OWNING A PET IMPROVES YOUR HEALTH
OWNING A PET IMPROVES YOUR HEALTH It is well recognized that having a pet can be good for your health. Even the simple act of returning home to a meow of welcome or a wagging tail may cheer anyone up after a demanding day at work. However, did you know that having a pet has also been shown to help prevent infections and colds? It appears that a dog is a man's best buddy in the truest sense! Studies conducted by University of Warwick health psychologist Dr. June McNicholas and pharmaceutical company Novartis Animal Health reveal that kids who have pets grow up with better immune systems and attend school more often than kids without pets. 138 kids between the ages of four and eleven had their saliva tested for immunoglobulin (IgA) antibodies, which are produced by the immune system and aid in the defense against illness. The findings demonstrated that children with pets had greater IgA levels and were better able to fight off illnesses like the flu and colds than child...