By Lev G. Fedyniak, MD
02/07/2003

A CAT'S HEALING PURR

We've always intuitively felt that a cat somehow knows when
we're not feeling well and even where it hurts. Got a headache
and a cat just seems to wrap around your head. A stomachache
and a cat can't seem to get off your abdomen. And purrs and
purrs and purrs!

It was always believed that a cat's purr was relaxing or stress
reducing and that that led to any number of healthful benefits.
While that may be so, science has shown that the cat's purr is
much more than just relaxing. Remember that it's not just the
sound of purring that's important but more the tremor or
vibration it produces.

A Cat's Nine Lives

Interestingly, science has known for many years that vibrations
at specific levels or frequencies cause healing changes in
the body. They can, for example, induce bone growth and
regeneration. Bone fractures heal faster and weakened bones
begin to strengthen and rebuild.

Also, in the higher frequency ranges, the production of the
body's own natural anti-inflammatory compounds increases
thereby reducing joint pain and swelling. There is further
evidence of muscle, tendon and ligament repair within these
frequency ranges as well, which has led to some popularity in
sports medicine and gyms around the world, especially in the
former Soviet Union where so much of this research was
conducted.

It was also known through various veterinary studies, such as
the one reported in The Journal of the American Veterinary
Medicine Association for example (J Am Vet Med Assoc 99;
214(9): 1336-41), that cats rarely suffer bone or joint related
diseases, including hip dysplasia, arthritis and ligament
problems. Even bone cancers, such as myeloma or
osteosarcoma, are almost unheard of in cats.

But it took researcher Elizabeth von Muggenthaler of the Fauna
Communications Research Institute in North Carolina (FCRI),
a specialist in the field of bioacoustics, to put it all together.
Bioacoustics is the study of the frequency, pitch, loudness, and
duration of animal sounds as it relates to the animal's behavior.
Based on her research, she proposes that nature has endowed all
kinds of felines with an evolutionary healing advantage in the
simple act of purring.

Remember that purring takes energy and cats purr not only
when all is well, but also when the cat is giving birth, hurt or
just scared. There has to be a very good reason for the energy
expenditure to produce purring, especially when the cat is
physically stressed or ill. It would have to be somehow
involved in its survival, and Muggenthaler set out to find how.

The Science Behind the Purr

She recorded and then measured the purr of forty-four felids
(members of the cat family) including cheetahs, ocelots, pumas,
domestic cats, and servals. Cats, from your house pet to lions
and tigers in the wild, generally purr in the range of 20 to 140
Hertz (Hz). Some are as high as 150 Hz but the average
housecat comes in at about 25 and 50 Hz.

Research has already shown that exposure to frequencies at that
same 20 and 50 Hz level induces increased bone density. In one
study, for example, chickens were placed daily on a vibrating
plate for 20 minutes, which resulted in stronger bone growth
(National Geographic January, 2001 p. 11). Further, in 1994,
Dr. Chen and his associates, working with rabbits, determined
that frequencies of 25 and 50 Hz promoted bone strength by
20%, stimulating both the mechanism and speed of fracture
healing (Chen et al, 'The Effects of Frequency of Mechanical
Vibration on Experimental Fracture Healing'. Chinese Journal
of Surgery, 32 (4), 217-219, 1994).

There's even a popular saying amongst veterinarians, "If you put
a cat and a bunch of broken bones in the same room, the bones
will heal."

There is also substantial documentation that low frequency
vibration induces pain relief and healing of tendons and
muscles, and cats purr at those very same frequencies.

Remediation of other illnesses due to the cat's purring ability
is also being put forward. For example, respiratory problems
associated with heart disease in cats are almost non-existent.
In fact, respiratory problems resolve quickly once purring is
activated. Dr. T. F. Cook in 1973 wrote the article 'The Relief
of Dyspnea In Cats By Purring' in the New Zealand Veterinary
Journal (dyspnea is the condition of difficulty in breathing). It
seems a dying cat had such difficulty breathing that the vets
were considering euthanasia. But the cat was found to begin
breathing normally once it began to purr! The purring appeared
to open up the cat's air passages.

Domestic cats are generally less prone to postoperative
complications following surgeries. Other healing mechanisms
associated with purring include large skin-tissue grafts that take
quickly in cats without necrotizing. The list just continues on
and on.

In effect then, by changing the frequency of their purring, cats
may be fine-tuning their healing abilities, and it is this unique
healing advantage that has probably given rise to the notion of
cats having nine lives. They survive conditions that normally kill
other animals, such as falls from heights. In a study of 132 cat
falls with an average fall height of 5 * stories, 90% survived.
The record height for a cat falling and surviving is 45 stories!

Muggenthaler concludes that such "an internal healing
mechanism would be advantageous, increasing recovery time
and keeping muscles and bone strong when sedentary."

Vibrational Purr Therapy?

The extrapolation of this research may prove vital. Studies
continue regarding tissue exposure to frequencies between
20-50 Hz. For example, Dr. Clinton Rubin in a 1999 study
discovered that such exposure creates the robust striations
of increased bone density, suggesting applications for
osteoporosis, particularly in post-menopausal women and
the elderly.

Ukrainian and Russian researchers discovered the benefits
of using vibratory stimulation many decades ago and have
employed these techniques in sports training and sports
medicine. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, many of the
treatment devices used by the Soviets have made their way
into Western gyms and physical therapy treatment centers.

Even the space program has found a benefit from the research.
This breakthrough could help astronauts, who generally lose
bone density in zero gravity, in maintaining healthy bones and
resisting the problems of atrophy in outer space.

But it's the cat's "healing by association" that most people find
interesting: that ability of a cat to sympathetically help cure
illnesses in people simply by being around them. Studies have
also shown that owners, especially senior citizens, who have cats
have lower blood pressure and can live longer than humans who
don't own pets.

Many individuals swear they can ease or completely eliminate
their migraine headaches simply by lying down with a purring
cat next to their head.

Can't hit that minimum recommended daily dose of
bone-enriching calcium? Maybe grabbing the nearest cat and
holding it close may just prove to be the answer to brittle-bones.

Having surgery? Perhaps after coming home, keeping a cat
nearby will reduce your recovery time.

So, go get a cat. Keep it happy and purring. You're both likely
to be healthier and you'll have a great friend who truly
understands how you're feeling.

* Lev G. Fedyniak, MD began his medical career in alternative
medicine, studying acupuncture, herbs and other healing
traditions in China, Hong Kong, Canada, Ukraine and other
parts of the world. Recognizing that the allopathic tradition
was a necessary compon ent in treating illness, he trained in
allopathic medicine to obtain the Doctor of Medicine (MD)
degree.

Dr. Lev makes his home in Ukraine and continues to study
new approaches to treating illness and optimizing health from
traditions all over the world. He publishes articles and books
in the hopes of bringing such information to all who need it.

He can be reached at DrLev@....



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