The Wellcast

Keeping kids fit, active and healthy are just a few of the benefits of participating in team sports.

It’s no different for kids who aren’t able to participate on school or community teams because of a physical disability, vision loss or because they are on the autism spectrum.

Eric Larson, supervisor of Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute’s Sports & Recreation department, is here to explain the opportunities available for kids as young as 5 to participate in adaptive individual and team sports.

You may hear some people say that “pain is all in your head,” but health care and mental health providers would agree that this is an obsolete philosophy.

Just because you can’t see pain, doesn’t mean you can’t treat it.

Psychologist Kate Hennesy-Keimig is here to talk with us about ways to manage and treat pain with lifestyle changes.

If you or a close relative has had cancer, you may be concerned about not only your own risk for a future cancer but also whether your children or other relatives are at risk.

You’ve heard about cancer genetic counseling but how do you know if genetic testing is right for you?

Do you have all the facts to dispel the myths about genetic counseling?

Genetic counseling and risk assessment does not always mean genetic testing.

If you are considering genetic testing, how do you know if it’s the right test on the right person?

Tune in to hear Shari Baldinger, CGC, a genetic counselor, help you make informed decisions about reducing your cancer risk.

A computer tomography angiogram, otherwise known as a CT angiogram, is a mouthful to say, but this procedure can be a very useful tool for patients having heart problems.

You may have heard of people getting CT angiograms, or regular angiograms, and wondered what this was, why it’s done and if you need to have one.

Dr. John Lesser, a cardiologist from Minneapolis Heart Institute®, is here today to tell us about this procedure, who makes a good candidate and what other options patients might have now and in the future.

The science of medicine is always improving and evolving – and Abbott Northwestern Hospital is often leading the way.

Dr. Ben Bache-Wiig, president of Abbott Northwestern in Minneapolis is here to talk with you about the top five medical advancements in 2015.

The USDA and Department of Health and Human Services recently updated the dietary guidelines, the rules we should follow in our approach to food.

The new guidelines include updated guidance on added sugars, sodium, and cholesterol.

They are important because they take into account new evidence-based research, new research means new recommendations.

Lauren Brommerich, a registered dietitian with United Hospital is here today to tell us what the changes are and what they mean.

The decision to leave your baby to return to work is hard, regardless of the feeding method.

But as the many advantages of breastfeeding become understood, more moms are choosing to continue to nurse after they re-enter the work force.

Developing a good routine for home and work may seem tricky at first, but plenty of moms successfully combine the two with a little planning.

Becca Mades, certified family nurse practitioner at Allina Health Clinic - Buffalo, offers tips to help make the adjustment easier.

Nightmares – we all have the occasional bad dream, right?

But what if you experience nightmares so often and so frightening that you avoid going to sleep?

You might have a nightmare disorder.

Listen in as Dr. Blackburn, a behavioral sleep medicine specialist, describes the disorder and what you can do about it.

Lung cancer is the third most common type of cancer in both men and women.

More men and women die every year from lung cancer than from any other form of cancer.  

In 2011, the National Lung Screening Trial showed a 20 percent decrease in lung cancer deaths in heavy smokers who received a low-dose lung screening exam.

This screening helps to find lung cancer at an early stage so treatment options are more successful.

Learn more from Matthew Graczyk, MD, thoracic surgeon at the Virginia Piper Cancer Institute, about the importance of early lung screening.

Many people have felt the discomfort of heartburn, but what exactly is acid reflux disease and how can someone find relief?

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs when acid and food in the stomach back up into the esophagus.

GERD often occurs when the lower muscle (sphincter) of the esophagus does not close properly.

The sphincter normally opens to let food into the stomach. It then closes to keep food and stomach acid in the stomach. If the sphincter does not close properly, stomach acid and food back up (reflux) into the esophagus.

Today we have with us Dr. Juan Jose Blondet, bariatric and general surgeon with Allina Health United General Surgery clinic and United Bariatric and Weight Loss clinic to share the symptoms and treatment options for acid reflux.