Get a pet: doctors prescribe

Pets' positive effect on people's health works especially among older people. Pets help lower their companion's blood pressure and help them stay active.

A REPORT from the Chicago Tribune cites a recent survey by the Human Animal Bond Research Institute that found that a large number of medical professionals believe pets improve people's health.

Of 1,000 family doctors and general practitioners surveyed, 97 percent of them believe there are health benefits to having a pet. Majority (95%) of those surveyed either own a pet at present or in the past, while some (69%) have worked where pets assist in patient treatment or therapy.

The survey further revealed that 75 percent of respondents have seen a patient's overall health or a specific medical condition get moderately or significantly better after the patient adopted a pet, and 87 percent saw a patient's mood or outlook improve.

With the positive effects of pets on people, the doctors and medical practitioners that participated in the survey suggest to either get a pet or converse with their pets. About 82 percent of respondents even claimed that if there's medical proof to pet-patient bond, they would prescribe a pet for a patient.

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