Originally published December 8 2005
Swimming with dolphins shown to benefit depressed patients
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The British Medical Journal has published study from the University of Leicester detailing how swimming with dolphins has benefited a select group of 30 depressed patients.
AS IF to prove that no therapy is too far-fetched to be incorporated into modern medicine, psychiatrists have shown that swimming with dolphins can relieve depression.
The results have been published in the British Medical Journal.
A team from Leicester University took 30 patients with mild to moderate depression to Honduras and encouraged them either to swim with dolphins or just to swim and snorkel on the reef, unaccompanied by dolphins, for two weeks.
"The effects exerted by the animals were significantly greater than those of just the natural setting" concluded Professor Michael Reveley and Christian Antonioli.
But the researchers tried to prevent disappointment affecting the results by giving the control group a day session with the dolphins after the study was complete.
Support for the project came from the Tursiops Society, an Italian group with which Mr Antonioli is linked, which promotes ecotourism and the value of animals to human health.
One reason for the findings could be the emotions raised by the interaction with the dolphins, the researchers said.
Three months after the study ended, both groups of patients reported a lasting improvement and did not require treatment.
Another article in the British Medical Journal claims that owning a pet is linked to health and well-being, particularly for older people and for those who are recovering from a major illness.
The psychologist June McNicholas said that research has suggested that pet ownership is linked with a reduced risk of heart disease, lower use of GP services and a lower risk of asthma and allergies in young children.
"People do not own pets specifically to enhance their health; rather, they value the relationship and the contribution their pet makes to their quality of life" the article says.
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