Which patient would be a candidate for animal-assisted therapy?

Choice A reason: Bone marrow transplant patients are immunocompromised; animals pose infection risks (e.g., zoonotic bacteria), making therapy contraindicated in this sterile setting.

Choice B reason: C. difficile is contagious; animal-assisted therapy risks cross-contamination via fur or handlers, endangering the patient and facility, ruling out this option.

Choice C reason: Acute asthma with dyspnea may worsen with animal dander triggering allergies or bronchospasm; therapy could exacerbate respiratory distress, making it unsuitable.

Choice D reason: Alzheimer’s patients benefit from animal therapy; it reduces agitation and boosts mood via oxytocin release, with no acute infection or allergy barriers.

Choice A reason: Biofeedback uses devices to monitor physiological signals (e.g., heart rate); it doesn’t involve hands altering energy fields, focusing on self-regulation instead.

Choice B reason: Allopathic is conventional medicine (e.g., drugs, surgery); it relies on empirical science, not energy field manipulation, differing from the described technique.

Choice C reason: Imagery involves mental visualization for relaxation; it’s cognitive, not physical, and lacks the hands-on energy assessment central to the practice.

Choice D reason: Therapeutic touch uses hand passes to sense and adjust energy fields; it aims to reduce tension, aligning precisely with the described holistic method.