We love them… and they give us back! In France, more than 12 million cats and 7 million dogs soften our daily life and help us to live better. Better: they are our therapists, et is scientifically proven. To find out more, meet on Tuesday evening at 8:50 p.m. on France 5, for a Health survey devoted to these animals that care for us.
Having an animal at home has multiple virtues on our physical and mental state: better cardiovascular health, strengthening of the immune system and intestinal microbiota, secretion of oxytocin (the hormone of happiness) … studies that demonstrate the physical, psychological and emotional benefits of this connection between humans and animals.
On the same subject
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Tuesday evening at 8:50 p.m., on France 5, the program Enquête de santé will be devoted to these animals who care for us. In the first part of the evening, a documentary directed by Stéphanie Rathscheck will evoke animal care practices that have been developing in France for around forty years. Dogs, cats, horses and some farm animals are now teaming up with therapists to offer a new path in care. In retirement homes, the dog rekindles the desire to communicate in the elderly suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. For children with psychomotor disabilities, the horse facilitates functional rehabilitation.
Animals also have extraordinary powers that science uses to advance medicine. Thanks to their exceptional flair, dogs are now able to detect cancer or alert their owner of an imminent epileptic seizure.
This documentary will be followed by a debate moderated by Marina Carrère-d’Encausse.
Man and pet: a relationship of exchange
Care, feeding, education, games, cuddles … our companions trigger in us a behavior that veterinary behaviorist Joël Dehasse considers “close to mothering”, by noting that “the cat is similar in weight to a baby a few months old.”According to him, when we adopt an animal, our choice, even if we wish it reasoned, is very emotional. And if all they need is their word, our animals, which we know today endowed with complex thoughts, feelings and emotions, “speak” to us and know how to soften us, but also to offer us affection, attention and even comfort or consolation, because they are real “captors of our moods. “!
This “telepathy” is doubtless linked to pheromones (volatile molecules) and odors that we unknowingly release in the event of a physical or emotional change, and that our animals are able to capture incredibly better than us, because dogs and cats have around 200 million olfactory cells, 40 times more than humans! In addition, and this is not their last asset, they make us laugh with their facial expressions, antics, manias and games. Much more than a simple company, these faithful bring us joy, support and tenderness, and are often an integral part of the family.
Purring that heals
Cat purrs are soothing, analgesic, and trigger emotions that open the door to memories, like a Proust madeleine, according to “feline” veterinarian Jean-Yves Gauchet, who has long been studying its beneficial effects. He even believes that these sound vibrations (the physiological mechanism of which we do not yet fully understand) improve health and promote sleep in humans, which he explains by the fact that they trigger a cascade of biochemical reactions.
Surprisingly, it has also been noticed that the sound frequencies of purring are identical to those used in sports medicine to relieve muscle, joint or bone damage.This could also explain why, with an equivalent injury, cats heal much faster than dogs, their own purrs take care of them! This is how the concept of “purring therapy” was born and Jean-Yves Gauchet even designed music accompanied by Rouky sound vibrations for those who do not have animals.
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