Just after World War I, the development of machinery emerged as an innovative strategy for struggling farmers. With news tools on the field such as plows and tractors, approximately ninety-six million acres of newly overturned farmland were planted across Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.[i] In 1931, these plains yielded record-breaking harvests. However, as the excess of wheat flooded the postwar market, prices dropped, diminishing profits and causing, in subsequent years, fields to be left unplanted.
In previous decades, this land had accumulated its topsoil by means of depositing winds and runoff from the Rocky Mountains. This layer had been anchored by “hardy grasses which held the soil in place in spite of the long recurrent droughts and occasional torrential rains characteristic of the region.”[ii] The area had been largely in its primitive state in the middle 1910s, but due to soaring wheat prices during the first World War, it had seen an increase of agricultural and cattle farming activity while at its production peak: “The acreage devoted to wheat in one part of the…region tripled between 1914 and 1919 and increased more than fifty percent more in the next decade.”[iii] The combination of this uptick in soil disturbance, the subsequently neglected growing fields as the wheat market declined, and the use of much of the acreage for cattle (which also contributed to erosion), the drought and constant wind that ravaged the region in the early 1930s culminated in the disaster later known as the Dust Bowl.
Winds swept loose dirt, mercilessly flinging it about the land. Dry, rainless weather allowed no natural grass or other vegetation to take root and harness the topsoil. Many places, under a sky darkened by density of these particles, lost the first three to four inches, and in some areas, entire buildings were buried beneath the aimlessly whisked-about earth, which created silt dunes standing as tall as ten feet.[iv] What had begun as a seemingly prosperous and lucrative way of increasing profits and providing plentiful foods through agriculture had ended in disaster—costing thousands of families their farms and sending two-thirds of them to the West in search of a new habitat.[v]
With a very sad and expensive (on many levels) lesson on the dangers of poor farming practices apparently learned, federal, state, and local agricultural efforts increased in subsequent years to implement soil restoration. Some of these included large-scale grass seeding; timed rotations of crops such as fallow, wheat, and sorghum; the insertion of “wind breaks” built by tall, extended fencing or even rows of trees; and the promotion of techniques such as strip planting, terracing, and contour plowing.[vi]
As rains mercifully began to fall again in the late 1930s, the region slowly recovered, but many remembered the brutal and unforeseen expense of these unvetted farming techniques. With the years of the Dust Bowl behind us, a new, nefarious farming bungle was about to collide with agriculture on American soil, one even more devastating than that of those years in the 1930s.
The new crisis would be the innovation of chemical farming.
The Chemical Comparison
In the years after World War II, the booming industry of petroleum was lauded as a key in the victory of the war: “Thanks to a combined effort of the government and industry, two pipelines were constructed to carry oil from Texas to Midwest and East Coast refineries…and win the war.”[vii] The end of the WWII, however, brought a decline in demand and thus a surplus to the newfound industry, and those seeking its uses began to develop chemical agricultural treatments. For those still recovering from the Dust Bowl, these aids provided welcome relief. After all, if weeds and crops could be sprayed, then it wouldn’t be necessary to till the ground as often or even rotate crops.
But, similar to the time before the Dust Bowl, farmers weren’t aware of the risks involved in these new methods. Sadly, however, unlike the issues contributing to the Dust Bowl, chemical farming innovations aren’t as easily reversed. These compounds are dangerous in the sense that they attack the food they’re sprayed on, causing side effects such as “chemical leaf scorch.”[viii] They are devastatingly toxic to the soil: For example, one application of a popular glyphosate-based herbicide is known to kill 50 percent of the earthworms in the soil.[ix] (This is disturbing because earthworms are vital to the health of the soil). The hazardous consequences of using these chemicals has created the need to come up with new, replacement, or even complementary substances to counterattack the damage. Accordingly, the overall reliance on these toxins has perpetually increased.
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Eventually, a “chemical codependency”[x] grew among these materials. Worst of all, many of these elements (often herbicides) have an antibiotic, enzyme-blocking property, which kills many of the nutrients and essential enzymes in the crop—in addition to increasing human exposure to such chemicals through consumption. Thus, we grow and eat foods that are biologically incapable of nourishing us and that carry agents that harm our health.
It seems like the dominoes just keep falling: As a result of overexposure to the chemicals, chronic soil acidification becomes a concern, because it marks the death of organic matter in the ground being farmed. Topsoil degenerates and eventually decreases, contributing to diminished nutrients, vitamin and mineral depletion, and overall smaller crops.[xi] To counter the lower yields caused by these plant-attacking toxins, chemical fertilizers are then applied in an effort to restore the visible appearance of bounty to these harvests (in other words, the fruits and vegetables appear bigger and more appetizing). However, these fertilizers—growth-promoting substances—pose many of the same risks as herbicides: They cause added damage to the soil. Further, most of them are NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium) fertilizers, which help the plants physically grow in depleted soil, but yield a product that seems healthy but has little to no actual nutrients.
