The Beauty of Creation

With the new year comes new outpouring of landscaping magazines and advertisements.  One of the advertising and propaganda magazines that has found me and continues to bombard me is Total Landscape Care.  It is basically a mechanism for advertising with a few articles interspersed between the advertisements.  This bothers me much less now that they stopped trying to trick me into paying for this uninvited mailing.

With 2004 upon us, they have begun pushing advertisements for chemical sales for landscape and turf management.  The magazine is available online, so I will post the links to the most recent publications that I received.

Of the two, the one that I find most disturbing is their 2014 Chemical Guide.

Clicking on the link will take you to their publication of page upon page of commercial pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides.  All of these are being sprayed daily on the lawns in our communities by the plethora of spray companies with their spray trucks rolling down the streets of every neighborhood.

Glancing through this publication may be an eye-opening experience for many who are not involved in agricultural and urban management vocations.  There are very serious amounts of toxic chemicals being sprayed throughout the year.

I am an agriculturalist.  I have been involved in agriculture and agricultural studies all of my life.  I was in the Future Farmers of America for six years in Jr. and Sr. Highschool.  I studied agriculture throughout those years.  My undergraduate degree is Animal Science/Pre-veterinary medicine.  Thus I have a deep appreciation for the agricultural vocations and sciences.

I understand that commercial chemicals sometimes are necessary and helpful.  However, I also know that they are very dangerous, both in the short term as well as the long term.

In my daily work as an arborist, I work outdoors.  I often smell these toxins in the air in the neighborhoods where I am working.  Sometimes they actually make me feel dizzy or even faint.  Sometimes they cause me to develop a headache.  Very rarely I have felt nauseated.

These spray companies put little signs in the yards afterward warning people not to allow their pets and children onto the lawns for a period of time.  The law limits them from spraying whenever wind conditions cause aerial drift of the chemicals being applied, but in places like Kansas, this would restrict their spray activities almost entirely.  So the spraying goes on regardless of the weather and the drift.

The second of the TLC publications for the new year includes an article on “Debugging Grub Control.”  Here is the magazine link, and here is the link to just the article, Debugging Grub Control.

It includes this photograph of one of the types of grubs that people believe that they need to control in their lawns.



These creatures certainly can be problematic.  They can do great destruction both in people’s lawns and in agricultural settings.

The question that I am asking, is whether people are acting wisely in utilizing these powerful synthetic chemicals, especially in their lawns and landscapes.  Would it not be wiser to consider landscape planning that utilizes grasses and plants that are known to be resistant to the concerns that are being treated with chemical applications?

One article that addresses this is Ask Mr. Smarty Plants.  In the first paragraph of the answer given is this portion of advice:

The City of Austin's Grow Green Earth-wise Guide to Lawn Problems lists St. Augustine, bermuda, zoysia and buffalograss as being susceptible to grubs.  Their recommendations for controlling them includes mowing high and doing effective watering.  They recommend a non-chemical method for getting rid of them by applying nematodes to feed on the grubs.  You can read an article from Texas A & M AgriLife Extension "White Grubs in Texas Turf Grass" that gives more information on controlling them without the use of pesticides including the use of nematodes and the use of spiked shoes for aerating the soil.  Both methods have claims of eliminating as much as 50% of the grubs.

Here in Wichita I met a fellow who applies organic means of insect, disease, and weed control.  His prices are slightly higher, but comparable to the companies using commercial pesticides.

It seems to me that people would do well to consider what they are doing to their own families’ playgrounds, a.k.a., their lawns.  The chemicals used within their homes also ought to be of concern to them.  After all, what is used in the laundry resides in their clothing and linens, items worn day and night and in which they wrap themselves as they sleep.  So-called air fresheners fill their homes with particulates that are constantly breathed and absorbed through the skin.  Once a person begins taking an inventory of these items, the list often is found to be immense.

Is it a coincidence that people are experiencing more and more allergies and respiratory ailments?  Is it a coincidence that people use more and more relief items from the drug store?

It seems worthy of consideration.

I am not advocating government intervention in these matters.  Keep the government in its place, out of our lives as much as possible.  Surely people are capable of evaluating these issues intelligently and responsibly so as to make healthy, wholesome, and responsible decisions for themselves and their families.

