Steering clear of stress is crucial to heart health, and it turns out “man’s best friend” may be just right for the job.
Mayo Clinic knows this well.
They have been bringing in dogs and their “parents” to volunteer visiting patients.
“Mia” and her mom Carol McDaniels make up one of the teams.
“You just touch a dog and your blood pressure goes down,” says Carol.
Researchers back her up.
They’ve discovered that just a 12-minute visit with a canine companion can do wonders for heart patients, not only reducing heart rate and blood pressure, but by also reducing anxiety.
Mayo Clinic has 34 pet teams on rotation now, enough to have one at the hospital almost every day.
