MAKING LAS VEGAS HOME
C O M M U N I T Y + C U LT U R E + D E S I G N + F L AVO R
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OVER 120 STORES | 15 RESTAURANTS | 18-SCREEN THEATER | INTERACTIVE CHILDREN’S PARK
Nevada State Railroad Museum
April
601 Yucca Street, Boulder City, NV www.nevadasouthern.com
6-7 & 13-14 ™
what’s inside DESIGN
10 Dr. Marya Shegog
36 It’s Your Choice
The Director of Health Programs at UNLV’s Lincy Institute is looking forward to improving healthcare in Southern Nevada.
12 Dr. Robert Milne A personal family crisis led Dr. Milne to open his mind and think out of the box to help his patients.
14 With Eyes, Ears and Hands Osteopathic physicians don’t just treat injuries and symptoms, they treat the whole person.
ISSUE 36: WELLNESS On the Cover
This interactive and informative exhibit at the DISCOVERY Children’s Museum will help visitors make the best choices when it comes to nutrition.
Pomegranates of Demeter painting by Laura Zollar. laurazollar.com
40 Koblin Medical Center This state-of-the-art facility offers personalized care within a venue designed to integrate specialties and services.
44 Walking a Labyrinth To clear your mind, reduce stress and stimulate creativity, check out a local labyrinth and try this walking form of meditation.
Flavor 48 Healthy Eats Whether your idea of healthy eating is low-fat, vegan or somewhere in between, there are more restaurant options for healthy eating than ever before.
50 A Healing Touch
© Krystal Ramirez
Community
Reflexology is much more than a foot rub! Learn more about this healing practice.
52 Trish and Ed’s Organics 18 Shifting Personal Paradigms The Ganesha Center aims to help you reach your highest health potential.
This passionate advocate of organic produce makes it easy to eat fresh off the farm.
20 Get Healthy at Your Library Accurate answers to health and wellness questions are as close as your nearest library branch or website.
Culture 24 Consider The Alternatives Integrative medicine goes mainstream with Dr. Stephanie Youngblood.
28 The Healing Arts Preventative medicine is adding music and art therapy to its list of disciplines and practices that increase our physical and emotional well-being.
30 Upcoming Events
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54 L’s Beauty and Wellness Tips Makeup expert Lissette Waugh shares some tips for creating a beautiful you from the inside out.
56 IMHO Carolynn Towbin confides her struggle with wellness and the healing power of meditation in this deeply personal and inspiring story.
BLVDS Las Vegas WELLNESS 5
Letter from the publisher that was more of a lifestyle change. This included a radical diet change (gluten free, dairy free, etc.) and a commitment to lose the extra weight as well as to exercise and manage stress. This choice is not for everyone but made the most sense for me at this stage in my life.
While it’s true that no one gets out of this world alive, the manner in which we live and age is usually determined by genetics and by how we treat our body. We don’t have much control over the first, but since our body needs to last us a lifetime, wellness is a true gift we can bestow on ourselves. This issue explores alternative and complementary health practices aimed at keeping you well, as well as some traditional practices with a complementary twist. I know personally that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Last year was a challenging health year for me after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. My choices were not clear and most of them made my situation worse. After many doctors’ appointments, blood tests and x-rays, I chose a holistic path
I believe in both traditional and alternative medicine and look forward to seeing them practiced together on a regular basis. I was amazed by the doors that opened and the teachers that appeared along my journey back to wellness. I hope this issue helps you along your path to good health. Take care,
Editorial Board Brian Paco Alvarez Mauricia Baca Durette Candito Lisa Chasteen Chris Cutler Audrie Dodge Kendall Hardin Nancy Higgins LuAnn Kutch Dawn LaBonte Rob McCoy Julie Murray Jillian Plaster Jason Roth Kimberly Maxson-Rushton Karen Rubel Dana Sedderwite Rick Sellers Eric Strain Kimberly Trueba
Contributing Writers Jan Craddock Chris Cutler Hektor D. Esparza Christina Gibson Gael Hancock Jarret Keene Pat Marvel Valerie Miller Courtney Murphy Jillian Plaster Jeanette Schneider Carolynn Towbin Lissette Waugh
Contributing Photographers Nathan Douglas Talbot Snow
Jan jan@blvdslv.com
Copyright 2013 by BLVDS, Inc., all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from BLVDS, Inc. Every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, however, BLVDS, Inc. assumes no responsibility for errors, changes or omissions. BLVDS, Inc. accepts editorial and photography submissions. Send all submissions to: editor@blvdslv.com.
6 WELLNESS BLVDS Las Vegas
Jan Craddock President & Publisher Sherri Kaplan COO & Co-Publisher Pat Marvel Editor Victoria Hart Creative Director Greg Warden Senior Photographer
Scan with your smart phone using a QR Code reader app >
There’s a saying that goes, “We squander health in search of wealth, we work, we toil, we slave. Then we squander wealth in search of health and all we get’s the grave.”
One of the common themes I noticed while putting this issue together is prevention, nutrition and balance—all things our mother told us to do, but then life got in the way. We have so many choices, so where do we begin? In this issue we discuss everything from organic food to acupuncture. We go to two different clinics in town that offer different services from homeopathic to integrated medicine, all designed to look at the patient as a whole. We also explore places and practices to allow us to relax, enjoy and rejuvenate: a labyrinth at UNLV, art and music as therapy—these make me relax just writing about them! We end this issue with some restaurants that cater to the health-minded and those, like me, with food sensitivities.
MAKING LAS VEGAS HOME
BLVDS fans follow us! email : editor@blvdslv.com call : 702.386.6065 see : blvdslv.com like : facebook.com/blvdslv follow : twitter.com/blvdslv mail : 241 W. Charleston Blvd., #173 Las Vegas, NV 89102
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[ig - zil - uh - reyt] Juice Buy your USDA CERTIFIED ORGANIC fruits & vegetables DIRECT from the farm to you. Call Trish and Ed’s Organics and get your fruits & veggies fresh from our farm to your table!
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peak [yohr] sences 100% certified organic juice. Hours 10-7 Mon-Sat and 10-5 Sun 8876 S. Eastern Ave. Ste. 100
Corner of Pebble & Eastern in the Regal Cinema shopping center
www.ig-zil-uh-reyt-juice.com | 702.750.8925
community people + places IN THIS SECTION 10 Dr. Marya Shegog
The Director of Health Programs at UNLV’s Lincy Institute is looking forward to improving healthcare in Southern Nevada.
12 Dr. Robert Milne
A personal family crisis led Dr. Milne to open his mind and think out of the box to help his patients.
14 With Eyes, Ears and Hands
Osteopathic physicians don’t just treat injuries and symptoms, they treat the whole person.
18 Shifting Personal Paradigms
The Ganesha Center aims to help you reach your highest health potential.
20 Get Healthy at Your Library
Accurate answers to health and wellness questions are as close as your nearest library branch or website. < “River,” mixed media on paper,
by Jska Priebe, see more work by this artist at jskapriebe.com
10 WELLNESS BLVDS Las Vegas © Checko Salgado
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people + places COMMUNITY
Creating a Healthy Community The Lincy Institute at UNLV conducts and supports research that focuses on improving Nevada’s health, education and social services. As the newly appointed Director of Health Programs for the Lincy Institute, Dr. Marya Shegog is excited for the opportunity to significantly impact health care in Southern Nevada. Shegog wants to create not only healthy communities, but to diversify Southern Nevada’s economic infrastructure in ways that will allow Southern Nevada to thrive. She describes the Lincy Institute as a very special entity that enjoys all of the resources and strengths of an academic institution, but with the leniency to bring in outside resources and develop relationships with community organizations that will help expand their outreach. In her new role, she is working with the City of Las Vegas and the City of North Las Vegas, in conjunction with the United Way and the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition (SNRPC), on ways that we can measure where Southern Nevada stands on health, and where we can make improvements. Shegog is currently helping to develop this year’s strategic plan and establishing new goals. A big part of this year’s plan will include shaping legislation that will help clinicians come into our area and helping the state to prepare for the Medicaid expansion and healthcare reform. It is going to be a big year for healthcare and Shegog feels fortunate that her previous experience and education have brought her to this place where she can really make a difference in the way healthcare is viewed in Southern Nevada.
