Innholdsfortegnelse for 2020 i 5280 Health

We know, we know: It’s never too early to start thinking about retirement. Honestly, though, besides a few dollars disappearing into our 401(k) accounts each payday, we saw leaving behind the 9-to-5 (“How To Retire Well In Colorado,” page 38) as a distant fantasy—some abstract destination. As thirty somethings, that made sense. Then our parents joined the ranks of the willingly unemployed. Society typically views retirement as “The End”—the culmination of one’s usefulness to the greater good. Thank you for your service. Please take this discounted movie ticket as a token of our appreciation. So we watched our folks approach this milestone with a certain amount of trepidation. They had spent decades building meaningful careers in offices and classrooms where they had been important, respected contributors. As such, they could…

When it comes to pain and pregnancy, most believe labor is the apex of agony. But women who struggle with infertility might argue the real anguish occurs before they conceive. Erie’s Amy Beckley (pictured) is one of them. After two years of trying to get pregnant and several miscarriages, she and her husband turned to in vitro fertilization (IVF). Although it was costly and invasive, it worked—about a year and nine months after starting IVF, their first son was born. Beckley wanted a second child but knew she couldn’t endure the financial, physical, and emotional tolls of IVF again. In her search for other solutions, Beckley, who has a Ph.D. in pharmacology, wondered if her levels of progesterone, an obscure hormone released after ovulation that’s integral to reproduction, might be…

FOR THE BATHROOM Rose-Painted Calathea (Calathea roseopicta) Because it prefers low light and high humidity (it grows naturally in South American rainforests), this decorative prayer plant with eye-catching leaf patterns is well suited to the bathroom. It filters a variety of poisonous compounds and is nontoxic to pets. FOR THE BEDROOM Mother-In-Law’s Tongue (Sanseveria trifasciata) Also called snake plant, this uber-popular, sculptural houseplant is particularly good at extracting formaldehyde and benzene. It also gives off oxygen at night, making it a great sleep companion. Place it near a window where it can access indirect sunlight. FOR THE KITCHEN Flamingo Flower (Anthurium andraeanum) This year-round bloomer with pink or red flowers needs bright, indirect light and likes to live next to the faucet (or get regular spritzes of water). It absorbs…

In June 2018, researchers from nine universities converged on one 1,200-square-foot manufactured home in Austin, Texas. They cooked and cleaned—not for their health, but for yours, as part of the HOMEChem (House Observations of Microbial and Environmental Chemistry) experiment, which aims to find out how everyday activities affect the quality of the air your family breathes. In particular, they looked at oxidants; volatile organic compounds, or VOCs; and particulate matter, all of which may have negative impacts on human systems. They’re still analyzing the data, but in the meantime, we caught up with Marina Vance, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder who participated in the study, to chat about what she’s learned—and what it means for you. 5280 Health: What are the biggest takeaways…

AURORA – The Medical Center of Aurora—HealthOne AURORA NORTH – The Medical Center of Aurora-North—HealthOne AVISTA – Avista Adventist Hospital—Centura Health BOULDER COMMUNITY – Boulder Community Health CASTLE ROCK – Castle Rock Adventist Hospital—Centura Health CHILDREN’S – Children’s Hospital Colorado CRAIG – Craig Hospital DENVER HEALTH – Denver Health Medical Center GOOD SAMARITAN – Good Samaritan Medical Center—SCL Health KINDRED – Kindred Hospital - Denver LITTLETON – Littleton Adventist Hospital—Centura Health LONGMONT – Longmont United Hospital—Centura Health LUTHERAN – Lutheran Medical Center—SCL Health NATIONAL JEWISH – National Jewish Health NORTH SUBURBAN – North Suburban Medical Center—HealthOne ORTHOCOLORADO – OrthoColorado Hospital—Centura Health PARKER – Parker Adventist Hospital—Centura Health PLATTE VALLEY – Platte Valley Medical Center—SCL Health PORTER – Porter Adventist Hospital—Centura Health PRESBYTERIAN/ST. LUKE’S – Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center—HealthOne RMHC –…

DALIAH SINGER Denver journalist Daliah Singer thought she kept a healthy house—until she began writing “Detox Your Home” (page 32). “I went on a cleaning frenzy while reporting this story, throwing everything I could in the washing machine,” Singer says. She’s still working on a way to rid her home of its grossest resident: the kitchen sponge. MICHAEL BYERS Michael Byers strives to produce “fun, dynamic, and emotionally driven” work. So while his illustration for “How To Retire Well In Colorado” (page 38) is a seemingly straightforward collage of the activities older residents can experience here, Byers also used a bit of creative license. “For whimsy,” Byers says, “I added a bear waving hello.” HILARY MASELL OSWALD It’s difficult to be optimistic in the face of Colorado’s dejecting behavioral health…

