Did You Know?  Hosed!

It seemed like a simple, straightforward task: stop at the local hardware store and purchase a garden hose to water our organic vegetable patch. Simple, that is, until I read the back of the label that was framed and surrounded by the coiled-up hose:

 “Contains chemical(s), including lead, known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, and other reproductive harm. Do not drink water from this hose. Wash hands after use.”

Are you kidding me? Lead in a hose? Whatever for? And how prudent would it be to water my veggies with a hose that may not even be safe to touch? And how many kids are drinking from these types of hoses every day?

My conversation with the sales clerk was even more bizarre. When I inquired about why they would even sell products containing known toxic substances (remember I wasn’t buying paint or drain cleaner…we’re talking about a garden hose here) and whether he was concerned about having to even touch them to stock the shelves, the salesman’s answer surprised me even more. He shared that when he questioned his boss about these warnings he just shrugged it off and said “that’s California.” It was as if he believed that our neighbors to the south had gone off the deep end and decided to haphazardly put cautions on products for no good reason.

I walked away wondering how we had become so desensitized that we believed warning signs were frivolous and without meaning. I wondered about the apathy and acceptance of that sales clerk. His “that’s the way it is and I just have to accept it” attitude with little or no concern or belief that it could be any different. And I wondered about what toxins might be lurking in other common household products. Sadly I didn’t have to look past the garden gloves. Yep. They contained lead too.

Suddenly a few things about my own health journey were beginning to make more sense. You see, prior to discovering the magic of eating a really clean diet high in raw and living food, I was feeling pretty exhausted much of the time. Some testing with a naturopath revealed that I was, in part, dealing with literally “off the charts” levels of lead and cadmium in my system. At the time I had no idea where all those heavy metals had come from, but after my visit to the hardware store I’m reasonably certain it was an accumulation from a variety of sources.

The heavy metals and toxins get stored in our body and literally weigh us down. Think of the energy of lead for example which is very dense and heavy. Well the body, in its innate wisdom, knows that our kidneys and liver can’t process these toxins very efficiently, especially in such alarming quantities, so it stores them in fatty tissue to protect us. And, these heavier energies contribute to the apathy and powerlessness we can feel when it comes to making helpful changes.

While my healing protocol was specific to me, I give a great deal of credit and thanks for the role that increasing my intake of raw and living food has played in my journey back to myself. In addition to giving me back my health it has expanded my life in ways that I never would have dreamed possible.

If this feels like something you would benefit from and would like to explore then I invite you to contact me so we can have a conversation about how I can best support your journey.

PS: We eventually did find a lead-free hose (selection was very limited).

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What They’re Saying

"Thanks again, the class was great. So many wonderful recipes! I will be watching the granola video and making notes. My daughters enjoyed it as well. It was great to be able to have them hear about raw food and taste wonderful creations from someone other than me! In fact I made a green smoothie for them this morning and they both enjoyed it. Before your class they would have balked. Now we have several recipes that they would like me to make."

— Donna Thoen
Abbotsford, BC

 

Rena Ashmall "Madeline's passion for raw food translates into an ability to simplify the complexities of all the choices associated with raw foods. And even better, she does that while making it look like fun!"

— Rena Ashmall
Veyo, UT

 

Kati Peters & Al Miller "Madeline is a true teacher and cares deeply for Mother Earth and those who share it. She is passionate in her love of raw food and shares her enthusiasm with those who seek her wisdom."

— Kati Peters & Al Miller
Sammamish, WA