April 15, 1997 - A revolution is underway in medicine that could result in the mainstream acceptance of ancient healing techniques. Practitioners of accupuncture, massage and herbal remedies have often clashed with western-style doctors over a lack of strong scientific backing. But patients have been more receptive. A 1993 Harvard Medical School study found one-third of Americans use some form of alternative medicine. Each year, Americans spend more than 13 billion dollars out-of-pocket on these procedures and products. As Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports, consumer interest in alternative medicine is forcing a dramatic change in the structure of modern medicine.
April 24, 1997 - Midday looks at health care with guests David Thorson, a family medical physician; and Jan Malcolm, vice president of Public Affairs and Philanthropy at Allina Health. Topics include family practice, managed care, and insurance companies. Thorson and Malcolm also answer listener call-in questions.
April 28, 1997 - A Voices of Minnesota with Dr. Virginia Lupo of the Hennepin County Medical Center, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology. An interview with the author of "Becoming the Parent You Want to Be"... early childhood educator Janice Keyser, who says parents need to follow their own values, rather than those found in a book. Also, Sasha Aslanian's "Odd Job" segment with a dialect coach.
April 30, 1997 - The scenes and stories of the devastating flood are prompting people across the state to contribute to what is now a steady stream of cash, food and supplies. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes has a look at what one city is doing to help.
April 30, 1997 - When Minnesota schoolchildren found an outbreak of deformed frogs in the summer of 1995, scientists thought it would be only a matter of months before they figured out the cause. But nearly two years later, it's still a mystery, and the federal Environmental Protection Agency is becoming increasingly concerned. The EPA is preparing to spend several million dollars to investigate the problem, and find out whether it poses a threat not just to frogs, but to humans. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.
May 5, 1997 - One of the most widely debated issues in the modern workplace is whether employers should offer domestic partner benefits. In Minnesota, local governments which have sought to include unmarried, same-sex partners in their health insurance plans have run into legal roadblocks. But in the private sector, where the competition is growing for talented workers, more companies and organizations are finding domestic partner benefit packages make good business sense.
May 12, 1997 - In today's Odd Jobs feature the man who puts the "international" in Rochester International Airport. Wes Niemitalo (NEE-muh-tell-oh) is the sole U.S. Customs Agent at the aiport - paid for by the city and the Mayo Clinic. He spends most of his day waiting to check in well-to-do overseas travelers coming in their private or government aircraft to the clinic for medical treatment. Minnesota Public Radio's Brent Wolfe talked to a man who gets an inside look at the lives of some rich and famous patients.
May 12, 1997 - The tiny northwestern Minnesota town of Ada is in the midst of a medical crisis. The city lost its only clinic, hospital and nursing home to flooding last month. The facilities are doubly important because together they comprise the town's biggest employer. At first, Ada heard it would probably get enough federal funds to rebuild the hospital. But recent visits by federal inspectors have not been so optomistic. As Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports, the hospital's future is now in doubt: Ada was one of the first communities to be hit hard by flood
May 14, 1997 - A new independent report says the Army spraying over the Twin Cities in the 1950s and 1960s probably didn't hurt anyone's health. The Army says it was testing how biological warfare substances might disperse in the air, so it sprayed zinc cadmium sulfide over several neighborhoods as well as the Chippewa National Forest. The substance is fluorescent, and can be traced easily. But cadmium's also carcinogenic, although that wasn't known at the time. When details of the spraying were revealed a couple of years ago, many people worried about the health impact, including Representative Martin Sabo, who successfully pushed for a million-dollar study. That study, by the independent National Research Council, is now complete.
May 23, 1997 - Residents of Texas can now sue their managed health care plans if they've been injured by benefit delays or denials. Texas is the first state in the nation to pass such a law. Supporters say the law allows patients to hold their health plans accountable.... but Critics warn it will lead to a rash of lawsuits and ultimately higher health care costs. So far, there has not been any similar proposal in Minnesota. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports, the state's managed health plans are coming under more intense public scrutiny and regulation: