Mirror Mirror on the Wall....Organic Make Up and Skin Care Products VS Chemical Skin Care Products

I truly believe in "wishes" but this was amazing.  As I was getting ready to attend Shirley Bloethe’s Holistic Fair, I caught a reflection of myself in the mirror and discovered “Time” had been marching all over my face.  LINES!!!....horrifying lines were beginning to appear and I wished I could find an organic “age defying” skin cream that would take away these lines and make me look young again.  So I got dressed, guzzled down a strong cup of “Organic” coffee and off to the Fair I went.

There were so many interesting vendors at the fair…Reiki Practitioners, ladies selling Jewelry, I even bought a handcrafted Indian Mandala and what do you know….I saw a booth neatly set up with ORGANIC SKIN CARE Products!!!  Donna Chalmers of NYR Organics was selling Organic Skin Care Products and she asked me if I was looking for a specific item….and my answer was “yes”.  “I am looking for an organic skin cream that will make me look young again”.  I was quickly introduced to their ultimate organic age defier, “Frankincense Intense”.  It was love at first sight.

Being Chemically sensitive, I have no choice but to use products that are completely chemical free and organic….but organic skin care products are the way to go for everyone, and they are gaining in popularity.  Government regulations allow for any ingredient to be used in the manufacturing of skin care products.  The problem is, the FDA does not pay attention to what these ingredients are, thereby allowing some of the most harmful chemicals to be used on your face, skin and hair.  As you will see, most of these chemical ingredients are carcinogenic and hormone disruptors, which causes endocrine dysfunction….which can lead to diabetes, growth disorders, osteoporosis, cystic ovaries, thyroid disorders, just to name a few. 

The advantages of using organic skin care products over the popular chemical products are many.  Your skin is the largest organ of the body and absorbs 64% of what ever it comes in contact with.  So if you use a product that contains pesticides and chemical carcinogens, these chemicals get absorbed by the skin, enters the blood stream as free radicals, saturate your organ tissue and in time fill your body with toxins and you start to not only show signs of aging, but signs of ill health. But organic skin care products contain no chemicals or pesticides and this is a huge plus for people with sensitive skin.  They are healthier and safer since they are made up of vitamins, minerals and herbs, environmentally friendly and not tested on animals….along with being GMO free.

To show you how disgusting chemical skin care products are, let’s look at some of the more common ingredients and what they can do for you.   Propylene glycol, which can be found in mostly all cosmetics, is really antifreeze.  Now that can’t be good.  Parabens are man made chemicals used as a preservative in makeup and to fight bacteria…but it is also linked to breast cancer, and found in almost all biopsies of cancerous tumors.  Parabens can be found in shampoos, commercial moisturizers, deodorants, shaving gels, tanning lotions, sunscreen, cleansing gels, personal lubricants, topical pharmaceuticals and toothpaste, while they are also used as food additives in processed meats such as sausages. Phthalates are a group of chemicals in cosmetics but also used in the making of plastic and vinyl and have been associated with a number of serious health problems, including infertility, obesity, asthma, and allergies, as well as breast cancer.  They are endocrine disruptors and listed as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” based on recent studies. For some reason, phthalates are not required to be listed on the ingredient label of various products, and can often be disguised under the term "fragrance".

DEA, MEA and TEA in cosmetics are chemicals that are best to avoid.  If you check the Environmental Working Group Data Base you will see that they link these ingredients to being carcinogenic nitrosamine compounds in the body if mixed with nitrites.  But nitrites are also not required to be listed on the label, so it is impossible to tell if they are present or not.  They are mostly found in shampoos and banned in Canada.  But in the USA, anything goes.  Formaldehyde in cosmetics is another carcinogen and the FDA permits the use of mercury compounds in eye make up and mascara.
Another popular ingredient in practically all cosmetics these days is Titanium Dioxide….good ole sunscreen.  Harmless, right?  Not really.  The titanium Dioxide in make up and cosmetics are of a fine nano particle which shrinks cells as well as impair cell function, reduces the cell’s ability to produce collagen and in effect promotes wrinkles.  And studies are finding now that it maybe a human carcinogen, although it is used to prevent skin cancer.  Go figure….

So as you can see, going organic has its’ advantages…especially if you want to stay healthy, as well as look good.  The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics commissioned an independent laboratory test on 48 skin care products for children and found 61% of the products tested contained high levels of two cancer causing chemicals;  formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane.  Since more and more mothers are becoming educated as to the harmful effects of chemicals, they are exercising their purchasing power and they are going organic. Skin Care companies are starting to realize that the harmful chemicals in their products are hurting their bottom line, so now you are seeing more and more products being advertised as paraben free, or formaldehyde free, or GMO free, in order to recapture their customer base.  

