human health

Want to benefit from yoga? Stick with it

Anonymous — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 15:45:18 +0000

Want to benefit from yoga? Stick with it Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/14/2023 - 08:45

Doug McPherson

CU Boulder research associate Charleen Gust demonstrates that the physical and psychological benefits of yoga last longer with consistent practice

While even one yoga class may yield short-term benefits for participants, those who hope for benefits lasting longer than a week should aim for regular and consistent yoga practice.

These are the findings from a newly released study of how yoga produces the benefits to mind and body that previous research has demonstrated, including improved mobility, reduced risk for chronic disease and decreased stress.

Charleen Gust, a research associate in the University of Colorado Boulder Institute of Behavioral Science who in August earned PhDs in social psychology and neuroscience, led the research with a goal of exploring how yoga benefits those who practice it.

CU Boulder research associate Charleen Gust studies how yoga produces benefits to mind and body.

Her research compared a typical yoga class (one that offers postures, breathing exercises, mindfulness and meditation) with a postures-only class (one that offers guided stretching). Gust says comparing the two classes let her probe how factors other than physical and psychological health change in response to yoga–factors that might also explain yoga’s health-promoting effects.

“This is what is meant by ‘potential self-regulatory and neurophysiological mechanisms’–factors related to self-regulation [or the ability to manage thoughts, emotions and behavior in a given situation] and neurophysiology [nervous system functioning] that help us understand how yoga works to improve health,” says Gust, who examined emotion regulation, self-control, distress tolerance and mindfulness, among other factors, before and after research participants completed a yoga class.

Limited differences

In general, Gust found that those examined factors improved after a yoga class, but the improvements only lasted about a week. And the changes in those factors didn’t differ much between those in a yoga class versus those in a postures-only class–a result Gust says she didn’t expect.

“It was surprising because the four major components of yoga–ethics, breath regulation, postures and meditation–informed our decision about which factors to assess,” she says. “For example, mindfulness was the factor we selected for meditation, since past studies have shown that meditation cultivates mindfulness. Because the postures-only class didn’t have a meditative component, we expected smaller changes in mindfulness for those in that class. But our findings didn’t support that. Those in the postures-only class showed similar improvements in mindfulness like those in yoga.”

She adds that because the two types of classes produced comparable changes in most of the factors she and her research colleagues studied, this suggests that there may be additional “mechanisms of action” underlying yoga’s health-promoting effects that researchers failed to consider.

“We need more research in this area to determine what these factors or mechanisms might be,” she says. “I will say that a major implication of our findings is that while people may notice small benefits after just one yoga class, regular continued practice is necessary to see more lasting changes since the improvements participants reported after taking part in yoga weren’t maintained one week later.”

Experience informing research

Gust speaks from experience. She first became interested in yoga more than a decade ago and now practices three to five times a week.

That’s the beauty of yoga; it’s not at all about social comparison. It’s about showing up, being present, doing your best and letting go of expectations.”

“For me personally, yoga is particularly helpful in maintaining a sense of overall well-being,” she says. “The time I set aside for practice is often the only time I can truly disconnect from the distractions and stress that leave me feeling overwhelmed and anxious. Yoga has also helped me cultivate a sense of compassion, both for myself and for others.”

Her advice to yoga newcomers?

“It’s normal to feel out of place. Even as a former gymnast of 13-plus years, I felt extremely self-conscious at my first few yoga classes. I couldn’t help but compare myself to others who I perceived as able to do the poses much better than me. But that’s the beauty of yoga; it’s not at all about social comparison. It’s about showing up, being present, doing your best and letting go of expectations.”

Gust says she believes the biggest misconception about yoga relates to accessibility.

“Many believe that you have to go to a yoga studio to do yoga, which simply isn’t true. Gyms and fitness centers, even companies, recognize the value of yoga and offer classes. And it’s perfectly fine to do yoga in your own living room. That’s what I do.”

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CU Boulder research associate Charleen Gust demonstrates that the physical and psychological benefits of yoga last longer with consistent practice.

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Study finds correlation between hearing loss and cardiovascular disease

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Study finds correlation between hearing loss and cardiovascular disease Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/21/2023 - 00:00

Jaxon Parker

Researchers believe their findings will help doctors identify and treat the onset of hearing impairment for patients at risk of cardiovascular disease

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and some risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes are on the rise. A study published in Scientific Reports sheds new light on the issue by tracing how hearing loss is related to cardiovascular disease risk factors, highlighting the heart’s interconnection with bodily senses and opportunities for early treatment.

Rachael Baiduc, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and the paper’s lead author, is the director of the Hearing Epidemiology and Research Diagnostics (HEARD) Laboratory, which investigates cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and its relationship with adult-onset hearing impairment and the inner-workings of the ear.

