The Wellcast

For many of us, the change of seasons means the opportunity to get back into a favorite sports activity. Or maybe you’ve decided that this is the year you’ll take up a new sport such as running, soccer or basketball.

But rushing into a new activity without proper preparation can result in pain or injury that leaves you on the sidelines.

Listen in as Dr. Jamie Peters, a sports medicine physician with Sports & Orthopaedic Specialists, discusses the best way to ramp up for an injury-free sports season.

Opioids are medications prescribed to relieve a person's pain. Unfortunately, prescription drug abuse is on the rise and opioids are being used for non-medical purposes across the US by men and women of all ages. Teens and young adults are the greatest abusers of prescription drugs. With all of this in mind, what is a person to do who is experiencing pain?

Listen in as Dr. Matthew Monsein, a physician specializing in chronic pain management with Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, discusses opioid abuse and what it could mean for those who really need it.

Medications are often a precarious – and expensive – route to manage chronic pain, but are often the first avenues people think of. With many alternative treatments, understanding your pain and what options are there for you are the first steps to healing.

Listen in as Dr. Matthew Monsein, a physician specializing in chronic pain management with Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, discusses what options people have to help manage their chronic pain other than medication.

The way we think about and look at food is changing. The FDA is giving nutrition labels on all food packaging a makeover. Serving size, sugar and fat labels will be different.

Listen in as Registered Dietitian Janel Hemmesch with Abbott Northwestern Hospital, talks about when we will start to see the new labels, how to read them and what we really should be looking for when it comes to our food choices.

Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease caused by bacteria. You can get chlamydia during oral, vaginal, or anal sex with an infected partner. Both men and women can get it. Chlamydia affects people of all ages but is most common in young women.

Many who have chlamydia don't develop symptoms, but they can still infect others through sexual contact.

Listen in as Dr. Melody McKenzie joins the show to discuss Chlamydia and how you can reduce the risks of contracting an STI.

The Zika virus infection can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly, as well as other severe fetal brain defects, so it’s critical for pregnant women, and those trying to conceive, to learn about the virus, the impacted areas and how to protect themselves.

Meiling Parker, MD., is here to explain the dangers of the Zika virus for pregnant women, and those trying to conceive.

While taking care of a loved ones medical needs, it can be just as important to take care of yourself along the way.

You cannot stop the impact of a chronic or progressive illness or a debilitating injury on someone for whom you care.

But there is a great deal that you can do to take responsibility for your personal well being and to get your own needs met.

Regardless of age, sex, and race and ethnicity, caregivers report problems attending to their own health and well-being while managing caregiving responsibilities.

Stress, exhaustion, worry, inadequate resources and continuous care demands are enormously stressful.

Allina Health offers a Wellness for Caregivers group beginning May 5, 2016. Click here to learn more about Wellness for Caregivers.

Gayle MacBride, PhD, LP, Allina Health clinics, is here to explain the importance of taking care of yourself while also helping your loved ones.

Fibromyalgia affects millions of Americans – predominantly women – and is often misunderstood by the medical community.

In recent years, however, significant advances have occurred in our understanding of the condition.

Dr. Murray J. McAllister is a health psychologist who currently serves as the Clinical Director of Pain Services for Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute.

He talks to us today about this elusive illness and how best to treat it.

It is normal to feel increased levels of stress, tension, and anxiety when you are planning to have surgery and spend time in the hospital.

The stress response happens when your body and mind are getting you ready to cope with an event or time that may feel difficult or scary.

Listen in as Barbara Hopperstad, MA., explains how you can manage pre-surgical stress and how that can help you have a better surgical outcome.

Whether it's your first, second or fifth time, being pregnant is amazing experience.

But it is also very taxing on a woman's body.

In Chinese medicine, acupuncture is believed to work by regulating the circulation of Qi (pronounced Chee and means vital energy).

A key advantage of acupuncture during pregnancy is the help it provides to the digestive system.

It can help soothe the digestive system to help with nausea, heartburn and constipation.

Much like massage, acupuncture can reduce stress, anxiety and fatigue. It also helps relieve muscle and joint pain.

Stefanie Beniek, L.Ac., MaOM, Dipl. OM is here to explain the benefits of acupucture/Chinese medicine during pregnancy.