It’s been said that Muhammad Ali’s biggest opponent was Parkinson’s disease, which many attribute to boxing, but it turns out what made and ultimately led to the death of the former heavyweight champion could help others in their fight against his deadly opponent.
After Christine Smith underwent brain decompression surgery in 2007, life became a little more precious, and clinging to it seemed nearly impossible for a while. Smith is living with Chiari malformation, a rare neurological condition in which her herniated cerebellum is bulging below her skull and creating pressure around her spinal cord.
With medical marijuana dispensaries opening throughout Clark County, Essence Vegas is hosting Wellness Wednesdays to educate patient card holders about a number of topics. In its biweekly workshop on June 15, chefs talked about edible products, explaining how to cook cannabis, properly measure baked goods so they have an even dose and what goes into infusing butter with cannabis.
Everyone kept telling local artist Ryan Brunty that Yerman — the name of the monster he created for one of his paintings — had sad eyes. They weren’t wrong: The drawing was the latest manifestation of Brunty’s own depression.
Someone with a mental disorder may be the last person to realize they need help. According to the World Health Organization, mental illnesses account for more disability in developed countries than any other group of illnesses.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 25 percent of U.S. adults have a mental illness and 54 million experience some form of a mental disorder in a given year. Patrick Bozarth, executive director of the Community Counseling Center of Southern Nevada, said that, particularly in a city such as Las Vegas, that disorder often leads to substance abuse of some kind.
