Illinois and All- Two Great Authors

Angela Raines: Illinois is More: 

When people think of Illinois they usually think of Chicago and/or Abraham Lincoln. Of course, there is much more to this state, of which I’ve written about before. So, for something a bit different, I thought I’d talk about the rivers that meander their way through the state.

If you look at a map, you will find the following rivers:

Rock River, Green River, Edwards River, Spoon River, Fox River, Des Plaines River, Kankakee River, Illinois River, Mackinaw River, Sangamon River, La Moine River, Kaskaskia River, Wabash River, and Big Muddy. Add to these rivers the Mississippi River which runs along the western border of the state, and the Ohio River which covers the lower eastern and bottom of the state. Of course Lake Michigan borders Chicago, but this post is about the rivers.

As you can see a fair number of waterways run through this state. Yet, there are areas where you see irrigation in many a farmland crops.

The Rock River begins in Wisconsin and runs approximately 300 miles to the Mississippi. It was called the Sinnissippi by the early natives. In Illinois, the city of Rockford, Dixon and of course Rock Island are major center along this waterway. The Green River is a tributary of the Rock River which is about ninety miles long.

The Edwards River is a tributary of the Mississippi, seventy-three miles long. This river, like the above mentioned waterways runs through the north/northwest part of the state.

Many people may recognize Spoon River from the classic Edgar Lee Masters, “Spoon River Anthology”. This river, is a one hundred forty-seven mile tributary of the Illinois River that runs through the west central part of the state.

The Fox River, running west of Chicago through Naperville, is also a tributary of the Illinois River. It also has it’s beginnings in Wisconsin. Running just over two hundred miles, it joins the Illinois at Ottawa Illinois.

The Des Plaines and Kankakee Rivers meet to become the Illinois River. The Des Plaines begins in Wisconsin and flows almost straight south to Channonnon where it meets the Kankakee. The Kankakee begins in Indiana and flows west to meet the Des Plaines.

The Illinois River runs through the central part of the state from the Chicago area to just north of St. Louis, Missouri, where it joins the Mississippi. The Mackinaw, Sangamon and La Moine Rivers join up with the Illinois River on its southern trek to join the Mississippi. I remember crossing Spoon River, La  Moine and Sangamon in addition to the Illinois on various trips through Havana, Beardstown and Springfield, Illinois.

At three hundred plus miles the Kaskaskia River is the states second longest river system and a tributary of the Mississippi. It flows through the central and southern part of the state. The town of Kaskaskia was where the river originally met the Mississippi. It was a former state capital of Illinois, but when the river changes course in the 1881 flood, the town was cut off from the rest of the state.

The Wabash River is part of the eastern border of Illinois, as it flows into the Ohio River. Primarily running through Ohio and Indiana, this five hundred mile waterway has lent its name to many a story, town and county.

The last river, which also joins the Mississippi, is the Big Muddy in southern Illinois. At one hundred fifty miles long, it flows from Centralia Illinois, to South of Murphysboro, Illinois where it joins the Mississippi.

There are many other creeks, and smaller rivers that cross the state. Most are now recreational areas, or have been dammed to form lakes, but when the state was being settled these waterways were important. Take some time and see how the rivers help make the state of Illinois what it is today.

Doris/Angela has a new novel “The Outlaw’s Letter” part of the Lockets and Lace Series that will be released as an e-book on April 6, 2019. This book is also part of the Kiowa Wells series. The first two books are “Josie’s Dream” and “Chasing A Chance”. One person chosen from those who comment will have a choice of any of the three e-books

Angela Raines is the pen name for Doris McCraw. Doris is an author, historian, poet and actor/musician. She moved from the historically rich region of West Central Illinois to the equally history rich Colorado. Many of her works focus on the history that has surrounded her all her life. You can find her fiction work on her Amazon author page: https://amzn.to/2JqANcU.

Non-Fiction Author: Dr. James Baird - Feel Good Hormones:

When we ask ourselves what makes us happy, we usually think of the circumstances, possessions, or relationships. Sadly, we spend most of our lives pursuing these myths of happiness. Although these myths   may have a short-term positive affect, we   soon return to our genetic happiness setpoint {see genetic setpoint). In reality, what is commonly thought of as happiness is largely a chemical experience designed by evolution rather than our quest for fame and fortune.

Four main neurochemicals, hormones, and neurotransmitters generated in the brain are fundamentally responsible for creating the sensations and emotions we’ve come to associate with happiness. It means even when circumstances ebb and flow, there are epigenetic mechanism that can increase our happy brain chemicals and alter our emotions.

1. Endorphins

Endorphins are opioid neuropeptides, which means they are produced by the central nervous system to help us deal with physical pain. One non-painful way to induce endorphins is exercise. Endorphins are released after both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. In one study, as little as 30 minutes of walking on a treadmill for 10 days in a row was sufficient to produce a significant reduction in depression among clinically depressed subjects. If you don't participate in strenuous athletics, you can also try various activities to increase your body's endorphin levels. Studies show  that that acupuncture and massage therapy have shown that both of these techniques can stimulate endorphin secretion.

