WCCO Health Radio

With all of the festivities this weekend with the Fourth of July there is always a need to prevent serious injury - we chat with Kaytlin Hanson the Trauma Prevention Coordinator for Hennepin Healthcare on how to be proactive and act fast in some of the more serious situations as the summer days go along there are so many risk factors in play when we are out having fun. Whether it is fireworks, hik...

Today we chatted with Robert “Adam” Terrell, MS with Hennepin Healthcare about Speech Pathology - who is in need of speech pathology, what are some of the primary signs of speech or hearing struggles which would create issues that lead to needing assistance. We also dive into some of the reasoning behind people seeking out help when it comes to concussions for example or anything people may experi...

In the chaotic world we currently live in there are so many serving and who have served and suffer from PTSD so in honor of PTSD Awareness Month we chatted with Col. Wayne Quist and Dr Steve Lansing with Vets Empowered, share their experiences, the suffering people they know have undergone due to this terrible disorder and they both share how summer traditions like fireworks and more affect those...

This morning we discussed colon cancer, awareness, treatment, ways in which you can prevent the risk of colon cancer whether it is probiotics, vitamins/supplements, even ColoGuard tests and colonoscopies, that and much more with Nisha Jacobs, MD of Minnesota Oncology!

This morning we talked to two people familiar with how pregnancies and the aid of having a doula work - talked to Sierra Hill, MPH CPH she is the Maternal Care Access Coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Health and Sierra Dillard, a certified doula for 11 years - we discuss the many benefits and aspects of having a doula during pregnancy!

This morning we discussed the use of acupuncture, an alternative form of medicine - we talked to Nikki Vanecek of EastWest Acupuncture! Many who look to improve their neurological functions, combat arthritic pain, how much acupuncture can collaboratively help with certain medical diagnosis from sciatica to neuropathy, even IBS which has a lot to do with your neurological system - we rapid fire thr...

Now that the cold, damp spring weather is taking a break - many are turning to transition into getting active outside and taking in the sunny weather! Keri Anderson with LifeTime Fitness shares the struggles of getting started, some of the guardrails with a strenuous workout routine, how to measure true weight and health through body-mass index, whether feeling pain in a workout is normal and much...

As we near the end of May it is more evident now that allergy season is in full gear so we talked to Dr. Pramod Kelkar, MD with Allina Health to help answer any and all questions regarding allergies, allergy symptoms, treatment of allergies, different remedies for allergies and other more in depth allergy inquiries from gluten to bread to other allergies related to ingestion and much more this mor...

This week we invited Joseph Gaugler, PhD with the University of Minnesota to talk about dementia and alzheimers this morning! He touches on some of his research work at the U, some of the serious symptoms of both dementia and Alzheimer's and also what are some of the best ways to accommodate those who struggle with it and some of the best ways to treat the diseases, the Senior Linkage Line and its...

There are so many ways in which we can take care of our eyes and vision from regular doctor visits to taking vitamins towards better health with how we see. So we had an optometrist, Elizabeth Johnson, OD with iCare Family Vision join Susie in the studio to talk about all things optometry, eye care, vision problems and much more!

This morning we tackled various forms of addiction and ways in which we can seek help including Eosis Recovery and we talked to the CEO Lew Zeidner about ways in which people struggle with addiction, rehabilitation, recovery and more! Whether it is alcohol, drugs, even gambling it is all interconnected in some way when it comes to addiction!

We had the chance to chat with Amanda Singer, Campaign Development Director, Community Initiatives (MN/ND/SD) for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society about blood cancer, what LLS does for those who struggle with blood cancer, a special event coming up at U.S. Bank Stadium for LLS and producer Josh Wheeler shares a little bit on how he discovered he had blood cancer!

In the studio today we had Abby Begnaud, MD, who specializes in pulmonary and lung issues with the University of Minnesota and Teri Cannon Executive Director with Breath of Hope Lung Foundation working towards lung cancer survival and raising funds towards cancer research, survivors and providers to better serve the research! We discuss screening, defining biomarker testing, personal experiences w...

It has been an increasing issue year by year over the last few years - the use, abuse, and recovery from fentanyl - we invited three people in the studio to share their battles, their struggles and stories that go along with being addicted to fentanyl! We had the pleasure of talking to Michele Hein of Fentanyl Free Communities, Veronica Stake who serves as a recovering alcohol and drug counselor a...

There is an art to knowing and understanding behavioral neuroscience so we chatted about that with Kurt Fraser of the University of Minnesota who studies behavioral and systems neuroscience and the motivational processes that promote reward seeking and punishment avoidance. We dive into specifically dopamine among other behavioral habits and some of the neurological explanations for why our brains...

This week we invited on Dr. Kelly Pritchard, R.N. with Lifespark to talk more about the importance of hospice care. From the care the staff provide, to the difficult conversations that come with hospice care including how to pay for hospice care, so many great topics pertaining to hospice care with Kelly this morning who joined us representing the amazing people at Lifespark.

What does the pancreas do for our bodies and why is the pancreas so difficult to treat when it comes to cancer? We chatted with Dr. Patrick Dreyer of MN Oncology about the harsh realities of pancreatic cancer and the ways in which people combat it and ways that you can monitor your health and seek screening for it. We also cover many of the listener questions regarding cancer, cancer prevention an...

With influenza going around and so many people on the shelf currently with sickness and flu we chatted with Karen Martin with the Minnesota Department of Health within the Infectious Disease Division about all things illness related, she talks about what she is seeing from her perspective, from pneumonia to flu and RSV to even hand foot and mouth we try to tackle many facets of the viral infection...

Denny Long jumped in for Susie today and we chatted with our good friend Dr. Hilden about heart health with February being National Heart Health Month and the rampant influenza spreading nationwide!

For today’s episode we chatted with Dr. Jay Sengupta, MD of Allina Health covering AFib, the Affera mapping system recently used in the cardiology field and also answers several heart health questions.

Whether it is the changing weather in Minnesota or just bone health in general, millions struggle with arthritis and the various joint and ligament issues people struggle with when it comes to movement and body health so we chatted with Dr. Marta Michalska-Smith, MD with M Health Fairview about the many uncertainties with arthritis and the different types of arthritis!

So many people struggle with mental wellness so today we tackled this in a more widespread fashion whether it is mental illness, those on the ADHD and autism spectrums - we talked to a psychologist with Allina, Dr. David Nathan, PsyD LP joined Susie to talk about many issues.

As seniors it is always important to have a plan in place so we talked to Cathy Lauring, Vice President of Lifespark as well as a nurse practitioner, chatting about the various plans that are offered, the difference between those plans, various documents required for an Advanced Care Plan and much more as we deep dive into the specifics of these plans, proper precautions to take and even how to ha...

Breaking down the struggles with eating disorders can be tough and is a hard conversation to have with those that deal with it. So, today we talked to Jillian Lampert, PhD, MPH, Vice President of Communications and Brand for Accanto Health, parent company of the Emily Program on various aspects of eating disorders, from insurance coverage, therapy and other resources available, what an under-eatin...

There is never a bad time to spread awareness for breast cancer so we invited Dr. Jennifer Carroll with Minnesota Oncology to talk more about the early signs, genetic factors and more when it comes to breast cancer and how often you should schedule a mammogram to stay in check!