Then the Rains Come…
In addition to these toxins creating a devastating decrease in the quality of our edible crops, a vast majority of the chemicals are water soluble, meaning that when rainfall hits them, they become part of the ecosystem when they’re carried into groundwater and all permeable surfaces. They then evaporate into our cloud cover and linger in the air, ready to be carried back down by more rainfall to recontaminate the earth below, impacting the air we breathe and even indirectly affecting crops in areas that weren’t sprayed with these chemicals.[xii] Additionally, applying too much fertilizer constitutes a “greater amount…than the plants can readily absorb… [causing] excess greenhouse gases trapped in the atmosphere…[which likely contribute to] the increase of land and ocean surface temperatures.”[xiii]
Antibiotic Properties Released Via Large-Scale Farming
The human body’s exposure to such toxins over time contributes to cancer, chronic illness, autoimmune disease, and neurological disorders. They have the power to cross the blood-brain barrier—a protective membrane that surrounds the brain and prevents hazardous elements in the bloodstream from affecting brain chemistry.[xiv] Since such a high volume of poisons use enzyme-blocking properties, our bodies are under constant exposure to what is essentially antibiotic activity. This disturbs the body’s bacterial genome, which is directly linked to wellness and immune system. Many of these intruders directly compromise the gut lining, the blood-brain barrier, blood vessels, and the kidney’s protective systems, and can even result in neurological injury.[xv]
Additionally, by stripping the nutrients from our food, we deny the body what it needs to fight disease. Often, then, the onset of illness facilitates a need for drugs—which the medical field will create and then sell at a high profit. For example, Dr. Zach Bush explains his opinion that vincristine, currently one of the most commonly used chemotherapy drugs, is constructed of an alkaloid that is naturally occurring and should be found in our food:
We’ve literally subtracted out of our food chain this…[natural alternative to] chemotherapy…[and if this substance were still in our food today, a person would have] a constant, low-grade, non-toxic, available vincristine that would be bathing the cells [of the body and warding off cancer].[xvi]
Instead, the body is deprived of this advantage, and the pharmaceutical industry has created the drug, which Bush states sells for $28 thousand per gram.[xvii]
The same way that poor farming techniques opened the curtain for the Dust Bowl and created a ravaged, desolate farmland deplete of topsoil, which fostered silt dunes burying houses, barns, and cars in flying dust, the chemical practices that followed have ravaged the land in myriad subtle but deadly ways. Bank accounts are buried in debt as medications cause families to become bankrupt, chemicals fly without harness through the air and collect in areas they were never invited, and the ground from which we pull our food is depleted, toxic, and exhausted. The ecosystem is compromised, and human health epidemics have hit crisis levels.
We are now experiencing what the authors of a groundbreaking new book titled “Unlocking Eden” call a “Chemical Dust Bowl.”
Spreading diseases and Covid-19 have also added to the growing dangers of viral infection.
But YOU can do something about it and THRIVE to survive!
How so?
Dr. Donna Casey with Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas says with states now reopening and Covid-19 re-surging, more people will be exposed to infection risks and it is therefore “critical to boost your immune system so you can ward off the coronavirus and prevent serious disease.”[xviii]
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ARE ALL SUPPLEMENTS CREATED EQUAL?
Dr. Casey echoes the findings of Unlocking Eden, which reports university and government studies showing that supplements are vital to boosting your immunity, pointing to large clinical studies that confirm vitamin supplementation “can lower your risk of death by almost 50%.”[xix]
Food: The Heart of Our Culture
For many of us, food is a central point of culture. It’s a huge indicator of our attitude toward life in general, and fills many needs beyond simple hunger, such as comfort, nurture, companionship, entertainment, celebrations, and even family bonding. It also weakens us; we sometimes use it as a substitute for emotional well-being, as a nursemaid after a painful loss, and for stirring up excitement in a sedentary lifestyle. It embodies everything from the restraint of rigidity to the indulgence of fleshly desire. Yet, as wired as we are to embrace food for extranutritional needs, we are by and large completely removed from its origin and production. On one hand, society seems to literally revolve around food; and on the other, we have no control whatsoever regarding its quality or supply. A myth related to this principle suggests that our physical appearance is a mirror of our attempts to make healthy decisions, but, as you’re likely aware, many who appear healthy can easily have known—or unknown—health complications behind that illusion of wellness.
Separating the notion of food from culture is impossible; it will never happen. The intricacies that intertwine the two go back to the very first story of man and woman in the Garden of Eden. Unfortunately, the ties linking it to our demise trace that far back as well. Thus, our challenge cannot be to attempt to divorce sustenance from what makes us human; our quest becomes meeting food on a level that makes it always friend and never foe.