Rachael Baiduc is a hearing scientist with expertise in public health. She is the director of the Hearing Epidemiology and Research Diagnostics (HEARD) Laboratory.

“The inner-ear is actually a delicate structure,” Baiduc says. “It’s really susceptible to any damage from ischemia (inadequate blood supply) and hypoxia (low levels of oxygen in body tissues). It is highly susceptible to any microvascular compromise,” or dysfunction in the circulatory system of small blood vessels.

In collaboration with Eric Vance, a statistician and associate professor at CU Boulder, Baiduc used data from electronic health reviews from thousands of patients at UCHealth to observe connections between CVD risks, such as diabetes, smoking and hypertension, and hearing loss.

“We developed models to understand the connection between these risk factors and hearing loss while we accounted for other potential confounders such as age, body mass index and noise exposure. We tried our best to isolate one risk factor at a time in a clinical population,” Baiduc says.

Isolating CVD risk factors helped narrow down the population of patients who are most susceptible to hearing loss: diabetics, smokers and those with hypertension.

“This study is important for people who have diabetes or hypertension, because it shows that they are at greater risk of developing hearing loss,” Vance says. “Not every person who goes to the doctor gets checked out for hearing, and yet hearing loss is a major problem.”

The study also uncovered that the association between CVD risk factors and hearing loss was more prevalent for men than women—likely because of sociocultural and biological factors—but that the association was found to be significant in both sexes.

“There are sociocultural differences in men and women in terms of their exposure to risk factors for hearing loss as well as cardiovascular disease risks. For example, men are more likely to be smokers than women, and lifestyle factors such as smoking and diet choices do play a role” in CVD risk and hearing loss, Baiduc says.

On the biological side, the study notes that hypertension does not appear as a significant risk factor in women for developing hearing loss. Researchers’ hypothesis for this is that estrogen provides protective effects against toxicity and other potential damages to the ear.

The connection between cardiovascular and hearing health usually surprises experts, but Baiduc and Vance hope their research will make an impact on medical research and health care communities in identifying and treating the onset of hearing loss for populations with CVD risk factors.

Even when I go to conferences and talk to a variety of folks from cardiologists to endocrinologists, a lot of them are not aware of this connection at all between smoking, diabetes and hearing loss. The first step is to educate healthcare professionals and diabetes educators.”

“Even when I go to conferences and talk to a variety of folks from cardiologists to endocrinologists, a lot of them are not aware of this connection at all between smoking, diabetes and hearing loss,” Baiduc says. “So, the first step is to educate healthcare professionals and diabetes educators.”

“In terms of the big picture, just making general practitioners aware of this connection with their patients with one or more of these risk factors and encouraging them to get hearing screenings over time would be really important, especially those with diabetes; that’s the big one right now that stands out,” Baiduc says.

For Vance, who is the director of the Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis (LISA), their research exemplifies how the collaboration between data analysis and medical research can benefit humanity.

“There are a lot of things about the body that are interrelated that we don’t quite understand. We’re still discovering and learning about ourselves,” Vance says. “It’s really important to have collaboration between statisticians and medical experts, since it allows us to understand from a large collection of patients what’s really going with the human body and why.”

Since their collaboration, Baiduc has published a new study in Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology about the relationship between hearing loss and CVD risk factors in African Americans.

Researchers believe their findings will help doctors identify and treat the onset of hearing impairment for patients at risk of cardiovascular disease.

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The Marshall Fire, a year later: Hidden toxins and the fire next time

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 19:46:19 +0000

The Marshall Fire, a year later: Hidden toxins and the fire next time Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/03/2023 - 12:46

Colleen E. Reid , Joost de Gouw and Michael Hannigan

Homes that survived the Marshall Fire harbored another disaster inside – here’s what we’ve learned about this insidious urban wildfire risk

On Dec. 30, 2021, one of the most destructive wildfires on record in Colorado swept through neighborhoods just a few miles from our offices at the University of Colorado Boulder. The flames destroyed over 1,000 buildings, yet when we drove through the affected neighborhoods, some houses were still completely intact right next to homes where nothing was left to burn.

Although the people who lived in these still-standing homes were spared the loss of everything they owned, when they returned after the fire, they found another disaster.

The aftermath of the Marshall Fire in Louisville, CO.

Noxious smells and ash on their windowsills and doorways initially made their homes unlivable – and potentially hazardous to human health. Some of these residents were still reporting health problems from being in their homes months later, even after the homes had been cleaned.

We study wildfires and their health effects, and we knew people who lost their homes in the Marshall Fire. We also knew we had to act fast to study the fire’s impact so lessons from the Marshall Fire could help homeowners elsewhere avoid similar hazards in the future.

Dangerous chemicals absorbed into homes

Early on, because of our expertise on air quality and health, members of our community reached out to us to ask how they could remediate their homes from the smells and hidden ash, and what health risks they should be concerned about.

