Fall with our four-legged friends (BPT) – The dog days of summer are over and your furry family member is up and ready to play! It’s the time of year when even pets can get excited about the season and all the autumn outdoor activities families may enjoy. It’s also a time of year that can come with some hazards and vulnerabilities for our four-legged friends. Here are a few reminders to keep your pet happy and healthy, as the crisp apple-spiced air makes its fall appearance. Fall is a great time to take advantage of healthy, active play with your pet to encourage and strengthen the human-animal bond. In addition, active play develops healthy movement and cardiovascular endurance for you and your dog, especially when exercise can tend to decline during the colder months and holiday party season. A simple game of fetch offers both! It’s a great way to make fetch happen with your dog’s favorite Chuckit! launcher and ball. The essence of fetch play satisfies their natural instincts to chase, while encouraging healthy and happy movement. Speaking of cooler weather and active play, this time of year can certainly put a little more stress on your pet’s…

(BPT) – Bring the gift of nutrition to holiday gatherings by incorporating sweet cherries into your favorite menu. It may not seem the season for cherries, but this is the time to raid the summer stash that has been frozen, dried or canned. Adding a bright, festive touch, sweet cherries will provide a boost of flavor and nutrition to power you into the new year. “The holidays are a perfect time to unleash the goodness locked into preserved sweet cherries to help stay in peak health during the busy season,” said Mia Syn, a registered dietitian nutritionist. “Change up traditional cranberry sauce with a cherry-cranberry version – it’s low in sugar, quick, easy and versatile. Add some ginger or orange peel to complement your menu, and you may have a new, nutritious winter favorite.” Try your hand at cherry-cranberry sauce, and make the holidays brighter with these five hidden health benefits: 1. Reduce oxidative stress If there’s a time to reduce stress, the holidays are it. Oxidative stress results when free radicals and antioxidants are out of balance in your body. Normally, free radicals help fight off pathogens that can lead to infection or disease, but too many can attack…

(BPT) – You may have noticed more appetizers and entrees draped with pickled onions in the last couple of years. You may even have been adventurous enough to try them, learning how their tartness and onion flavor kick every dish up a notch. Pickling has been around some 4,000 years to preserve vegetables. It became popular in 18th century England to preserve food, according to savoringthepast.net. Pickled onions are traditionally served with fish and chips or with what is called a ploughman’s lunch, a dish of bread, cheese and onions – part of the English diet for centuries. Today, pickled onions are used all over the world in a variety of dishes. As with fashion, food trends come and go, and the pickled onion has made a resurgence in the U.S. in recent years. According to a Datassential survey on menu trends, the use of pickled onions has grown 191 percent in restaurants and diners in the U.S. in the last four years. From 2016-17, their use grew 8 percent. Chefs have learned the pickled onion adds an interesting twist when paired with burgers, dogs, salads and sandwiches. Adding pickled onions to your dishes doesn’t have to be the work…

Is your home all decked out for Halloween? The family had a blast taking a hay ride and picking out their pumpkins to adorn the home, all bright and orange and glossy.  Bet you didn’t know that beautify baby is packed with nutrition! Pumpkins are classified as a fruit of the Cucurbitaceae family, which also includes squash, gourds and melons. They are incredibly edible. So when the doorbell stops ringing with the trick or treaters, don’t toss it!  Your phenomenal little pumpkin is packed in fiber and mood boosters, low in calories, and abounding with disease-fighting nutrients.  Even better, it isn’t just the pumpkin that contains potassium, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and vitamins C and E. Those tasty little seeds carry nutritious protein, potassium, magnesium and fiber. Carotenoids are the key… deep orange, yellow, or red-colored, fat-soluble compounds found in an assortment of plants. attract birds and insects for pollination as well as protect the plants from sun damage. A half-cup serving of pumpkin gives you more than two times the recommended daily dietary intake of alpha-carotene and 100 percent of the recommended daily dietary goal of beta-carotene. Carotenoids have been shown to: decrease the risk of various cancers, including lung, colon,…

Arthritis describes a condition of inflamed and swollen joints. Advanced arthritis results in the painful breakdown of cartilage – the body’s natural cushion between bones. Arthritis symptoms range from being merely an inconvenience to completely disabling, depending on the type and the severity. It falls into two broad categories: Osteoarthritis: Often described as the “wear and tear” type of arthritis, osteoarthritis is a problem of the cartilage, the tissue that provides cushioning and lubrication between bones. With age and use, cartilage can break down and the bones will rub against one another without protection. That causes stiffness, pain and limited mobility in the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by long-term inflammation of the lining of the joints. The inflammation damages the joint tissue. That can cause pain and disability. The causes of rheumatoid arthritis are not well understood. However each year brings new hope for victims – as drug therapy, joint protection and exercise techniques improve. How rehabilitation can make a difference Inpatient rehabilitation therapy can make a real difference and enhance other forms of treatment. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control recommends rigorous physical activity for arthritis. Although there isn’t yet a cure, our arthritis inpatient rehabilitation program…