It has often been dismissed as a New Age cure, but swimming with dolphins can be good for your health according to new research. The activity was used to successfully treat mild to moderate depression.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, found that swimming with the creatures led to falling levels of depressive symptoms in patients. The findings support the theory of biophilia - showing how human health and wellbeing are dependent on relationships with the natural environment.

The research, partly carried out by Leicester University Medical School, appears in a special human and animal health issue of the BMJ, highlighting the impact nature has on people's well-being¹.

The study was carried out in Honduras, with 30 patients diagnosed with mild or moderate depression. For two weeks half of the group swam and snorkelled² with dolphins for an hour a day. At the same time the control group carried out the same type of water activities, but with the absence of dolphins to control for the influence of water and the natural setting.

All patients stopped antidepressant treatment or psychotherapy at least four weeks before taking part in the study, with depression scores measured at the start and end of treatment.

The researchers found that the average severity of the depressive symptoms reduced more in the dolphin group than in the water therapy group. They said: "Depressive symptoms improved after two weeks of treatment. In conventional therapy - psychotherapy or drug therapy - symptoms usually improve substantially after four weeks."

The researchers said that the overall reduction in symptoms of anxiety in both groups may be explained by the therapeutic³ property of water. They said that the effects exerted by the dolphins were significantly greater than those just in the natural setting of water. One reason for the findings could be the emotions raised by the interaction with the dolphins, the researchers said.

Three months after the study ended, both groups of patients reported a lasting⁴ improvement and did not require treatment. 

　　中文：

　　一项最新的研究结果显示，和海豚一起游泳可以给人的身体带来好的影响。这种和海豚一起在水中嬉戏的方法曾被用来成功地治疗轻度和中度抑郁症。

　　据英国《每日邮报》11月25日报道，这一研究结果刊登在最新一期《英国医学杂志》人与动物健康特刊上，它突出了自然界对人体健康状况的影响。研究发现，和海豚一起游泳可以让抑郁症病人的症状减轻。

　　科学家是在洪都拉斯进行这项研究的，英国莱斯特大学医学院也参与其中。研究涉及了30名患有轻微或中度抑郁症的患者。在参与这项研究之前，所有的患者都已停止药物治疗或心理疗法至少4个星期。在这项研究开始前以及结束后，都会对他们的抑郁程度进行检测。在两个星期的时间里，有一半的患者每天会和海豚接触1个小时，和海豚一起游泳和潜水。与此同时，另外一些患者也会进行同样的水上运动，不同的是旁边没有海豚陪伴。

　　研究人员发现，和海豚一起游泳的那组患者与单单采取水疗方法的那组患者相比，前者的抑郁症程度都有明显减轻。研究人员表示：“在接受了2个星期的治疗后，他们的症状都得到了改善。而一些传统疗法（如药物治疗和心理疗法）的效果一般都在4个星期后才会明显显现出来。”

　　研究人员还表示，试验中两组患者症状的改善可能都要归功于水的治疗作用，但海豚所发挥的作用要比只在水中运动的效果明显得多。研究人员说，原因之一可能是患者在和海豚互动时，情绪特别高涨。

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