I just started using "Frankincense Intense" and I will let you know next month how it is going.  I prefer to Live Healthy Chemical Free.........


UPDATE!!!...I have been using Frankincense Intense for 5 days now and in this short period of  time the results are AMAZINGLY noticeable.  I received my Frankincense Intense last Wednesday afternoon and immediately applied it to me freshly washed face.  I noticed right off the bat that it completely absorbed into my skin without leaving a greasy film, yet leaving my skin feeling soft and smooth.  That night when Jeff came home, he asked if I started using my new organic face cream.  When I told him yes, he said he can tell....my face looked smoother.

After the second day....I noticed my lines starting to become less noticeable.  I thought it was my imagination as this cream could not work that fast....but after both my mother and Jeff telling me the same thing, I was overjoyed!!!  My wish came true...I found an Organic Skin Cream that made me look Young Again!!!

Now after 5 days of using Frankincense Intense, I am calling it a "face-lift in a jar"....not only are the lines less visible and my skin looking smoother and younger, I am noticing that my face is "lifting" to where it was when I was young.  And yes, Jeff sees it too.  And, well....as for my mother, she ordered herself a jar, also.

If you would like to try an Organic Age Defying Skin Cream that worked for me...just click on the link below and place your order.  Now that I am seeing positive results from this line of skin care products....I am ordering their hand cream and foundation powder next......
https://us.nyrorganic.com/shop/DonnaZiccardiGross

Your Smoke is Killing Me....Health Hazards of Wood Smoke

What a wonderful Fall Saturday night.  The air was cool and dry, perfect for sleeping with the windows open.  After a busy day, Jeff and I had a relaxing time at D'Amico's.....we chilled out with our favorite scotch and a delicious Sweet Sausage and Broccolli Rabe Pizza.  Ahh, life was good until our drive back home.  What HORROR!!!   As we were approaching our house, we saw a raging fire blazing from our neighbor's outdoor fire pit.  "NICE!", Jeff said...."and right under the trees, too. Now that's smart."  But the stupid part about this scene...no one was sitting around it.  They light the fire....and go in the house!  WHY?!?

What can be wrong with a fire pit, you ask?  Well, from a severe asthmatic....I am dying to tell you.  Burning wood is not as benign as one would think.  Let's see what the EPA says about the health dangers of burning wood.   Not only does wood smoke cause air pollution, but as a lung irritant it is responsible for breathing problems, heart problems, can even cause cancer and death.  It can trigger an asthma attack, hearth attack, bronchitis, pneumonia and aggravate emphysema.   It irritates the eyes and triggers headaches and allergies and long-term exposure may lead to emphysema, chronic bronchitis, arteriosclerosis, and nasal, throat, lung, blood, and lymph system cancers.  It can lower the immune system and even damage your DNA.  And wood smoke interferes with the normal lung development in infants and young children

How can that be you ask?  Well what do you think is in the smoke?  The burning of the wood not only produces smoke, particulates and ash....but also harmful toxic chemicals.  Harmful carcinogens such as benzoprenes, dienzanthracenes, dibenzocarboazoles, aldehydes, phenols and cresols, nitrogen oxides, and sulphur oxides float through the air, invade your living space and you breath them into your lungs. Wood smoke also creates tons and tons of carbon monoxide and arsenic.  YES!....arsenic, I bet you did not know that.  The worst part about the arsenic is it sticks around (no pun intended) long after the smoke is gone and accumulates, taking every opportunity to enter your system and do the nasty.  Also, if your home has vinyl siding....the smoke attaches itself to the siding and burrows into the pores and stays to harbor a nasty dirty smell.

But what the EPA is really concerned about is the particulates that floats around in the smoke.  They are too small to be filtered out by your nose and upper respiratory systems so they get buried deep in your lungs where they cause structural damage and chemical changes.  The cancer causing gases that are created by the wood smoke enters your lungs by attaching themselves to the particulates.  When deep into the lungs, they can start to work on the cells and it's DNA and voila....abnormal cell division until a nice tumor is formed.  Also, these particulates are so ultra fine that they also pass through the lung tissue and into the blood stream where they carry high levels of polycyclic hydro carbons at a concentration higher than cigarette smoke.  But the sad part about this is....people CHOOSE to smoke so they are in control of killing themselves.  When someone else's smoke invades MY space, I do not have any say in the matter.  I consider this an assault on my life and this should be a crime.  It doesn't matter to me what people do in their own yard....as long as it does not invade my yard and home.

