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Hugs and the immune system

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Hugs and the immune system

Postby Pajarita » Thu Oct 04, 2018 10:36 am

This is a study about humans and even the scientists that did it admit that more/deeper research is needed BUT I think it's very important for us, parrot keepers, to realize how incredibly important it is for a parrot's good health to be loved AND to mitigate stress as much as possible.

https://www.zmescience.com/science/news ... -242789930
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Re: Hugs and the immune system

Postby liz » Sat Oct 06, 2018 4:57 am

I don't know if it is true or not but I read a story about twins. One was healthy and one was dying. To comfort the dying one they put the healthy on with it. They hugged. The dying one came back and became healthy and survived.

My psyc doc (female) hugs me when she sees me and when I am leaving. It is so comforting. She started giving me hugs when I broke down and cried because my Squeekie cat was missing and just continued after that.

The two ladies in my Group and I hug every Wednesdays when we meet and when we separate. We have all decided that Wednesdays are our best days.
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liz
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Re: Hugs and the immune system

Postby Pajarita » Sun Oct 07, 2018 9:53 am

Yes, hugs make you produce hormones that make you happy. Cuddling, caressing or hugging an animal does it, too - and that's one of the reasons why I am such a happy, upbeat person. Well, normally... these days are real hard for me and often have to make a conscious effort not to dwell on bad things that I cannot change but, thankfully, we will be leaving the country soon -if we can, even sooner than we had planned.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18697
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Hugs and the immune system

Postby GreenWing » Tue Oct 09, 2018 11:52 am

Yes! There are jobs for professional huggers/cuddler, that's... a bit strange, no?
In all seriousness I love this post, parrots absolutely need warmth and love, and it's frustrating to see parrots or any other animal neglected. A lot of people with anxiety have it because they were not coddled enough as a baby.

Anyway, hugs are good for all creatures! :swaying:
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Re: Hugs and the immune system

Postby Pajarita » Wed Oct 10, 2018 10:42 am

One of my 'off the walls' theories is that parrots naturally need more happy and reward hormones than other animals and they pluck themselves because of low levels produced in captivity when they are not kept right. As I said, it's an 'off the wall' because I have no scientific base to believe this, just a hunch based on my observations. The way I look at it is: if the happy and reward hormones are released through loving touch/interaction, and parrots are always cuddling, preening, interacting and kissing each other in the wild, it stands to reason that they produce a lot of them all the time and that nature evolved them to produce them and need them in high levels. In captivity, without a mate, a mother/father/siblings or a flock and being left alone for hours and hours and hours every day is bound to have a hugely negative effect on their levels of production - thus, their plucking which causes pain and which, in turn, makes their bodies produce a 'hit' of them [like the little morphine clicker they give you in the hospitals when you had a very painful surgery or whatever]. These hormones have the same effect as morphine on the body and they get addicted to it.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18697
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes


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