Laurel Dewey – Author

As a professional author, I understand stress. I know what a looming deadline feels like in the gut. I comprehend what an all-night re-write does to the brain. I really get what waiting for the reviews can do to my adrenal glands. While I wouldn’t choose any other profession, I’m patently aware that my chosen occupation requires a certain amount of physical support that’s beyond a brisk walk to clear the head. As I get older, I’m reminded repeatedly how without that support, I’d be operating way below par.

Twenty years ago when I got my first “real” writing job in Los Angeles, I knew nothing about herbs called “adaptogens.” I wish I had known because I probably wouldn’t have burnt out so quickly three years later at the age of thirty-one. To call my adrenal glands toast would be putting it mildly. The fatigue I felt from burning the candle at both ends was chronic and it took years to replenish my body.

It wasn’t until about ten years ago that I learned about one of the premier adaptogens on this planet: Rhodiola. I remember it well because I’d just finished writing my second non-fiction book (a book on plant medicine, ironically) and was in the midst of traveling extensively around the country to promote it. During one of the stops at an alternative health convention, I talked to someone who was raving about Rhodiola Rosea. I was convinced after speaking to her that this odd sounding herb (also known as Golden Root) was one of the herbal tickets I needed to sustain my health.

For the next five years, I tried various brands of Rhodiola but I truly wasn’t sold on just how good this plant medicine was until I stumbled upon Ameriden and their Rosavin Plus. After about three weeks on two capsules a day, I felt an absolute evening out of my stress reactions. After two months on it, I noticed that I was able to focus much better on writing projects and that my general fatigue I’d fought for years was becoming less of an issue.

Around this time, I finished my first novel, Protector, and was working on the sequel, Redemption—a book that was extremely emotionally driven and often draining on the psyche. Simultaneously, both my parents had serious health problems and so I found myself finishing Redemption while traveling out of state to tend to my ailing parents. I can honestly say that there is NO way I could have completed the book and dealt with the enormous personal stress without the aid of Rosavin Plus. Because I’d already been taking it for about one year, my body was in great shape and able to deflect the nervous tension and anxiety.Z

During that same time, I learned about Beta Factor and started taking it to strengthen my immune system. Again, I found that the Beta Factor quickly buffered my immunity. While people around me were getting sick, I was amazingly resilient.

Since then, I’ve also come to rely on EZ-Energy, which I take before I exercise or embark on any strenuous physical work. That product is awesome as well. We live in high altitude here in Colorado and I’ve noticed that the EZ-Energy allows me to breathe more deeply and I struggle less with maintaining my momentum when I’m bicycling or walking up steep mountains.

My only regret is that I didn’t know the profound power of adaptogens such as Rhodiola twenty years ago. But now that I’m aware of it, I’m almost positive my adrenal glands thank that herb every day.