’t have allergies,† he says. â€Å"That dander on that hair, that’s natural immunotherapy.† But he notes that this effect is not reversible: Getting a pet as an adult will not minimize allergies, it only helps prevent certain allergies from developing in children. 10. Helps children develop Children who grow up in a household with pets benefit in myriad ways, especially in their emotional development. â€Å"When a child is attached to a dog or cat, they learn to express themselves in more ways and they learn to relate better,† says Landa, who brings children to animal shelters to deliver toys and food. Pets are also hugely beneficial to children suffering from autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). For children with ADHD, taking care of a pet can encourage them to focus on responsibilities through a predictable routine. While the sensory experience of holding and petting an animal can be soothing for children with autism.

Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World Essay -- Literary Analysis

What happens when society’s greatest love becomes the ultimate threat? A few years ago Neil Postman wrote a preface about the media’s effects in which he suggests that Aldous Huxley’s predictions in Brave New World come to pass. Postman reiterated Huxley’s points saying that our society might eventually turn into a version of Brave New World. Some may argue that Postman’s theory is incorrect but with further consideration it is more likely to be true. In Aldous Huxley’s book, Brave New World features Bernard Marx who questions the aspects of the society that he lives in. His society is controlled through happiness; he attempts to change the culture but despite his efforts to rebel he fails. Thus, reinforcing Huxley’s foresight. Postman and Huxley reveal three striking parallels to today’s society. To begin with, pleasure is viewed more important than relationships. Moreover, drugs cloud one’s reality and ultimately cause one to become a slave to drugs. Lastly, relying on technology causes one to sacrifice independence, which gives governments more control. Huxley fears that the things civilization loves will ruin civilization; his fear may soon become reality. Firstly, indulging in lustful activities is one of the greatest weaknesses of humanity. In Huxley’s Brave New World, pleasure is used to control society. The leader, Mustapha Mond, knows by providing ultimate pleasure he can control the general populace. Subsequently, Mond has the society revolved around pleasure. He creates a saying, â€Å"everybody belongs to everyone else†, this proverb creates equality so everyone one will be pleasured. He has children exposed to sexual pleasure at a very young age, women are portrayed as objects, and he obliterated the family. The rule of ... ...pondences to the current society of today. Primarily, relationships are obsolete because pleasure is considered more important. Furthermore, drugs distort reality ultimately causing one to be imprisoned to narcotics. Lastly, as technology advances, governments acquire more control over society. Postman and Huxley are right to fear that what humanity loves will ruin civilization; â€Å"For the love of [power] is the root of all evil.† 1 Timothy 6:10. Works Cited Huxley, Aldous . Brave New World. Great Britain: Vintage Canada, 1932. Print. The Holy Bible ESV: English Standard Version : containing the Old and New Testaments.. 2001. Reprint. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Bibles, 2007. Print. Not, Available. "Alcohol Statistics." Drug Rehab Alcohol Drug Rehabilitation Addiction Treatment Programs. N.p., 3 June 2012. .

