It seems like a lot of people find tending to their reptiles calming. I think for me it was just not knowing how to disconnect and move on from the problems that would come up on a day to day basis so it would wind up just building up and never being dealt with. I think I find an unusual sense of calm just sitting with my little guy. He is so graceful and so calm himself it is hard not to be pushed into the same mindset. I can't of course say with certainty that he is what is behind the sudden change. I just can't find anything else I can attribute it to. Life has not suddenly gotten less stressful. Some perhaps, but not enough to account for such a dramatic improvement. I just find it amazing that after so many attempts to correct the issue failed, something as simple as having an animal around that I admire could have been all that was needed. Too bad pythons aren't a common treatment.

In your husband's case, even if an allergy to sweat isn't the issue, many dermatologists I saw told me that it was a condition linked to a sweat dysfunction at the very least. I hope your husband finds something that works for him, it really is a nightmare to live with. Who knows, maybe some day my stress will increase enough that it will come back full force. For now though it really seems that having some outlet to put all that stress in perspective is helping tremendously. I just happen to be one of those people who has a very hard time just sitting and calming my mind by choice. I tend to obsess about things, but for some reason snake handling time just kicks me right out of that cycle. None of the problems seem to matter enough to take away from the happiness I get from interacting with him. Maybe it provides just enough of a time out from the panic cycle that I can move past it. Very interesting either way, just never would have expected that particular benefit to having him.