Health

Your child is sick. Maybe it’s since they were born, or maybe it’s some evil ailment that reared its head later in life. All you know is that now your life revolves around doctors, pharmacies, and insurance claims. The mailman has ceased to be your friend. You may have even had to quit your job or alter your hours to accommodate the never-ending parade of appointments. The lists only amplify the stress and tedium that accompany this life. Lists of medicines to make sure that the different specialists don’t prescribe conflicting drugs with potentially fatal side effects. Lists of different therapies from different doctors that might counteract each other. MORE »

If you accept taxpayer money, you have to accept that you’re going to receive public scrutiny. MORE »

Like a lot of kids, Ramon gave his folks trouble. And like any earnest parent, Lanice Palmer-Cole tried various methods to rein him in. She thought she knew her son well, although he was “different.” Palmer-Cole says, “He was a deep, deep thinker.” She felt hopeful that her son would grow up to be a productive member of society. MORE »

The phenomenon that is Dance Dance Party Party (DDPP) was started in 2006 by New Yorkers Glennis McMurray and Marcy Girt after they had grown tired of the club dance scene but still wanted to boogie—for the sake of both fitness and fun. Last Thursday, though, I wasn’t feeling it. All I wanted to do was stay curled up on the couch with my laptop—but I was not about to let winter laziness, the freezing temperatures, or my nervousness about my terrible dance moves among complete strangers stop me from getting the story on DDPP. MORE »

During his time in Congress, retiring Republican Rep. Jim Ramstad championed the needs of those experiencing mental illness or chemical addiction, often through the lens of his own experience as a recovering alcoholic. For that reason, his name tops the list of possible appointments by the Obama administration as either drug czar or as the administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). But one earmark by Ramstad could prompt some questions from Senate Democrats during a confirmation hearing if Ramstad is nominated for either position. MORE »

Residents of the City of Lakes have always enjoyed the swells, the shores, and the sights of the area’s liquid resources. But soon, they will become even more aware of the water at their disposal. Last month, the Minneapolis City Council contracted LaBreche Communications, a Minneapolis-based firm, to market the city’s overabundant supply of tap water in a $180,000 campaign that will last until the end of 2009. MORE »

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Those seconds are the “silent moments,” Peiju Picard calls it. The moment that counts towards her health regaining, her spirituality awakening and her culture reminding when she brews tea; it usually takes several minutes to half an hour depending upon the kind of tea. MORE »

Since a two-day strike last month, there has been no progress in the contract dispute between Regina Medical Center and 230 workers represented by Service Employees International Union Healthcare Minnesota. No talks have been held since the works stoppage and none are scheduled. MORE »