God has given us His beautiful creation for us to enjoy.  Even with the curse of sin looming over us, He still blesses us with wonders beyond description.  Many wonders have not yet even been discovered.  Surely it makes sense to work in concord with God’s creation rather than against it.  In our daily lives we take much for granted, or at least we should.  This is actually what the Lord desires, that we should receive all things as His gifts that flow from His heart of grace.  Thanksgiving begins with taking things for granted, i.e., things granted to us by our gracious heavenly Father.  This is the way that is truly meet, right, and salutary.  This is the way of healthy and happy living.

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Scientists Hail Alzheimer's Breakthrough

Yep! They surely do! Alzheimer’s is breaking through in ever increasing numbers and those who stand to profit from it are excited. In Scientists Hail Alzheimer's Breakthrough it is reported:

Scientists who have generated brain tissue from human skin are claiming a major breakthrough.

. . .

Their findings were published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Created cerebral cortex cells — those that make up the brain’s grey matter — will allow them to "recreate brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, in the lab," they wrote, providing "previously impossible insight."

It may also allow them to develop and test new drugs to stop the diseases from progressing.

In this article there is not a single mention of the things that have been proven to promote the neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and Autism. Not a word is mentioned about scientists being excited to be able to warn people about the chemicals added to their foods and water and vaccines and household items that are directly contributing to these neurological disorders.

Not one word is stated about what people could be doing to help prevent the onset of these diseases.

Why not?

Such things cannot be patented. Such news would reduce the false perception of the need for new drugs. If people were avoiding the things that cause these diseases, what need would there be for such elaborate and expensive research? If people stopped developing these neurological problems, what need would they have for drugs to treat the symptoms? If people (and insurance) did not purchase these expensive drugs, who would pay for these “scientists” to grow brain tissue (and whatever else) in laboratories?

When one ponders the “testing” that is done, on whom are these tests performed? Presumably on people suffering from Alzheimer’s. If so, who “volunteers” them? Do these test subjects even know?

Does anyone ask these questions? Does anyone care?

If people with Alzheimer’s are volunteered for testing, on whom else can this tactic be used? How about the military personnel? How about all who are exposed to whatever comes from chem trails? How about people who drink municipal water and rural water? How about children in the government schools?

For more information regarding the food additives that the government and so-called scientists are not providing, check a few sources like these:

Truth in Labeling.org

MSG Hidden Sources

MSGTruth.org



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The Sweet Smell of Toxins

Last night as I was walking in the back yard, I perceived a smell that I have smelled before.  It was the smell of laundry detergent and fabric softener.  Every time that I have detected this wafting through the air I have wondered how this could be.  We have not used laundry detergent or fabric softener for about 15 years.  I do use laundry detergent for spraying for certain insects and fabric softener for my climbing ropes to keep them workable after washing them.  But for our regular laundry, we use laundry disks filled with structured water, spot treating with Simple Green, and sometimes adding OxiClean.

Yet on a number of occasions I have perceived the smell of the fragrances commonly added to laundry detergent and fabric softener sheets.  This had puzzled me each time that my olfactory senses were bombarded with this odor.

It suddenly occurred to me that the source had to be from one of the neighbors’ dryer vents.  I was astounded to realize that the amount of toxic fragrance that my neighbors were using was so powerful that it could fill the air in my back yard.  I thought: “Oh my!  People are actually putting that much of toxic chemicals into their clothes and bedding and are being bombarded with this 24 hours per day!”

Is it any wonder that people develop so many allergies and other problems?

My dad told me long ago about what some men did to avoid the draft during times of war.  He said that some men would sleep with a bar of deodorant soap under each armpit.  The result was that the next day, when they would be examined by the doctor, they would have an irregular heart beat.  If they were not somehow caught in this deception, they would be declared unfit for military service and be spared being sent off to war.  (Dad volunteered, but was rejected because of his knees.)

If one or two nights of exposure have such an affect upon a person’s system, what will months and years of exposure do, especially when exposed to many sources of these toxins?

For more information regarding toxins in our households, see my post: Toxic Chemicals Found in Common Household Products.

Natural Air Freshener/Neutralizer

In the post below I share about a dangerous malfunction in “green” light bulbs. With this malfunction various toxins as well as odors permeated our house.

This also occurred with a very stupid act that I recently did. As with many stupid acts, the stupid person did not realize the stupidity of his action until after he performed it.

I washed a spill from a pair of sweat pants. So as to be able to wear them without the cold wet spot that I created, I decided to dry the pants in the microwave. I have seen others do this and I have successfully dried items in this manner before. However, I kept heating the pants over and over because the moisture evaporated very slowly on this occasion. What I did not realize was that the areas that were folded over and more densely compacted were overheating. Those areas actually burned.


Not good!

