Software Vault: The Gold Collection/Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO/cdr13/ahg.zip/BTSCHOOL

Text File | 1993-06-20 | 8KB | 154 lines

    The  following  was contributed by Nanci Anderson Powell,
creator and  Director  of  Discovery  Resources  in  Ashland,
Oregon.   Thank  you  Nanci  for  all  your  time, energy and
willingness!

              Back-to-School = Back to Trouble?

    Have you ever noticed that during  summer  vacation  kids
are  happier  and  have  fewer  colds?  And that  going  back
to  school  brings  on illness and behavior problems for many
kids?

    Let's take a look at what some psychologists and  doctors
are  discovering  about  the  relationship  between a child's
environment and behavior problems.

According to  research  done  by  Doctors  Lendon  Smith  and
Marshall  Mandell,  some  children  return  to school and are
highly sensitive to the cafeteria's, chemically-laden, overly
processed foods, pesticides, chemical fertilizers and sprays,
newly  waxed  floors,  recently   painted   rooms,   bathroom
disinfectants  and  other  commercial cleansers, cleaners and
soap.   One  type  of  chemical   sensitivity   is   to   the
hydrocarbons  that  are  present in smog and the items listed
above.  One of the most common uses  of  hydrocarbons  is  to
bind  perfumed  scents  to  liquid  and  bar soaps, cleaners,
lotions, deodorant, toilet paper, etc.

    So Johnny and Janie go back to a spick  'n  span  school.
Before  we  consider what happens when Janie return to school
in the fall, we can learn much from looking at  her  vacation
environment.   As  soon as school was out, she and her family
headed for  the  hills.   The  mountain  air  near  the  lake
contained  an  abundance  of  negative  ions  which  are  far
healthier than the positive ions found in dry, heated, smoggy
or  air-conditioned  air.   Research  by  Dr.   Albert   Paul
Krueger,  U.C.   Berkeley  professor  emeritus,  showed  that
office workers and students were more productive, happier and
enjoyed less "down-time" when the air was  charged  with  the
negative ions from an air ionizer.

    The family camped in a tent-trailer which allowed them to
breathe  fresh, clean air while they slept.  This kept oxygen
going to their brains and helped to build new, healthier cell
tissues.   They used the trailer's  stove,  thus  eliminating
hydrocarbons from wood smoke or charcoal-starter fluid.

     Mom  used a citronella candle and a non-aerosol, natural
mosquito repellent when necessary.  This  was  far  different
than   her home environment where she used  chemically-loaded
bug  killer  and as many as fifteen perfumed household sprays
and preparations for everything from  cleaning  the  oven  to
polishing the furniture.

      In addition to the fresh mountain air, Johnny and Janie
ate  fresh  fruits  and  vegetables  from the camp store, and
since it was hot, they often  ate  salads  for  dinner.   The
water, too, was untreated with chemicals such as chlorine and
fluoride.   Unlike  their school and home swimming pools, the
lake and creek's water  was  chlorine-free  and  pure.   When
given a choice of highly-sugared soda pop or water, Janie and
her  brother  often chose the refreshing and thirst quenching
spring water.  They liked that  it  was  nice  and  cool  and
sweet-tasting.

     Combine  these physical, environmental factors with lots
of light and sunshine (the sun gives us Vitamin  D  for  calm
nerves),  less  mental  and  emotional  stress  and plenty of
freshly caught fish*.

     Back  home  now,  the kids continued to spend many hours
outside  in the sun.  However, she swam in  chlorinated pools
on hot, smoggy days which caused her to cough, helped her mom
polish the furniture and clean house.  She also went back  to
drinking  pop.   She  and her brother said that they'd rather
drink soda than that "yukky tasting" tap water.  Her behavior
began slipping and her parents wondered  about  the  maturity
they  observed during those three weeks in the mountains.  At
backyard barbecues she would be especially "wild."

     Janie and Johnny entered third grade in  the  fall  with
several  new  synthetic and acrylic outfits which Dr. Mandell
mentions in his book, "Dr. Mandell's Five Day Allergy  Relief
System'  as  being  the  cause  of some allergic reactions in
sensitive people.  She  spent  six  hours  a  day  in  highly
polished,  chemically  cleaned,  freshly painted school rooms
under fluorescent lights.  These lights have  been  found  to
cause  reactions  ranging  from  headaches  and  fatigue   to
hyperactivity  and  irritability according to research by Dr.
John Ott. Also see the 1974 issue of  SCIENCE  NEWS.   Either
their  subliminal  flicker  reacting  on the brain's cerebral
cortex  of  the  susceptible  person   or   their   lack   of
full-spectrum   color   is  the  source  of  these  problems.
(Editor's note: Full-spectrum - gro-lux bulbs can be found in
most hardware, discount or garden supply stores).

     Her  teacher,  a  smoker,  often used copious amounts of
perfume to camouflage the smoke smell in her clothing.  As he
leaned over Janie's desk to help her, she had no  choice  but
breathe  in the noxious, toxic odors.  Janie also noticed and
liked the teacher's felt tip pen.

     At lunch, the cafeteria smelled like  a  combination  of
floor  wax,  cleaners,  disinfectant,  clothes  softener, new
shoes  and  clothes  and  hot   dogs   (with   nitrates   and
preservatives   and   additives   to  keep  them  "fresh  and
colorful").  Even the vegetables, fruits and salads are  full
of  artificial  fertilizers  and pesticides! After a lunch of
highly  refined,  low-fiber   starches,   including   instant
potatoes which are loaded with preservatives and chemicals to
keep  them  white and soft, Janie and her friends went to the
vending machine for sugar "treats" and sodas.

    Is   it   any   wonder  Johnny  and  Janie  have  trouble
concentrating and sitting still  in  class?   Their  teachers
complain of their "constant fidgeting, talking and disrupting
the class."

     Janie  has  been  interviewed by the school psychologist
who feels that there  is a mother-daughter  conflict  in  the
home and that perhaps a male teacher would be able to control
her  behavior.   This  does not help much either, even though
Janie really likes Mr. Smith, "he's  so  cute  and  has  neat
aftershave lotion!"

     For  Janie  and  countless other children, an undetected
chemical   sensitivity   to   hydrocarbons,   chemicals   and
preservatives  could  well  be  causing major problems in her
life.  If untreated, they face needless personal, social  and
educational  problems.   Dr. Lendon Smith states in his book,
"Improving Your Child's Behavior Chemistry, that  if  we  can
change a child's behavior chemistry at an early age, there is
less chance of a deep-seated psychology problem developing.

    Just  how  many  chemicals   do  WE combine in our homes,
schools and  work?   Does  this  careless  combination  cause
health hazards?   Would  it  be  in  your  best  interest  to
substitute natural products for chemically loaded ones?

NOTE: This article is an excerpt of Nanci's  "Quick  &  Easy
Ways  to  Natural  Health," a compilation of many varied and
interesting  health  topics.   For  more  information, send a
self-addressed, stamped envelope to  Nanci  Anderson  Powell,
Director,  The  Discovery  Resources  Center, P.O.  Box 1225,
Ashland Oregon, 97520 or call 503-488-2981.

*Editor's  Note:  Fish  is known for its abundance of omega 3
oil and trace minerals and vitamins.
                                                 End of file.