News

Having Happy Feet

| Graceful Health

By Margaret van den Bergh, Grace Cottage Physical Therapist 

Are your feet happy?

Our feet hit the ground first every morning. They are so important to everything we do, but it is easy to ignore them. Many times we cram them into shoes that don’t even resemble the shape of a foot, or walk in heels that change everything about our gait. We stand on them all day long, and we carry heavy loads that add to the body weight our feet are already carrying.

The amount of force every time your heel strikes the ground can be 2.5 times your body weight and 3.5 times when running. Multiply all that force with the amount of steps that you take in a typical day, and you can begin to imagine how tough our little feet need to be to handle all that abuse. Our feet were initially designed to be barefoot and to be on softer surfaces than what modern life throws at us. 

Read More...

Doc, Should I Go to the ER?

| Graceful Health

By Dr. Kenneth Rudd, MD, MPH, MHCDS from Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital

How do you know when it’s time to go to the hospital Emergency Room versus seeking care elsewhere?

Because I work as both an Emergency Room doctor for Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital in Townshend, VT, and as a primary care doctor for Dartmouth-Hitchcock in Lebanon, NH, and have also worked for an Urgent Care Center, I enjoy helping patients navigate the best place to go for healthcare.

The Primary Care Advantage:

My main advice, which I have seen hold true all over the world, from living in China for seven years, to studying Public Health, to working at Dartmouth College and the World Health Organization on international healthcare collaborations, to global primary care research on shared decision making, is, whenever possible, see your primary care provider (PCP).  

What doctor knows you best?  Where do you have relationship and trust? If it isn’t with your PCP, then find a provider that is a good fit for you and build this. 

Read More...

Linder and Sweeney Take Home the Syrup

| In The News, News

On Saturday morning, a cheerful group of friends and neighbors converged on the Townshend Common for the ninth annual Grace Cottage “Spring into Health” 5k walk and run, which is a benefit for the local community hospital sponsored by People’s United Bank. While there were hundreds of “Girls on the Run” across the state concurrently, 98 people ran or walked the Townshend course, and plenty more participated as volunteers and cheering fans. An additional 17 people took part in the event “virtually” from remote locations.

First place male and female finishers Jorgen Sweeney of West Dover and Elkanah Linder of Townshend were rewarded with tins of syrup from Smith Family Maple, and “Most Experienced” participants Norm and Martha LaMoria of Newfane went home with salsa from Drew’s Organics. 

Read More...

Lymphedema Therapy: Not Just for Breast Cancer Survivors

| Graceful Health
Lymphedema Therapy

Abigail Abbott and Cindy Kenyon, Grace Cottage Physical Therapists

If you have had breast cancer, it’s quite likely that you’ve heard of Lymphedema. As many as 50% of breast cancer survivors must deal with this condition.

But breast cancer isn’t the only cause of Lymphedema. It can be congenital, meaning you can be born with the tendency. Or it can be caused by dysfunction of valves in the vein of an arm or leg (in medical terms, this is called chronic venous insufficiency). If you have unexplained swelling in an arm or leg, it could be due to Lymphedema.

The good news is that help is available to relieve this swelling. Specially trained therapists can offer treatment to start you in the right direction, and they can teach you to carry on with this treatment for yourself.

Further good news: Lymphedema therapists are few and far between, but Grace Cottage now has two physical therapists certified to provide this therapy, Cindy Kenyon and Abby Abbott.

In order for us to explain what is involved with Lymphedema therapy, we first need to explain what causes Lymphedema.

Read More...

Graston Technique Promotes Faster Soft Tissue Healing

| Graceful Health

By Margaret van den Bergh, PT

Graston Technique. It’s a strange-sounding name for a new physical therapy method that can help patients heal faster from soft tissue injuries like sprains, fibromyalgia, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, shin splints, trigger finger, and plantar fasciitis, to name a few.

Backed by over 20 years of research, clinical studies, and successful clinical application. GT therapy is part of the curriculum for 43 advanced degree programs in physical therapy, chiropractics, and athletic training. It is used regularly by over 250 professional and amateur sports teams and by U.S. Olympic training centers. There are over 16,000 certified physical therapists, chiropractors, and athlete trainers worldwide.

Now three Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital’s physical therapy staff members are also certified to offer this treatment: Rebecca Griswold, PTA; Melissa Walker, DPT; and me.

Read More...

Be a Life Saver!

| Graceful Health

By Dr. Timothy Shafer, Grace Cottage Family Health

Did you know that you have the potential to save eight lives, by donating your organs after you die? All across the nation, thousands of people are waiting for a heart, lung, liver, pancreas, kidney, or intestines. Others could benefit from a tissue donation. You could make the difference.

It’s understandable that talking about organ donation is difficult. Until the issue touches you directly, affecting you or someone you know, it’s easier to avoid the topic.

Consider, though, that this is one way you can save someone’s life without risk to your own.

Consider also the following illustrative story: A baby boy was born a few years ago. It should have been a happy occasion, but instead, there was much anxiety because the baby had two malfunctioning kidneys. If only one kidney was faulty, he could have survived that way.

It is actually fairly common to live with one kidney. Some people are born this way. Amazingly, others give away one of their kidneys to help someone who needs it. As long as they protect the remaining kidney, they can live normal lives.

Read More...
©2025 Grace Cottage Hospital / Site by MuseArts