As a culture, our view of food has skewed to the point that we expect it to compensate for more than physical nourishment. We’re wired to desire excitement, fulfilment, community, and even love. Because we live in a busy society where, for many individuals, these needs go unmet, we subliminally transmit these desires to our food. This concept was discussed at length in Timebomb (FREE WITH MORE GIFTS IN NEW SUPER PROMO HERE):
…the most dangerous ingredient in our food is our attitude toward it. When that changes, we can begin to make progress [toward better health]… Part of the solution [to changing dietary habits, and ultimately our health] is to face the fact that we have been seduced over time by complacency, exhaustion, and the urge for convenience in a world that keeps us busy. But, there’s another angle we need to explore.
Food is not emotional, nor is it entertaining. Advertising is…
We want food to make us feel better. We want food to supplement the satisfaction we’re not getting from a dead-end job or the fun missing in a lackluster social life. Worst of all, the food is making us feel worse…. On top of that, when we gain weight because of the choices we’re making, many of us withdraw [communally], keeping further to ourselves…and that feeds into our disappointment with our social lives which lowers our performance at work. See the cycle? It’s only one of many wrapped up in the complicated subject of our food.[xx]
Emotional Eating Destroys Health
Because we place so much emphasis upon food to meet needs aside from nutrition, we set up our diets for failure. No substance in our lives apart from God, family, and friends can fulfill the emotional needs we expect from food. The disappointment we feel when it doesn’t satisfy our emotional needs often causes us to form bad habits such as overeating or even developing food addiction. This, combined with the diminished nutritional value offered by food in recent decades, has contributed to a critical state of health for the average American. An example from Timebomb reveals how sugar alone has contributed to the medical crises:
In 1822, the average American consumed 45 grams of sugar every five days[xxi]…the amount [now found] in one soft drink…[was at that time] consumed over the period approaching a week. In 2012, the average American consumed 756 grams of sugar over the course of five days.[xxii] This is nearly seventeen times the amount…that we consumed in the year 1822, equaling approximately 130 pounds of sugar per individual each year!
The problem is exacerbated by the fact that many of us live sedentary lifestyles, while simultaneously consuming…increasingly excessive amounts of sugar…[which is taken in] and is not burned as energy and the…[body] cannot keep up with the constant incoming supply. As sugar is ingested, the pancreas releases insulin to attempt to deal with the…overabundance of sugar…introduced…to the bloodstream (an occurrence during most American meals today). The pancreas responds by releasing too much insulin in an effort… to restore balance. But…by the time the pancreas receives the signal that it can stop producing insulin, it has already overproduced, resulting in a crash…[which we respond to by eating] a sugary snack as a “boost”…[perpetuating the] erratic, roller-coaster style pattern…that eventually trains our body to malfunction…resulting in the development of diabetes.[xxiii]
Understanding Homeostasis
Homeostasis, in nearly every way vital to our health, refers to the body’s state of overall management, pertaining to generating and storing energy, regulating temperature, and keeping vital functions stable. This system balances glucose and other necessary substances within the blood and keeps such processes as blood pressure where they should be. David A Kessler, MD, author of The End of Overeating, explains: “It’s a highly sophisticated system that can be explained simply: Many parts of the body talk to one another.”[xxiv] When the body maintains homeostasis, we can count on all systems functioning properly, with regulated eating patterns, body temperature registering between 97.7–-99.5 degrees Fahrenheit, the digestive system reliably processing food and expelling waste, and sleep patterns remaining on cycle. These are the bodily functions we take for granted, and they are all a product of unwavering homeostasis.
One of the problems with chronic overeating (a regular occurrence in society today), is that the urges don’t simply follow the signals sent via the homeostasis communication routes that trigger hunger prompts when the body requires calories. Instead, science shows that the body is no longer communicating honestly with itself regarding input and output. Only in recent years has it become apparent to what extent people have been damaging their bodies by eating for entertainment or emotional reasons—a dilemma Kessler calls the “reward system”—and only now is information showing how dangerous this escalation is. It would appear that the body would regulate itself to take in less food as we become more sedentary, but this logic fails to consider the “food seduction” that occurs through the body’s emotional and chemical addiction to food, either through habit, addictive ingredients, or both.
Thus, by adopting poor habits where food is concerned, we throw off our body’s homeostasis and thus interrupt the flow of communications and operations between our physiological systems. This leaves us vulnerable to nearly every kind of disease, and often, it lies at the root of illness as well. (More on this later; for now, suffice to say that changing our perspective of food is one of the first steps in the direction of better health.)