How can the wood smoke get into your home if your doors and windows are closed?  According to the EPA...."the particulate matter in wood smoke leaving chimneys is so small that it is not stopped by doors and windows and often seeps into neighbor's houses."  The EPA also states burning wood in the winter months poses more of a danger due to temperature inversions....keeping the smoke close to the ground where it enters neighbors’ yards and houses, schools and hospitals.....and finally entering their lungs and damaging perfectly healthy tissues. Infants, children, pregnant women, senior citizens and all those suffering from allergies, asthma, or any heart/lung illness are most effected by wood smoke even at very low levels.

So now you have a good idea why Jeff and I were so irritated when we saw flames a-blazing and smoke arising.  Not only were we not able to enjoy the pleasure of sleeping with the windows open, but even with the windows closed, we are still bothered by someone else's smoke. It is becoming more popular these days, in the better neighborhoods for home owners to junk their old outdated wood burning fire pits, wood stoves and fireplaces for gas fired ones.  It results in the same pleasures of lighting an outside fire then going in the house to sit, without creating damaging wood smoke.  Once again...it is to your advantage to "Live Healthy Chemical Free"............

https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/publications/92046.pdfhttps://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/publications/92046.pdf

Why Does Your Water Taste So Good?.....Health Hazards of Fluoride

Moving back to Plainville after all these years has certainly been an eye opener.  The town has really matured into a very comfortable community and yet some people still live back in the good ole days.  Innocent times.   In amazement, my mother still drinks water from the tap while my husband and I ordered Spring Water Delivery the first day we were here.  Mother could not understand why we have to purchase water when we could just open the faucet….and Jeff and I were horrified to think that she drinks city water laden with Fluoride and Chlorine and who knows what else.  And this is how it went for the first two months.

Then…..the July heat wave.  Day after day after day of 90 plus degrees and high humidity we found ourselves consuming more water, hoping it would keep us cool.   Then one day, mother wandered over to the cooler of filtered Spring Water and poured herself a glass.  That was the start of something new.  “Why does your water taste so good?”, she asked.  Now she was ready to listen…..she tasted the difference. 

Although city water is treated with chlorine and fluoride it may have other chemicals that really are not fit to drink.  But let’s just concentrate on Fluoride.  Fluoride is added to city water in order to prevent cavities, however it has never been proven that fluoride actually prevents tooth decay.  But it HAS been proven that the use of fluoride can cause a condition called fluoridosis, a mottling and pitting of tooth enamel.   And if all fluoride is needed for is to prevent cavities, why put it in the water?  Why not put it on your teeth, like in the form of tooth paste?

Actually, in the past…fluoride was used as a poison.  Hitler used fluoride to calm the Jews, to keep them docile and quiet.  The German scientists even experimented with varying doses of fluoride on the Jews to see how it affects the human body…..and not very well I might add.  They found fluoride to attack the central nervous system.  Also, prolonged use of fluoride causes brittle bones and promotes osteoporosis.  Fluoride is also responsible for infertility.  Harvard University just came out with a study proving that ingesting fluoride lowers one’s IQ.  Other studies show that the consumption of fluoride can lead to the suppression of the immune system, gastro intestinal disorders and the suppression of the body to produce essential enzymes.

So after all these studies regarding the adverse health effects of fluoride, one should ask the question….how safe is fluoride, really?  The practice of water fluoridation has been rejected or banned in several countries including: China, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Japan.  Nearly all of Europe’s water supply is fluoride-free, and thankfully, many American communities are realizing this is the healthier choice. More than 45 U.S. cities have rejected the process of water fluoridation since 1990.

Not convinced yet?  Well wrap your brain around this.  Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) typically label sodium fluoride as “…toxic by ingestion, inhalation and skin contact” and that personal protection equipment for handling fluoride should include safety glasses and gloves. So in other words, when handling fluoride one needs safety glasses and gloves but it is safe for you to drink. 

Fluorides are more toxic than lead and only slightly less poisonous than arsenic… and these toxins can enter your body from brushing your teeth or rinsing with many popular dental care products!  Not to mention the consumption of fluoride through drinking your tap water.  It seems fluoride is being added to everything these days….from vitamins, toothpaste, mouthwash, prescription drugs, infant formula, vitamin water and sports drinks, some processed foods and the list goes on and on.  Fluoride can even enter your body through the pores on your skin, so even taking a shower with fluoridated water can be detrimental to your health.  Still not convinced?  Every year, Poison Control Centers receive thousands of calls from people reporting fluoride poisoning which severely damages the body and can be fatal.