What is the single biggest change you’ve made for better health and what impact has it had on your life? Most recently I have started doing hot yoga and the biggest challenge with that is dehydration. I do 90 minutes where I hold poses for two or three minutes at a time.… I find that I don’t drink enough. I got a cramp in both legs because I was dehydrated and that did it for me…I have been making a specific effort to drink more water overall. blvdslv.com
What is the most important health issue you think our community is facing? First, we have a huge shortage of healthcare clinicians and mental health care providers. As more people get access to healthcare this year, we won’t have enough clinicians to care for them. We need to…expedite the accreditation process so they can begin practicing faster after completing training. We also need to change some of the laws around incoming physicians so the actual process is more streamlined. Second, we need to develop more options for medical school within Nevada. In particular, we need to get a state-run school with an M.D. program in Las Vegas.
What activities do you enjoy to help you stay mentally healthy? I like to swim. I learned to swim as a child and have used it more for exercise for the last three or four years. I also like to refinish wood and old furniture pieces and add them to my home decor. I strip them down and sand them and get them prepped for refinishing and turn someone’s old and neglected piece into a new treasure. I truly believe in filling your time with activities you enjoy to keep yourself grounded.
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COMMUNITY people + places
DR. MARYA SHEGOG
people + places COMMUNITY 12
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Thinking Outside the Box What do you get when you combine natural healthcare and traditional Western medicine? Dr. Robert Milne suggests that the combination, called integrative medicine, provides his patients optimal medical care. Dr. Milne combines modalities of acupuncture, allergy testing, chelation, IV therapies, nutrition, homeopathy, bioidentical hormones, prolotherapy and laser therapy. With his innovative methods he has now treated over 90,000 patients around the world, received numerous accolades among the medical community and authored four books. Dr. Milne’s interest in complementary medicine started when his daughter, Brooke, became very ill and prescription drugs were no help to her. She was very young at the time, just an infant, and after eight long months of waiting for a solution to present itself, Dr. Milne became desperate for answers. He was introduced to homeopathic medicine and his passion to find alternative cures began. His daughter was saved and he began an entirely new career in integrative medicine. “My personal family crisis taught me that, as a doctor, I must keep an open mind and think out of the medical box for answers to the difficult medical problems that my patients face,” says Dr. Milne. Dr. Milne combines the advantages of Western medicine, including its acute care and diagnostic tools, with the benefits of complementary medicine and its wide variety of treatment modalities. Since beginning his integrative medicine practice, Dr. Milne has traveled to Europe, Central America and China in search of new modalities to incorporate into his practice. He is considered a pioneer in alternative medicine and has become a frequent lecturer on integrative medicine. His goal is to truly treat each patient as an individual case, help them understand their symptoms and figure out a strategy to correct their issues and move forward.
What is the single biggest change you’ve made for better health and what impact has it had on your life? I grew up with horrible asthma that plagued my childhood and my young adult life. My mentor suggested to me that asthma was a digestive related issue and I adjusted my diet to exclude milk, wheat and sugar. I haven’t had an asthmatic episode since. I also believe in juicing daily. Fruits and veggies provide the protons of life.
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What is the most important health issue you think our community is facing? Personally, I think there is a generalized lack of energy or fatigue which is usually caused by poor food intake or quality. America is faced with denatured food values. Europe has outdoor markets with fresh food and we have markets with foods that are three, five, even ten days old. With lower energy you start gaining weight which leads us to the obesity epidemic. Fatigue also causes headaches and I see many patients for headache related symptoms.
What activities do you enjoy to help you stay mentally healthy? First of all, I have to keep my body healthy with the right foods in order to keep mentally healthy. If I consume the proper nutrients with the right energy building ingredients, I will be better… healthy overall. I walk my dogs every day and I play tennis as often as I can. Mostly, I just eat as healthy as possible for me and my body and I haven’t missed a day of work in 35 years.
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COMMUNITY people + places
DR. ROBERT MILNE
people + places COMMUNITY
WITH EYES, EARS AND HANDS
Osteopathic Physicians Treat the Patient, Not the Disease By Valerie Miller
Ever walk into a doctor’s office and notice that the physician pays a lot of attention to you, asks questions and really wants to understand your health? Well, chances are, if you look at the little initials after the doctor’s name on their jacket, it will say, “D.O.” Those “D.O.” initials mean you have just visited a doctor of osteopathy. Put simply, osteopathic doctors believe in using a holistic approach. Or, as Touro University Nevada Dean and Professor of the College of Osteopathic Medicine Mitchell Forman puts it, your doctor is “treating the patient, not the disease.” The university’s Nevada campus, located in Henderson, graduates about 130 students a year. Graduates all receive the “D.O.,” or “osteopath” designation. But after receiving their degrees from Touro, the graduates can go on to do their residency and training in either an osteopathic, or “allopathic,” “M.D.” setting. Forman, who is from New York, has dedicated his nearly-40-year career to osteopathic medicine. It is that profound belief in the benefits of osteopaths that the founding dean tries to instill in students at Touro. 14
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“We have tried very hard to nurture the fact we treat people and not diseases,” he says. “We are interested in a holistic approach to medicine and that involves not just illness, or disease, but healthcare and lifestyle changes.” Forman says he prides himself on getting to know his patients and the particulars of their lifestyles, environments and histories. He’ll spend a lot of time with patients, and teaches his students to do the same. “That’s something that we try to teach from day one of the education of our medical students,” Forman adds. Despite the growing acceptance of osteopaths, who are physicians just like their allopathic—or M.D.— counterparts, many myths about D.O.s stubbornly remain. “I think the biggest misconception is osteopathic physicians are not real physicians, and that it is an alternative form of healthcare, and it’s not,” Forman says. “It is mainstream healthcare. It is on the same level; I would argue higher than the allopathic or M.D. physician.” Forman goes to great pains to educate the public and dispel such myths.
“The misconception is that if you see an osteopathic physician, you will be treated as if you went to a chiropractor. That’s not true, either. We certainly have other modalities that involve manipulative medicine. When used appropriately, I think they are very beneficial, and maybe wouldn’t require patients to have to take medication,” the Touro founding dean explains. blvdslv.com
COMMUNITY people + places
“But the misconceptions have to do with the fact that we are traditional practitioners … (but) we don’t only use manipulative medicine.” That task of getting acceptance for the osteopathic profession has been eased in recent years. The popularity of healthy eating and living trends has resulted in the replacement of the old derogatory “health nuts” label with today’s “health-conscious” mind set. The attitude has shifted, Forman notes. That shift is particularly evident among younger generations, who have shopped at chain retailers such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and the General Nutrition Center. Among the medical community, as well, trends and events have resulted in a greater acceptance of the holistic approach to medicine, which osteopaths provide. In particular, Forman points to the over-prescription of some pharmaceuticals— and antibiotics in particular—to treat viral infections. The emergence of drug-resistant strains of “superbugs” has been part of that end result, he adds. But the time osteopaths spend with patients has been, and will remain, a hallmark of the profession, Forman maintains. “I’ve been practicing medicine for 38 years, and patients tell me over and over again how grateful they are that I have taken the time. I’m not necessarily the smartest person on earth, but I spend a great deal of time listening to my patients and providing them whatever they need,” Forman says. “They tell me that most of the D.O.s that they have gone to have also spent the time with them and have tried to address all of the aspects of their healthcare in their life. That’s not frequently done by most physicians in the community.”
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COVER STORY By Leigh McCormick Painting by Laura Zollar
Like her fine art, achieved layer upon layer, Laura Zollar is the personification of still waters running deeply. Her bright smile and calm exterior belies the depths of her experiential interpretations on canvas. Her paintings are like a restless sea of imagery which delights in the wild, the mystic, the metaphysical and the inspirational. All her works, to some degree, are an autobiographical blend of subjective reality experienced through her emotional, dream-like works of art. Expectation, grief, joy, regret, transformation, anger, guilt, love, loss, personal power, strength, healing, all the emotions that make up the ebb and flow of life are revealed in each of her paintings that tell a story in visual poetry. laurazollar.com
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For three decades, Southern Nevada’s physicians have entrusted Nathan Adelson Hsopice with quality in-patient and home care services for their patients. We have board-certified physicians inhospice and palliative care, on-site pharmacies, a full range of complementary therapies, physician visits to patient homes and the valley’s only comprehensive pediatric hospice program. As always, our primary concern is for our patients’ comfort, care and dignity.
