Sheila Eldred
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Articles by Sheila Eldred
Natural Remedies for Vaginal Atrophy
When you get a diagnosis of a chronic condition like vaginal atrophy (VA), also known as genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), you might be wondering if your only treatment option is estrogen therapy, in all its various forms including rings, creams, or tablets.
Should you exercise in wildfire smoke? Here's what experts say.
Should you exercise in wildfire smoke? Here's what experts say. Advice for runners, cyclists and anyone planning to exercise outdoors when air quality deteriorates. Kayakers paddle on Bde Maka Ska as heavy wildfire smoke causes hazardous air quality on July 16, in Minneapolis. (Tim Evans/For the Minnesota Star Tribune) Comment Gift Share When Daniel Craighead wakes up on a summer morning, he often checks the temperature and chances of rain before heading out for a run.
Does Blood Pressure Change When You’re Sick?
Key Takeaways Getting sick can temporarily raise blood pressure because illness stresses the body and triggers hormone surges. Cold weather can briefly increase blood pressure by narrowing blood vessels, especially in people over 64. Decongestants like pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine can raise blood pressure and may interact with blood pressure medicines. Illness can also lower blood pressure if dehydration occurs from vomiting, diarrhea, or fever.
ICE Agent Charged With Assault in Rare State Prosecution
Prosecutors in Minneapolis on Thursday charged a federal immigration agent withassault, accusing the agent of pointing a gun at motorists along a state highway during the immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities in February. It was a rare instance of state prosecutors charging a federal agent for on-duty actions.
ICE Agent Charged With Assault in Rare State Prosecution
Prosecutors in Minneapolis on Thursday charged a federal immigration agent with assault, accusing the agent of pointing a gun at motorists along a state highway during the immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities in February. It was a rare instance of state prosecutors charging a federal agent for on-duty actions. kAm%96 286?E[ vC68@CJ s@??6== |@C82? yC][ bd[ @7 x>>:8C2E:@? 2?5 rFDE@>D t?7@C46>6?E[ A@:?E65 2 8F? 2E EH@ A6@A=6 :? 2 42C 2D 96 2EE6>AE65 E@ A2DD E96> :? 2? F?>2C<65 G69:4=6 @?
ICE Agent Charged With Assault After Motorists Say He Brandished Gun
Prosecutors in Minneapolis on Thursday charged a federal immigration agent with assault, accusing the agent of pointing a gun at motorists along a state highway during the immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities in February. kAmxE H2D 2 C2C6 :?DE2?46 @7 DE2E6 AC@D64FE@CD 492C8:?8 2 7656C2= 286?E 7@C @?\5FEJ 24E:@?D[ 2?5 E96 7:CDE DF49 42D6[ @77:4:2=D D2:5[ 4@??64E65 E@ E96 7656C2= 8@G6C?>6?EVD `_\H66< @A6C2E:@? :? |:??6D@E2]k^Am kAm%96 AC@D64FE@C :? w6??6A:?
Observing Ramadan Feels Different This Year for Minnesota’s Somali Community
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Observing Ramadan Feels Different This Year for Minnesota’s Somali Community Faith leaders said many people were still afraid to leave their homes, even after the weekslong federal immigration crackdown ended. Men gathering to pray last month at the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minn.Credit...Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times Sheila M.
Observing Ramadan Feels Different This Year for Minnesota’s Somali Community Original
For members of Minnesota’s close-knit Somali community, many of whom are Muslim, Ramadan is typically a time of reflection, with a renewed focus on community and helping others. This year, however, the weekslong presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul has created an atmosphere of fear and apprehension that remains even after the Trump administration said last week that immigration officers were, in large part, leaving the area.
Observing Ramadan Feels Different This Year for Minnesota's Somali Community
For members of Minnesota's close-knit Somali community, many of whom are Muslim, Ramadan is typically a time of reflection, with a renewed focus on community and helping others. kAm%9:D J62C[ 9@H6G6C[ E96 H66<D=@?8 AC6D6?46 @7 x>>:8C2E:@? 2?5 rFDE@>D t?7@C46>6?E 286?ED :? E96 %H:? r:E:6D @7 |:??62A@=:D 2?5 $E] !2F= 92D 4C62E65 2? 2E>@DA96C6 @7 762C 2?5 2AAC696?D:@? E92E C6>2:?D 6G6? 27E6C E96 %CF>A 25>:?:DEC2E:@? D2:5 =2DE H66< E92E :>>:8C2E:@? @77:46CD H6C6[ :?