After making a call to the Valley Water System Inc, I was told that the fluoride that is added to Plainville water is not straight fluoride, but to make matters worse, it is a substance called fluorosilicic acid….or what I would call toxic industrial waste from fertilizer manufacturing.  These are not like the fluoride compounds found in toothpaste or vitamins and not of pharmaceutical grade quality.  But instead, fluorosilicic acid is unpurified industrial waste by-products that are collected in the air pollution control systems of certain industries.  So instead of manufacturers paying to have their toxic waste disposed of….they are selling it to municipalities for profit, to be dumped in your water…..and YOU are paying for it.  HA!  PLUS a lot of towns are purchasing their fluoride chemicals from China. But the quality control of these Chinese chemicals are even more lax than the U.S.-produced chemicals.  In a recent article in the journal Neuro Toxicology, a research team led by Roger D. Masters, Dartmouth College Research Professor and Nelson A. Rockefeller Professor of Government Emeritus, reports evidence that public drinking water treated with sodium silicofluoride or fluosilicic acid, known as silicofluorides (SiFs), is linked to a higher intake of lead in children. 

So to answer the question, Mom, of why does my water taste better than yours???......maybe it is because my water does not contain toxic industrial waste.  When it comes right down to it….you are better off “living healthy chemical free”….

For more information regarding the hazards of fluoride consumption please visit the Fluoride Action Network Web Site and view this video....http://www.fluoridealert.org/fan-tv/10-facts/  

Dr. Burk conducted a study which shows how the addition of fluoride to public drinking water correlates with an increase in cancer.  He claims that Fluoridation of public drinking water equates to Murder on a Grand Scale....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq_oQoTdnYc

Oh....I angered some Dentists have I?....well GOOD!!!  Maybe it is time they learned something, too....
Now listen to a REAL Dentist....and educated Dentist, Dr. Mark Breiner, Park Ave., Trumbull, CT....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UwZ2yktQDY

More and more Municipalities around the nation are discontinuing the practice of water fluoridation, mainly because fluoride is a drug and they are essentially administering a drug to the people without their consent and since they are not doctors, they are administrating this drug illegally.  (Oh, my!)  So towns are giving the people back their FREEDOM to choose whether or not to use fluoride.  If they do choose to take fluoride they can purchase toothpaste, mouth wash, sports drinks, etc that contain the drug.  They can even take fluoride pills......http://www.naturalnews.com/041980_fluoridation_victories_toxic_chemicals_water_supply.html

 http://www.naturalnews.com/041980_fluoridation_victories_toxic_chemicals_water_supply.html

The FDA has never approved public water fluoridation nor has it approved fluoide pills.  But the FDA has approved the addition of fluoride to bottled water.
 http://www.naturalnews.com/036280_history_water_fluoridation_FDA_approval.htmlhttp://www.naturalnews.com/036280_history_water_fluoridation_FDA_approval.html

 http://www.fluoridealert.org/researchers/fda/

Israel ends all public water fluoridation programs claiming they are outdated and invalid...http://www.naturalnews.com/042079_water_fluoridation_Israel_health_concerns.html#ixzz2f42NsBZdhttp://www.naturalnews.com/042079_water_fluoridation_Israel_health_concerns.html#ixzz2f42NsBZd

Sodium Fluoride is a toxic by product of aluminum production....just ask Alcoa.   Medical researcher Ty Bollinger talks about the history of fluoride use in this country. He says there are no studies that show it helps prevent tooth decay and may actually cause cancer and other problems.....http://www.ihealthtube.com/aspx/viewvideo.aspx?v=0e8fec333a0c0153#

The Hard to Swallow Truth about FLUORIDE.....do not be fooled.
 http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/12044/Fluoride--The-Hard-to-Swallow-Truth

My Father Smoked!....but Cigarettes Did Not Cause His Lung Cancer

Driving home from work one afternoon, I decided to pay my parents a surprise visit....but the surprise was on me.  Walking into the house as I bounded up the stairs...."Hi!"...I exclaimed.  My smile turned to horror.  I saw my father writhing on the couch in tears.  A 6' 2" WWII Veteran, who was my ROCK, Fearless.....a Survivor.  The first time in my life I saw my "Warrior" figure in a helpless state.  He had been doctoring for a while as he complained about back pain but I guess the "doctor knows best" and tests were conducted in other areas....as the back pain got worse and became unbearable.

