Category: health

Human research applied to parrot psychology

Human research applied to parrot psychology

Previously, I wrote about human research applied to parrot diets. This insight greatly opens up the much more prevalent research on humans. We can then supplement the much sparser research on animals, especially those kept as pets.

But how about mental disorders? There is a branch of psychology that tackles this question called trans-personal psychology. It’s not as crazy as it sounds! The article below has 40 bibliographic references so it’s not exactly a fringe line of thinking.

Trans-species psychology is the field of psychology that states that humans and nonhuman animals share commonalities in cognition (thinking) and emotions (feelings).

Trans-personal psychology—Wikipedia

There strong evidence that animals suffer from mental disorders, especially in captivity. Here is a long quote on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

PTSD, a pervasive psychological disorder, common to human prisoners of war, genocide survivors, and victims of domestic violence. It is characterized by difficulties with severe mood dysregulation, impaired interpersonal functioning, loss of sense of safety and security, and disruption in the sense of self.

… READ THE REST
What causes Fatty Liver Disease

What causes Fatty Liver Disease

When a human or a bird has been diagnosed with Fatty Liver Disease, they are commonly put on a low-fat diet (although this is changing). The same goes for heart disease and many other conditions.

However, peer reviewed research is not hard to find and the culprit is not fat, but carbohydrates. This is one I picked because it’s short and sweet.

Ingested carbohydrates are a major stimulus for hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) and are more likely to directly contribute to NAFLD than dietary fat.

[Note: DNL is the process by which fatty deposits are created in the liver, NAFLD is “non-alcoholic fatty liver liver disease” which should be self-explanatory.]

Carbohydrate intake and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: fructose as a weapon of mass destruction—Hepatobiliary Surgery and Nutrition—April 2015

Just as it’s difficult to get your head around the notion that dietary fat doesn’t make you fat, it’s difficult to comprehend that fat doesn’t lead to the creation of fat in the liver, carbohydrates do.… READ THE REST

Hygiene hypothesis and birds

Hygiene hypothesis and birds

This is a food for thought post. What’s now called the Hygiene Hypothesis was first proposed in 1872 and was studied in depth in a well known study from 1989:

“Over the past century declining family size, improvements in household amenities, and higher standards of personal cleanliness have reduced the opportunity for cross infection in young families,” the paper continued. “This may have resulted in more widespread clinical expression of atopic disease, emerging in wealthier people, as seems to have occurred for hay fever.”

Hay Fever, Hygiene, and Household Size—British Medical Journal—1989—David P Strachan

Although the theory fell out of favor for awhile, it’s returning and is well described in a new book which is excerpted in the New York Times this month.

What does the immune system do when it’s not properly trained?

It can overreact. It becomes aggrieved by things like dust mites or pollen. It develops what we called allergies, chronic immune system attacks — inflammation — in a way that is counterproductive, irritating, even dangerous.

… READ THE REST
Health of captive parrots

Health of captive parrots

There’s an assumption that captive parrots surely must be healthier and live longer than parrots in the wild. In a home or zoo, for example, they will never starve to death, they will have scientifically advanced diets, and they will be safe from predators. However, a study of 83,212 parrots covering 260 species (nearly 80% that exist) found the opposite.

“Our data indicate that while some captive individuals are capable of reaching extraordinary ages, median lifespans [of captive birds] are generally shorter than widely assumed, albeit with some increase seen in birds presently held in zoos.”

“Survival on the ark: life history trends in captive parrots“—National Institutes of Health—February 2013

Although I wasn’t able to find a good reference for conditions only affecting captive birds, I suspect that among them would be obesity (and related conditions), heart disease, and vitamin deficiencies (specifically A and D3).

As I’ve researched parrots over the decades and applied what I’ve learned (or tested my theories), I always keep in mind that mother nature is currently doing a better job at keeping birds alive and healthier longer despite the advantages a captive bird has.… READ THE REST