Desert Messenger

October 2, 2019 www.DesertMessenger.com 17 Facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews GOODBYES By Jackie Deal We've just said good-bye to a very special couple who are mov- ing out of our park and into an assisted living facility. It's not a forever good-bye. But it got me thinking about the many different kinds of good-byes in our lives. In a couple weeks I'll be heading south (Hooray!) and I'm already in good-bye mode. Mentally listing what has to be done, fi nished, completed before I leave. Things I should have done months ago but I'm a pro- crastinator. Snowbirds say good-bye every six month or so. You'd think we'd get pretty good at it but it's still painful. Leaving North friends behind and six months from now say- ing good-bye to South friends. Yet we have the best of both worlds and we never stop being thankful we live in a country where we can move so freely. And we're thankful for facilities and good friends in both places. The good-bye when someone moves away; those go way back. Remem- ber when your kids left home? That was a wrenching good-bye even tho you knew it wasn't forever. Perhaps you changed jobs; those were good- byes. And now as our lives move on and we need or want more comfort and help we move to live with relatives or into assisted living sites. A friend and I visited several assisted living places and it's amazing what's available. We could live like kings and queens –if we could afford it! And then, there is the fi nal good-bye. We recently said a fi nal good-bye to a very dear lady who had brightened our lives with her presence. Though she died not knowing any of us, we still knew her. We had the oppor- tunity to say good-bye to her. Another time a friend committed suicide; we didn't have the chance to say good-bye to him. It didn't matter to him but I felt something was missing, unfi nished. So I went out into the woods and alone said a private good-bye. Are good-byes ever permanent? Those who believe in an afterlife see good-byes as "see you later". For those who don't believe? I don't know; I believe. Whether temporary or permanent, maybe good-byes aren't such a bad thing after all. Maybe they're necessary. Travelogue 2019 • Birth • Obituary • Anniversary Place it FREE in the: Desert Messenger! 928-916-4235 Got something to share? Herb Mama Herbal Adaptogens - What are they and how do they work??? More and more people say that adaptogenic herbs help with stress....but there is so much more to them that that simple statement. Adaptogens actually help the entire body. These specialized herbs seem to know what to do to for the body to help it heal. So here is the lowdown on how they work. Researchers aren't complete- ly clear on how they do their job and how they help us cope with stress. When we are stressed, the hypo- thalamus gland releases a chemical which triggers anxiety. This chemi- cal travels to the pituitary gland which then releases its own hor- mone into the bloodstream, pro- moting a surge of cortisol -- which is THE stress hormone. Constantly releasing those 2 chemi- cals/hormones takes a toll on the body and makes us feel chronically stressed and leads to 'burn out'. Therefore to lower the stress and fi ght fatigue, we must reduce the amounts of those 2 hormones and that is where adaptogens come in to play. They act like a thermostat, normalizing body imbalances and they inhibit the release of those 2 hormones and cortisol to help calm us down, but boosts our energy at the same time. Over time, stress can have adverse effects on our health, as we all know. But theses herbs help us to cope with the physical and emotional stress while giving us a subtle boost in mental clarity and physical endurance. They are also used to improve the overall health system of the adre- nals. The adrenals are in charge of managing our bodies' hormonal re- sponse to stress. But they can also fi ght fatigue, anxiety and help the body utilize oxygen more effi ciently. It's really all about balance and those adaptogens help us to keep things in balance & help to restore said balance. That's quite a bit for one herb to do, wouldn't you say?? There are many adaptogens around, but we will only go into a few.... *Asian Ginseng or Panax Ginseng -- has been shown to support physi- cal endurance and mental clarity. It contains antioxidant properties to help strengthen our immune sys- tem. *Holy Basil -- known in India as the 'elixir or anti-aging herb'. It can help us to relax and enhance the body's natural response to stress. *Ashwagandha -- tis a timeless herb in Ayurvedic medicine. It can help increase energy, endurance & lon- gevity. *Astragalus -- it strengthens the body's immune system and our internal organs over time. Cancer fi ghter. www.herbs-4-health.com carries this in tincture form! *Licorice Root -- supports & pro- tects the adrenals. Regulates hor- mone production. *Rhodiola rosea -- acts like a ther- mostat for our hormones, particu- larly cortisol. It can raise or lower the cortisol in our bodies as needed which is critical for homeostasis. This article is for educational pur- poses only. The information it contains is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure or heal any disease or ill- ness. For more information, contact Herbmama at 580-490-1770 or vis- it www.herbs-4-health.com. Don't forget to 'like' us on FB!

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