Dog Helps Transform Owner’s Health: ‘I Wanted To Become The Person He Thought I Was’
Eric O'Grey's health had so deteriorated one doctor told him he'd need a funeral plot within five years. Another one, however, told him to get a dog.
NPR:
He Rescued A Dog. Then The Dog Rescued Him
Eric O'Grey knew he was in trouble. His weight had ballooned to 320 pounds, and he was spending more than $1,000 a month on medications for high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. In 2010, a physician told him to buy a funeral plot, because he would need it in five years. He was 51 years old. So he went to talk with a naturopathic doctor about losing weight. She said: Get a shelter dog. O'Grey was surprised, but he took that advice, heading to the Humane Society Silicon Valley near his home in San Jose, Calif. He told the shelter, "I want an obese middle-aged dog, like me." That's how he met Peety. (Shute, 3/10)
In other public health news, when what looks like ADHD isn't ADHD —
NPR:
Youngest Kids In Class At Higher Risk Of ADHD Diagnosis
By the time they're in elementary school, some kids prove to be more troublesome than others. They can't sit still or they're not socializing or they can't focus enough to complete tasks that the other kids are handling well. Sounds like ADHD. But it might be that they're just a little young for their grade. Studies done in several countries including Iceland, Canada, Israel, Sweden and Taiwan show children who are at the young end of their grade cohort are more likely to get an ADHD diagnosis than their older classmates. (Chen, 3/10)
