There is much being done around
the world to research the therapeutic benefits of aquariums, as the following
reports reflect.
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At Purdue University, researchers have
found that displaying tanks of brightly colored fish may curtail disruptive
behaviors and improve eating habits of people with Alzheimer's disease.
A Purdue
News August 1999 Report states that, "Nursing Professor Nancy Edwards"
tracked 60 individuals who resided in specialized units in three Indiana
nursing homes. She found that patients who were exposed to the fish tanks
appeared to be more relaxed and alert, and they ate up to 21 percent more
food than they had before the introduction of the fish tanks. The average
increase in food consumption was 17.2 percent."
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In the August 1997 issue (no longer
archived online) of the Monitor on
Psychology, a publication of the American Psychological Association,
Rebecca A. Clay wrote about how "Psychologists Find Animals To Be A Helpful
Adjunct To Therapy". Rebecca discussed Dr. Aubrey Fine's pet therapy approach.
In Fine's practice a golden retriever named Puppy typically greets
patients, while several fish tanks help soothe agitated feelings. Rebecca
stated that, "Fine also uses the animals metaphorically. The birds, for
example, can prompt discussions of flight, freedom or clipped wings. Often
the animals become symbols of the children themselves, especially when
the patients have attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A particularly
playful cockatoo, for example, gives Fine an opportunity to point out ADHD-like
behaviors such as impulsiveness and an inability to sustain attention in
a non threatening way. And a particularly active inhabitant of one of Fine's
three fish tanks caused one patient to blurt out, "That fish reminds me
of me!"
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From Holistic-Online.com, their Pet
Therapy page outlines the benefits research have found in relation
to pet ownership. They say that, "Research has shown that heart attack
victims who have pets live longer. Even watching a tank full of tropical
fish may lower blood pressure, at least temporarily."
From a personal view, we saw
the benefical health effects of a fish aquarium while a loved one was confined
to a hospital for two years as a stroke patient. On the list of things
to do each day, my mom Betty would excitedly ride in her motorzied wheelchair
to visit her fishy friends in a freshwater aquarium at the end of the hall.
She looked forward to this trip every day, and just talking about the fish
made her smile and laugh as she told Stan and I all about each of them.
We could plainly see that the bond she had with the fish gave her great
joy, a fun adventure to look forward to each day, and contributed to the
overall positive attitude she had.
You can draw your own conclusions
as to the health benefits of using fish aquariums for therapy as we have,
but here are some other resources that further confirm that many researchers
are finding that there IS something to it!
Now, another question we have
to ask is, can an aquarium actually be stress "inducing"?
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