Credit: iStock As September turns to October, many areas of the country start to feel a nip in the air and have brightly colored foliage on the trees. The beginning of “sweater weather,” going apple picking and seeing pumpkin spice everything in coffee shops and grocery stores are just a few of the things that … Continue reading Enjoy the Fall! (And Stay Healthy and Happy)
Respiratory Physiology
Want to Lower Your Blood Pressure? Just Breathe (In)
Tom Heinbockel demonstrates inspiratory muscle strength training using an electronically tapered flow resistive loading device. Photo credit: Casey A. Cass/University of Colorado About half of American adults have high blood pressure. This is alarming because high blood pressure increases the risk of developing heart disease, which is the leading cause of death worldwide. Could a … Continue reading Want to Lower Your Blood Pressure? Just Breathe (In)
Exercise Recovery: Which Body Position Is Best?
Credit: iStock Picture this: It’s a hot summer day, you’ve been at sports practice all afternoon and you know your coach always has the team do conditioning at the end of practice. You and your teammates line up and start to sprint. The finish line is in sight, you are almost there! Finally, you cross … Continue reading Exercise Recovery: Which Body Position Is Best?
2020’s Most-read I Spy Physiology Posts
Credit: iStock In a year like no other in our lifetimes, many of us found ourselves putting aside our usual pursuits and thirsting for information on the coronavirus pandemic. I Spy Physiology blog contributors quickly switched gears to keep you informed, including a series of posts covering the physiology of COVID-19 and how it affects … Continue reading 2020’s Most-read I Spy Physiology Posts
Mild Symptoms, Major Impact: How Getting COVID-19 Changed One Student’s Perspective
Kelsey Bayles has fully recovered from COVID-19. Credit: Kelsey Bayles APS member Anberitha Matthews, PhD, recently spoke to Kelsey Bayles, a senior in the bachelor of science in nursing program at the Mississippi University for Women, who became infected with the coronavirus in the summer of 2020. APS thanks Bayles for giving us permission to … Continue reading Mild Symptoms, Major Impact: How Getting COVID-19 Changed One Student’s Perspective
How ACE2 Influences COVID-19 Severity in Older Adults
Credit: iStock In the spring of 2020, ACE2—angiotensin-converting enzyme 2—became a major focus of attention as the entryway of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19. As of early November 2020, over 47 million cases of COVID-19 were confirmed worldwide, with more than 9 million cases in the U.S. Since the beginning … Continue reading How ACE2 Influences COVID-19 Severity in Older Adults
How Physiologists Are Helping Patients Recover from COVID-19
Credit: iStock The entire world started to shut down earlier this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, and most businesses came to a standstill. The streets are now quiet and face masks commonplace. People are working from home, many parks and beaches are still vacant and the concern over the spread of the new severe … Continue reading How Physiologists Are Helping Patients Recover from COVID-19
Why COVID-19 Makes It Hard to Breathe
Credit: iStock COVID-19—the viral respiratory infection caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2—is a rapidly evolving disease that will undoubtedly profoundly affect many, if not all, of our lives in one way or another. As we learn more about the disease, we can better understand how and why it affects people so differently. We don’t have a … Continue reading Why COVID-19 Makes It Hard to Breathe
Ground-breaking Cystic Fibrosis Treatment Is a Testament to Basic Research
Credit: iStock Roughly 70,000 people worldwide have cystic fibrosis (CF)—a progressive, degenerative disease characterized by the buildup of unusually thick mucus in the lungs and other tissues. It occurs when a mutation causes a specific protein, called the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), to malfunction. In healthy people, CFTR moves electrolytes in and out … Continue reading Ground-breaking Cystic Fibrosis Treatment Is a Testament to Basic Research
How Do We Know When to Take Another Breath?
Credit: iStock The goal of the respiratory system is to exchange gases between your body’s cells and the atmosphere. Oxygen goes in, and carbon dioxide, a byproduct of your cells’ metabolic actions, comes out. You probably don’t pay much attention to your breathing unless you’re having trouble with it. So, how does your body know … Continue reading How Do We Know When to Take Another Breath?