Grief, Whistles and Bad Dreams: Minnesotans Describe 2 Months in an Immigration Crackdown
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. People gathered around a makeshift memorial after Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive-care nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, was shot and killed by federal agents.Credit...Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times Supported by SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Listen to this article · 8:56 min Learn more Jan.
Grief, Whistles and Bad Dreams: Minnesotans Describe 2 Months in an Immigration Crackdown
Molly Phipps, a consultant in St. Paul, Minnesota, never considered herself much of a crier. kAm%92E H2D 367@C6 ~A6C2E:@? |6EC@ $FC86 :? E96 %H:? r:E:6Di 367@C6 C@G:?8 7656C2= 286?ED 2CC6DE65 E9@FD2?5D DFDA64E65 @7 :==682= :>>:8C2E:@? 2?5 <:==65 EH@ &]$] 4:E:K6?D[ 367@C6 E96 AC@E6DED[ E96 762C @7 8@:?8 @FE :?
Grief, Whistles and Bad Dreams: Minnesotans Describe 2 Months in an Immigration Crackdown
Molly Phipps, a consultant in St. Paul, Minnesota, never considered herself much of a crier. kAm%92E H2D 367@C6 ~A6C2E:@? |6EC@ $FC86 :? E96 %H:? r:E:6Di 367@C6 C@G:?8 7656C2= 286?ED 2CC6DE65 E9@FD2?5D DFDA64E65 @7 :==682= :>>:8C2E:@? 2?5 <:==65 EH@ &]$] 4:E:K6?D[ 367@C6 E96 AC@E6DED[ E96 762C @7 8@:?8 @FE :?
Médicos ofrecen consejos para evitar a ICE al buscar servicios de salud
Esta semana, más de 40 médicos que representan a los principales sistemas y organizaciones de salud de Minnesota se reunieron para denunciar cómo la intensa presencia del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE) en el estado está perjudicando a los pacientes. A medida que proliferan las historias de agentes de ICE obstaculizando la atención médica, el miedo ha pasado a ser la prioridad por encima de la salud, señalaron los médicos.
Doctors offer tips for avoiding ICE when seeking health care
More than 40doctors representing Minnesota’s major health systems and organizations came together this week to share how the intense U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in the state is harming patients. As stories of ICE agents impeding health care proliferate, fear has taken priority over health concerns, the doctors said. Patients are skipping appointments in “alarming” numbers and leaving prescriptions on pharmacy shelves, they said.
National Anger Spills Into Target Stores, Again
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Target finds itself once again mixed up in America’s latest rancorous political divide as it faces pressure from residents, clergy and others to respond after immigration agents tackled a store worker and shoved him into an S.U.V. Cellphone videos show that Border Patrol agents detained two employees at the Target store in Richfield, Minn., last week. Both employees appeared to have been filming the agents, and one of them had been directing expletives at them.
National Anger Spills Into Target Stores, Again
Target finds itself once again mixed up in America's latest rancorous political divide as it faces pressure from residents, clergy and others to respond after immigration agents tackled a store worker and shoved him into an SUV. kAmr6==A9@?6 G:56@D D9@H E92E q@C56C !2EC@= 286?ED 56E2:?65 EH@ 6>A=@J66D 2E E96 %2C86E DE@C6 :? #:497:6=5[ |:??6D@E2[ =2DE H66<] q@E9 6>A=@J66D 2AA62C65 E@ 92G6 366? 7:=>:?8 E96 286?ED[ 2?5 @?6 @7 E96> 925 366?
National Anger Spills Into Target Stores, Again
Target finds itself once again mixed up in America's latest rancorous political divide as it faces pressure from residents, clergy and others to respond after immigration agents tackled a store worker and shoved him into an SUV. kAmr6==A9@?6 G:56@D D9@H E92E q@C56C !2EC@= 286?ED 56E2:?65 EH@ 6>A=@J66D 2E E96 %2C86E DE@C6 :? #:497:6=5[ |:??6D@E2[ =2DE H66<] q@E9 6>A=@J66D 2AA62C65 E@ 92G6 366? 7:=>:?8 E96 286?ED[ 2?5 @?6 @7 E96> 925 366?
One State, Two Very Different Views of Minneapolis
The regulars file into Ye Olde Pickle Factory in Nisswa, Minnesota, before 10 a.m. most days, taking their seats at the bar. Chili pepper lights hang from the ceiling, and neon beer signs glow against wood-paneled walls. A television flickers on. "The Price Is Right" is about to start. kAm%96J 92G6 366? 5@:?8 E9:D D:?46 E96 >:5\`hg_D[ 82E96C:?8 :? E9:D D>2==[ 5:> C@@>[ H2:E:?8 7@C D@>6@?6 @? E96 82>6 D9@H E@ DA:? 6I24E=J S` @? E96 3:8 H966=] (96? E92E 92AA6?D[ 6G6CJ@?6 C646:G6D 2 E@<6?
