Allina News

[Northfield News, November 3, 2010] Whether you’re already a full-fledged denizen of Prozac Nation or merely striving to maintain sanity in the wake of our economic earthquake, Northfield psychiatrist Dr. Henry Emmons has your prescription for peace. It’s called “The Chemistry of Calm.” Like his best-selling first book, “The Chemistry of Joy: a Three Step [...]

[Star Tribune, October 2, 2010] Dr. Marcus Thygeson once wrote his patients countless prescriptions for heartburn drugs such as Prevacid, Prilosec and Nexium — the “little purple pills” of TV ads. But several months ago, when his own doctor advised him to start taking the pills, he refused. “It was all I could do to [...]

[New York Times, posted July 26, 2010] Common sense will go far. Plants should be presumed dangerous for consumption unless proved otherwise. “Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s safe,” said Dr. Gregory Plotnikoff, 49, a medical researcher and a physician at the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing in Minneapolis. Dr. Plotnikoff has [...]

[ABC News, July 6, 2010] Glucosamine has looked like salvation to many people with joint pain, but it proved no better than a sugar pill at reducing pain, disability or improving quality of life in a study of people plagued by chronic lower back pain and degenerative osteoarthritis. Because a quarter of Americans with chronic [...]

[Massage Magazine, March 25, 2010] A new study shows complementary therapies—including massage therapy—relieve pain as much as 50 percent among a wide range of hospitalized patients. The study shows that an inpatient integrative medicine program—one that includes complementary and alternative medicine alongside traditional Western medical approaches—can significantly address pain. “Roughly 80 percent of patients report [...]

[Chicago Tribune, Mar. 10, 2010] As far as Dr. Joseph Mercola is concerned, vitamin D is the magic bullet we’ve all been looking for. A lack of this wonder nutrient, the controversial natural health advocate said, can set the stage for no fewer than 33 disorders, including autism, cancer, diabetes and infertility. “Vitamin D appears [...]

[Allina Newsroom, March 5, 2010] Non-traditional therapies relieve pain among a wide range of hospitalized patients as much as 50 percent, according to a first-of-a-kind study in the Journal of Patient Safety. “Roughly 80 percent of patients report moderate to severe pain levels after surgery,” says Gregory Plotnikoff, M.D., one of the study’s authors and medical [...]

[Minneapolis, Feb. 22, 2010] Everyday choices such as what you eat and whether you exercise directly influence your physiology, brain chemistry and mood, making stress seem insurmountable to some and manageable to others. Adequate downtime, along with simple choices about food, sleep and exercise directly influence your physiology, brain chemistry, mood and ability to cope [...]

[KSTP-TV, Feb. 18, 2010] Before Shirley Billingmeyer underwent her final round of chemotherapy at Abbott Northwestern Hospital her daughter spent time brushing her mother’s hair. Even after six rounds of treatment, Billingmeyer retained the hair on her scalp, a fact she attributes to experimental headwear. “My hair is all there. It definitely works,” Billingmeyer said. [...]

[KSTP-TV, Sept. 25, 2009] Not only can taking your vitamins in the morning keep you healthy, now it may prevent you from getting the H1N1 Virus. According to some doctors, Vitamin D has the potential to block the virus from our systems. “Vitamin D is a potent regulator of the immune system,” said Dr. Gregory [...]

[Star Tribune, May 24, 2009] If cancer-stricken Danny Hauser and his mother have fled from their Minnesota farm to Tijuana, Mexico, they have joined a steady stream of sick people who cross the border searching for answers they don’t believe they can find anywhere else. The Hausers didn’t need to run to Mexico to find [...]