Important How Dogs Detect Emotional strain in Trauma Survivors, with Dr. Simon Gadbois & Dr. Laura Kiiroja

Dogs are truly man’s ideal friend in more ways than one. Not only are they the most reliable companion you will ever have but they may also be able to sniff out a disease or detect the scent of mind pressure before it escalates to a scary level. Because of their gifted sense of smell, they have the potential to detect conditions or diseases well before us humans. Think about that for a second and think about the implications. Of course dogs have to be trained to do this, but with the potential for early detection, they may catch a serious illness in an early stage, thereby saving lives and healthcare cost. (While I never like to focus on money, let’s face it: We all think about cost when we think about the US physical wellness system. It’s expensive, making prevention and early detection all the more meaningful. On a recentepisodeof Causes or Cures, I chatted with Dr. Simon Gadbois and Dr. Laura Kiiroja about how scent-detectiondogscan detect daily stressors in breath samples from individuals with traumatic histories when exposed to trauma cues. They discuss the current use of dogs in detecting diseases, explaining what exactly these dogs are smelling and how they were recruited and trained for this unique study. The conversation also covers the role of human participants, essential findings, and the next steps, including the future practical implications of their work. Dr. Gadboisleads the Canine and Reptile Behaviour and Olfaction Research Lab in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dr. Kiiroja, who recently earned her PhD from Dalhousie University in biomedical scent-detection dogs, has also worked extensively with wolves for animal welfare purposes and contributes to official Estonian national animal websites with her writings on wolves. I hope folks struggling with PTSD tune in to this episode. There are not a lot of great solutions out there for PTSD, and the prospect of being able to train a dog to detect a stressful energy response in its early stages, and alert the person in a comforting manner before the episode escalates…could save lives. In addition to how dog detect the scent of emotional strain, I’m also bringing researchers on the podcast who are studying psychedelics for PTSD and those studying hyperbaric oxygen therapy for it. That said, please subscribe to the podcast, so you don’t miss any of these researchers! If you struggle with PTSD, their research can be life-changing for you. Back to biodetection dogs…this is not the first episode regarding dogs detecting conditions/diseases with their nose. If you are interested in this topic, scroll on back and listen to mypodcast with Dr. Mandy Gullawho did a tremendous job describing her and her team’s work on training dogs to detect Parkinson’ s Disease in its early stages. It will blow your mind. And don’t forget: If you want access to the Causes or Cures bonus episodes, please subscribe! These episodes will be on trending public vitality topics. For each bonus episode, I do the research, bring in my work experience and personal opinions, and write the content for each show. Everything will be meticulously fact-checked, I can promise you that. I will make transcripts available for these shows as well-for subscribers. (It’s free and easy for me to do that, unlike the interview podcast episodes that, for now, would be too costly for the podcast budget.) To listen to how dogs detect the scent of mental tension, pleaseclick here. IF you haven’t yet, check out some of the other episode, likethis onewith “America’s Happiness Doctor” on practical steps you can take to get on (and stay on) the path to sustainable happiness. Here’s a short clip from the podcast that might spark your interest! And… you might get a kick out of this silly video I made to support this podcast episode: ;)