I ruined my pants and I filled the house with that smell.

I pulled out the bottle of Febreze. After spraying the entire house twice, the smell remained. While spraying I also noticed the scent of perfume. I read the list of ingredients to learn that indeed the claim of removing and neutralizing odors was not honest as perfumes also are added to mask the smells.


I began wondering what ingredients the company could be using that would neutralize odors. As I pondered this, I wondered what things actually do neutralize odors.

Activated carbon is one effective neutralizing agent. But this is not something that I want to spray throughout the house.

Another agent is baking soda. “Aha! Let’s give it try!”


I poured a tablespoon or two of baking soda into this spray bottle and then filled it with filtered water. I set the nozzle to the finest setting and began misting the household air. I was amazed at the effectiveness. I sprayed throughout the house twice, and I sprayed the mist in the area of the furnace’s return duct to be sure to get it circulated throughout the ducts as well.

The odors were almost entirely eliminated.

I performed this ceremony after the lightbulb incident with the same effect, but with only one misting of the household air this time.

The one drawback is that the spray does leave a white residue that must be dusted and vacuumed (eventually). The powder is so fine that it is not easily noticed. My wife, who ordinarily detects such things immediately has not mentioned it yet. But she is such a proficient housekeeper that she will likely dust and vacuum it away before she has a chance to notice it.

The point is that it works. And it is 100% natural with no harmful side effects. Baking soda ordinarily will not damage fabrics or alter their coloration. Additionally, it truly does absorb the odor causing chemicals and toxins so that they can be completely removed by vacuuming.

I’m sure that I am not the first to make this discovery, but it is a delight to me to have this natural and very effective odor neutralizer available.

Perhaps some others will benefit from it as well.

Nutrition and Mental Health

The following video can also be viewed in full screen at The Truth about MSG Monosodium Glutamate Clinical Nutrition.



Here Dr. Vincent Bellonzi speaks to the issue of excitotoxins that are added to processed foods and the effects that they produce in the human body, especially in neurotransmitter function. Some of the neurological symptoms/diseases that he addresses include autism, depression, obstruction of clear thinking, emotion instability, irrational behavior, migraines, and attention deficit disorder. Diabetes and obesity are also included in this presentation.

Dr. Bellonzi’s web site, for further information, is www.bewellrx.com.

For information regarding the many ways that the chemical additives are listed (disguised) as ingredients on labels, check out the information provided at truthinlabeling.org. This site also has information regarding MedImmune’s H1N1 vaccine.

Toxic Surprises

On her morning walk, my wife saw some left-over garage sale items set by the curb as free for the taking. She found a couple of pullover shirts that would fit me and brought them home. They are really quite nice.

Upon examining them I immediately noticed something very foreign and offensive to my senses. These clothes were full of toxic chemicals. Most people are not aware of these smells as they have accepted them as part of their daily lives. Yet in our household, these are mostly foreign smells.

The clothes reeked of the perfumes and other chemicals commonly found in laundry detergents and fabric freshener dryer sheets. Additionally they reeked of cigarette smoke that was somewhat overpowered by the other chemicals in the clothing.

We both were amazed that this is what people bombard their bodies with continually. For most households, these chemicals are coating every washable piece of clothing, the bedding, the nighttime clothing, even the dishes.

For more on the toxicity of these chemicals and the levels at which people are daily being poisoned, see Toxic Chemicals Found in Common Household Products.

We have not used laundry detergent for over a decade. We have used Earth Smart laundry disks, with spot treatments of natural products like Simple Green. UL put the company out of business by decrying their product as a farce. Yet we have used the disks for over a decade and our clothes are clean, last longer, lose less dryer lint, and are free of the toxic chemicals.

Another product that we have found useful as a spot treatment is OxiClean. But even if a person chose to use the other spot treatments, the level of toxicity would be greatly minimized.

I suspect that even without the laundry disks, which add absolutely nothing to the water or clothes but claim to “restructure the water molecules’, even if only water with a tiny amount of bleach were used, most laundry needs would be satisfied without the toxic chemical residue.

Considering the fact that these residues are in direct contact with the skin, generally on a 24 hour basis, imagine the effects over long periods of time. Then add the fact that most people apply such chemicals to their underarms and other areas of very high absorption directly into the bloodstream, and the answer to many of the ailments that people today experience is found. Then to counter these daily or at least frequent ailments, various other chemicals, such as drugs for pain and respiratory complications, are purchased and consumed. Then these, taken regularly, often cause stomach and liver ailments. Again, more chemicals are purchased and consumed.