Stress and pain are the two most common factors leading to the release of endorphins. Endorphins interact with the opiate receptors in the brain to reduce our perception of pain and act similarly to drugs such as morphine and codeine. In contrast to the opiate drugs, however, activation of the opiate receptors by the body's endorphins does not lead to addiction or dependence.

2. Serotonin

Serotonin may be the best-known happiness chemical because it’s the one that antidepressant medication primarily addresses. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is naturally triggered by several things we can do each day. Exercise and happy thoughts also stimulate production of this chemical. Some research has found that a higher intake of tryptophan-heavy foods, relative to other foods in the diet, may do the trick as well. Less sunlight may cause a drop serotonin, a neurotransmitter (chemical messengers that help the brain to function) which in turn, can trigger low mood. While serotonin levels may dip with less exposure to sunlight, many people suffer from low serotonin year-round. Serotonin is known as the “don’t worry, be happy” soothing neurotransmitter. It plays multiple roles in the brain’s biochemistry.

  

If you find yourself worried, rigid, having low mood or energy, or experiencing poor sleep, you may have a serotonin issue. Try one of these strategies to increase your serotonin levels:

1.    Exercise is a serotonin intervention – it boosts serotonin in your brain. The more you exercise the more serotonin you have available in your system. In fact, multiple research studies have demonstrated that exercise is at least equally effective at increasing available serotonin as serotonin-enhancing medications are, and in some cases,  exercise is more effective.

2.    As much as 95 percent of the serotonin in your body is produced in your gut, so strategies designed to optimize gut production of serotonin could certainly go a long way toward optimizing your mental health. Make sure you are taking a quality probiotic, properly hydrating, and eating a brain-healthy diet.

3.    There are two ways that food can increase serotonin levels. Foods high in simple carbohydrates, such as pastas, potatoes, bread, pastries, pretzels, and popcorn, increase insulin levels and allow more tryptophan (the natural amino acid building block for serotonin) to enter the brain, where it is converted to serotonin.

4.    The calming effect of serotonin can often be felt in thirty minutes or less by eating these foods. This may be one of the reasons simple carbohydrates are so addictive. They can be used to make you feeI happy, but more healthy are complex carbohydrates, such as sweet potatoes, apples, blueberries, carrots, and garbanzo beans, as a healthier way to boost serotonin.

3. Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter often referred to as the “chemical of reward.” When you score a goal, hit a target, or accomplish a task, you receive a pleasurable hit of dopamine in your brain that tells you you’ve done a good job. But you can also get a natural dose of dopamine when you perform acts of kindness toward others.

Volunteering has been shown to increase dopamine as well as have other long-term health benefits. And some research has even found that it only takes thoughts of loving kindness to bring on the dopamine high.

Dopamine is the chemical that mediates pleasure in the brain. It is released during pleasurable situations and stimulates one to seek out the pleasurable activity or occupation. This means food, sex, and several drugs of abuse are also stimulants of dopamine release in the brain, particularly in the prefrontal cortex.

Dopamine and addiction

Cocaine and amphetamines inhibit the re-uptake of dopamine. Cocaine is a dopamine transporter blocker that competitively inhibits dopamine uptake to increase the presence of dopamine.

Amphetamine increases the concentration of dopamine in the synaptic gap, but by a different mechanism. Amphetamines are similar in structure to dopamine, and so can enter the presynaptic neuron via its dopamine transporters. By entering, amphetamines force dopamine molecules out of their storage vesicles. By increasing presence of dopamine both these lead to increased pleasurable feelings and addiction.

Dopamine helps in focus and attention. Vision helps a dopamine response in the brain and this in turn helps one to focus and direct their attention. Dopamine may be responsible for determining what stays in the short-term memory based on an imagined response to certain information.

Dopamine in cognition

Dopamine in the frontal lobes of the brain controls the flow of information from other areas of the brain. Disorders of dopamine in this region lead to decline in neurocognitive functions, especially memory, attention, and problem-solving.

of dopamine.

4.Oxytocin

Mothers may be familiar with oxytocin, the hormone produced in abundance during pregnancy and breastfeeding.   Oxytocin is primarily associated with loving touch and close relationships.

This hormone provides a multiple whammy of warm fuzzies, by stimulating dopamine and serotonin, while reducing anxiety. To get your hit of oxytocin, give someone you love a cuddle. Even a pet will do.

 But luckily, our brains and bodies are constantly undergoing complex chemical processes that we can affect with our daily actions. Once we understand how our feel-good hormones and neurotransmitters work, we may be able to trigger them more easily than we realized.

James D. Baird, Ph.D. has more than forty years of experience as a successful inventor and graduate engineer. A pioneer in the new science of ultrasonics, Baird has earned several patents and as a successful entrepreneur founded Dynasonics, Inc. a design and manufacturing company of ultrasonic sensors and computers. 

His inventor background instilled in him a persistent curiosity about how things work, translating from mechanisms to life. His passion for understanding the bioengineering that makes us human combined with his religious and spiritual beliefs has led him to research the subject of happiness for more than 20 years, and in the process, earned him a Ph.D. in Natural Health.
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(Info provided and released by authors)