But this fire was nothing like the wildfires that our research groups at the University of Colorado had previously studied. Most of what burned on that day was human-made rather than vegetation. When human-made materials like electronics, vehicles and home furnishings burn, they release different types of air pollutants and may affect health differently compared to when vegetation burns.

The outdoor air pollution was less of an issue because the wildfire was short-lived – the powerful winds that fueled the fire quieted down and changed direction about 11 hours after the fire started, and the first snow of the season finally fell. This snowfall ended the fire and cleaned the outside air of pollution.

Wildfire ash and dust entered homes under doors and around windows. Courtesy of Joost de Gouw

The key concern was what chemicals lingered inside the undestroyed homes – soaked up into the fabrics of carpets, sofas, drywall, air vents and more – that would slowly release into the home for some time after the fire.

We hypothesized that there were lots of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – toxic gases, which were emitted during the fire that had seeped into homes and become embedded in the fabrics and building materials. Of particular concern were aromatic compounds like benzene, a known carcinogen, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are emitted from wildfires and have known health effects. In addition, we were worried about metals in the ash and soot deposited in homes, and the potential for it to become suspended in the air again when people returned and heating systems came on.

Despite knowing that some of these gases were toxic, we did not know the levels inside the homes, or what remediation efforts to suggest to residents, because little scientific research had been published on wildland-urban interface fires like this one. We realized that we needed to do some of that research to help our own community – and the next community affected by a wildland-urban interface fire.

Collecting evidence inside

Many community members volunteered their homes for study sites. When we toured these still-standing homes 10 days after the fire, we saw what a rapid evacuation looks like, with lunch in the process of being made, laundry being folded, toys in the middle of pretend play … and dust, lots and lots of dust resulting from the fire.

We collected dust samples in about a dozen homes and then analyzed the samples in our labs.

We looked for molecules that could help us think about the origin of the dust. Not surprisingly, the dust was a combination of windblown soil, ash from the fire and typical household dust. That ash was high in typical combustion byproducts that are known to be toxic, and there was lots of ash, so cleaning up all the dust was important to remediation.

The homes that had been exposed to heavy smoke also still smelled like a chemical fire. A colleague likened it to the smell of gunpowder.

A chart shows benzene levels in a smoke-infiltrated home decreased when an air cleaner with a carbon-activated filter was running, but then rose again when the air cleaner was turned off. Joost de Gouw

As quickly as we could, we moved a state-of-the-art mass spectrometer into one of the most heavily affected homes in Superior and made measurements of airborne pollutants for five weeks.

Shortly after the Marshall Fire, we found that many pollutants, including PAHs, were indeed at higher levels inside smoke-affected homes than we would expect, but in early February these pollutants had decreased to more normal levels.

We researched ways in which people could protect themselves and found through experiments that air filters with activated carbon could provide excellent temporary relief from the indoor pollutants.

We also observed the results of professional remediation efforts. We are still poring over the air pollution data to understand which materials that burned, such as plastics, car tires, furniture, carpet and roofing material, contributed the most to the air pollutants we observed in the homes.

Continuing health effects

In addition to the air pollution and ash concerns, people living in the neighborhoods that burned are concerned about their health.

In an initial survey, residents reported a variety of symptoms that they think may be due to the smoke or air quality concerns of the fire, with the most common being itchy or watery eyes, headaches, dry cough and sore throat. More than half of respondents also reported disrupted sleep due to the stress of the fire, and almost a quarter attributed headaches at least in part to the stress of the event.

The physical symptoms could be due to the exposure during the fire. However, of those who have moved back into smoke-damaged homes, they report the symptoms most often inside their homes.

Left: Joost de Gouw; Middle: Colleen E. Reid; Right: Michael Hannigan.

This fall, more than nine months after the fire, some residents reported rashes and burning sensations despite having cleaned their homes of ash and the smell of VOCs having dissipated. Another round of surveys is now helping gather more information about lingering symptoms. In addition to physical health symptoms, we are also asking questions about mental health, which is a growing concern from so-called natural disasters.

While we know that the VOC concentrations inside the homes that we worked in have returned to normal levels, some individuals may be more sensitive than others. And while there has been research into the health effects of some VOCs, not all have been studied extensively, nor have studies looked at the health impacts of combinations of VOCs.

As global temperatures rise and more people move into once-wild landscapes at the edges of cities, the risk of wildfires spreading into urban areas rises. We hope that our work can help people deal with the air pollution aftermath of future blazes.

This article is part of a collaboration with Boulder Reporting Lab, The Center for Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder, KUNC public radio and The Conversation U.S. to explore the impacts of the devastating Marshall Fire one year after the blaze. The series can be found at the Boulder Reporting Lab.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Homes that survived the Marshall Fire harbored another disaster inside – here’s what we’ve learned about this insidious urban wildfire risk.

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