Pets Are Good for Your Heart

By Sally Finder-Koziol

A dose of Rover might just be the perfect medicine for heart patients. New research has found that spending time with a dog helps heart and lung function by lowering blood pressure, diminishing release of harmful hormones, and decreasing anxiety.

And it doesn’t take much time with a furry friend to see results. In the study, hospitalized heart patients spent just 12 minutes with the dogs. “Even a short-term exposure to dogs has beneficial physiological and psychosocial effects on patients who want it,” says clinical nurse Kathie Cole, the study’s lead author. “Dogs are a great comfort. They make people happier, calmer, and feel more loved. That is huge when you are scared and not feeling well.”

Source: American Heart Association