BE SMART. BE SAFE. BE SEEN FACT:
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WHEN YOU DRIVE:
Pay attention! Respect pedestrians. Slow down near crosswalks.
WHEN YOU ARE A PEDESTRIAN:
Pay attention! Look both ways before crossing. Always stay focused on the traffic while you are crossing the street. Don't assume all cars will stop for you. Wear bright clothing. Don’t wear dark cloths at night. For the rules of the road regarding pedestrians go to KTNV.COM and click on CROSSWALK DANGER in THE BIG BLUE BOX.
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Saturday, April 20, 2013 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Southern Nevada Health District 330 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas (corner of Valley View and Meadows Lane)
* free photo with Star Wars characters * snacks * free admission * activities for kids * family resources * well baby exams * dental and vision screenings Community Partners: 100 Black Men of Las Vegas and Southern Nevada Immunization & Health Coalition
(702) 759-0850 * www.SNHD.info Parents: Bring shot records.
people + places COMMUNITY
SHIFTING PERSONAL PARADIGMS
Ganesha Center Promotes Health in Mind, Body and Soul By Hektor D. Esparza | Photography by Nathan Douglas
several thousand years. Yet over the past 20 years, developments in neuroscience have revealed the brain to be much more plastic, with more regenerative power than previously thought. The effects of practices like yoga, meditation and chanting are being shown to have the potential to relieve depression, ameliorate the effects of brain damage, and prove therapeutic to those dealing with a wide variety of emotional, spiritual and psychological maladies. Spiritual practices once thought of as esoteric are increasingly being used to cultivate personal and spiritual development by people from all walks of life. Perhaps that’s why so many people are seeking help with their spiritual and psychological growth at places like Ganesha Center.
Upon walking into Ganesha Center, the welcoming vibe is hard to miss: it’s friendly, open, optimistic. The mood-lifting aromas of essential oils waft through the air. Devotees happily munch on sandwiches and hummus and sip herbal infusions from the center’s café. The sounds of Tibetan singing bowls reverberate throughout its first great hall, which serves as an antechamber to many more rooms and areas used for yoga classes and various spiritual practices and healing arts. As any good biology student will tell you, the human brain has remained largely unchanged over the past 18
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Cindy Rosano was raised in the Roman Catholic Church and maintains a connection to the faith of her youth. But at the age of 55, she is experiencing a spiritual awakening which she describes as nothing short of life changing. She attributes this to her experiences at Las Vegas’ Ganesha Center. Rosano began her journey there with a Reiki session given by the center’s founder, Lee Papa. She then began taking Reiki classes and started study in The Seraphim Blueprint, a “healing and consciousness raising system for self-evolution.” After a near death experience, Papa was inspired to open a facility for spiritual healing and development. In May of 2009 she opened the center. She says the idea for its name came to her in a dream. As Ganesha is the Hindu deity associated with removing obstacles, his name was a perfect fit. blvdslv.com
COMMUNITY people + places
At its inception, Ganesha Center was comprised of just two rooms. Over the course of three years, it has grown to become a sprawling funhouse lab for the spirit, spanning some 6,000 square feet. According to Papa, this impressive growth is the direct result of “intuitive guidance.” Indeed, the center offers yoga, Reiki, Theta Healing Instructional™ classes, sound therapy and more. Lee and the staff at Ganesha Center eschew the idea that any one of them is there to act as a spiritual authority per se. As Papa explains, “We are teaching you to be your own guru. We don’t want people to give away their power to us.” Lee says she’s witnessed countless people experience major shifts of consciousness at Ganesha Center. She says the vast majority of people drawn there take a thoughtful and sober-minded approach to their journey. By and large, people who arrive at Ganesha Center are lead by their intuition and it either feels right or it doesn’t. What feels right to Lee next is expansion. She and her partners have their higher minds set on finding a “Patron Spirit” to help them open a Retreat House in Three Rivers, Calif., near Sequoia National Park. They also have plans for a new Ganesha Center in San Francisco. To hear Lee speak about it herself, visit Gofundme.com/ganesha. Ganesha Center 3199 E. Warm Springs Road Suite 300 Las Vegas, 89120 blvdslv.com
Learn more about Genesha Center, scan this with your smart phone using a QR code reader.
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people + places COMMUNITY
GET HEALTHY AT YOUR LIBRARY
Find Information You Can Count On By Pat Marvel
who have just been diagnosed with an illness or prescribed a new medication that they need to learn more about.” Others are looking for in-depth information on a topic or the latest research in order to make an informed healthcare decision. Library staff will help you find information using the Library District’s health databases and the National Library of Medicine’s websites such as Medlineplus.gov or PubMed for consumer information or medical articles. The library also subscribes to health newsletters and medical journals such as JAMA and New England Journal of Medicine.
For many of us, a question about a health issue means an Internet search. We type in a subject, question or symptom and let a search engine do the research for us. While this is quick and convenient, the information found on the Internet isn’t always accurate and reliable, and the sheer quantity of results can be overwhelming. The Internet may be fine for simple, run-of-the mill queries, but for accurate and trustworthy information, look no further than your nearest Las Vegas-Clark County Library District branch or the carefully selected resources on its website. While every branch has materials related to health and wellness, the Library District’s collection of health-related resources at the West Charleston Library provides in-depth materials and assistance to help you find the information you need. Dr. Florence Jakus, Branch Manager of the West Charleston Library, says, “Nearly 50% of our patrons are walk-ins; people 20
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The Library District partners with a variety of organizations to offer free health and wellness programs at its branches. Free educational programs for caregivers are provided by the Cleveland Clinic, Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Other programs include radon awareness, health fairs, healthy cooking, diabetes management, mental health and much more. Can’t get to the library? Numerous resources are available through the Library District’s website. You can get assistance navigating Medicare, find local help for specific illnesses and discover a wealth of general health-related information for everyone from babies to the elderly. For more information, visit the Library District’s website at lvccld.org or call 734.READ (7323). The Health Science Library is located inside the West Charleston Library, at 6301 W. Charleston Blvd. Call the Health Science Library directly at 507.3944.
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culture entertainment + activities IN THIS SECTION 24 Consider The Alternatives
Integrative medicine goes mainstream with Dr. Stephanie Youngblood.
28 The Healing Arts
Preventative medicine is adding music and art therapy to its list of disciplines and practices that increase our physical and emotional well-being.
30 Upcoming Events
< “Lost at Sea,” watercolor on paper, 19” x 9.5”, by Su Limbert, find it at: sulimbert.wix.com/art etsy.com/shop/prettyville
entertainment + activities Culture
CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVES Integrative Medicine Goes Mainstream By Jarret Keene Photography by Talbot Snow
With medical costs skyrocketing and so many in the U.S. living without health insurance, there is increasing emphasis on wellness and prevention. Integrative medicineâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a healthy balance of mind, body and spiritâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;is no longer the parlance of alternative doctors. These days workplace health promotion is the standard, with more organizations designing policies and programs to support healthy behavior in the workplace and at home.
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Anyone who’s suffered a neck or spine injury and seen a chiropractor knows a few visits go a long way toward relief. If you happen to visit the elegantly feng-shui-ed office of beautiful Dr. Stephanie Youngblood, don’t think you’re there for snap, crack and pop. Like the best chiropractors, Youngblood doesn’t just talk the talk. She lives a wellness lifestyle that emphasizes moving well, eating well, being well. “The body is a self-sustainable, interconnected organism,” says Youngblood, whose personal office is a library of wellness tomes. “The chiropractor’s wellness approach also involves exercising, removing toxins and feeding deficiencies.” Youngblood brims with advice, from urging me to drop my diet soda habit (“You know it’s toxic sludge, right?”) to pointing out
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how sitting down with a smartphone in the back pocket of my jeans causes a misalignment in my posture. “Humans are also much healthier with a properly moving spine than without,” she says. “Reduced spinal motion causes spinal degeneration. We have a pandemic of sedentary living and working, so it’s critical that a chiropractor checks your spine to make sure the spinal joints are moving properly.” Treatment doesn’t end when you leave her office. Youngblood suggests several proper spinal exercises and other lifestyle tips to keep you in shape. Wellness-centered chiropractors like Youngblood strive to help patients empty their medicine cabinets. Exercise is critical—Pilates, yoga and especially walking. Motion is lotion for creaky, painful joints. “Movement is essential for keeping the body healthy, strong and vibrant,” says Youngblood. “Restoring joint motion represents the reduction of a stress load on the spine and moves the body toward better health and function.”
