In purrfect health

Health

Recent research shows that pets are good for diabetics.

There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there are ideas and experiments. One such experiment for decades has been how pets spell magic for one's wellbeing. For long, scientists have claimed and proved that having a pet at home is good for the heart, lowers use of family doctor services, and a reduced risk of asthma and allergies in young children.

Now, Irish researchers are out to prove that a dog's sharp sense of smell works to watch over the blood sugar levels of diabetics. Researcher and psychology professor Deborah Wells explains in LiveScience that some dogs may be able to act as early warning of hypoglycaemia by using their sense of smell to "sniff out" if their owner's blood sugar levels are dropping.

Psychologically as well, pets show great promise. Ritvik Sarkar, a 30-something bachelor, says his four-year-old terrier never lets him feel that he lives alone. "Zara is family," he sums it up. "I don't feel the need to have anyone else around," he says.

Meanwhile, Alzheimer's patients have known to have measurably fewer outbursts around pets. Depression and anxiety, too, seem less threatening with an animal at home. One tends to exert oneself a little more with a pet around, whether that involves taking walks or playing ball.

While pets have long been a popular prescription for the elderly, they make for wonderful playmates for children, too. Alternative therapist and psychologist at SRL Ranbaxy Limited, Anubhuti Rattan suggests a pet for a home with only one child. "Single kids often have behavioural problems like aggression, inability to relate to other people and other such social issues. Having a pet at home will help the child be responsible. He/she will become more sensitive towards other people and inculcate a sense of sharing," she says.

If your child spends a fair amount of time alone at home, then having a pet around could keep his/her hyperactivity under control. "Children and pets both need exercise and they make great playmates for each other," says Rattan. There's great history behind that for sure. Don't many of us remember that one birthday our parents gifted us that little puppy with the big brown eyes?