What is more dangerous? Blackberries, a man spraying chemicals, or a feral pig on the loose?
Not that long ago I went hiking with Pax and his doggy friend Lana to the highlands of the Haleakala Volcano. I love the area for many reasons: the expansive bi-coastal views of the island, the fresh air, and the morning chill that awakens my senses. I never get tired of walking in the dew-covered grass and witnessing how happy the dogs are up there.
On this occasion, the dogs came across a wild pig that began chasing them, and then they chased the pig back. This continued to the point of a stand-off, with the pig and dogs watching each other from a safe distance, wondering what had just happened.
When the pig drama ended, we continued until we ran into a man carrying a big plastic container on his back.
"I wouldn't recommend going up there," the man said as he gestured towards the trail we usually hike along. "I just sprayed the blackberry bushes with chemicals. If I hadn’t been doing this for the past ten years they would be everywhere."
I was shocked! For years I have been coming here, thinking that this area was pure and wild, and now I find out that thanks to this well-meaning but ignorant man, this whole area has been doused with toxic herbicides! CRAZY!
I thought back to a childhood memory of playing in our family's cottage attic with my sister one day when we discovered cans of DDT that my dad used to kill bugs. It sounds crazy but it was commonplace then. My parents also used MSG (monosodium glutamate) when making meatloaf because it made the food look fresher and taste better.
None of these memories mean that I haven't used chemicals in the past that I would not use now, partly because I was simply unaware of how harmful they are. There are also people who know they are doing something wrong, but they like the idea of a quick fix so they disregard potential hazards.
An example in medicine would be the overuse of antibiotics because we all, including the doctors, have been conditioned to fear infections beyond reasonable means. Ironically, this fear and unwise use of antibiotics has led to the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
Many homeowners still use herbicides on lawns and in gardens, not because they do not care about the environment, but because they don't fully understand the impact of these chemicals.
This also applies to the well-meaning man spraying blackberries on the Haleakala slopes. Through his eyes, the blackberries are more of a threat to the environment than the RoundUp spray that he carried in the container on his back, while the opposite is undeniably true.
We all have proverbial blackberries in our lives and then do something that is not ideal because it is the way we are used to doing things, or because we are unaware of other solutions.
I do not have a solution for everything, but I would like to offer you a solution for reducing the use of antibiotics with SkinSpray, which one of our customers has referred to as a "MIRACLE SPRAY" for wounds and anything that needs to heal.
What else can YOU and I do?
I trust that it is okay for me to urge you to stop using any foreign chemical substances whenever possible. The DDT days may be over, but the chemical days are not, and our animal friends' health and our own health depend on it.
Try to reduce toxic exposure by doing an initial 4 week cleanse and then ongoing for 1 week per month as part of preventive care with LiverTune for dogs and LiverTune H+, the human version of this all-natural, organic, fermented liver support.
Click here for the list of ingredients and their medicinal effects.
You can also use this product for animals and people whose liver enzymes, such as ALT, are elevated, or have been diagnosed with liver disease.
Liver disease is one of the most common diseases in dogs, and I formulated LiverTune with the intention of preventing it.
Thank you for sharing this piece with those you love and care about.❤️