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Indeed, companies that offer insurance to employees are waking up to the fact that, along with changes in diet and habits, a trip to the chiropractor or a session with an acupuncturist can significantly relieve neck and back pain. Relief means an employee doesn’t miss work or undergo expensive surgeries.
entertainment + activities Culture
Youngblood believes in a cradle-to-grave approach when it comes to integrative medicine. She is helping many in the valley—even our youngest residents—to adopt a holistic healing approach. Take, for instance, Mackie Sterrett, who runs a Pilates, yoga and meditation studio. (She also teaches interactive/virtual classes via her website, mackiemethod.com.) “I suffered five years of chronic neck pain and within two months of being treated by Dr. Youngblood, I’m pain-free,” says Method in between instructions. “I recommend chiropractic care to all of my clients, since I’m living proof of the benefits, both structural and preventative. My three children have become her clients as well, and I’m overjoyed by their constant good health.” Chiropractic treatment isn’t the only game in town. Dr. Peter Lok has been helping people—locals and tourists—with pain for nearly 40 years. His father, Yee-Kung Lok, was the first licensed acupuncturist in Las Vegas and lobbied the legislature to make Nevada the first state in the union to make acupuncture legal in 1973. “Acupuncture was misunderstood for many years in America,” says Lok. “In Chinese medicine, the benefits were known for centuries. For most people in the U.S. today, though, there’s a much better understanding.” The most common reason people see Lok is pain. Chronic, lingering pain motivates patients to seek out alternatives to surgery and drugs. Acupuncture needles are, by comparison, a conservative approach compared to going under the scalpel. “Medication and medicine serve their purpose,” says Lok who, like Youngblood,
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doesn’t write pharmaceutical scripts. “But taking medications doesn’t mean all the pain is gone. Sometimes people want to reach a better, more pain-free level.” Chiropractors and acupuncturists definitely compete for the same pool of patients, but it’s a healthy competition based on mutual respect. They agree on a central wellness tenet: Relaxation and stress-reduction are necessary for improving overall health. And they’re not above recommending each other’s services to patients. “I send patients who aren’t responding to treatment to see Dr. Youngblood; she does the same,” says Dr. Lok. “She’s skilled in her work. It’s about an individual patient’s needs. If I feel someone can benefit from her treatment, I send him or her over.” Neither treatment works optimally, though, if a patient doesn’t make good changes in his or her diet and lifestyle. “Focus on nutrition, and you help feed deficiencies—particularly vitamin D and essential fatty acids,” says Dr. Youngblood. “Organic, GMO-free foods can assist you in removing toxins from the body. When the body is toxin-free, it functions better.” Pain can rob individuals of their happiness and livelihood, but restoring balance to the body is one way of keeping pain at bay, or even eliminating it. “Sometimes attaining a better sense of health and wellness is possible without the need for surgery or drugs,” says Dr. Youngblood. To contact Dr. Stephanie Youngblood, call 702-870-8060. To contact Dr. Peter Lok, call 702-732-0178.
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Since 2000,
the Outdoor Las Vegas Foundation has been enriching Southern Nevada through open space and trail experiences Visit outsidelasvegas.org to learn more about how you can be involved with the outdoors and your community.
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entertainment + activities Culture
THE HEALING ARTS
Wellness Through Music and Art By Jan Craddock
For centuries music and art have played an important role in the healing practices of many cultures. The therapeutic benefits of these pleasures, which most of us unconsciously understand and appreciate, are taking their place in the forefront of preventative medicine and wellness in the form of art and music therapy. Music therapy is defined as the use of music for the restoration, maintenance and improvement of one’s mental and physical health. The sounds and harmonics of musical instruments, someone’s voice or a group of people singing, chanting and storytelling, and the pattern these sounds make when they are performed, have been found to soothe and center your energy. Melody Baratone-Helmeck (melodybaratone.com), a local music therapist, explains that one of the basic theories goes back to biblical times with the use of the Solfeggio frequencies 28
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(luminanti.com/tfsolfeggio.html). They’re based in numerology and each one relates back to one of the seven chakras. Using tuning forks, notes are struck and used to tune the energy in your body, bringing your body’s nervous system, muscle tone and organs into harmonic balance. Other favorite forms of music therapy include Tibetan singing bowls and drum circles. You can enjoy both of these activities locally at either the Ganesha Center (ganeshacenter.com) on the east side of town or the Stillpoint Center for Spiritual Development (stillpointcsd.org) on the west side. Art therapy works in a similar way, using light, colors and reflection to stimulate, calm down or create a sense of happiness. You can enjoy the benefit whether you’re viewing art or creating it. (Finger painting anyone?) The enjoyment of art is playful, tactile and revealing, allowing you to let go and be in control, which is an
experience that is comforting in times of hardship or illness. Fortunately, today there are many places where you can enjoy art for therapy: the city of Las Vegas, Clark County and the city of Henderson all have public art that is free. The urban branches of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District have art galleries with rotating exhibits available to enjoy for free during regular branch hours. Downtown Las Vegas offers numerous art galleries in which to find inspiration, and the University of Las Vegas is home to the Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery and the reopened Las Vegas Art Museum. For a comprehensive directory of where to find all types of visual, performance and musical arts, go to artsvegas.com.
