Pets can ward off Allergies and Ills

(based on an article by Jeanie Lerche Davis)

    For nearly 25 years, research has shown that living with pets provides certain health benefits. Pets help lower blood pressure and lessen anxiety. They boost our immunity.

Allergy Fighters

    Despite the long-held belief that cats and dogs in the home could lead to childhood allergies, there's mounting evidence that the opposite may be true: Having pets may actually reduce risk while avoiding these critters doesn't.

In the latest study, allergist Thomas Platts-Mills, MD, PhD, of the University of Virginia, and Swedish researchers find that the longer children had pets when they were young -- ideally during their first two years -- the lower their frequency of having pet allergies is years later.  It follows a study last year that found babies raised in a home with two or more dogs or cats were up to 77% less likely to develop various types of allergies at age 6 than kids raised without pets. Besides pet allergies, those children were less likely to develop reactions to dust mites, ragweed, and grass.  Both findings go against the long-held belief that exposure to pets in childhood could increase risk of developing allergies.

    The new study, published in this month's issue of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, is based on nearly 2,500 children in Sweden. They were tested for allergies between ages 7 and 8 and again four years later.  Children who continually owned pets were less likely to have pet dander allergies than new pet owners or those who had only been exposed earlier in life. In fact, of those who proved to be allergic to cats, 80% never had a cat at home.  Platts-Mills told WebMD that in his study, the protective effect of pet ownership was much stronger with cats than with dogs.

Can we still have a cat if a family member is allergic?

    There are some precautions to take if a family member is allergic. YOU DON’T HAVE TO GIVE UP THE PET!

• Don't let the cats into the bedroom where the allergic person sleeps.
• People who are allergic to cats are usually also allergic to dust - so make sure everything is dusted well and regularly. Don't use a clay-based litter - it adds to the dust load in the house.
• It's best to have hardwood floors with minimal carpet/rugs. If that's not possible, make sure the vacuum is of the type that doesn't add to the dust in the air. Vacuum the furniture, wash the pillows, clean the screens.
• Change the pillow the allergic person uses. If possible, cover the mattress, box springs, and pillows on the bed with an allergy specific cover (I use the products from this site, but there are many out there http://stores.ebay.com/Allergy-Control). Make sure whatever covers you use are high quality and laboratory tested.
• Wash all the bedding thoroughly!
• Use an air purifier (like the ionic breeze from Sharper Image) in the rooms that the cat will be in. Clean it regularly and take it outdoors to do it!
• Use pet dander wipes/topical products on the cat regularly. Brush the cats in the garage or a room that doesn't circulate air into the rest of the house.
• Feed the best quality food to the cats that you can! A reduction in dander is the key and higher quality foods mean better skin and coats - thus less dander and less licking (the saliva is very allergy producing).
• If the non-allergic person has groomed, cuddled, petted the cats - have a change of outer clothing handy to change into. Don't take the cats' hair and dander into the bedroom on your clothing.
• If the allergy involves the allergic person's skin, have him/her shower in cool water when a breakout occurs.
• Consider seeing an allergist - they have amazing products and treatments these days. Minimize the allergic's person's exposure to all the other things he/she's allergic to.

Pets for the elderly

    "Studies have shown that Alzheimer's patients have fewer anxious outbursts if there is an animal in the home," says Lynette Hart, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.  "Their caregivers also feel less burdened when there is a pet, particularly if it is a cat, which generally requires less care than a dog," says Hart.

    Walking a dog or just caring for a pet -- for elderly people who are able -- can provide exercise and companionship. One insurance company, Midland Life Insurance Company of Columbus, Ohio, asks clients over age 75 if they have a pet as part of their medical screening -- which often helps tip the scales in their favor.

Good for mind and soul
   People in stress mode get into a "state of dis-ease," in which harmful chemicals like cortisol and norepinephrine can negatively affect the immune system, says Blair Justice, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health and author of Who Gets Sick: How Beliefs, Moods, and Thoughts Affect Your Health.  Studies show a link between these chemicals and plaque buildup in arteries, the red flag for heart disease, says Justice.

    Like any enjoyable activity, playing with a pet can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine -- nerve transmitters that are known to have pleasurable and calming properties, he tells WebMD.  "People take drugs like heroin and cocaine to raise serotonin and dopamine, but the healthy way to do it is to pet your dog, or hug your spouse, watch sunsets, or get around something beautiful in nature," says Justice, who recently hiked the Colorado Rockies with his wife and two dogs.

Good for the heart
 Heart attack patients who have pets survive longer than those without, according to several studies. Male pet owners have less sign of heart disease -- lowertriglyceride and cholesterol levels -- than non-owners, researchers say.