The Wellcast

Parkinson’s disease is chronic, progressive movement disorder. The cause is unknown, and while there isn’t currently a cure, researchers are learning more every day.

Treatment options include medication and surgery to manage the symptoms.

Listen in as Dr. Okeanis Vaou, medical director for the American Parkinson Disease Association of Minnesota, talks about the latest advancements in treatment.

Sleep is a basic necessity of life that is essential for our health and well-being. A lack of sleep can have a negative impact on your mood, thinking, relationships, work performance and long-term health.

Millions of Americans suffer from sleep-related disorders. In fact, more than 25 percent of people experience a sleep disorder at some time in their life. Sleep disorders have been linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, heart disease and stroke.

Listen in as Mary Beshara discusses that there are many holistic ways to treat insomnia without medication.

With over 1 in 3 adults greater than 65 years old taking more than 5 medications daily, understanding and managing medication use can be expensive, confusing and sometimes harmful. Coming up with tools to help your loved ones use their medications will better ensure they get the health benefits they desire.

Listen in as Matt Kresl, PharmD explains how to manage medications for yourself and your loved ones to get the best adherence and safety.

Certified nurse-midwives care for women throughout their lives and provide holistic, patient/family-centered and evidenced-based care. Midwives work with women and families during pregnancy, birth, routine well woman exams and menopause.

Listen in as Kathrine Simon, a board-certified nurse midwife at Allina Health, discusses the care philosophy of nurse-midwives and how they may the best choice for your individual health needs.

We've all heard there are ingredients in wine—specifically red wine—that can help protect us from heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's and more. But to realize those benefits we'd have to drink an unhealthy amount of wine.

Listen in as Dr. Jesse Corry, a neurologist from Allina Health, with the John Nasseff Neuroscience Specialty Clinic in St. Paul, discusses a possible new pill that would provide many of the benefits of red wine -- without actually drinking any wine.

Couples considering birth control have many safe and effective options. The use of IUDs as birth control has been increasing recently. But many women still have a lot of questions about their safety and possible side effects. An intrauterine device (IUD) is a type of birth control that is inserted into your uterus. It is a small, flexible piece of plastic with a string on the end.

It is inserted and removed by your caregiver. IUDs prevent sperm from reaching or fertilizing an egg. IUDs also prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus and developing into a fetus.

Listen in as Sara Ackermann, DO explains the advantages of an IUD and how to choose the birth control method that's right for you.

Some people purposefully try to sabotage your fitness goals because they aren't having the same success. While others might not even realize that their words or actions are having a negative effect on you – and have become a fitness bully.

Everyone seems to have an opinion on what workouts are the best or which diet is most effective. But where should we draw the line when it comes to sharing our opinion?

Fitness bullies make you feel inferior about your workout choices or the progress you are or are not making toward your fitness goals.

Jeannie Paris, registered dietitian and certified health coach, discusses strategies for dealing with fitness bullies.

There is a lot of buzz about the importance of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine for preteens, especially for girls. What often gets missed is that boys need the vaccine, too. First, it's important to know that HPV is unfortunately very common. Almost 80 million Americans have been infected, and almost 15 million new infections happen every year. HPV is linked with certain types of cancer and the development of genital warts.

The good news is that the HPV vaccine can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing cancer and warts. The bad news is that the number of people receiving the vaccine in the United States is too low. 

Listen in as Ella Hamilton, CNP discusses the importance of the HPV vaccine.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that causes a person to have obsessions and compulsions. An obsession is an unwanted thought that stays in your mind most of the time. You cannot stop or control this thought. A compulsion is something you do and cannot stop doing because of the obsessive thought. You may become very anxious if you try to stop the compulsion.

Listen in as Marc E Mooney, LP discusses OCD and how you know when you should seek help for yourself or your loved ones.

As our parents age, chances are that we will find ourselves switching roles; we are no longer just their child, we are now their caregiver. This change in roles can be confusing for both the parent and the child.

Add the wide variation in the aging process; some adults remain physical active and mentally acute throughout their life, while others struggle with physical and mental health issues, and the situation becomes even more complex.

To be able to provide for our parents, we need a better understanding of aging. We need to know whether a change in activity, behavior or health is part of “getting older,” or a symptom of an illness.

Listen in as Jan Osborne, APRN, explains that by listening to our parents and understanding their needs, we can help them live longer, healthier, better quality lives.