Nonsense to Newsense 

Three things have happened since I wrote last months’ article.  I mentioned that General Motors spent more on health care than they did on steel for their cars.  They have now announced the closing of the GM plant in Oklahoma City.  This will be a major blow to the economy of our end of the state of Oklahoma.  There are rumors that Ford Motor Company will soon follow.  Remember what I said last month about the rising costs of health care and how it is effecting the American business economy?  

The second thing that has happened is that I have buried another friend who lost his battle with cancer- a friend who is younger than I am.  1 out of every 2 Americans are getting Cancer according to the latest stats. 

The third thing that has happened is that we have read two articles on how Americans are beginning to get the clue that our eating habits and the poisons that we come in contact with are killing us.  Wal-Mart announced that they are getting so many requests for Organic foods that they are going to make these foods available in their stores in 2006.  I believe that the pendulum is going to swing back from people trusting their health to others to our taking responsibility for our own health.  I pray that this will start with you and that it will start without a disaster. 

Several of you sent me information and comments on last month’s article.  One of the most interesting was sent to me by Jeanne McKee the wife of rodeo announcer Justin McKee.  mckeeranch@totelcsi.net  is their e-mail address.  You may want to contact her for more information on the great articles that she sent me.  I would like to directly quote an article that she sent written by Dr. Joyce Woods.  Last month we talked about the foods that we are putting in our bodies being toxic.  We talked about the products that we put on our bodies that are toxic such as soaps, deodorants, shampoo, hair spray, etc.  This article by Dr. Woods goes into more poisons that we need to become aware of.  As I said, for more information, contact Jeanne because I am going to only quote very few things that the article says.  Here are some direct quotes from Dr. Joyce Woods who has a doctorate degree in “Indoor Air Pollution and its effect on your health”:

Begin by thinking of your home as a toxic waste dump.

More than 72,000 synthetic chemicals have been produced since World War 11

Less than 2% of synthetic chemicals have been tested for toxicity and the majority of chemicals have never been tested for long-term effects. 

An EPA survey concluded that indoor air was 3 to 70 times more polluted than outdoor air. 

Reports tell us that houses today are so energy efficient that “outgassing” of chemicals has no where to go, so it builds up inside the home where we spend 65% of our time. 

Chemicals get into our bodies through inhalation, ingestion and absorption.  We breathe 10 to 20 thousand liters of air per day.  ADD/ADHD are epidemic in schools today.  Behavioral problems have long been linked to exposure to toxic chemicals and molds.  Use of Ritalin has skyrocketed since 1990.    (end of direct quotes)

What is the culprit to the poisons in our homes?  The top three causes of poisoning deaths are:  Household cleaners, bleach and medications.  We need to be aware of what is stored under our sinks in our homes.  If you are like me, you have many cleaners, bleach, soaps, waxes, polishes, flea shampoos for the dogs, bug sprays, and on and on. 

We want our barns to be ventilated with good fresh air without creating drafts, we want our horses to have bedding to lay on that is free of toxic materials.  We want them to have hay that has not been weed sprayed or fertilized with anything not conducive to our horse’s health.  We no longer build the old time hay mows over their heads to store hay because the studies showed us that it caused lung infections that could cause horses to become bleeders.  We store our hay and grain where it can be free of mold and dust.  But yet, how many of us have had our heat and air ducts cleaned from dust and mold 2-3 times this year?

We wouldn’t think of storing our meds and fly sprays around their houses where they live, yet we store many poisons in our own homes and, some of us store all of their meds and chemical filled sprays and soaps in a closed in tack room where we are going in and out each day to get our tack.  Look at the battle that we are putting our body in.  We are exposing ourselves to poisons in so many ways.  We first have to become aware of where all they are lurking in todays products.  I had a big shock when I looked on the label of the toothpaste that I was using and it said:  If swallowed in a larger amount than necessary to clean your teeth, call the poison center.   Knowledge is the beginning of progress.  We first have to understand which chemicals are harmful to our bodies.  We can no longer depend upon labeling laws to protect the consumer.  They do NOT protect us.  Study for yourselves about harmful chemicals in today’s atmosphere. 

Back to Dr. Woods article, she said this:

Eliminating the cause of the environmental illness is more effective and much less expensive than treating the symptom. 

Prevention –  80  to  90% Effective
Treatments – 50  to  60% Effective

Which of these two seems to make the most horse sense?    We need to go from nonsense to newsense and a new commitment to take authority and responsibility for our own health. 

I ended last month’s article with the statement:  Would you want to ride a horse that is not feeling his best?    This month, I ask you, how would you like to be a horse that had a pilot with a brain that has been affected by chemicals, a body that is stuffed with junk food and clogged arteries and a compromised immune system?    That poor horse has a pilot that will have a hard time thinking clearly and making split second decisions.  We need to be the best pilot we can be to ride that horse that we have taken such good care of.