A Countercultural Look at Food
We realize that many of you are aware of and have already either addressed, or are currently addressing, your own poor practices regarding food, if you have any. Because of this, we won’t dwell much longer on the subject, which was covered at length in Timebomb. For those looking to free themselves from food addiction, it would seem that food is both everywhere and in everything. It’s an integral part of weddings, birthdays, holidays, good days, bad days, celebrations, and losses. Thus, it is deeply tied to emotions. As a result, we’re often defensive of our food choices and habits.
According to Dr. David Kessler, the first step toward healthier eating habits is breaking our current model of the reward system. We must find rewards that replace food. It’s definitely a challenge: Food fills our stomachs, it tastes really good, and it relaxes us. We need to take it in regularly, and we encounter it several times daily—even when it’s others who are eating or snacking. No other bad habit or addiction requires us to remain so close to what we want to free ourselves from. On the contrary, all other compulsions can be remedied by permanently removing the culprit. In our culture, however, food always lingers in the periphery, remaining as our entertainment and our comfort; always present at the highest and lowest points of our existence; and serving as the centerpiece of our family and community gatherings. Further, think about it: Eating food involves all five of our senses, which makes it hard to find a substitute. This means what when gratuitous and recreational food is removed from the equation, many of us feel completely lost. As a society, we have “lost track of what we needed to feel satisfied.”[xxv]
The Heart of The Groundbreaking New Book UNLOCKING EDEN
Beyond the widespread issues of overeating or disease, the heartbeat of Unlocking Eden is set to empower you to take a proactive stance on behalf of your own health, because it is your birthright as a child of God to enjoy an abundant and healthy life. We wish to let you know what you can use to fight against illness, chronic disease, addiction, pain, discomfort, or any other problem that inhibits your ability to live a quality life.
Many who have been diagnosed with an imbalance of some sort may feel that they are without hope for improving their situation. It is vital to remember that often, even when a doctor says a condition is normal or even hereditary, reversal or quality-of-life management is very possible with the right knowledge and discipline. For those who feel they’re doomed to wear the label of a diagnosis or who have felt confined to treatments only available within traditional Western medicine, a holistic viewpoint very likely will reveal that many diseases are actually imbalances that can be corrected with proper nutrition and lifestyle.
Just look at the staff at SkyWatch TV—from Dr. Thomas Horn to Joe Horn, Daniel Belt, Sharon Gilbert, Bri Graffia, and other members of our team whose lives and health have already been dramatically improved for good by practicing what Unlocking Eden preaches!
As you take in the upcoming entries in this limited time free online series, it is our prayer that the information, hope, and inspiration we provide will give you the power to take charge of your pursuit, leading you to achieve healing on a level you never thought possible.
UP NEXT: Don’t Become THEIR Label
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=AZJB2F0Z7EM
[i] Funk & Wagnall’s Standard Reference Encyclopedia: Volume 8. (1959), s.v. “Dust Bowl.” (New York: Standard References Works Publishing Company), 2910.
[ii] Ibid., Pg. 2911.
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Ibid.
[vi] Ibid., Pg. 2912.
[vii] Aoghs.org. “Big Inch Pipelines of WWII.” July 29, 2019. Accessed January 9, 2020. https://aoghs.org/petroleum-in-war/oil-pipelines-2/.
[viii] Hunt, Janet. “Harmful Effects of Chemical Fertilizers.” 2019. Hunker.com. Accessed January 9, 2020. https://www.hunker.com/12401292/harmful-effects-of-chemical-fertilizers.
[ix] Rich Roll. “Food Independence & Planetary Evolution: Zach Bush, MD.” January 8, 2019. YouTube Video, 1:54:31. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3aOQ0N74PI. Accessed January 9, 2020.
[x] Rich Roll. “GMOs, Glyphosate & Gut Health.” Accessed January 8, 2020.
[xi] Hunt, “Harmful Effects.” Accessed January 9, 2020.
[xii] Roll. “GMOs, Glyphosate & Gut Health.” Accessed January 8, 2020.
[xiii] Hunt, “Harmful Effects.” Accessed January 9, 2020.
[xiv] Roll, “GMOs, Glyphosate & Gut Health.” Accessed January 8, 2020.
[xv] Ibid.
[xvi] Ibid.
[xvii] Ibid.
[xviii] https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/immunity-disease-covid-19-pandemic/2020/06/30/id/975009/
[xix] Ibid
[xx] Horn & Anderson, Timebomb. Pg. 40.
[xxi] Kamb, Steve. “Why Sugar Is the Worst Thing Ever for You. Seriously. Ever.” Nerd Fitness, https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-sugar/. Accessed December 19, 2017.
[xxii] Ibid.
[xxiii] Horn & Anderson, Timebomb. Pg. 98–99.
[xxiv] Kessler, David. The End of Overeating. (Emmaus, PA: Rodale Publishers, 2009), Pg. 9.
[xxv] Ibid., Pg. 206.
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