Connie McDanel: Have you ever wondered about the common products that you purchase to clean and freshen your home? Potentially, could they be doing you and your family more harm than good?
Hello everyone, this is Connie McDanel, I am a Crown Diamond distributor, and I will be facilitating for this product education session. Recognizing that many of us share common concerns about health and the environment, we also realize that some consumers are unaware of these. Therefore, through this discussion we want to first establish a foundation presenting these issues and then communicate a need for changing consumer buying habits. In addition, we will build a case for Thieves essential oil and why that is such an important blend; and more specifically about the Thieves Household Cleaner and the Thieves spray and why they are better choices for creating an environmentally healthy home. Our goal is to build a better consumer, and the points to better communicate the value of Thieves. There is an urgency to create change concerning human health and environmental issues. We commend each of you for your concern and interest in Thieves. Becoming more informed about the issues, we intend to highlight how Thieves can be a viable option. Most of our audience recognizes Young Living as a lifestyle company. There are many obvious lifestyle choices with good nutrition, exercise, better hydration and so forth; but we would like to emphasize a lifestyle choice incorporating Thieves that addresses the creation of an environmentally healthy home and its implications to your own health and the global environment.
Helen Keller inspired us when she penned the words, ‘I am one but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something.’ These words have inspired many to realize their individual decisions collectively can and do make a difference. We are privileged to have 2 well-respected professionals with us from the science field for our discussion so we can learn why these professionals value Young Living’s amazing Thieves line. From this discussion we wish to disseminate accurate, scientifically-reliable information and to better educate and impact the lives of others, as well as to motivate a collective movement for lifestyle change. We will highlight how Thieves is the vehicle for this change.
Our guests today include Dr. Robert D. Fuller, PhD. He is a director of the Center for Earth and Environmental Science at the State University of New York, Pittsford, New York. He received his PhD in environmental science from Duke University. He has been involved in research studies funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency investigating water quality and ecosystem health. Katherine T. Fuller, MS, in an AP Biology teacher in New York State. She has been nominated for Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers for multiple years. She attended the University of Tennessee for her Master’s of Science in ecology. Her presence has been requested by some of the top biology forums in the nation, including leading universities such as Cornell University.
Before we make the case for Thieves essential oil blend, which is the main component of the Thieves household cleaner, let’s identify some of these urgent issues. According to the Associated Press, 2.71 million pounds of pharmaceuticals enter our waterways each year. Antibacterial chemicals are in 76% of liquid soaps and we are not aware of the disruption they case to human health nor to the environment. The facts that concern me the most are that 75% of American homes use synthetic air fresheners.
Robert D. Fuller, PhD: Yes Connie, the World Health Organization estimates that the deaths of at least 5 million people annually can be attributed at least in part to their exposure to toxic chemicals. The Michigan State University College of Human Medicine states that ‘exposure to bleach can cause respiratory issues, and it is implicated as a trigger for respiratory challenges.’ According to Time magazine there are 17,000 trade secret chemicals in our common everyday products. Is there a need for full disclosure? I certainly think so.
Additionally endocrine disruptors, also called hormone mimics, are associated with reproductive health problems in both men and women. In 2002 the American Medical Association first recommended that people stop purchasing products marketed as antibacterial agents, alerting us to the concern over their role in bacterial resistance to pathogens.
Connie: Each of these should be of concern, but what we are not aware of is the use of a marketing tactic which professionals term greenwashing. Greenwashing is the false promotion of a product to create the illusion of being considered green. We, as consumers, have been complacent that everything is okay, when in fact it isn’t. Very few companies are full disclosure. Young Living is a full-disclosure company. Kathy, you have a strong feeling about this as well, correct?
Katherine T. Fuller, MS: Yes Connie, we are awash in product push from all forms of media, reminding us of the need for this cleaner, this softener, this substance to reduce household odors. These are common products and we trust that they will not harm us or our children. In terms of our home chemical overload we have falsely assumed that if it smells good, then it must be okay. The adage Ignorance is Bliss is no longer acceptable. You read a label and you are confronted by chemicals that you cannot pronounce and you certainly have no understanding as to why they are there. Is it possible that some of these could be harmful? Greenwashing is a concept coined anytime a product or company plays upon our environmental conscience by promoting the product as Earth-healthy, which some of these companies do with their supposed green products. Ingredients are listed, but are they fully listed?