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Marvin Spann, MD & Candace Thornton Spann, MD, FAAD
2615 Box Canyon Drive, Las Vegas NV 89128 702.998.9001 | couturemedical.com
GET FULL DETAILS ON THESE EVENTS AND MANY MORE AT BLVDSLV.COM FEBRUARY 2013 fresh52 Farmer’s Market Every Fri. Town Square Every Sat. Tivoli Village Every Sun. Sansone Marketplace fresh52.com
Peter Yarrow
Speakeasy Swingers
Summerlin Lion’s Club 12th Annual Chinese New Year Dinner Dance
Roseman University Tea
Feb. 22, 2013 Historic Fifth Street School artslasvegas.org
Feb. 23, 2013 JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa 702.321.3185
Bet on the Farm Farmer’s Market Every Thursday Springs Preserve betonthefarm.com
BIG WORDS Featuring Eric Burwell
Looking the Other Way, A Juried Art Exhibition Now-Mar. 2, 2013 Left of Center Art Gallery and Studio 702.647.7378 leftofcenterart.org
The Pipes and Drums of the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland Feb. 23, 2013 UNLV Performing Arts Center 702.895.2787 pac.unlv.edu
Glass Sculpture by Barbara and Larry Domsky CI
Ego Sum featuring Benjamin Entner
Now-Mar. 3, 2013 Contemporary Arts Center lasvegascac.org
events
2nd Annual Philanthropy Leaders Summit Mar. 1, 2013 Las Vegas CIty Hall 702.778.3772 philanthropysummit. eventbrite.com
New York City Ballet MOVES
Now-Feb. 24, 2013 Brett Wesley Gallery brettwesleygallery.com
MCQ Fine Art announces the installation of 40 Damien Hirst SPOT woodcuts Now-Apr. 27, 2013 MCQ Fine Art 702.366.9339 mcqfineart.com
Feb. 25-May 23, 2013 Las Vegas CIty Hall 702.229.5256 artslasvegas.org
Westside Story
Feb. 26-Mar. 3, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
March 2013
Mar. 9, 2013 Ravella 702.968.2055 facebook.com/ events/518230261543067
Las Vegas Philharmonic – Lights! Camera! The Oscars! Mar. 9, 2013 The Smith Center 702.749.2000 thesmithcenter.com
Mar. 5, 2013 The Smith Center 702.749.2000 thesmithcenter.com
China National Symphony Orchestra Xia Guan, Director
Mar. 6, 2013 UNLV Performing Arts Center 702-895-2787 pac.unlv.edu
The Composers Showcase of Las Vegas Mar. 6, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
Montreal Guitar Trio (MG3)
Mar. 13, 2013 UNLV Performing Arts Center 702.895.2787 pac.unlv.edu
Equus
Mar. 8-17, 2013 UNLV Performing Arts Center 702.895.ARTS pac.unlv.edu
Clint Holmes
Terry Bozzio with Überschall
Feb. 20, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
Closer
Feb. 22-Mar. 11, 2013 Las Vegas Little Theatre lvlt.org
Just the Two of Us: Kevin Eubanks & Stanley Jordan Feb. 22-23, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
Mar. 9, 2013 Winchester Cultural Center clarkcountynv.gov
First Friday
Mar. 8-10, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival
ArtsPower’s presents The Little Engine That Could™ Earns Her Whistle
You May Go Now
Mar. 9, 2013 Historic Fifth Street School 702.229.5256 artslasvegas.org
Mar. 14-18, 2013 Henderson Events Plaza hendersonlive.com
Mar. 15-April 8, 2013 Cockroach Theatre flavors.me/cockroachtheatre
Mar. 1, 2013 18b Arts District firstfridaylasvegas.com
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Mar. 15-17, 2013 UNLV Performing Arts Center 702.895.ARTS pac.unlv.edu
Shrek the Musical Mar. 19-24, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
The Studio Series: Extending Boundaries Mar. 19-24, 2013 The Smith Center 702.749.2000 thesmithcenter.com
Encore Show Choir Recital
Bicycle Swap and Rally
An Evening with Faith Prince and Jason Graae “The Prince and the Showboy”
Las Vegas Philharmonic – A Touch Of Brass
Mar. 29, 2013 WInchester Cultural Center clarkcountynv.gov
Mar. 29-30, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
Apr. 6, 2013 Cornerstone Park hendersonlive.com
Apr. 6, 2013 The Smith Center 702.749.2000 thesmithcenter.com
Iveria
Mar. 30, 2013 Winchester Cultural Center clarkcountynv.gov
Bill and Kate Isles Mar. 15, 2013 Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse 702.229.5256 artslasvegas.org
April 2013 Henderson Heritage Parade & Festival
Apr. 4-7, 2013 Henderson Events Plaza hendersonlive.com
UNLV Opera Theater presents Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore
Mar. 15-17, 2013 Artemus Ham Concert Hall 702.895.ARTS pac.unlv.edu
Spirit Journeys
Mar. 21-May 5, 2013 Charleston Heights Performing Arts Center 702.229.5256 artslasvegas.org
First Friday
Apr. 5, 2013 18b Arts District & Downtown firstfridaylasvegas.com
SF Jazz Collective “The Music of Chick Corea”
Run Away with Cirque du Soleil Mar. 16, 2013 Springs Preserve 702.822.7700 springspreserve.org
Xochipilli Folklorico
Mar. 16, 2013 WInchester Cultural Center clarkcountynv.gov
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Apr. 12-21, 2013 UNLV Performing Arts Center 702.895.ARTS pac.unlv.edu
Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’Ole Apr. 13, 2013 Historic Fifth Street School 702.229.5256 artslasvegas.org
Mar. 23, 2013 Charleston Heights Performing Arts Center 702.229.5256 artslasvegas.org
The Mystery of Irma Vep
Clint Holmes
Mar. 29-Apr. 15, 2013 Las Vegas Little Theatre lvlt.org
Apr. 5, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
The Tale of the Allergists Wife
Day Out With Thomas the Tank Engine 2013
Mar. 29-Apr. 15, 2013 Las Vegas Little Theatre lvlt.org
The Learned Ladies
April 13-14, 2012 Town Square Las Vegas cadillacthroughtheyears.org
Folk Celebration & Stage Performance Mar. 15-16, 2013 The Smith Center 702.749.2000 thesmithcenter.com
Apr. 12-13, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
Cadillac Through the Years
Mar. 22-23, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
Bruce Cockburn
Julie Budd “Show-Stoppers”
events
Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love”
Apr. 6-15, 2013 Nevada State Railroad Museum 866.468.7630 nevadasouthern.com
23rd Annual AIDS Walk Las Vegas
Apr. 14, 2013 University of Nevada Las Vegas 702.383.8095 afanlv.org
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GET FULL DETAILS ON THESE EVENTS AND MANY MORE AT BLVDSLV.COM Young Artists Concert
5th Annual New Works Competition Winner
Apr. 14, 2013 Henderson Pavilion hendersonlive.com
Apr. 26-May 13, 2013 Las Vegas Little Theatre lvlt.org
Opera Workshop: I Feel Pretty
Apr. 26, 2013 UNLV Performing Arts Center 702.895.ARTS pac.unlv.edu
Catch Me If You Can Apr. 16-21, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
First Friday
May 3, 2013 18b Arts District firstfridaylasvegas.com
Urinetown
May 3-12, 2013 UNLV Performing Arts Center 702.895.ARTS pac.unlv.edu
Clint Holmes
May 3, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
Celebrating Life! 2013 Main Exhibit May 24-July 14, 2013 Charleston Heights Performing Arts Center 702.229.5256 artslasvegas.org
May 4, 2013 The Smith Center 702.749.2000 thesmithcenter.com
Apr. 16-21, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
Rapunzel, Rapunzel
Apr. 26-May 6, 2013 The Rainbow Company Youth Theatre rainbowcompany.org
Romeo & Juliet
May 11-12, 2013 The Smith Center 702.749.2000 thesmithcenter.com
Art Festival of Henderson May 12, 2013 Henderson Events Plaza hendersonlive.com
Billy Elliot the Musical
events
May 17-18, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
Las Vegas Philharmonic – Celestial Bodies
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
May 14-19, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
Esteban “Music for the Heart”
Apr. 18-19, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
Jazz Roots: The American Songbook Apr. 26, 2013 The Smith Center 702.749.2000 thesmithcenter.com
Sergio & Odair Assad with Speicial Guest Clarice Assad Apr. 20- 21, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
Red Rock Ramblers May 17, 2013 Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse 702.229.5256 artslasvegas.org
May 2013
Our Las Vegas Project Exhibit
Apr. 26-May 20, 2013 Cockroach Theatre flavors.me/cockroachtheatre
A Motown Extravaganza Starring Spectrum & Radiance May 24-25, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
Bluegrass Celebration & Lonesome Otis Performance May 25, 2013 Charleston Heights Performing Arts Center 702.229.5256 artslasvegas.org
Geographical Divides May 30-September 9, 2013 Las Vegas CIty Hall 702.229.5256 artslasvegas.org
Karla Bonoff
J. Canteloube “Chants d Augeregne”
May 31, 2013 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com
Good People
For more details on these and other exciting events use this QR code to go to our events page of our website. You can even list your own event!
May 3, 2013 Henderson Pavilion hendersonlive.com
Apr. 25-July 18, 2013 702.229.5256 artslasvegas.org
Death of a Salesman
Lisa Hilton: American Impressions and More
May 3-May 20, 2013 Las Vegas Little Theatre lvlt.org
Golf 4 The Kids May 17, 2013 TPC Las Vegas 702.732.0232 golf4thekids.org
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Classes | CafĂŠ | Products | Services | Membership & Events
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design architecture + style IN THIS SECTION 36 It’s Your Choice
This engaging, interactive and informative exhibit at the DISCOVERY Children’s Museum will help visitors make the best choices when it comes to nutrition and other health-related decisions.
40 Koblin Medical Center This state-of-the-art facility offers personalized care within a venue designed to integrate specialties and services.
44 Walking a Labyrinth
© Photo: Talbot Snow
To clear your mind, reduce stress and stimulate creativity, check out a local labyrinth and try this walking form of meditation.
