The Vegas Voice 7-20

How Did You Survive the
“Rona”?
By: Mary Richard / Health Fitness
How do we keep ourselves “fit” throughout
the summer and especially surviving
COVID-19? Did you make several trips to the refrigerator when the
fridge constantly called to you? Did you become a couch potato?
I purposely made an effort to take virtual aerobic classes to get some
exercise. When it became too hot to take a walk during mid-day, I
made sure to walk either early or later in evening. And I always carried
a water bottle!
Luckily, I didn’t gain any weight during these “hunkered down”
weeks at home, but I do admit the weight shifted a little - much to my
dismay in trying on some clothes. Funny how the clothes shrunk over
those weeks?
I found that by bedtime I wasn’t really tired but made it a point to
get to bed about the same time each night in order to keep somewhat
of a normal schedule.
Many of our local artists began performing virtual concerts and
watching from my home became the norm. I really miss ushering at
The Smith Center and have no idea when we will be returning to work.
I miss the smiles, laughter, shows, my fellow co-workers, staff, crew
and the patrons. Eventually we will return to work at this Las Vegas
treasure and the stage lights will glisten once more.
My two fur babies, Pierre and Andre have become used to my being
home daily, but I’m sure they are wondering why? Will they have
separation anxiety when I return to work?
I even learned to become creative with cooking skills, trying various
new recipes. My closets are now organized, and charities welcomed
the additional donations of clothing and household items no longer
needed.
For all those who were affected by the pandemic, keep eating healthy,
exercise and know that bright days are ahead. Businesses are slowly
recovering, Las Vegas will survive, and we will become stronger.
Positive attitude and good health to all!
Mary Richard is a long term supporter of senior fitness. She
teaches Zumba, toning and dance classes throughout the Las Vegas
Valley. She can be reached at zumbaqueen@cox.net.
40
July 2020
The Ringing in Your Ears
By: Kyo Mitchell / A Healthier You
Many people suffer from tinnitus commonly
called “ringing in the ears.” This sound
(which may be high pitched) sounds like the
white noise of a TV or like crickets chirping.
It can just about drive a person crazy. No surprise that long term
tinnitus has been linked to depression.
Although tinnitus is called ringing in the ears, the problem is actually
in your brain. Research in the neurological sciences is beginning to
shed light on what happens to cause tinnitus.
The ear has what are called hair cells. Each specific hair cell
responds to a different frequency of sound coming into the ear.
With very rare exceptions, tinnitus starts when certain hair cells
within the ear become damaged and die. This is usually due to being
exposed to very loud sounds.
These hair cells are connected to an area of the brain that processes
all incoming sounds. When a hair cell in the ear dies, the area in the
brain that corresponds to that specific frequency no longer receives
input and shrinks from disuse.
The surrounding areas of the brain, which are still receiving input
from the ear begin to grow and fill in this newly vacated space. The
sound heard from someone suffering from tinnitus is a misfiring of the
nerves that have filled in this space.
The analogy given to explain the process is that of “phantom limb
syndrome.” After a person has lost a limb, they may feel as if sensations
are coming from that limb - including sensations of pain.
At times, a person can feel these sensations in the lost limb when you
touch their face because the neural connections have been rewired -
and rewired incorrectly to the nerve cells coming from the face rather
than the lost limb.
This “incorrect rewiring” is what is happening to people suffering
from tinnitus. While there is no cure for tinnitus at this time, this
understanding of the cause is giving scientists ideas of how to work
towards a solution.
Dr. Kyo Mitchell served as faculty at Bastyr University in Seattle
and Wongu University in Las Vegas for over a decade. Dr. Mitchell
practices in Summerlin and can be reached at 702-481-6216 or
rkyomitchell@gmail.com.