Your health: Having a dog can help your heart
Having a dog can help your heart
A growing body of evidence suggests that having a dog may help improve heart health, Harvard Medical School reports.
Several studies have shown that dog owners have lower blood pressure than non-owners - probably because their pets have a calming effect on them and because dog owners tend to get more exercise.
The power of touch also appears to be an important part of this "pet effect." Several studies show that blood pressure goes down when a person pets a dog.
There is some evidence that owning a dog is associated with lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
A large study focusing on this question found that dog owners had lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels than non-owners, and that these differences weren't explainable by diet, smoking, or body mass index. However, the reason for these differences is still not clear.
Robach's book tells mammogram tale
In fall 2013, "Good Morning America" news anchor Amy Robach took part in the morning show's "GMA Goes Pink Day" (timed to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month) by undergoing a mammogram live on-air.
But a month later, Robach stunned viewers when she confirmed that the televised mammogram had actually revealed she had breast cancer.
She delivered the news on-air, saying she was initially reluctant at age 40 to have the procedure, given that she had no family history of the disease.
"The doctors told me bluntly: 'That mammogram just saved your life,'" Robach said at the time.
After having a double mastectomy, Robach announced last spring that she completed her final round of chemotherapy.
Robach has previously mentioned that "GMA" anchor Robin Roberts (who had gone through her own public health battle with breast cancer and a rare blood disorder) was instrumental in convincing her to go through with the televised mammogram in the first place.
In her new book called "Better: How I Let Go of Control, Held On to Hope, and Found Joy in My Darkest Hour," Robach shares the in-depth details of the discussion between her and Roberts, The Washington Post reports.