News

Running is a Gift for Life

| Graceful Health

By Amby Burfoot

Question: Why run?

Answer: Walking and running are inherent human abilities–I call them “gifts.” Every physically unchallenged baby is born with the ability to flex the knees forward and back. That is, to walk and then to run. When we move in this way, we stay lean, fit, and healthy. When we sit too much, we grow round and unhealthy. Fifty years ago, science focused on the heart-health benefits of running, which have since been proven in thousands of medical studies. For the last decade, the most exciting research has investigated the mind benefits–low depression rates, and low Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline. Healthy body, healthy mind: It’s a good combination.

Q: If running is so healthy, why are runners always getting injured?

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Easy Ways to Eat Your Vegetables!

| Graceful Health

By Elizabeth Harrison, Grace Cottage Health Coach

Eat your veggies! Where have you heard that before? Vegetables are a goldmine for adding vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to your diet, and they can go a long way toward ensuring you a healthy life, important for preventing or lessening the impact of many chronic diseases.

The nutrition experts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have created the perfect visual to help you get enough of these nutrient-rich foods. Picture a round dinner plate, and divide it into fourths. Ideally, one-half of that plate will be covered with equal amounts of fruits and vegetables. On the other half, you will have a mix of grains and protein, with grains taking up more space than the protein.

This illustration is a great starting point. Some nutritionists even suggest that half your plate be covered with vegetables.

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Teaching Kids to Care for Their Teeth

| Graceful Health

By Dr. Elizabeth Linder, Grace Cottage Hospital Pediatrician

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, and this is a good opportunity to share a few tips to help children take good care of their teeth.

The condition of our teeth can affect general health, self-esteem, and even our ability to eat healthy food. That’s why it’s so important that we give our teeth the attention they deserve.

Dental hygiene should begin at birth. Parents can begin by cleaning a baby’s gums with a soft cloth or soft brush at least once a day.

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Advanced Neurological Rehabilitation

| Graceful Health

By Cindy Kenyon, Grace Cottage PT, and Melinda Roy, Grace Cottage OT

Grace Cottage Hospital offers several specialized inpatient therapies that help patients recover from a neurological issue such as a stroke or other brain injury, spinal injuries, surgical procedures, Parkinsonism, multiple sclerosis, or post-polio syndrome. Would this help someone you know? We’d like to explain some of these therapies to help you decide.

The first therapy we would like to tell you about is called “Neurodevelopmental Treatment,” or NDT for short. Using NDT, Grace Cottage’s physical, occupational, and speech therapists help patients recover their ability to move their bodies when neurological functions have been compromised.

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