Veterans Day weekend, Clinton and his crew of elves turned the El Dorado Casino into a Yuletime destination for the third year. Clint is an equal opportunity decorator, working his seasonal magic on a simple doorway or a huge business display.

Early on in my career, I didn’t quite know what all that was about; there were some things we were encouraged to do or talk about since it was our chance to shine, yet it was only Father Time that truly enlightened me.

Grief. Loss. These are words we hear about during death. Usually, we hear them when we have lost someone close to us, like a grandparent or a friend or, God forbid, a child. Grief and loss are heavy hitters when it comes to your mental health. They can bring you down.

Most tinnitus – a symptom, not a disease – comes from damage to the microscopic endings of the hearing nerve in the inner ear. People who suffer from tinnitus hear phantom noises that include not just ringing but whistling, hissing, buzzing, roaring and clicking.

Built in 1924, the downtown YMCA is constructed in the Italian Renaissance style. It was designed by Clarence W. King and built for Shreveport entrepreneur Edward Jacobs, bearing a resemblance to Italy’s Villa Medici in Rome. Twin bell towers adorn the roof, which covers the triplearched entrance bordered by Corinthian columns.

There are a variety of tests for dysphagia. They include: an X-ray of a bariumcoated esophagus; direct examination of the esophagus with an endoscope, a lighted instrument; a test with a pressure recorder to measure muscle contractions of the esophagus; video fluoroscopy and ultrasound, two forms of imaging that record patients swallowing.