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Outside of the Twin Cities area, at places like Ye Olde Pickle Factory in Nisswa, Minn., support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement is widespread.Credit... Supported by SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Listen to this article · 8:54 min Learn more Jan.
One State, Two Very Different Views of Minneapolis
The regulars file into Ye Olde Pickle Factory in Nisswa, Minnesota, before 10 a.m. most days, taking their seats at the bar. Chili pepper lights hang from the ceiling, and neon beer signs glow against wood-paneled walls. A television flickers on. "The Price Is Right" is about to start. kAm%96J 92G6 366? 5@:?8 E9:D D:?46 E96 >:5\`hg_D[ 82E96C:?8 :? E9:D D>2==[ 5:> C@@>[ H2:E:?8 7@C D@>6@?6 @? E96 82>6 D9@H E@ DA:? 6I24E=J S` @? E96 3:8 H966=] (96? E92E 92AA6?D[ 6G6CJ@?6 C646:G6D 2 E@<6?
One State, Two Very Different Views of Minneapolis
The regulars file into Ye Olde Pickle Factory in Nisswa, Minnesota, before 10 a.m. most days, taking their seats at the bar. Chili pepper lights hang from the ceiling, and neon beer signs glow against wood-paneled walls. A television flickers on. "The Price Is Right" is about to start. kAm%96J 92G6 366? 5@:?8 E9:D D:?46 E96 >:5\`hg_D[ 82E96C:?8 :? E9:D D>2==[ 5:> C@@>[ H2:E:?8 7@C D@>6@?6 @? E96 82>6 D9@H E@ DA:? 6I24E=J S` @? E96 3:8 H966=] (96? E92E 92AA6?D[ 6G6CJ@?6 C646:G6D 2 E@<6?
Risk Factors for Developing Vaginal Atrophy
The main cause of vaginal atrophy (VA), or genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), is simple: lack of estrogen. Most often, menopause is the clear culprit of plummeting estrogen, which can lead to this natural thinning and drying out of the vagina. But there are a few other risk factors that can cause estrogen to decrease and the condition to develop. In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health, 15% of women experience VA symptoms before menopause.
9 Sneaky Vaginal Atrophy Symptoms
If you have vaginal atrophy (VA) and experience symptoms, then you probably know all too well the common ones—pain during sex, itchy genitals, a burning sensation in your vagina. But did you know that VA can affect much more than that, causing a variety of other symptoms including urinary-related issues, a reason it was renamed genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM)? To find out about some sneaky symptoms you might not have suspected as being VA/GSM related, read on.
Top Doctors: Decoding Immunity
A century ago, smallpox was an unbridled threat, the leading cause of death around the world, claiming upwards of 300 million lives in the 20th century alone. Now, as a result of routine inoculations over the years to combat this disease, it has been eradicated.
Do Boycotts Make a Difference?
Standing in line at Costco recently, an acquaintance looked at her watch. She’d spent hours on this shopping excursion, one that would have taken about 15 minutes with her laptop and Target Circle Card. But she’d cancelled her Target card to join in the boycott of the Minnesota-based big-box store. Wielding her giant Costco cart, she wondered if she was actually making a difference.
6 Ways to Cut Back on Ultraprocessed Foods (UPFs)
Perfection is the enemy of the good, especially when you’re trying to cut down on ultraprocessed foods (UPFs), says Nichola Ludlam-Raine, RD, author of How Not to Eat Ultra-Processed: Your 4-Week Plan for Life-Changing Healthier Eating Habits. UPFs account for almost three-quarters of America’s food supply, meaning the hunt for minimally processed foods can be tricky, especially in social situations. Ludlam-Raine encourages people to be gentle with themselves rather than strive for perfection.
In the state of hockey, climate change is leading to fewer skating rinks
MINNEAPOLIS — On a recent 35-degree day, skaters dressed in bright snowsuits and stocking caps flew across an outdoor hockey rink while school-age children laced up in a warming house and teetered onto the rink. For decades, rinks like the one in Bryant Square Park in south Minneapolis have served as local winter escapes, drawing thousands of residents to Friday night bonfires, pickup hockey games and children’s birthday parties. But climate change is threatening the future of the city’s rinks.
Chamber Made
When Sheila Holleran found out she would need 40 sessions of hyperbaric treatment to preserve tissue and organs damaged during radiation treatment for cervical cancer that had spread throughout her body, she was immediately overwhelmed. On top of being a single parent with young children, it was a lot. But within a week, she had changed her mindset about the whole thing. Electronic devices aren’t allowed in hyperbaric chambers, because the higher pressure in the room could cause them to spark.