< “Plumeria,” watercolor, acrylic, dye on paper, 24”x18” by Cristina Natsuko Paulos, view more mork by this artist at cristinapaulos.com
architecture + style Design
It’s your choice
Nutrition is on Display at the DISCOVERY Children’s Museum By Christina Gibson
Most museum exhibits display historical documents, artifacts, souvenirs and mementos to convey stories of people and places of the past, present and projected future. The Lied Discovery Children’s Museum, founded in 1984, strives to create extraordinary learning experiences using interactive, hands-on experiences. Their most novel exhibit to date brings the interactive experience to a higher level than any of the exhibits in the past. Developing quality interactive exhibits applicable to both adults and children was a daunting undertaking. Creating this brain-teasing exhibit proved to be a brainteaser itself. As the designers began strategizing the composition of the demonstration, numerous complicated challenges emerged. Fundamentally, the exhibit needed to be safe for children. Additionally, it
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The audience of any ethnicity, who is willing to interact with the displays, usually six years or older and able to read, will find this exhibit unique and memorable. Not only are the colors, patterns, shapes and textures enticing, they’re a lot of fun. Imagine walking a potato from its growing point in the dirt through processing options and learning the different techniques used to make a baked potato versus French fries versus potato soup and then learning about the net nutritional value of each. This is just one of the amusing interactive displays in this exhibit.
It’s Your Choice opened with seven exhibits in 2009 at the Las Vegas Boulevard location. The museum and this exhibit will be moving to a new location, the Donald W. Reynolds Discovery Center, adjacent to the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, in late February, and the exhibit will open there on March 9. Knowing the museum would be moving locations in 2013, the designers strategized the expansion of the exhibit. They conceptualized, planned and developed five additional stations. The original exhibit focused on nutrition and diet with displays featuring meal planning, food processing and nutritional information.
As the designers moved forward with expanding the exhibit, they were challenged with folding in new displays that were not purely nutrition-oriented but addressed the bigger picture. Decisions to wear a seatbelt, bicycle helmet or sunscreen also contribute to overall health. White explains, “You can’t look at one thing. Many choices contribute to overall health.” To ascertain the usefulness of the exhibit and ensure that the two phases would fit together seamlessly, the original concept and design was evaluated, analyzed, modified and enhanced. Through this process, the designers learned the importance of including “why” into the exhibits. They discovered people wanted to be able to make their own choices but they also wanted to know why those choices were good ones. Therefore, explanations
The mechanisms used throughout this exhibit make it impossible to make a completely incorrect choice. The displays encourage people to make their own decisions and focus on the reality that some choices are better than others. There are a lot of chances to make good choices and they all add up at the end of the day, week, year and lifetime. “Your day is not over if you make a poor choice in the morning,” states Deputy blvdslv.com
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The designers began with durable surfaces and avoided sharp edges, holes or small gaps to ensure it was safe for all ages. They continued by adding bright yet realistic colors such as carrot orange, potato brown and banana yellow. The text and images had to be eyecatching for children, yet also attractive to adults—familiar yet distinctive. Finally, they paid careful attention to the size, shape and height of each station which needed to accommodate small children, tall adults, learning hands and roughhousing teenagers.
Director Tifferney White. If you have a sugary breakfast and deep-fried food for lunch, you can make healthier choices for dinner such as grilled fish and salad.
Design
had to be appropriate for a very diverse audience, and it had to be accurate.
architecture + style Design
were included and when visitors make choices, they will learn if they are good, better or best choices and why. The enhanced exhibit at the DISCOVERY Children’s Museum also tackles controversial themes. One exhibit, titled Then and Now, shows visitors the long-term consequences related to certain choices. They have an opportunity to relate to an adult character on a video screen with a certain number of health issues such as emphysema, diabetes and skin cancer. The visitor is allowed to input different choices that could have been made and the condition of the adult changes based on different choices made by the visitor.
they choose. Children and adults can feel free to make several choices and learn about the benefits and drawbacks of each choice. What lifestyle changes might you make if given the choice? DISCOVERY Children’s Museum Grand Opening March 9, 2013 DiscoveryKidsLV.org
“This exhibit was very complex because of the nature of the messages,” states Tom Pope, owner of Studio Displays, an exhibit design and fabrication company based in North Carolina. “It had to be attractive and engaging yet informative and easily understood.” Furthermore, visitors to this museum are of all ages, cultures, ethnicities, income levels and backgrounds. It was true teamwork that allowed this design team, with backgrounds in sculpting, chemistry, psychology, accounting, law and education, to conceptualize, design and figure out how to integrate and transfer these messages to the most diverse of audiences. The exhibit was intentionally designed to bring families and groups of people together to collaboratively determine how to make better choices. It encourages people to work together to make choices and change their minds several times as
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architecture + style Design
KOBLIN MEDICAL CENTER
Designed With the Whole Patient in Mind By Chris Cutler I hate doctors. That’s not completely true. I don’t hate doctors, I just hate going to doctors. In the first place, I’m not too wild about having a 9 a.m. appointment and wasting 90 minutes reading a five-year old Field and Stream magazine in a tiny waiting room filled with coughing, hacking people who also have a 9 a.m. appointment. Add to that the fact that the scale and I are not exactly on the best of terms, that the sight of needles and the smell of
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alcohol make me dizzy, and the run-inwhat’s-wrong-here’s-a-prescriptioncome-back-if-it-doesn’t-work-run-out attitude of so many physicians, and you understand my reluctance to frequent medical offices. A couple of months ago, my husband and I decided to change physicians and, on the advice of friends, found Koblin Medical Center (formerly K/E Medical Center). Imagine my surprise when I walked into a large, brightly lit waiting room filled with current magazines, flat panel televisions, coffee and a basket of fruit.
A nurse called me back a few minutes before my appointment time, and Dr. Paul Emery appeared in the room within five minutes. He spent a good amount of time taking my medical history, talking to me about my health and answering every question I had. Dr. Emery asked that I have a few diagnostic tests done by the lab downstairs before our next visit and sent me on my way without handing me a random prescription. “That,” I said to my husband, “is how medical care should be.”
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In place of the mega-clinics, though, Dr. Koblin wanted everything under one roof so patients would not have to travel from one building to another or to walk through a campus setting to go from one doctor to the lab to radiology and back to the doctor.
Included in the 20,000 square foot building that houses the center across the street from St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, San Martin campus, are not only the physicians’ offices, but also blood and radiology labs and an infusion treatment room for patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. In addition to three internists and two family practice physicians, there are cardiologists, a rheumatologist, a neurologist, an endocrinologist and a nutritionist on staff. By year’s end, Dr. Ameli plans to add specialists in pulmonology, gastroenterology and hematology as well as a sleep center and an outpatient endoscopy center.
“Having a multi-specialty staff and state-of-the-art facilities and technology affords patients world-class care,” says Dr. Ameli, “and it allows us to provide highly personalized care to each patient. It’s the kind of care we want for ourselves.” The doctors meet weekly to discuss cases, to exchange information and to educate themselves on new findings and treatments. “We all may have different specialties,” continues Dr. Ameli, “but we’re all treating one person. Pooling our knowledge provides a framework to treat the whole patient and keep him or her well.” On a personal note, I’ve been a patient at Koblin for only a few months, but I do appreciate the good care I’ve received so far. That said, I’m still not wild about needles, alcohol or the scale.
The overall design of Koblin Medical Center helps enhance each patient’s experience in more than one way. In addition to enabling patients to have a “one-stop” shop, the aesthetics of the center enhance each patient’s visit. Dark wood paneling and comfortable chairs greet patients in the well-lit, spacious waiting rooms. The light and spaciousness don’t end in the waiting room, though. Going through the doors to doctors’ offices and examination rooms, patients find a large, brightly lit desk area that houses each doctor’s nurse (and their dreaded scales). Instead of tiny, dark and cramped rooms, the doctors’ offices and examination rooms ring the outside of the room so that natural light from a window can enter the rooms. Patients who need
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Dr. Robert Koblin, founder of Koblin Medical Center, decided to open a medical center the likes of which have not been done before. The Beverly Hills cardiologist wanted to offer patients the kind of integrated care usually found only in larger venues such as the Mayo and Cleveland Clinics.
immediate blood work, x-rays or other tests simply walk down the steps to Koblin’s lab.
