Dolphin Therapy

I just returned from a great Spring Break week on Hilton Head Island, in South Carolina. The weather was gorgeous for most of the week – 80-degree sunny days until the cold snap Friday night, and only one quick thunderstorm. Although it's always wonderful to simply hang out with my family, play in the sand with my kids, go for bike rides and take life more slowly, work is never completely out of my mind. I can't help it. My work compels me to always have my antenna up for the latest news, promising research or personal story.

While I'm walking on the beach, I'm observing some of you struggling with a bad knee as you cross the shifting, dry sand or perservering through pain while you make sure you get in that walk on the beach. Last week I was quite impressed by an 80-some-year-old man who was obviously severely affected with osteoporosis out on the beach every day for a walk. He could barely look up to see where he was walking, yet he walked. Sure, he walked slowly. But he walked. He kept at it. He didn't say, "I can't; it hurts." He must have said, "I'm going to keep walking so I can CONTINUE walking." Knowing what people who have osteoporosis go through, I was so proud of him.

As I relaxed in my beach chair or sat with my family at a great seafood restaurant, I overheard some of you talking about hip replacements, supplements, medications or the benefits of the omega-3s in your salmon. Sometimes – usually when I'm not with my entire family – I join in the conversations. Once in a while I'll explain why I'm so interested. I'll 'fess up to being the medical editor of Arthritis Today, or I'll simply say I'm a patient, too, while hoping that you'll tell me you got your information from our magazine. But mostly I just listen – and think. I think of article ideas, and I think of what it must be like to be in your shoes, rather than my sandals. I think about questions for researchers and doctors, and I think about what answers they might give you – and what else you may still wonder.

During the night of the quick thunderstorm, my family and I watched a television show about dolphins. I have always loved dolphins, which is one reason we enjoy Hilton Head so much. There hasn't been one visit to Hilton Head in which I haven't seen dolphins. If I could be an animal, I'd choose to be a dolphin – they're intelligent, they get to swim and play all day, they're great communicators and they're loved. According to the show I watched, they may help people with chronic conditions, too. Although I've been a fan of dolphins all my life, I had never heard of dolphin therapy. Rest assured I'll be checking into it, though. Apparently swimming with dolphins provides relief to those in chronic pain or depression. The experts theorized the sounds emitted by the dolphins could increase the production of endorphins in humans. Or maybe swimming with dolphins is so utterly peaceful, you can't help but feel better when you're around them.

The morning after that program aired, I was watching my husband out in the ocean with my kids when all of a sudden a dolphin dove not 30 feet in front of them. I immediately headed for the water, hoping I'd get there quickly enough to have the chance of seeing one up close. The kids were encouraging it to come back and hoping it would come close enough so they could touch it – and they weren't the only ones. It seemed that everyone on the beach was drawn to the water when that dolphin came so close to shore. People headed toward the water in droves, pointing and smiling – including the 80-some-year-old man with osteoporosis who was out for his walk. I doubt pain relief was on anyone's mind at that moment, but I have no doubt we all felt happy, peaceful and better. Free dolphin therapy for all.

Everyone on the beach that morning was enjoying the beautiful dolphins, and I was enjoying watching everyone do so – and thinking about what you Arthritis Today readers would be wondering. Watch the pages of the magazine to see what I find.