Therapy dogs offer fibromyalgia management option – study

A study has shown use of therapy dogs can help manage the physical and mental health of people suffering fibromyalgia – a chronic, centralised pain sensitivity disorder with no cure.

The Purina Institute and the Mayo Clinic have teamed up for a study – Better Together – which shows animal-assisted activity can be effective for patients. A positive emotional-physiological state was achieved after a single session with a therapy dog.

Prevalence

Between 3% and 6% of the world’s population is estimated to suffer from fibromyalgia, which is characterised by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.

While it has some effective treatment strategies, most people live with chronic symptoms and look for non-conventional treatments for some relief.

The study of 221 patients in the Mayo Clinic Fibromyalgia Treatment Program in the US showed benefits for the therapy dogs, as well as the human sufferers. Researchers used multiple non-invasive physiological biomarkers, including salivary oxytocin and cortisol concentrations, tympanic membrane temperatures and various cardiac parameters.

Treatment option

Arya Mohabbat, assistant professor of medicine in the Mayo Clinic general internal medicine division, said: “The Better Together study showed therapy animals could be an evidence-based treatment option, and health care professionals should strongly consider using animal-assisted activity in the care of their patients with fibromyalgia.”

Patients in the treatment group were in a more positive emotional-physiological state as a result of the animal-assisted activity session compared to the control group. People who interacted with therapy dogs saw their oxytocin levels increase significantly, while their heart rates decreased.

More about the study is available on the Mayo Clinic Proceedings website.