Page 19 - INSIDER READING 일부

Insider R01-A1 2007.10.24 9:15 AM ˘ ` 29 ¿ ¿¡‰” 300DPI 100LPI

Question Practice 1 A

Chapter 1
Pet Therapy

For a long time, animal lovers have speculated about the physiological and psychological
benefits that pets can provide their owners. However, it has not been until recently that the
scientific community has begun to study this relationship systematically. Traditionally, animal
therapy, or the idea that pets can have a significant effect on someone’s health, has existed on the
fringe of acceptable science, so it has not normally been considered worthy of true scientific
investigation. However, recent studies have indicated that caring for a domesticated animal or
simply being around one can be therapeutic on many levels.

. One significant study tried to determine the impact of pets on patients who had suffered
heart failure. Seventy-six of the patients studied were visited by a dog and human volunteer team,
and another group was visited by just a person (some patients received no visitor at all, and these
showed the worst health later). Patients who had dogs as visitors were allowed to pet the dogs in
order to achieve maximum relaxation. Factors such as changes in cardiac function, changes in
levels of stress hormones, and psychological changes in mood were recorded in the subjects. The
presence of epinephrine, a hormone secreted during stress, was released at significantly lower
levels in patients who received a human-dog team than it was in those who were only visited by a
person. Heart and lung pressure showed similar reduction for those patients visited by the dog-
human team, and lower levels of anxiety were reported in patients who received a team visit.
After witnessing the significant effects of allowing patients to interact with both dogs and people,
the researchers encouraged doctors to consider this type of therapy, in coordination with more
traditional means of care for the recuperating patients.
. Aside from helping people recover from heart problems, simply having a dog may lead to
a healthier and more socially active lifestyle. One reason is because dogs must remain active, so
owners who care for their dogs will become physically active by going on walks with their dogs.
Thus, the owner gets rejuvenating exercise and becomes healthier as a result. Other benefits defy
explanation: some pet owners who suffer from seizures claim that their dogs know that they will
be having a seizure even before they know themselves. These dogs, referred to as “seizure alert
dogs,” can warn their owners of a seizure several minutes before it occurs, thus allowing their
owners to prepare themselves for the attack. However, researchers have not been able to
determine exactly how some dogs can predict these episodes .

. Pets can provide people with psychological benefits, too. For instance, it was found that
while walking a dog, a person is more likely to begin a conversation with another person.
Researchers have also found that people who tend to shy away from contact with other people can
learn to socialize if they are given pets. Even severely emotionally withdrawn children gained
benefits from this kind of animal therapy. Animals provide practice socialization for these children;
the children feel that these animals are non-judgmental, so they do not fear interacting with them.
As patients gradually become accustomed to socializing with animals, they become more willing to
interact with other people, too.

Basic Comprehension Questions 29