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How Did You Survive the“Rona”?By: Mary Richard / Health FitnessHow do we keep ourselves “fit” throughoutthe summer and especially survivingCOVID-19? Did you make several trips to the refrigerator when thefridge constantly called to you? Did you become a couch potato?I purposely made an effort to take virtual aerobic classes to get someexercise. When it became too hot to take a walk during mid-day, Imade sure to walk either early or later in evening. And I always carrieda 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 mydismay in trying on some clothes. Funny how the clothes shrunk overthose weeks?I found that by bedtime I wasn’t really tired but made it a point toget to bed about the same time each night in order to keep somewhatof a normal schedule.Many of our local artists began performing virtual concerts andwatching from my home became the norm. I really miss ushering atThe Smith Center and have no idea when we will be returning to work.I miss the smiles, laughter, shows, my fellow co-workers, staff, crewand the patrons. Eventually we will return to work at this Las Vegastreasure and the stage lights will glisten once more.My two fur babies, Pierre and Andre have become used to my beinghome daily, but I’m sure they are wondering why? Will they haveseparation anxiety when I return to work?I even learned to become creative with cooking skills, trying variousnew recipes. My closets are now organized, and charities welcomedthe additional donations of clothing and household items no longerneeded.For all those who were affected by the pandemic, keep eating healthy,exercise and know that bright days are ahead. Businesses are slowlyrecovering, 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. Sheteaches Zumba, toning and dance classes throughout the Las VegasValley. She can be reached at zumbaqueen@cox.net.40July 2020The Ringing in Your EarsBy: Kyo Mitchell / A Healthier YouMany people suffer from tinnitus commonlycalled “ringing in the ears.” This sound(which may be high pitched) sounds like thewhite noise of a TV or like crickets chirping.It can just about drive a person crazy. No surprise that long termtinnitus has been linked to depression.Although tinnitus is called ringing in the ears, the problem is actuallyin your brain. Research in the neurological sciences is beginning toshed light on what happens to cause tinnitus.The ear has what are called hair cells. Each specific hair cellresponds to a different frequency of sound coming into the ear.With very rare exceptions, tinnitus starts when certain hair cellswithin the ear become damaged and die. This is usually due to beingexposed to very loud sounds.These hair cells are connected to an area of the brain that processesall incoming sounds. When a hair cell in the ear dies, the area in thebrain that corresponds to that specific frequency no longer receivesinput and shrinks from disuse.The surrounding areas of the brain, which are still receiving inputfrom the ear begin to grow and fill in this newly vacated space. Thesound heard from someone suffering from tinnitus is a misfiring of thenerves that have filled in this space.The analogy given to explain the process is that of “phantom limbsyndrome.” After a person has lost a limb, they may feel as if sensationsare coming from that limb - including sensations of pain.At times, a person can feel these sensations in the lost limb when youtouch their face because the neural connections have been rewired -and rewired incorrectly to the nerve cells coming from the face ratherthan the lost limb.This “incorrect rewiring” is what is happening to people sufferingfrom tinnitus. While there is no cure for tinnitus at this time, thisunderstanding of the cause is giving scientists ideas of how to worktowards a solution.Dr. Kyo Mitchell served as faculty at Bastyr University in Seattleand Wongu University in Las Vegas for over a decade. Dr. Mitchellpractices in Summerlin and can be reached at 702-481-6216 orrkyomitchell@gmail.com.