Being the out-spoken one in the family....I called my father's doctor and told the nurse about the unbearable pain my father was in and demanded an xray immediately.  After being "put off" for about five minutes I finally wore the woman down and I was told to get my father to the medical building on Hart Street for a chest xray.  A tumor the size of an orange.....growing beyond the lung wall and spreading to the surrounding lymph nodes and two ribs.

My Dad was diagnosed with Lung Cancer in February, 1998.....and died in September of that same year.  I do not like to think about the months in between as I saw my father deteriorate before my very eyes....waste away and lose his senses as the cancer spread to the brain.  But the one thing I will never forget....is the visit to his oncologist to get his biopsy results.  "Louie", he said...."do you get chemical lawn service?" I looked at my mother...my mother looked at me.  "No", she said..."but my husband smoked", thinking the lung cancer was caused by his smoking. The doctor explained to us that in this case the lung cancer was not caused by cigarette smoke....as the tumor showed an abundant amount of pesticides in the tissues that were characteristic of this type of tumor and cancer.  No....my parents never used chemical lawn service.....BUT, their neighbors did.

Amazing....Pesticides ambushed my family twice.  And the trigger was pulled by the people who purchase them and apply them. These products are DANGEROUS, people!  In other countries they are referred to as Weapons of Mass Destruction.  And furthermore...Pesticides attack the health and life of everyone that uses them.  Companies that manufacture pesticides and herbicides spend big money to promote their products as safe....when they know they are not.  Take Syngenta for instance.  Syngenta paid millions of dollars in a covert effort to protect its herbicide atrazine and discredit critics...http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2013/atrazine.  Round Up has these "dancie/prancie" commercials that lead you to believe it is perfectly safe. But recent and past studies show it promotes Cancer....whether lymphoma or breast cancer....it promotes cancer.  And you purchase it, and YOU use it and you are putting yourself, family and neighbors in danger.  If our government will not do the right thing and take these dangerous products off the market....will YOU take personal responsibility and do the right thing???  DO NOT PURCHASE these products my friend.  If AMERICANS will STOP buying into mass marketing and STOP purchasing these products....you will eliminate the problem.   When a product is no longer being purchased, there will be no reason to manufacture it.  Your government and big business is using you as shmucks!!!  YOU are the cause of your own demise....and big business and the Medical Industry is making money on your illness, pain and suffering.

SMARTEN Up, people!  You are doing it to yourselves....and everyone else.  I choose to live pesticides free.  But my neighbor's choices and actions are preventing me to Live Healthy Chemical Free.

From Agent Orange to Round Up and Chemical Lawn Service

Remember Agent Orange----the scourge of the Viet Nam War?  It was used as a defoliant by the US Military to expose the enemy.  But, as true to the Law of Cause and Effect….Agent Orange had a vengeful component, wrecking havoc with the health of the American soldiers, causing their off spring to suffer horrific birth defects and delivered a blow to the reputation of the United States…portraying our country as the Monster of the Universe.  But where did Agent Orange come from?....and where did it go?....Agent Orange was born in a laboratory at Yale University in our wonderful State of Connecticut.  It’s birth was not the intended outcome.  Here is the story of a beneficial idea gone wrong.

Arthur Galston was a Plant Biologist at Yale University and experimented with a plant growth regulator, triiodobenzoic acid. He found that it could induce soybeans to flower and grow more rapidly but also noted that if applied in excess, the compound would cause the plant to shed its leaves and die.  He aborted his experiment as it posed too much of a threat to plant life but seeing as he was working under a government grant….his research was reported to the US Government and his findings landed on the desk of the Department of Defense….. Galston’s discovery was turned into a weapon of war….and one of the major health hazards to all living things, including YOU.

From 1962 to 1970, American troops released an estimated 20 million gallons of Agent Orange Defoliant to destroy crops and expose Viet Cong positions and routes of movement during the Vietnam War.  But the chemical was loaded with dioxins, which have proven to be associated with cancers, birth defects and learning disabilities. 