What Are the Earliest Known Origins of Bird Flu?
Bird flu, or avian influenza, might seem like a relatively new phenomenon to the general public. But the disease, technically called Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), has been sickening birds since the 1800s, and likely much longer. And in humans, cases date at least as back to the 1918 flu pandemic. If scientists could have surveyed wastewater hundreds of years ago, they might have found it had been circulating for much longer.
Why are K’nyaw and Karenni teens at risk of opioid abuse?
Over the past year, Sahan Journal has taken a close look at the opioid crisis in Minnesota. We analyzed five years’ worth of death records to determine which communities have been most vulnerable to the deadly drugs. We found that the death rate from overdoses increased for communities of color over the five years, while the rate dipped slightly among white people.
What Happened to Paul Wellstone's Campaign Bus?
On a Monday morning in mid-October, a group of area bus folks gathers inside a repair bay at Benjamin Bus in Northfield. The people are from different companies and different areas of the state, but they’ve joined forces to help a friend with a project: to make the late Senator Paul Wellstone’s famous green bus ready to roll again. In true Wellstone fashion, Dave Wellstone—said friend and Paul and Sheila’s son—has the team gathered in a circle.
On Book Bans and Minnesota
Ricardo Galaviz was barely a teenager when he found a book that changed his life. The short story “Am I Blue?” by Bruce Coville, within a book of the same name, validated his experiences as a gay boy growing up at a time when homosexuality was largely ignored or hidden. When his parents found the book, they made him return it to the library.
How Four Women on White Earth Beat Opioid Addiction
This story is being co-published with Sahan Journal. On White Earth Reservation in northeastern Minnesota, a culturally specific treatment program helps Native parents struggling with opioid addiction. The Maternal Outreach and Mitigation Services (MOMS) program serves any pregnant or postpartum parent with substance problems. They just have to get there. Some participants come from 60 miles away.
Native-led Program Rewrites the Rules for Moms' Opioid Recovery
Every morning, the moms would gather in a circle for their daily group meeting, their babies within arm’s reach in bouncy chairs or car seats or cribs. The significant others of the moms remained in the parking lot, waiting outside — often for hours, since the women were in no rush to leave. After their group sessions, most of the women would cross the hallway to a spacious kitchen overlooking a play area for the toddlers.
How four women on White Earth beat opioid addiction
On White Earth Reservation in northeastern Minnesota, a culturally specific treatment program helps Native parents struggling with opioid addiction. The Maternal Outreach and Mitigation Services (MOMS) program serves any pregnant or postpartum parent with substance problems. Some participants come from 60 miles away. By the time these parents arrive at MOMS, their substance use has often led to significant problems with employment, housing and child custody.
Native women from White Earth are reinventing opioid treatment
Every morning, the moms would gather in a circle for their daily group meeting, their babies within arm’s reach in bouncy chairs or car seats or cribs. The significant others of the moms remained in the parking lot, waiting outside — often for hours, since the women were in no rush to leave. After their group sessions, most of the women would cross the hallway to a spacious kitchen overlooking a play area for the toddlers.
Native mothers know the generational trauma of losing their children. One White Earth mother describes how she rewrote the script.
Lacy Armstrong, 37 Recovery and Treatment Coordinator at White Earth Substance Abuse Program Doula-in-training Mother of four Home town: Mahnomen Tribal affiliation: Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Nine years of sobriety Looking back on it, Lacy Armstrong says, a successful life path was right in front of her. She wears a “We Recover” T-shirt over a traditional floral ribbon skirt, with earrings in the shape of flowers and bright lipstick. Her braid reaches to her waist, and she is quick to smile.
A White Earth mother used opioids with her partner. A special treatment program helped them get sober together.
Teah Lovejoy, 35 Recovery Treatment Coordinator Mother of four Home town: Mahnomen Tribal affiliation: Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe in South Dakota Seven years of sobriety As a teenager, Teah Lovejoy was opposed to substances: She didn’t want to smoke cigarettes or drink. The only drug she took was Tylenol. But by the time she was 20, she couldn’t get through one of her waitressing shifts without pain from rheumatoid arthritis, she says.
‘I help others now’: A Native mother reflects on overcoming the shame of addiction
A.B., 31 Alcohol and drug counselor Mother of two Tribal affiliation: member of White Earth Nation Nine years of sobriety Her kids are now school age, but A.B., who requested to be identified by her initials only, says specific memories from their early childhood still haunt her. A.B. wears a red, black and gray ribbon skirt, flip-flops, and a red Under Armour T-shirt, her hair in a sleek high bun.