Design
Dr. Sean Ameli, the medical director and CEO of Koblin Medical Center, agrees and says that’s the mission of the center. “We strive to give area residents access to integrated care provided by highly credentialed physicians and other providers. Dr. Koblin’s vision is to give Las Vegans the type of personalized healthcare that they usually have to travel to find.”
architecture + style Design
WALKING A LABYRINTH
Spiraling into Peace By Gael Hancock Photography by Nathan Douglas
Throughout the world thousands of people are walking in circles. They’re clearing their minds, reducing stress and managing pain. They’re awakening to creative thinking and getting in touch with their inner selves. In parks, business centers, hospitals, schools and churches, these people are walking the circuitous paths of labyrinths. Not to be confused with mazes, labyrinths are two-dimensional and have a single, non-challenging path that leads to the center and back. They can be painted on canvas, outlined with stones, crafted with brick pavers, or coaxed into blooming with flowers. Many of today’s labyrinth designs are thousands of years old and come from cultures around the world.
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Labyrinths in and around Las Vegas:
It is here that you can begin to listen—to your inner wellspring of information and intuitive self-knowledge, to your spiritual voice, to your body. A labyrinth can give you many gifts including clarity, recognition, communion, opening of your heart, connection, a growing self-worth and trust.
St. Rose Dominican Hospitals San MartÍn Campus 8280 West Warm Springs Rd. Las Vegas, NV 89113 Labyrinth available 24/7, located just north of the Emergency Room entrance. Chartres labyrinth design; painted on pavement.
Gael Hancock has studied labyrinths for more than 14 years. She facilitates labyrinth workshops and is the author of the booklet, ”108 Ways to Use Labyrinths in Schools.” She can be reached at gael.hancock@me.com, or visit her website, CircleDancers.com.
St. Andrew Catholic Community 1399 San Felipe Dr. Boulder City, NV 89005 Labyrinth lighted till 10:30 p.m., located to the left as one enters the church. Chartres labyrinth design; inlaid stone. Reunion Trails Park Northeast corner of Chapata Dr. and Casady Hollow Ave. (Labyrinth is in the southeast corner of the park on Casady Hollow Ave.) Henderson, NV 89012 Contemporary design. Catholic Newman Center UNLV Campus Brussels Street, Las Vegas, NV 89145 7-Circuit Classical Design; pattern is outlined with stones. For more information on labyrinths; Labyrinthsociety.org Labyrinthos.net
To see more labyrinths, scan this with your smart phone using a QR code reader.
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When you approach a labyrinth for the first time, you may feel challenged by the complexity of the design. Simply trust the path. It will take you safely to the center and back out again. Whether you chant a mantra, leave your mind open, count your breaths or hum a tune, you are walking the labyrinth in the right way. Feel free to laugh, sing, dance, cry, shout, skip or run. Make the path of the labyrinth your own.
Design
Walking a labyrinth—truly a walking meditation—can help quiet a chattering mind. Swinging around the turns, your body is in motion, your feet connect to the earth and your mind gently turns inward. The simple act of movement along the curvilinear path can create a shift from your verbal (and noisy) left brain into the more spatially oriented, non-verbal right brain. This allows the brain’s constant bullying to stop, resulting in peace and literally “quiet.”
flavor dining + retail IN THIS SECTION 48 Healthy Eats
Whether your idea of healthy eating is low-fat, vegan or somewhere in between, there are more restaurant options for healthy eating than ever before.
50 A Healing Touch Reflexology is much more than a foot rub! Learn more about this healing practice.
52 Trish and Ed’s Organics This passionate advocate of organic produce makes it easy to eat fresh off the farm.
54 L’s Beauty and Wellness Tips
© Photo: Talbot Snow
Makeup expert Lissette Waugh shares some tips for creating a beautiful you from the inside out.
56 IMHO
Carolynn Towbin confides her struggle with wellness and the healing power of meditation in this deeply personal and inspiring story. < “Nest Head,” mixed media, water color, oil on paper, by Dasha Biggs, view more of her work at biggsstudios.com
dining + retail FLAVOR
HEALTHY EATS
Dining Choices to Feel Good About By Jillian Plaster | Photography by Talbot Snow Queen. They make healthier versions of tacos (fracos) by using mu shu-style Asian pancakes rather than tortillas, and filling them with items like Mediterranean vegetables and hummus, or smoked salmon, cucumber and dill. Each are served with a side of kale chips, and healthy, fizzy fruit drinks (froccs) replace traditional soda. Presto Cafe and Fresh Mama are two places in Spring Valley that are serving nutritious eats. Presto Cafe satisfies carnivores with a delicious and lean Reuben on unbuttered raisin rye toast, as well as a variety of other meaty sandwiches and pizza-like Turkish pides. They also offer soups, smoothies and ready-made salads like farro with asparagus, and Parmigiano Reggiano that can be purchased by the scoop.
Harry Truman once said, “When God shook the tree of life, all the fruits and nuts landed in California.” Luckily since then, some of our neighbor’s spoils have been overflowing into our Valley in the way of healthier eating establishments, and the number of good-for-us spots popping up has been refreshing.
fat and low-calorie foods is enough, while others are more extreme and feel anything other than raw and vegan foods do your body a disservice. Here is a guide to some places that should make you feel good about what you’re eating, no matter where you fall on the spectrum. Fracos and Froccs is a newly-opened, quick bites eatery at Town Square located in the space previously occupied by Dairy
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Fresh Mama is appropriately located in a yoga studio down the street and serves raw and vegan options. Choose from 20 different smoothies such as Twisted Mint Dragon with grapes, lime, mint and spinach, or a variety of salads and wraps such as the Spicy Thai in rice paper with lettuce, carrots, red onions, cabbage, cilantro and a tahini almond butter dipping sauce. Not all healthy dishes are served at a restaurant. VegOut is a vegan prepared
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© Cristian Torres
FLAVOR dining + retail
foods kitchen that has a booth at the Fresh52 farmers markets three times a week. The menu is always changing, but everything can be frozen so feel free to stock up on your favorites. The Mellow Mushroom Stroganoff made with almond milk is excellent on its own, or can be used as a replacement for cream of mushroom soup in your favorite not-so-healthy recipes. The Nacho Average Cheese sauce is another choice feigning decadence. For the extremists, or those wanting to “cleanse,” the Raw Juicery offers weekly home delivery service of their cold pressed juices. They do not treat their juice to extend shelf life and they also use a unique process that involves
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a low RPM grinder. This grinder gently breaks up the fibers of their organic fruits and vegetables and separates the juice from the pulp. This keeps all the nutrients intact and does not allow for the oxidization of the produce, unlike in typical juicers and blenders. Apparently all raw foods are not created equally, so if you are looking for the healthiest of the healthy, this is your best bet. Any Las Vegan would benefit from at least the occasional good-for-you meal, so check out these local spots and you’re sure to feel better about what you’re putting in your body.
Fracos and Froccs 6593 Las Vegas Blvd., South Las Vegas, 89119 fracosandfroccs.com Presto Cafe 4950 S Rainbow Blvd., Ste. 130 Las Vegas, 89118 prestocafe.com Fresh Mama 5875 S. Rainbow Blvd. Las Vegas, 89118 VegOut vegoutlv.com The Raw Juicery therawjuicery.com
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A HEALING TOUCH
Reflexology and Wellness By Jeanette Schneider
While medical journals continue to publish reports proving that stress levels are on the rise, anyone with an iPhone or Blackberry will tell you the work day has expanded and their last vacation likely included at least one call to the office per day. Email and conference call in numbers make us ever accessible, while divorce rates are at their highest and market headlines include theme music and a dedicated graphics team.
Modern day reflexology has its origins in Zone Therapy, a practice which divides the body into ten longitudinal zones and proposes that reflexes operate along these zones and that pressure or stimulation can relieve pain. Eunice Ingham, a physiotherapist in the 1930s, went on to further develop the practice, finding that some areas of the body were more affected and accessible than others when she worked on the feet. While most believe it similar to massage, which relaxes muscles and tissues, reflexology focuses on calming the nervous system through stimulation of pressure points.
