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 more with Keri Anderson, Personal Trainer at LifeTime Fitness!

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 morning!

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 importance - plus we answer any of your questions related to today’s dementia and Alzheimer's topic as well! If you or someone you know has questions or seeks help with dementia or Alzheimer’s there is a conference coming up in June at the University of Minnesota - just visit this link for more information: https://www.sph.umn.edu/events-calendar/caring-for-person-with-memory-loss-conference/

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 with lung cancer, a special event that ABOH is putting on at Rush Creek in two weeks and much more!

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 and Leah Gleason who serves as the Community, Events and Speakers Bureau Coordinator - all of whom have experienced the struggle personally!

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 crave certain things and other functions of the brain. As well as how, if it all dopamine relates to good or bad feelings.

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.