When Galston learned of how his research was being used….he became heavy of heart to think that his discovery was used to destroy “Life”….plant life, water life and human life for generations to come.  In 1970, Galston charged that Agent Orange, being carcinogenic, posed a serious health risk and was a permanent pollutant to the environment. He lobbied the Department of Defense to conduct toxicological studies, which found that compounds in Agent Orange could be linked to cancer and birth defects in laboratory rats. This revelation led President Nixon to order a halt to the spraying of Agent Orange…..and you would think THAT was the end of that.  No it was not….it was only the beginning of a story so horrifying and most people have no idea what they are doing to themselves, their children and pets….not to mention their neighbors.  So….now we know the story of where Agent Orange came from, so…..where did it go?....... Enter….Monsanto.  Remember how the US Government took Dr. Galston’s discovery and turned it into Agent Orange during the Vietnam War?....well, who do you think manufactured Agent Orange?…..yup, Monsanto.  Monsanto made MILLIONS during the war manufacturing Agent Orange.  Yes, they knew it was detrimental to the environment and human health….but didn’t care.  They were making money!!!....bushels of it. So in 1970 when President Nixon Banned the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam do you think Monsanto was sad?  NO!!!....because in 1969 Monsanto started producing herbicides with the same ingredients used in Agent Orange (2, 4, 5-T, and 2,4-D or otherwise known as Round Up) but instead of selling these herbicides to the US Military…..they started selling it to YOU in the form of Chemical Lawn Service.

The era of herbicides and pesticides took off…..making billions of dollars in profits for chemical companies…..thanks to the “American Consumer”.  But the chemical companies were not the only businesses making money off the public.  Advertisers and commercialism capitalized on brain washing people into thinking they needed chemical products to kill ants…kill insects…kill weeds….kill dandelions…kill, Kill, KILL.  But what they didn’t tell you was that these products were killing YOU….killing you, and your children and pets, and your neighbors. 

Another industry that made money off the sale of chemical pesticides and herbicides was the medical industry and the pharmaceutical companies.  Yes folks, the pesticides and herbicides that you have been brainwashed into thinking you need will make you sick and eventually kill you.  Let me put it this way….Pesticides and Herbicides are CARCINOGENIC!....Cancer….sound familiar?  Cancer has hit practically every family, so instead of fighting for the cure…..don’t you think it makes more sense to eliminate the cause?  If studies show and have proven that pesticides and herbicides are detrimental to your health and the health of your family…why in the world would you use them, let alone pay money for them?  Just doesn’t make sense.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that Americans apply 90 million pounds of pesticides and herbicides every year in order to get lush green yards, and surveys have found that because their use is so heavy, those chemicals can drift into our homes—even if they started out on a neighbor’s lawn and not your own.  Lawns that have been chemically treated on a regular basis eventually become “chemically dependent”….something like a drug addict.  You will know soon enough when your lawn becomes chemically dependent because it will literally start to die….and your soil becomes contaminated….and you have no one to blame but yourself.  Our chemically addicted lawns are as polluting to our health and to waterways as chemical agriculture has become. 

Chemical Lawn Service seems like a quick, easy fix for lawn problems that can be corrected without nerve-damaging and ecohazardous chemicals like glyphosate (used in Roundup) and 2,4-D (used in products made by Scotts and Weed B Gone).  A safer way to eliminate weeds from your lawn would be to do what your grandparents did….bend over and pull them up.  Not only would your lawn be weed free….but your waistline would look better and the sunshine would be good for you.  Or, if you do not have time for that, there are Organic alternatives that are chemical free and it is a proven fact that you will have a healthier and better looking lawn for less money in the long run…..and you will not be killing yourself, your children and pets and your neighbors.

Which brings me back to the question….when and why did Americans declare war on weeds, anyway?  Are we that gullible and lazy to give our independent thinking over to multi national corporations and the government?  Some weeds you can eat, some weeds are medicinal, some weeds are pretty, and other weeds are signs of a problem. If you want your lawn to be healthy, clover is a good weed to have in the landscape. It usually appears when your soil is low in nitrogen levels, but it helps fix the problem by bringing nitrogen to the soil. Solution: Leave it alone! When you mow, the clover clippings will add nitrogen to your lawn, helping to fix the problem without fertilizer.  And remember folks….fertilizers are chemicals, that can harm your health.

Dandelions indicate that your grass isn’t developing healthy roots, or that there are nutrient problems in your soil. The turf may be either low in calcium, too high in potassium, or too acidic. Get a soil test to find out what’s out of whack, and use the results to strategize ways to balance out the nutrients. You can use a spray of undiluted white vinegar to kill the existing weeds (being carefully not to zap nearby grass)  or next Spring spread corn gluten on the lawn. Corn gluten prevents dandelions from germinating, and it also feeds the grass, making it stronger and more resistant to weeds. Corn glutin feeds the soil, kills the weeds without killing you and your children and pets and your neighbors.  And remember….do not over mow your lawn or cut it too short….This weakens the roots and promotes the growth of weeds.