I walked into Dr. Wendy Dearborne’s office with my Blackberry in one hand, my iPhone in the other and a head full of my own theme music which currently sounds like bottled adrenaline. I didn’t know what to expect when greeted, or when Wendy began to ask me a series of questions in her flowing British accent while she kept one finger and one thumb pressed into my foot. She took a few notes, asked about my general health and family and began to explain the practice of reflexology dating back to the Egyptians in 2330 B.C.
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There are 7,200 nerves, or reflex points, that end in the feet. Signals are sent to the brain and then routed to the various organs attributed to the originating point. Reflexology has been shown to increase blood flow and assist with pain management and stress. Reflexologists are not medical practitioners. It’s widely accepted,
however, that reflexology stimulates the body’s natural ability to heal, and many have found it beneficial to their overall health and wellness. Wendy agrees, “It is not a panacea, but it comes close.” Wendy studied with Ann Gillanders, the founder of the British School of Reflexology, and is very direct when you ask how she started in the practice. “It found me,” she says. After her sister passed away following a hospital stay, Wendy believed there had to be another answer to human illness that didn’t involve hospitals and pharmaceuticals. She then dedicated her practice to understanding anatomy, physiology and the pathology of disease. As my session continued, Wendy surprisingly began to ask questions about my neck and right hip, both hurt in a car accident several years ago. “Your feet tell me a story.”
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She asked about my goals and ambitions and, as we talked, it was clear that while she was helping me work out the kinks in my nervous system, she was also trying to pull my shoulders away from my ears. Her belief is that if you work the foot and the mind, you will affect the spirit. I left Wendy feeling positive about a few personal goals we discussed and hoped for a little more energy, as Starbucks lattes are my current fix. As I slowly made my way home I did recognize one very startling initial response to my session: Not once did I look at either phone since walking into Wendyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think to check in as I made my way down the elevator, or when I walked to my car. Nary a soul received a text before I shifted my car into Drive. This alone is progress.
Dr. Wendy Dearborne 2770 S. Maryland Pkwy #307, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109 itsmylifemychoice.com
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Learn more about Reflexology, scan this with your smart phone using a QR code reader.
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TRISH AND ED’S ORGANICS
enthusiastic purveyor of everything organic, especially Certified Organic Produce. A family member’s health issue brought her to this vocation, and now she is a passionate advocate for organic. Once a week she drives up to central California and picks up a truck full of vegetables and fruits from USDA Certified Organic Farms and brings them back to Las Vegas where she sells them in her store, or at the two Farmers Markets where she has space.
Where Healthy Eating is Made to Order
When you talk to Trish, she’ll enlighten you on the difference between merchants saying their products are organic and truly having organic products. All of her products have the official certifications that she hangs for everyone to see. Besides carrying all organic produce and vegetables, she has a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) plan where you, as a consumer, buy-in and receive a fresh, ripe, organic produce box once a week.
By Jan Craddock
I love shopping for food, but it can be a little overwhelming with so many choices available. And when it comes to deciding whether to buy organic or conventionally-grown produce, there can be a considerable price difference to think about as well. So what’s the difference between organic and conventional anyway? It’s all about how the food is grown and what goes into it, or doesn’t.
CSA is a farmer and consumer-based movement that allows families to directly access local farm fresh produce and support local agriculture. CSA boxes are truly a visual feast as well as nutritional. You become a member and then can choose what you want in your box every week from a choice of over 50 seasonal items. You can pick up your box at her store, Trish and Ed’s Organics, or at their Farmers Market locations.
To be certified organic , a farm has to meet strict federal and local guidelines, including being pesticide- free for a period of at least three years and undergoing regular inspections to make sure the farm is following their Organic System Plan.
Trish and Ed’s Organic 8876 S. Eastern, Suite 100 Las Vegas, 89123 trishandedsorganics.com
Trish, of Trish and Ed’s Organics, is an
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L’S BEAUTY AND WELLNESS TIPS
Beautiful Skin Starts Inside In order for us to look externally beautiful, it’s important that we take care of ourselves internally as well. Here are few tips on how to maintain healthy and beautiful skin from the inside, out.
Internally: Drink water – I know it’s cliché but it’s true. Drinking plenty of water is essential to having healthy skin. This will help combat water retention, puffy eyes and dry skin. Eat Blueberries – Blueberries contain the most antioxidants of all berries. One cup contains your daily recommended intake of vitamin C. Eat them as a snack daily for beautiful, healthy skin.
Eat Chocolate – Studies show that cacao is said to hydrate your skin due to its high levels of flavonoids, a potent type of antioxidants. It also contains caffeine which temporarily reduces puffiness. Keep the quantity to a couple of small squares a day and make sure it’s cacao.
Externally: Skin Diagnosis – It’s crucial that you can identify the type of skin you have—oily, dry or combination–in order to pursue the right treatment for your skin. If you’re having trouble figuring this out, I recommend you visit a skin care specialist to assist you in this diagnosis. Exfoliate – In order for any topical products to absorb into the skin, it’s important that you practice a bi-weekly exfoliating regime. Try using an almond scrub or, my favorite choice, the Clarisonic electric face brush available at any Ulta or Sephora. Cleansing morning and night – I know, this seems like a no brainer, but you would be surprised how many people I know who don’t do it. I recommend cleansing your skin daily and nightly with a gentle gel cleanser, or try using a cleanser that contains alpha hydroxy or glycolic acid for an anti-aging effect. This will help prevent oil build-up and clogged pores. Moisturize – Your skin has many dermal layers and as we get older, these layers have a tendency to become thinner and sag. Applying a moisturizer specific to your skin type will help the appearance of fine lines and slow down this process.
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Lissette Waugh is owner of L Makeup Institute & Agency 241 W. Charleston Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.685.9298 Lmakeupinstitute.com
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BLVDS Marketplace Mikel Patrik
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IMHO
Your Path to Wellness By Carolynn Towbin | Photography by Talbot Snow In 1974 I was coming out of a difficult relationship and looking for meaning in my life. A friend introduced me to yoga and meditation at the Sky Foundation in Philadelphia. Thirty-eight years ago, I began a daily meditation practice that changed my life. In 1975 I married and started a family. I kept up my meditation for years, but life happened and I fell off and on the path many times. We moved to Las Vegas in 1989 and started Towbin Infiniti, a family business in 1990. I had a blessed life. Then, in 1993, the roof of a restaurant collapsed on top of me and changed my life forever. Surgeons put plates, screws and rods in my spine. I’d always been physical: hiking, riding horses, walking, working and doing everything a working wife and Mom does. Doctors told me I’d be in a wheelchair at fifty. The pain made it difficult to meditate and impossible to be physical in any way. I was offered pills for everything: pain, sleep, anxiety and depression. I refused the pills. My dad was a chiropractor and I had been raised in a holistic environment before anyone knew what that was. I meditated and found incredible healers, physical therapists, acupuncturists, counselors, myofascial release therapists, etc. Just like life, wellness is a journey not a destination. A friend reminded me how I was determined to do the plank again (a yoga posture). It took me five years of inching forward, gathering my strength until I could finally hold a plank. Daily I practiced meditation and added affirmations, and today I walk and I work. In 2008 I took a sabbatical from my business to study at the Chopra Center. I had read The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success for years. I became a Chopra certified primordial sound meditation instructor, never expecting to teach. I only wanted to enhance my meditation practice. Who would take meditation classes from an automobile dealer? Well, I had to teach a class to get my certificate, so I did. Word spread and people requested more classes. I taught at the Encore Spa and loved it, and had found my dharma. I was deep into an amazing twice-a-day meditation practice. In June 2009, Dan, my husband, partner and love of my life, passed at 54. A week later I was back running the family business. I was heartbroken and confused. I was positive I’d found my purpose in life. The Divine has set me on a new path. Meditation changed my internal reference point— it gave me hope and the courage to follow my instincts. My new purpose is evolving and all I have to do is listen. Give yourself the gift of meditation.
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She was bullied at school… Became disruptive & withdrawn… Her grades were sinking and her parents didn’t know what to do… Until they brought Angela to... White Horse Youth Ranch! “The change in this girl was inspirational,” said Amy Meyer, WHY Ranch President & Founder. “She made new friends and her self-esteem went through the roof!”