Thankfully, many of these ailments can be lessened or even eliminated by simply restricting the use of toxic chemicals in laundry and dish detergents and other commonly used sources.

Moreover, many natural remedies can be used for such things as heartburn, headaches, nasal and bronchial congestion, coughing, hemorrhoids, dry skin, burns, dry eyes, and many others.

Then is the list of things that are being added to prepared food products and even non-prepared foodstuffs. For information on some of these visit TruthInLabeling.Org.

For those who care, I post this information. On our part, we avoid these toxins as much as we are able. In case if you ask, the answer is: Yes, we have noticed a difference in our general health.

Toxic Chemicals Found in Common Household Products

This article is from a Newsmax.com Health Alert e-mail that I received today. To the health savvy person this should not come as a big surprise. However, the fact that it is being publicized is news. Moreover, it is worthy of note.

Toxic Chemicals Found in Common Household Products

A University of Washington study of top-selling laundry products and air fresheners found the products emitted dozens of different chemicals. All six products tested gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, but none of those chemicals was listed on the product labels.

"I first got interested in this topic because people were telling me that the air fresheners in public restrooms and the scent from laundry products vented outdoors were making them sick," said Anne Steinemann, a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering and of public affairs. "And I wanted to know, 'What's in these products that is causing these effects?'"

She analyzed the products to discover the chemicals' identity.

"I was surprised by both the number and the potential toxicity of the chemicals that were found," Steinemann said. Chemicals included acetone, the active ingredient in paint thinner and nail-polish remover; limonene, a molecule with a citrus scent; and acetaldehyde, chloromethane and 1, 4-dioxane.

"Nearly 100 volatile organic compounds were emitted from these six products, and none were listed on any product label. Plus, five of the six products emitted one or more carcinogenic 'hazardous air pollutants,' which are considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to have no safe exposure level," Steinemann said.

Steinemann chose not to disclose the brand names of the six products she tested. In a larger study of 25 cleaners, personal care products, air fresheners and laundry products, now submitted for publication, she found that many other brands contained similar chemicals.

Because manufacturers of consumer products are not required to disclose the ingredients, Steinemann analyzed the products to discover their contents. She studied three common air fresheners (a solid deodorizer disk, a liquid spray and a plug-in oil) and three laundry products (a dryer sheet, fabric softener and a detergent), selecting a top seller in each category. She bought household items at a grocery store and asked companies for samples of industrial products.

In the laboratory, each product was placed in an isolated space at room temperature and the surrounding air was analyzed for volatile organic compounds, small molecules that evaporate from the product's surface into the air.

Results showed 58 different volatile organic compounds above a concentration of 300 micrograms per cubic meter, many of which were present in more than one of the six products. For instance, a plug-in air freshener contained more than 20 different volatile organic compounds. Of these, seven are regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws. The product label lists no ingredients, and information on the Material Safety Data Sheet, required for workplace handling of chemicals, lists the contents as "mixture of perfume oils."

Manufacturers are not required to list the ingredients used in laundry products and air fresheners. Personal-care products and cleaners often contain similar fragrance chemicals, Steinemann said. And although cosmetics are required by the Food and Drug Administration to list ingredients, no law requires products of any kind to list chemicals used in fragrances.

"Be careful if you buy products with fragrance, because you really don't know what's in them," she added. "I'd like to see better labeling. In the meantime, I'd recommend that instead of air fresheners people use ventilation, and with laundry products, choose fragrance-free versions."

This article seems to indicate that there is a more recent study being submitted for publication, although it is not clearly stated. The 2004 study is available at Human exposure, health hazards, and
environmental regulations as a PDF file. It is worth the time to examine.


Steinemann’s comment should be taken seriously, but with a slight modification. Those who are concerned about what things affect their physical and mental health should truly be careful about everything that they buy. Our government is allowing many harmful ingredients to be used in the everyday products that most people trust and use. Especially such things as fragrances should not only be treated with caution on account of not knowing what may be in them, but especially because honest labels will not hide behind such labels as “fragrance” but will actually include the full listing of ingredients. If a product’s label does not give full disclosure, the assumption should be made that something is being hidden, for indeed it is. And if it is being hidden, why is it being hidden? A person can be certain that non-disclosure of ingredients is for nefarious reasons.

By the way, many natural products are available that accomplish the same results as the toxic substances, and often even more effectively. However, natural products do sometimes cost more and may have a shorter shelf life. But isn’t good health worth a bit of investment in both effort and money?