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Ping-Pong and Parkinson’s
When we play ping-pong (or table tennis), the areas of the brain that are activated are the same areas Parkinson’s Disease affects the most. It’s a combination of two elements: cognitive thinking and movement tracking where the ball is going and hitting the ball at a rhythmic pace.
Exercising these brain quadrants by playing ping-pong has resulted in a national phenomenon to treat the commonly diagnosed neurological disor- der. Nonprofit organizations across the nation
Virtual Reality (VR) though commonly thought to be an activity for those interested in walking a tightrope between skyscrapers or being in the next Indiana Jones has many features that may be appealing to the everyday technolo- gy-repeller. If you’re like me and have never been one for technology (the thought of going into the computer settings gives you a migraine, and you avoid software updates like the plague), there is still hope for VR! One of the most renowned (yet simple) features that VR goggles have to offer is a program by Google Earth that enables you to walk or soar above any town, city, monument, park, or basically any other place in the world as if you were currently there. For those limited in physical activity and travel, this program has brought emotional breakthroughs. Users can feel that comfort of nostalgia by walking through their childhood hometowns or get that fix of adrenaline by soaring above the Rocky Mountains. Most users have even reported a decrease in depression and feelings of loneliness after their first use. We know nothing compares to the smell of fresh air and the feeling of the elements on our skin, but maybe just maybe this form of “reality” can be a close second for those who are limited in getting to explore all that this remarkable Earth has to offer. The Reality Behind Virtual Reality
have started to fight this disease one game at a time with the help of volunteer players of all skill levels and ages, of course. Parkinson’s patients say this “therapy” has opened them up to new experiences in life, noting that each game can start out taxing due to physical tremors and mental frustrations but, after around fifteen minutes of determination, their symptoms dramatically subside and will remain subsided for about three days after each game. It doesn’t matter if you’re nine years old or ninety if you’re looking for something to do this winter, consider volunteering at your local ping-pong Parkinson’s tournament and help decrease one person’s tremors while enhancing your own cognitive, social, and physical abilities.
The Most Used Word in 2022
If I asked you to guess what 2022’s “word of the year” was, you might say something like “metaverse,” maybe even “bitcoin.” But perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that Merriam-Web- ster’s 2022 “word of the year” was “gaslighting.” This outcome seems fitting considering the pervasive lies and misinforma-
tion pushed to the American people by the mainstream media and the President of the United States. At least we can be thankful the word of the year for 2022 wasn’t “woke.”
40 • AMAC Magazine
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