Therapy Dogs
The idea of dogs at your doctor's office may seem strange to you, but
more and more practitioners are employing the healing energy of dogs in
their medical practice, to calm patients and offer reassurance. Patients
report feeling less anxious and stressed when there are dogs in the
office.
For some patients, who suffer from something called "white coat
hypertension", a syndrome where a patient's blood pressure measures
consistently higher in a medical setting, having dogs around can help.
Some studies suggest as many as 20% of patients suffer from this
syndrome. I certainly have at least that many patients who suffer from
it. For such patients, it's normal to re-take blood pressure readings
after they've had a chance to sit and relax for a few minutes. With the
dogs in the office, this second reading is often unnecessary.
When patients come into the office, they're usually coming from work, or
at the very least, they've had to drive in L.A. traffic. Being greeted by
dogs allows them to shift gears, forgetting about the demands of the road
or the paperwork on their desk. It's an alternative to the traditional
waiting room magazine and can even get them to unhook from cell phones and
text messaging.
And the benefits are even greater for "dog people" who are interested in
our girls' stories, their breed and their history. These patients share
stories of their dogs, current or past. And sometimes, with the kind of
work I do in my clinic, this opens a door that might not otherwise have
been opened, to allow healing to begin, or to start a dialogue.
In Our Office
Our office dog right now is Nellie, a Shiloh Shepherd dog.
You can read more about her and the breed here:
www.ydraigkennels.com