By Dr. Irina Fiksman

Pet companionship is among the best stress management tools known to modern medicine: it is highly and immediately effective, safe, readily available, and rather inexpensive.

Medical studies have repeatedly shown that:

• Owning a pet boosts our immunity, lowers our triglyceride and cholesterol levels, and increases our chances for long term survival after heart attacks. 
• Seniors who have pets visit their doctors less often and use less medicine. 
• Families with pets spend more time playing with the pet and less time having family arguments.
• Stroking a pet lowers elevated blood pressure, heart and respiratory rates.

Pets brighten our moods because they:

• offer unconditional love and acceptance,
• give non-judgemental warmth and affection
• encourage playfulness, exercise, and laughter
• provide readily available free entertainment
• satisfy the need for touch and to be touched
• decrease feelings of isolation and loneliness
• give us something to nurture and care for
• help to ease loss
• enhance feelings of safety for those living alone
• promote structure and exercise
• bring families closer together and help reduce household tension
• facilitate social interaction by providing a safe conversation piece

Playing with a pet increases our sense of well-being by:

• elevating levels of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. 
• prompting a release of "feel good" hormones, such as prolactin and oxytocin.
• decreasing levels of the primary stress hormone cortisol.