Supplements to Medicinal Treatment

Hi Readers!

I apologize that there hasn’t been a post lately! It seems that life rarely slows down when you need it to. I hope everyone has a wonderful week planned with friends, family and fabulous food. I’ll take this time to remind you all that there are people out there that won’t have any of that this week. Take some time, think about them and maybe even give your time to serving them. Whether this be giving supplies, money or maybe manual labor. Nothing feels better than helping someone in need. With that off my chest, today’s post comes from my reading an article on NYTimes.com this morning about PTSD and animal therapy.

I am a true believer in animal therapy and dream of a day when I can have my own adopted animal therapy organization that serves those with mental illness. When my brother was at one of his worsts, I believe that it was his loving cat named Rico that kept him in some situations calm and provided emotional support. “Radhika Nair and Rohini Fernandes, both clinical psychologists trained in animal-assisted therapy” revealed that “animal therapy improves concentration and motor coordination, develops communication, empathy and social skills in maladjusted individuals.” (Outlook India) They say that cats often suit patients with mental illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar disease.

There are several animal therapy organizations that are making their way into the lives of those suffering extreme mental illness. I encourage you to check them out! (A few below) This is a great example of alternative means of treating mental illness. Let me know if you have any questions or want more information about psychiatrists thought behind this treatment! I’d love to send you some reading material.

Best,
Becca

PS: Something to consider: instead of sending that hard-to-buy-for friend more "stuff" this holiday season, think about donating in their honor to a great organization that means something to both of you.

Organizations to Check Out:

-Divine Canines: http://www.divinecanines.org/about_us.php
-Therapy Pet Pals of Texas: http://therapypetpals.org/history.html
-Therapet Foundation: http://www.therapet.com/index.php

New York Times article: http://www.therapet.com/index.php
Outlook India: http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?268054