News

Another Tick-Borne Disease

| Graceful Health

By David McCormack, Grace Cottage Family Health FNP

Lyme disease is often in the news these days, so by now, most people know at least the basics about how it is contracted, what to do if you get a tick bite, and how to avoid it.

What about the other common tick-borne disease—anaplasmosis?

The Vermont Department of Health says that anaplasmosis is the second most commonly reported tick-borne disease in Vermont, and it’s on the rise. In 2011, there were only 10 cases of suspected or confirmed anaplasmosis. In 2016, there were 201.

When not diagnosed and treated properly, over one-third of those with the disease end up hospitalized, and anaplasmosis can in rare cases be fatal, especially for those with compromised immune systems. While less than 1% of people infected die as a result, this is a disease to take seriously.

One of the hardest things about diagnosing this disease is that, unlike Lyme disease, there is no telltale rash, and the symptoms are fairly common: aches and pains, headaches, chills, fever, fatigue. So how do you know if it’s anaplasmosis?

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Hypertension: What It Is, How to Manage It

| Graceful Health
Dr. Moss Linder

By Dr. Moss Linder, Grace Cottage Family Health

In the doctor’s office, emergency room and hospital, we are always on the lookout for high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. Unfortunately, in the United States, hypertension is a common condition and is prevalent in about 32% of adults 18 years or older. The prevalence is higher in people over age 60 compared to younger adults and is higher in African-Americans than white or Hispanic Americans.

Hypertension is generally referred to as a “silent illness.” That is, most people who have elevated blood pressure do not have any symptoms associated with it. Sometimes someone with hypertension may have a headache, but this is more likely an exception, rather than the rule. Therefore, it is very important to have regular blood pressure checks.

Because hypertension is usually an asymptomatic illness, it would be recommended that people check their blood pressure once a year just to make sure that it is normal. This is probably best done as part of an annual wellness examination. The frequency of checking blood pressures in a person with hypertension would be at the recommendation of their clinician.

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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.

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