Anyone who knows me at all or has read many of my articles knows that as passionate as I am about good health, I am equally intrigued and enamored by the power and sensitivities of animals. In fact, my Hypertension No More Program was inspired by the horse training methods I observed and have used with my own horses.
Growing up on a farm gave me plenty of opportunity to observe and even compare the socialization of animals to human beings. Please don’t misunderstand. I love humans. In fact, I love being one. But I am envious in many ways of the purely genuine nature of the animal world.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, when animals feel something, they simply express it. They don’t try to cover up feelings of pain or anger in order to avoid embarrassment. I suppose they are much like the way we as humans started off in early development.
As babies, we cried when we were hungry or needed a diaper change. We laughed right out loud (no matter where we happened to be) if something struck us as funny. We also didn’t worry about appearing smart, witty or physically attractive to others. At least I’ve never observed a baby trying to figure out if a certain undershirt shows too much back fat or belly overhang.
Something else you don’t tend to find in these two realms (babies and animals) is stress related health problems. While they can certainly be born with certain conditions, relating health problems back to stress for them is unlikely (except when the adult humans create it.)
What makes animals even more amazing is that not only do they tend to be able to fend off health problems related to anxiety but the effect can even be contagious. Interaction with pets is known to actually decrease blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels in humans.
Studies have compared non pet owners of similar weight, diet and other habits including smoking or drinking to those with pets. Those with pets had a much higher survival rate after enduring hospitalization due to heart problems.
At least part of the benefit (in the case of those with active pets) may be that the exercise level for pet owners is consistent. I’ve known many people who claim they would not get any exercise at all if not for walking their dogs.
Animals are also known to dramatically decrease depression in humans, especially in the elderly. Pets allow us to have a connection to someone – even when we are not able to leave the home due to mobility issues or other constraints. Here again, studies have shown that those with pets in their homes experience fewer health problems and require fewer doctor’s appointments for minor health ailments.
More fascinating still are people reporting animals that were able to sense or even predict certain health related episodes such as the onset of a seizure in their human care taker. It’s no accident that dogs and even other animals are trained to assist people with health conditions.
While regressing back to infancy in our professional or day to day lives may not be the best option for adults for a number of reasons, take note of what a crying or laughing baby is actually conveying. It may seem they are placed there just to annoy you on a plane or grocery store, but they are actually communicating in the most honest way possible.
And on those evenings when you would really prefer to watch television than walk the dog, remember the health benefits you are actually getting with very little effort.
I also encourage you to explore my all natural programs for everything from snoring to reducing hypertension. Combining these easy, healthy exercises with the benefits your animals offer, you’ll likely extend your life.
EL331001
