Steinbrecher Fellow studies biochemical effects of nonconventional medical treatment<\/p>\n
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Dancing has numerous proven health benefits, including weight loss, stress reduction, and increased flexibility and self-confidence. But in a clinical setting, it may also help treat and prevent a number of neurodegenerative and psychological diseases, according to a recent study by Ivana López Nieves ’22.<\/p>\n
López Nieves, a biochemistry and molecular biology major<\/a> on the prehealth<\/a> track, spent her summer researching the effectiveness of dance movement therapy as a potential treatment or preventative measure for diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, dementia, and depression. Her study, funded through a Steinbrecher Fellowship<\/a>, focuses on the biochemical effects of dancing, including how dance movement therapy can alleviate symptoms by altering the concentration of specific biomarkers.<\/p>\n Through her research, López Nieves compared dancing to other forms of exercise and conventional treatments to understand how dance movement therapy may be a more effective alternative.<\/p>\n “The project was designed based on my belief that not all medical treatments benefit all patients in the same way. I’m interested in evaluating nonconventional forms of treatment that are not very popular in clinical settings, and one of those is dance movement therapy,” López Nieves says. “It has been used a lot in psychology, and in recent years has started to move into medical settings, and I wanted to explore that further.”<\/p>\n López Nieves found that dance movement therapy increases serotonin, helps preserve neurons, improves skeletal health, aids in bone preservation, and has cardiovascular health benefits. Dancing can also help enhance the effects of pharmacological medications, she says, and studies have shown that when compared with other forms of aerobic exercise or physical activity, dance can result in better health outcomes.<\/p>\n “It’s very important that patients enjoy and feel comfortable with the type of treatment they’re doing because for a treatment to be effective, the patient has to adhere to it,” she says. “Dancing not only is an alternative treatment option, but can represent a more effective form of treatment.”<\/p>\n She now is looking into publishing her findings in a scientific journal.<\/p>\n Story continues after video<\/em><\/p>\n