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JULY 12, 2024
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Life is tough but it’s worth the struggle by Annmarie Morgan
Mental issues may awaken multiple personalities inside your mind. Sometimes I have it all together, sometimes I don’t. Anxiety and depression often combine inside you, creating a monster you must struggle against. There is no specific answer why some are plagued by this monster and some aren’t. Stressful events and trauma are common causes. Chemical imbalances may do the same. My mental stresses and physical traumas have precipitated smothering anxiety and panic attacks. My life has good parts, but tragedy as well. My mother was depressed and alcoholic. My father died from an aneurysm when I was eight. That left a hole in my soul. Anxiety and worry moved in. Years later, I married and had twins. Due to a rare disorder, one twin died in utero. Brittany was born with severe disabilities. She was chronically ill and had a multitude of problems requiring around-the-clock management for 32 years. She lived at home with me. But even during the 32 years of her life, I managed life somewhat. Doctors prescribed various antidepressants for me, but they never really helped. Side effects made it difficult to function. When Brittany passed away, grief, anguish, and additional guilt plagued me. I felt guilty about bringing her into this life and into the suffering she endured. I prayed a lot for her to get relief. I suffered dark times during her life, and after she was gone. We often blame ourselves for our children’s life difficulties. Brittany endured much. But her smile was the biggest blessing in my life. After her death, grief plagued my heart and soul, impacting my well-being. After her funeral, a fresh start somewhere else seemed invitPlease see LIFE IS TOUGH page 3
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THEUNIVERSALCURE? This stuff is amazing. In italics, no less! What are we talking about? Baking soda! Is there anything this magic dust can’t do? People use baking soda to bake bread and cookies of course, but also as a deodorant and mouthwash, to polish their silver, freshen their breath, clean their kitchens, ease the itch of bug bites, deodorize their refrigerators, eliminate stains on clothing and carpets, gargle when they have a sore throat, unclog drains, whiten loads of laundry and their teeth, dissolve baked-on, burnedon crud on pots and pans, soak their feet, and extinguish grease fires. But baking soda boasts benefits beyond its broad basic abilities. It has healthcare applications. As alluded to above, baking soda shines in oral health. The Journal of the American Dental Association put it this way: “Baking soda-containing dentifrices are ideal candidates to be considered as a universal dentifrice because baking soda is inexpensive, abundant in supply, highly biocompatible, exhibits specific antibacterial properties to oral microorganisms, has low abrasivity, and is effective in plaque biofilm removal.” A dentifrice, for the record, is a paste or powder for cleaning teeth. In another article, the same journal said a
number of clinical studies established that baking soda is more effective at stain removal and whitening than some non-baking soda-containing dentifrices. There’s more. A Medical College of Georgia study published in 2018 in the Journal of Immunology found that a daily dose of baking soda may help reduce the destructive inflammation of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. In a 2020 study published in Integrative Cancer Therapies, doctors treating cancerous tumors added a 5% baking soda solution to chemoembolization drugs with beneficial results. The National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative recommends (with appropriate doctor supervision) the use of sodium bicarbonate to treat metabolic acidosis. According to a 2021 review by the International Society of Sports Nutrition, taking baking soda before exercising can boost athletic performance. Perhaps baking soda’s most well-known claim to healthcare fame is its role in relieving heartburn and indigestion. The recipe is half & half: dissolve a half teaspooon of baking soda in a half cup (4 oz.) of water. Drink up! An important note: the Arm & Hammer label Please see BAKING SODA page 6
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