MONTHLY FRIENDS REPORT: A women wearing a bath robe and a towel wrapped around her hair applies moisturizer to her face in the bathroom mirror reflection.

What moisturizer best combats dry skin? (Our dermatologist's answer may already be sitting on your bathroom counter.)

Every month, I scour the CU Anschutz Medical Campus and UCHealth newsrooms for the topics our subscribers tell me they want to read about most.

In this issue:

Dr. Haugen's back pain journey in Ask a Scientist.
Allergy insights: Pros and cons of at-home kits.
Can weighted vests boost weight loss and bone health?
A national first: Adaptive deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's.
Predict and manage RA with AI before symptoms appear.
Cellular mystery solved: Potential therapies for colorectal and other cancers.

Yours in health and discovery,

Julia Patrick
Newsletter Connoisseur

CU Anschutz Advancement Team

ASK A SCIENTIST

Reader Question:
"I'd like to know more about lower back pain."

Bryan Haugen, MD, collaborated with David Tanaka, MD, to address this month's reader-submitted question. Dr. Haugen shares insights from his personal experience with back pain, as well as observations from his extensive work as a clinician and researcher.

Ask a Scientist moving image sneak peek with play button

▶ WATCH VIDEO

If you'd like a better understanding of something you've read or heard about related to medicine and health in general, please email your question(s) to advancement@cuanschutz.edu (or just reply to this email). Yours could be the question answered by a scientist next month!

HEALTH AND WELLNESS ADVICE FROM OUR EXPERTS

The seven steps to maintaining healthy skin in Colorado, as recommended by a dermatologist. Also, watch the video to find out which moisturizers Dr. Whitney High recommends most. The answer may surprise you! (Hint: It may already be on your bathroom counter.)

Can you trust an at-home food allergy kit? With food allergies on the rise, at-home test kits for food allergies and sensitivities have exploded in popularity in recent years. Allergist Levi Keller, MD, shares the pros and cons of using these kits.

See also: What’s an Adult-Onset Allergy? And When Is an Allergy Not an Allergy?

Can a weighted vest save bone density while losing weight? Study aims to help solve a dilemma facing older obese patients wanting to shed pounds but maintain bone health.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious health threat, especially for older adults, and continues to claim lives despite medical advancements. Learn how TB spreads, recognize its symptoms and discover the importance of early detection and treatment.

See also: Tuberculosis in Eyeballs? Here’s What You Should Know About the Rare Condition.

Nervous behaviors like clenching or grinding teeth occur most often while people are asleep, meaning they may not even be aware they're doing it. Identifying teeth clenching and grinding early on is important so that related symptoms, like jaw pain, headaches and tooth damage can be addressed appropriately and not attributed to other causes.

An estimated one in three adults say they don’t get enough sleep. The new sleep lab at UCHealth aims to improve sleep quality and overall quality of life for patients suffering from conditions like sleep apnea, insomnia and restless leg syndrome.

See also: Telehealth Program Targets Severe Sleeplessness Among Colorado Cancer Patients.

LATEST DISCOVERIES
+ BREAKTHROUGHS

UCHealth now offers North America's first adaptive deep brain stimulation system for Parkinson's. This system adjusts in real-time based on brain activity, providing precise and effective symptom management.

See also: CU First to Offer New Deep Brain Stimulation Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease Patients.

Artificial intelligence is being used to predict and manage rheumatoid arthritis (RA) before symptoms appear. This groundbreaking research combines machine learning with clinical data, offering hope for earlier detection and better treatment outcomes.

See also: What You Need to Know about Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Researchers have solved a cellular mystery that may lead to better therapies for colorectal and other types of cancer. Funded by a grant from the CU Cancer Center, the next step is to look for ways to target the newly discovered process to turn it off or on as needed to treat colorectal cancer and intestinal conditions that can lead to cancer.

The new Translational Sciences Lab at the Gates Institute is designed to move promising research from the lab to real-world clinical trials more efficiently. For patients aged 65 and older, this means faster access to innovative treatments and therapies that could significantly improve health outcomes.

Brian Freed, PhD, says a tiny edit to the body’s ‘immune gene’ could block rheumatoid arthritis and other painful disorders. To make it happen, CU is partnering with a startup.

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper visited the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus to hear faculty, researchers, patients and leaders explain how uncertainty and actions taken at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are impacting the broader education, research and patient care missions on campus.

Philanthropic Spotlight

Tattooing Hope
How One Artist Transforms Lives Through Generosity and Ink

Mario Romero peeks out from behind a sleek concrete wall. He is smiling and wearing a baseball cap and t-shirt that shows of his tattooed arm.

Inspired by his family history and personal health challenges, Mario Romero began offering tip-only flash tattoo events for first responders during the COVID19 pandemic, as a way to give back to a community that consistently gives their all for others.

The event has since expanded to involve physicians and healthcare workers as well, with proceeds donated to worthy causes across Colorado, including cancer research at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

“Sometimes, I get discouraged because I want to do so much more,” he says earnestly. “But a $400 tattoo is something. If R3hab Ink could grow to the point of being able to donate a $20,000 check someday, well, that would be more rewarding than any amount of money you could ever give me.”

STORIES OF CHANGE

45:41 MINS
How Do We ‘Trust the Science’ in an Age of Misinformation?
Two scientists talk honestly about the role scientists play in leveling the playing ground.

LISTEN NOW

RESEARCH STUDY
Emerging Service Delivery Models for Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids
Purpose: Compare over-the-counter hearing aids and traditional prescription hearing aids.

STUDY DETAILS

LECTURE, JUNE 10
Transforming Healthcare: Military Medicine and the Mind
Learn about new innovations that bridge military, veteran and civilian healthcare.

SAVE MY SEAT

Let food be thy medicine: A golden brown chicken schnitzel is served with a white mushroom sauce and fresh salad.

Recipes: Making Processed Foods Healthier

By: Bill St. John, for UCHealth

Come dinnertime, we sometimes may have just enough energy to cook with a can opener.

And a shame tsunami in our heads gets its wave up: “How dare you serve and eat processed food.”

But the problem with shame is that it’s neither sympathetic nor creative.

My overall point is that the can opener isn’t opening a can of worms; it’s opening a can of possibilities.

FAST MEALS

...because laughter is the best medicine.

How did the Italian chef get locked out of his apartment?
Gnocchis

This 'mom' joke was submitted by Casey Kaetterhenry, Philanthropic Assistant, CU Anschutz Office of Advancement.

GIVE TODAY

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Office of Advancement | 303-724-8922
advancement@cuanschutz.edu
giving.cu.edu/anschutz

Reader Question: "I'd like to know more about lower back pain."