History Summative: The Baby Boom

The Baby Boom was one of the most important events in Canadian history and continues to impact how we live our lives today. After World War 2 ended, between the years of 1945 and 1965, there was a huge increase in population known as the Baby Boom. The Baby Boom occurred because soldiers came home from war with a victory and were finally ready to start a family with their wives or girlfriends in a time when there was a good economy. In 1959, 20 percent of all women who were in their twenties had babies and the average family had three to four children (1). Around 1961, births per 1000 women aged 15-49 hit almost 4,000 (5).In total, more than 8. 2 babies had been born during the baby boom in Canada (2). These statistics give you an indication about how densely and quickly the population increased and how this bulge in the population could not be ignored through the years. Many events in history have helped shape Canada into the country it is today, but nothing has made such an impact on how we have lived, live now, and will continue to live as much as the baby boom has. The Baby Boom created an overwhelming demand for homes because of expanding families needing more room for their newborn children, this demand led to something called â€Å"Suburbia†.More than 1. 1 million housing units were built in the 1950’s (3) to adjust to all of the new families who needed homes – this began the first decade of â€Å"urban sprawl†. There would also be a big huge demand for nurses, school teachers, doctors and such to take care of the huge amount of new kids born as a result of the Baby Boom. Canada’s economy had gone from making Bren Machine Guns just a few years earlier for the war to making baby carriages, baby clothes, new cars, and bunk beds for all the new children that had just recently entered into the world.A few years later, during the 1950’s, when the â€Å"baby boomers† started to become teenagers, society had to a djust accordingly as well. Many communities began to build new arenas, recreational facilities, organizations, and â€Å"teenager hangouts† in order to make up for the huge amount of adolescents roaming their society. In the same time period the baby boomers also began to greatly influence music culture and such. Teenagers tended to listen to the big rock and roll stars at the time, including Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and Ottawa’s very own Paul Anka (4).Marketers began to realize that the more they used these songs, the more money they would make. That being said, the baby boomers virtually catered to not only the music industry, but things such as film and books as well. The baby boomers were controlling the way the 50’s and 60’s would later be viewed and talked about in the future. The Baby Boomers are affecting today’s communities. The average baby boomer would be around 65 years old this year. Today, they don’t necessarily rule the medi a world, but they do have a huge impact on job openings for young people.The baby boomers are occupying all of the big jobs of today, making it harder for younger people to find jobs that pay well to support their families. Luckily for teenagers of today, soon the baby boomers will be retiring all at once, leaving a huge amount of job openings in their path. Once the baby boomers retire and become seniors, the taxes may be forced to increase in order to cater to the needs of the huge amount of elderly and their requirements, such as government pensions, and Medicare.There might also be smaller changes that the average person wouldn’t notice, such as the demand for soccer fields and hockey arenas may decrease and golf courses could become more popular. If the Baby Boom from 1945- 1965 didn’t happen, the world today, leading up to today, and even the future, would be very different from the way we live now. When the baby boomers were originally born, they required a huge amount of new housing and supplies, as well as causing a vast increase in population in a very short period of time.When the baby boomers grew up to be teenagers, they virtually controlled the media scene and also required a lot of new buildings and things to be built. Even now, when they are almost seniors in our society, they control a lot of things, one of the bigger things being employment. The Baby Boom happened around 55 years ago, and it still is showing impact on Canada’s development today. There are many other events in Canada’s history that contributed to Canada’s development but nothing continues to have as much of a significant impact as the Baby Boom does.

Community Gardening One Solution for Curing Diabetes

To talk about the diabetic epidemic African Americans, Native Americans and Latinos and not include its companion obesity only paints half of the full picture (Lombard, Forster-Cox and Smeal) (Oregon Department of Human Services). The diabetes targeted in this discussion is type 2. Type 1 diabetes is genetically derived; it is the body’s inability to produce insulin (American Diabetes Association). This type usually affects children and young adults. Type 2 is caused by unhealthy eating and lifestyle choices over a period of time. This type usually is characteristic of older adults, but lately has been seen in older children (Oregon Department of Human Services). This problem is personal for me, as I have recently been diagnosed with†¦show more content†¦Too much of the general population does not recognize the correlation between food and health. In addition, when looking at diabetes, not everyone affected is at the poverty level. Statistics support that more people with diabetes are poor, but the middle working class are also at risk. One of the reasons is that they have brought into the propaganda that they should be able to eat what they can afford. Just recently I watched an episode of a reality television show called â€Å"Restaurant Impossible.† On the show an expert visits restaurants that are failing and going broke and provide the owners with new menu items, clean up when necessary, and provide an investment of ten-thousand dollars in a redesign of the restaurant. One of the new and improved menu items was smoked chicken; after smoking the chicken the chef then slathered butter on it, grilled it and covered it with barbeque sauce and served it with potatoes, and I don’t remember seeing a vegetable. Nevertheless, this is a prescription for disaster. Also consider the restaurant Applebee’s; I was shocked to find out that most of their entrà ©es are over a thousand calories and also slathered with butter and salt. I am afraid to eat there now. Middle-class Americans are frequenting these restaurants. Therefore making the change to healthier eating is a huge and difficult endeavor. Excess consumption of