Crabgrass appears when you’ve mowed the lawn too short. Dig out the crabgrass, roots and all, and then set your mower’s blade higher. Corn gluten will help prevent crabgrass, too. But, again, the corn meal has to be applied in early spring, before the crabgrass has taken root.

Brown grass is also a sign of overmowing, which prevents the grass from getting enough water. Set your mower a little higher and mow less frequently. The higher you allow your grass to grow, the deeper the roots will grow and the better it will retain moisture, especially during hot, dry spells. Sometimes brown grass is a sign of nutrient depletion, in which case you may want to plant some clover to add nitrogen to the soil. A soil test will tell you if your soil needs added nutrients. Brown grass may also be caused by white grubs, a pest that can be eliminated with the same beneficial nematodes used to fix bare patches.

An overly watered or overly fertilized lawn is prone to mildew, which is not healthy for your lawn nor your air quality as mold is also a carcinogen….and chemical lawn service promotes mold growth for your lawn and soil.  If you have to water your lawn, do it in the morning rather than early evening.  Leaving grass wet overnight makes it prone to mildew and other fungal diseases. Also, water infrequently and deeply, which not only cuts down on mildew problems, but it also allows your grass to grow a deeper root system that makes it less prone to weeds.

If you decide to grow a chemical free lawn, but your neighbors still use chemical lawn services….your yard and lawn will be contaminated with pesticides by what is commonly called “drift”.  If there is a slight breeze, the spray from your neighbor’s chemical application will drift into your yard and contaminate your lawn and anything and everything it comes in contact with.  Also, after the pesticides and herbicides are applied….they out gas, they emit toxic fumes into the air that will migrate or “drift” into your yard.  This drift of chemicals can also get into your home in the summer when you leave your windows open.  This reminds me of the woman who saw her cat, sitting on the window sill fall over onto the floor dead.  She picked up her beloved pet and drove to the vet where she was asked first off….was the window open and was your neighbor treating his lawn with chemicals to which the answer was yes.  Talk to your neighbors and let them know the hazards of chemical lawn service and suggest an organic regiment instead. And finally….if you are too busy to organically tend to your lawn yourself….there are a lot of authentic Organic Lawn Services in the area.

So here you have it folks.  Agent Orange from the jungles of Viet Nam, brought right to your door step by Large Companies like Monsanto, disguised in catchy names like….Round Up and Tru Green.  Proven to be carcinogenic…..and you order it, pay for it and probably get sick on it….all in the name of “the Perfect lawn”.  Don’t you think you owe it to your family…your pets….and your neighbors to stop the use of pesticides and herbicides and….GO Organic…..

Everybody Needs A Wakeup Call

As far as I can remember, I always had a respect for Nature and knew everything had it's place in the balance of things.  But, I did not understand the role chemicals would have in my life until 1986, when I was exposed to pesticides and nearly died......and in a way I did.  I do not think my story is unique....but it NEEDS to be told.

It was 1986 and I was at the top of my game....I was a winner with each role of the dice.  I had survived the recession of the '70's totally unscathed...had more job offers than I was able to accept and made more money than I ever dreamed.  At the height of gas rationing I went out and bought myself a Lincoln Mark V and walked around in Tahari Suits dripping with gold jewelry and perfect makeup from the top of my permed head to the bottom of my painted toes.  Yes, life was good....I was prosperous and dressed up like a New York Model.  That all changed in a twinkling of an eye and a deep breath.

It was July 8th, 1986 about 5:30pm and I was in the emergency room at New Britain General in a coma unable to move, speak or see....but I was able to hear.  The doctors were perplexed, as the lab reports came back....and no explanation of why I was in a coma.  I heard one doctor say, "I don't understand this.  It is like an acute allergic reaction....like an anaphylactic shock.  What was different?....what did she do that was different?  Did she change her laundry detergent?....did she eat a new food?  Something she was exposed to is causing this reaction.  I can remember hearing my dad say....I don't think she did anything different....except for the exterminators spraying her apartment this morning.  At that piece of information about the exterminator....the doctor shouted out....PESTICIDES!  She has "pesticide poisoning".......

