Pet therapy in hospitals: a better protocol  NC Cuddly pets comfort both patients and staff.

'Nurses in the hospital say the pets are also therapy for them. Even on a bad day, they can't help but smile when a furry friend is walking down the hall....'  [News 14 Carolina]

The best medical facilities are using all kinds of treatments, in order to enhance healing and to give people more comforting experiences. Even hypnosis has been shown to benefit cancer survivors, in this case, young children who suffered less pain when receiving hypnosis therapy. [New Scientist]

A ground-breaking research paper, Psychological Changes Preceding Spontaneous Remission of Cancer, seems to show that emotions and thought can influence the outcome of a serious illness, to the point of even eradicating the illness! (even so-called killer cancers) [Sage Publications; Helen Dowling Institute; October 2004] (This paper is a must-read for anyone who wants to create a more healthful life.)

I find this unsurprising because over 10 years ago, I remember being told by an Ayurvedic physician that all illness was just a 'mistake of the intellect.' 

Couldn't it also be true that all experience is a medicine of one kind or another, good or bad. We literally digest our environment and emotions, like medicine, have effects...

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Pet expenses on a budget:  [Boulder News] Great tips for dog owners.

For me, pet expenses on a budget seems impossible. Both of our rescued dogs came with either broken or missing teeth, but I wouldn't trade either dog for a better budget. Our latest fiasco (of at least two this month) in the pet expense area was one I could have avoided:

If you take a double-coated dog to a new groomer, be sure to remind the groomer to 1) dry the dog completely, but not to burn it and 2) to rinse it twice as much as you would a regular dog. I didn't think that reminder was necessary. As usual, I blew it, and my dog ended up with allergic welts, a reaction to soap left on her skin under her double-coat of fur. That result required a weekend trip to the vet for allergic medication, a steroid shot and antibiotics for a sweet dog in great discomfort. To add insult to injury, she now really looks ridiculous: shaved patches displace her otherwise luxurious fur coat.

Related: To pet insurance or not to pet insurance [Houston Chronicle]

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