Just because there are more dispensaries than Starbucks in Colorado doesn’t mean we know much more about weed than we do about the makeup of Pumpkin Spice Lattes. The federal government classifies marijuana as a Schedule I narcotic—meaning it has “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse”—so it’s still difficult for scientists to legally access samples for research. That, however, didn’t deter Kent Hutchison. Using clever and compliant workarounds, the University of Colorado Boulder psychology professor has been studying the plant since 2014; this past fall, he launched an online course called Medical Cannabis: Health Effects of THC and CBD. The four-class CU Boulder series gives medical professionals, patients, and budtenders—or, really, anyone who wants to pay $49 a month to subscribe to Coursera, the learning…

JUST A LITTLE NASTY Traipsing dirt into your house because you left your hiking boots on—particularly if you have a toddler crawling around. Pollen and pathogens are easily trapped in carpets and can cause allergies and asthma to flare up. Neglecting to clean your humidifier. Bacteria can grow in standing water, so make sure you wash these dry-climate essentials—vinegar works well—and dry them at least once a week. Washing your hands with antibacterial soap. It sounds like a good thing but can actually introduce harmful chemicals (benzalkonium chloride, chloroxylenol) into your body and your environment. Regular soap is just as effective. Sleeping without a mattress protector, where dead skin and dust mites accumulate. (Of course, you’ll need to regularly wash your cover to avoid breathing in that detritus every night.)…

ROGER SAYRE: 61, RUNNER Why He’s Idol-Worthy: Not only is the Golden resident America’s fastest 60-to 64-year-old road runner, but he also won gold in the half marathon (and two other medals) at the 2019 World Masters Athletics Championships in Poland. On Staying Fit As He Ages: “I focus on the aerobic part of it. The main theory right now is you have to do a lot of high-intensity intervals. I don’t. I just do an hour-plus of aerobic training—running easy for an hour—and mix in faster days occasionally.” On Recovery: “New runners want to plan things out. But don’t be too rigid in your schedule. You’ve got to listen to your body. When you’re younger, you can just go 10, 12 miles a day and keep going. As I…

Why didn’t you choose my doctor? » We don’t pick the docs—Denver physicians do. For the past 26 years, 5280 has surveyed doctors and asked them, specialty by specialty, which metro-area physicians they would trust to treat themselves and their families. Our theory is that medical professionals are best qualified to judge other medical professionals. The ballot is posted on 5280.com from the end of January to mid-March each year. Every metro-area doctor with a valid Colorado medical license can fill it out. Once the doctor hits “save,” the votes are entered into our database and tallied. So doesn’t that make it one big popularity contest? » In many respects, yes. We hope that doctors give us careful, responsible answers, but there’s little we can do to stop them from…

When David Martin, an avid ultramarathoner facing an arduous recuperation from surgery, heard about laser therapy—aka photobiomodulation—he thought it sounded like “something out of Star Trek.” Martin isn’t the first to suggest that its supposed pain-relief properties are more science fiction than fact. But a growing body of evidence indicates that the low-wavelength light both stimulates tissue regeneration (read: recovery) and temporarily disables pain receptors. The latter finding has positioned photobiomodulation as a promising nonaddictive treatment for pain; earlier this year, the federal government issued a $2.7 million grant to encourage nurses in West Virginia to promote the therapy as an alternative to opioids. For his part, Martin says the laser eased his postsurgical discomfort, and in June, he and two partners opened a storefront called Light Lounge in Evergreen…

As I found myself skidding face-first down a blue run this past March, I was thinking more about injuries to my pride than to my body. But days after my shame from showboating—and then crossing my skis—had faded, I still couldn’t move my left arm. My sports medicine doctor believed I had ripped the supraspinatus muscle in my rotator cuff and wanted an MRI done to confirm her diagnosis—the sooner, the better. If I needed surgery, the outcome would be greatly improved if we moved quickly. I scheduled an MRI for the following week, but the day before, the provider called to tell me the appointment had been canceled because my insurance company had deemed it unnecessary; it wanted a less expensive X-ray first. I called to arrange the X-ray…

Eggs Why: A recent study showed that 50- to 70-year-olds lose muscle mass at a much higher rate than younger people. The key to staying jacked? Protein—and there are about six grams in a single egg. But the timing of consumption is as important as the amount. “The body is good at storing extra fat and carbs,” Georgiadis says, “but not amino acids, the building blocks of protein.” That means consuming protein-rich foods at every meal, starting with the most important one of the day. Buy local: You should have no trouble finding cartons from Denver’s NestFresh, which sources cage-free eggs from family-owned farms (many in Colorado) to sell at Whole Foods Market, King Soopers, and Costco. Hate eggs? Any lean meat—such as a chicken breast or top sirloin—will do.…

Joints Anyone who’s ever swung open an old fence door understands that as things age, they start to squeak. In fact, a 2013 study published in the Journal of Aging Research showed that flexibility in the shoulders and hips decreased by about six degrees on average per decade between the ages of 55 and 86. From mobility to positivity (as in, recharging your chakras), yoga does wonders for seniors. If you want more focused attention, however, look into assisted stretching. At StretchLab, a national franchise that opened outposts in Cherry Creek, Cherry Hills, LoHi, and Parker this past year, flexologists lead clients through 25- or 50-minute one-on-one sessions of PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation). According to local owner Dina Silverman, PNF’s combination of stretching and contracting muscles “helps increase mobility in…