Pesticide poisoning, I thought.....what is pesticide poisoning?  HA!  I was to soon find out.  More tests were taken...but more specific tests.  The most important and telling tests were those taken of my liver functions.  In the 3 hours since my first inhalation of the fumes from the pesticides, my lab tests showed "liver damage".  I heard the doctor say....these tests confirm, she has pesticide poisoning....but we do not know what to do for it....how to treat it.  What we do know is that her immune system is being destroyed and her health will get worse to the point where she will be allergic to everything in her environment....she will develop Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and become a "universal reactor".  The pesticides have destroyed the cholinesterase in her system....and she will become sensitive to every chemical she comes in contact with.  What kind of mad talk is this, I thought?  I could not process these words....but I will never forget them.  That was the beginning of the end of my life as I knew it........

What is this madness?...pesticides poisoning, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, cholinesterase, universal reactor?  I'm fine.  I came out of my coma in just 2 days....and after 6 weeks the tingling and numbness in my arms and legs are gone.  So what is the big deal?  I am Donna again!  But I wasn't.  I would never be "Donna" again.  Very soon I noticed I was developing breathing problems...that continuously got worse day by day...related to what I was exposed to.  I noticed that when I did laundry...I could not breath.  When I showered and shampooed my hair....I would collapse on the bed in what was later diagnosed as asthma attacks.  When I would paint my nails...my whole body became numb and vibrated to the point where I wanted to scream.  I was developing extreme muscle aches and joint pain....to the point where I was in constant pain 24/7.  I was unable to think, concentrate, co ordinate my movements.  My digestion was not working and I developed food allergies I never had before.  What is going on, I thought?  I feel like I am living in the Twilight Zone....I do not feel like the same person....and I wasn't.  I was dying a slow death....my lymphatic system was no longer able to filter out toxins and my lymph nodes became swollen, hard and painful and I was becoming "pre cancerous".  Everything was bothering me...perfume, cleaning products, the copy machine and I was becoming intolerant to mold and auto exhaust.  My health plummeted to the point where I was no longer able to work and I could no longer drive my beautiful Lincoln.  The Donna I knew since birth was destroyed, dead and gone....and replaced with a none functioning body of a human that thought she would go crazy and was scared to death.....and all for what?  A few ants.  A neighbor complained about a few ants and the landlord called an exterminator....and along with getting rid of the ants....my live and health were destroyed.

"You better go to a doctor"....I was told.  So I did.  The doctors made me worse.  They treated the symptoms and not the cause.  Instead of ridding my body of the toxins, they were adding to the toxic overload with medication...pills....pharmaseuticals. I was given massive doses of anti biotics, muscle relaxers, pain pills, inhalers and oh, yes....they gave me a prescription for anti depressants (which I would not fill)  I was not depressed!!!.....I was sick and dying!  The chemicals in the pills were adding to the distress I was feeling so I threw away all my pills and stopped going to doctors.  Instead I resigned myself to go to bed and prepare to die.  The only doctor I wanted to see was Dr Kavorkian.  

In a weakened state, seeing in triplicate, I was carried into the office of Dorothy Sherman.  At that point breathing was impossible and I was so weak I was unable to stand or walk on my own.  I will never forget that day....that day was my Wake Up Call!......

...."Dorothy", I said in a labored voice...."you are my last hope.  If you can not help me, I do not know what I am going to do."  "Oh, I can help you", Dorothy said.....this woman looked deep into my eye balls and shot me with such a blast of positive energy that I felt my body jerk with strength.  "But YOU are going to have to do everything I say".  And I did.  Dorothy taught me how to make myself well through proper diet, a protocol of vitamins and herbs, and other modalities of healing such as energy work, hydro therapy, exercise and positive thinking just to name a few.  In essence I had to get my lymphatic  system flowing again in order to filter out toxins AND I had to eliminate "chemicals" from my life.  No more make up, perms, nail polish....I had to through away my shampoos and skin creams and use only organic skin care products.  I had to throw away my laundry detergents and dish liquid and replace them with items that were free of petro chemicals....I had to replace practically everything in my life with petro chemical free, fragrance free and no VOC products....and, above all...stay away from pesticides!

It was a long and slow road back to the point where I was able to function in society again....but I will always be chemically sensitive.  And I will always have to control my environment and live chemical free.  But my experience has given me an advantage over most people in the fact that I am aware of how pesticides and chemicals can destroy a person's health and life....most people are not.  Yes, my Pesticide Poisoning was my "wake up call" to a better way of life...and a healthier life.  And now I am passing the baton to you in hopes that this Blog will be your "wake up call" also.  The articles that follow will provide a tutorial of what products need to be avoided, why and what alternatives are available.  If there is just one person out there that will benefit from my experience, I will consider my struggle to be my badge of honor.