A Native recovery program becomes a mother’s safe space
Cassie Person, 36 Alcohol and drug counselor Mom of two biological children and two “bonus” children Home town: Naytahwaush Tribal affiliation: Member of White Earth Nation Seven years of sobriety Cassie Person spent her childhood in foster care, living with several families until she found a longer-term home. As soon as she aged out of that system, though, she returned to White Earth. There, she found that her biological brother and her sister were both using drugs.
Minnesota program helps immigrants cope with parenting stress
Any parent who has struggled with bedtime, carpool schedules, child care, naps, or temper tantrums knows that raising kids can be stressful. But the amount and intensity of parental stress has reached the point of a public health crisis, affecting a third of all parents. In late August, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who is also a dad, that parents’ mental health is in jeopardy.
How Radiocarbon Dating Unlocks Ancient History
In the late 1940s, a chemist at the University of Chicago suspected that he could calculate the age of an object using simple calculations based on its carbon-14 content (or that of the surrounding material). So Willard Libby borrowed a few random objects from museums with verified ages—a sandal found in a cave in Oregon, linen wrappings from the Dead Sea Scrolls and even a charred piece of bread from Pompeii—and tested his theory.
Measles outbreak spreads to Minneapolis elementary school
A measles outbreak in Hennepin County has spread to an elementary school in Minneapolis, bringing the total number of cases in Minnesota, since May, to 51. Minnesota Department of Health officials are contacting unvaccinated students who may have been exposed. Minneapolis Public Schools asked parents via email to vaccinate their families and update immunization records. School and health officials declined to name the school, citing privacy concerns.
What Somali families need to know about measles and vaccines
Get in touch Do you have a news tip or story idea to share with us? Did you witness an incident that you think we should write about? We want to hear from you. Send us an email at contact@sahanjournal.com. Be as detailed as possible. Leave us a message at 612-548-4344. Have questions about your recurring donation to Sahan Journal, want to change your donation, or interested in becoming a sustainer? Contact us at membership@sahanjournal.com.
Measles outbreak spreads to Minneapolis elementary school
A measles outbreak in Hennepin County has spread to an elementary school in Minneapolis, bringing the total number of cases in Minnesota, since May, to 51. Minnesota Department of Health officials are contacting unvaccinated students who may have been exposed. Minneapolis Public Schools asked parents via email to vaccinate their families and update immunization records. School and health officials declined to name the school, citing privacy concerns.
Measles outbreak affects at least 30 in Minnesota, closes Somali religious school
By Sheila Mulrooney Eldred | Sahan Journal This story comes to you from Sahan Journal through a partnership with MPR News. A measles outbreak that began in May in Minnesota has spread to 30 people, primarily infecting children in the Somali community. One dugsi, or Islamic religious school, has voluntarily closed in order to curtail the spread, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. About a third of the patients have required hospitalization, a state spokesperson said.
Measles outbreak affects 36 Minnesotans, closes Islamic school
A measles outbreak in Minnesota has spread to 36 people, primarily infecting children in the Somali community. One dugsi, or Islamic religious school, has voluntarily closed in order to curtail the spread, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. About a third of the patients have required hospitalization, a state spokesperson said. All but one were unvaccinated. Of the 36 cases, about 30 are in the Somali community, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
Mayo Clinic Solves Beethoven Mystery
This page is available to subscribers. Sign up to Daily Edit to get unlimited access. Sarah Erdahl anxiously awaited the package from Australia. When it was finally delivered to her desk, says Erdahl—the technical specialist coordinator at the Metals Lab at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester—her heart raced with anticipation. The cargo inside was almost 200 years old.
Genetic testing could solve family health mysteries for international adoptees in Minnesota
Born in Korea and raised in a small Minnesota town, Lee is among an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Korean adoptees in the state. Children’s Home Society of Minnesota and Lutheran Social Services started organizing Korean adoptions programs in the late 1960s, giving Minnesota the highest concentration of Korean adoptees of any state. Like many adoptees, Lee was curious about her origin family and biological health history.
International adoption leads to family health mysteries for Minnesotans
Heewon Lee spoke at the International Conference on Adoption Research (ICAR8) in mid-July at the University of Minnesota. Credit: Sheila M. Eldred Every time Heewon Lee goes to a medical appointment — for a routine physical, or an eye check, or even to get her teeth cleaned — she braces herself for the inevitable question: “What’s your family health history?” Like most adoptees, Lee doesn’t know whether cancer or high cholesterol runs in her biological family.
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