Because our modern-day society is overburdened with synthetic chemicals we are exposed whether we want to be or not, which leads to the ecological concept termed bioaccumulation. Toxins can bioaccumulate in 3 ways: They are absorbed topically across our skin, they can be ingested, or inhaled. These toxins bioaccumulate as they metabolize through our storage pathways, building in our fatty tissues. They become particularly problematic over time.
Robert: If we liken the slow accumulation of continual daily exposures of common household products to the slow drip of a faucet, and our bodies as a glass, drip by drip these exposures fill our glass. Eventually our body bioaccumulates to a point that the cup overflows, or a toxic threshold is reached and we receive an illness diagnosis.
Kathy: And of greater concern to me; what is considered a toxic threshold to you or I as adults is far different than the toxic threshold of our children. Whereas we have no control over many environmental exposures, we have the utmost control over the chemicals used in our homes, and this is the focus of this particular discussion.
Connie: What are some of these products, Kathy?
Kathy: Antibacterial soaps, chlorine bleach, air fresheners; many of the common products that we have been conditioned to associate with chemical smell and automatically think ‘clean.’ This is why Thieves is such a valuable option, because of its wide applicable use for everywhere in the home, school, and workplace. For example, Thieves oil can be in your medicine chest, or the Thieves cleaner under your kitchen sink, or certainly in the washroom. The Thieves spray is transportable to your workplace right in your purse or your pocket. Thieves is effective, yet also is a health-supportive product because of its therapeutic oil blend.
Connie: But with so many green products on the market, Bob, from an environmental chemist’s point of view, what does an essential oil product offer in comparison to synthetics?
Robert: A naturally-derived alternative, Connie. A plant biochemist termed these oils or plant extracts as allelopathic agents. These are part of the plants’ natural defense mechanisms, allowing them to ward off many of the same pathogens that are a concern to us. It’s no wonder they have such profound medicinal properties as well, and they have been tested by mankind for thousands of years. These include the aromatic plants that are familiar to us because of their pleasant scents such as members of the Cinnamon, Rosemary, or Clove families.
Connie: So then this natural defense of each plant has health implications for us?
Robert: Absolutely, yes. Essential oils with their protective properties support our body’s systems.
Connie: Kathy, help me understand why a blend like Thieves is the foundation of a health home product line, and why does the Thieves oil stand apart from everything else on the market?
Kathy: Thieves is a synergistic, power-packed blend. Synergy is an appropriate term here and applicable, because the word itself means an interaction of components that, when combined together, produce a total effect greater than the sum of the individual parts. In fact, think multiplicacious. Thieves is a blend of 5 marvelous essential oils: Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon bark, Eucalyptus radiata, and Rosemary. There are several supporting university studies emphasizing the unique anti-pathogenic and immune-enhancing qualities of these oils as singletons. To provide an analogy, the use of one oil can be compared to a chord in a musical composition, but the manuscript is incomplete and certainly not a masterpiece without the addition of the other chords. It is the harmonies of the chords together, just as it is the harmonies of the oils together that create a Thieves masterpiece blend. The chemistry of Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon bark, Rosemary, and Eucalyptus radiata synergistically complement one another and thereby increase the overall efficacy. So obviously then, Thieves is a viable option for consumers.
Connie: Let’s move on to the concern and consider that many companies have turned our society into germophobics. It seems to me the companies were very clever about creating this germophobic marketing tactic.
Kathy: I agree with you Connie, because the media in particular plays a big role in this scare tactic. I’m going to term it the little-boy-who-cried-wolf syndrome. Consequently, we as consumers become immune to what should really be of concern. Media hype is a part of our society and consumers must become knowledgeable just to discern what’s the best way to be healthy and to provide a healthy home for our families. There is no precedence for the germophobic tag. In reality, these pathogens have been with us forever. Unfortunately it is our own human selection against them that drives the pathogens’ newfound virulence.
We have been fooled, and as consumers we need to encourage each other not to fall into this marketing hype. Let us consider the plethora of biocide products lining the grocery store shelves. Additionally let us consider the role of the over-prescriptions. These are killing agents, and they are very effective as long as the organisms they are killing have no resistance to them. All organisms have the ability to mutate or change. Besides the ability to mutate to become resistant to a killing agent, microorganisms exhibit other characteristics in their favor to out-compete and survive such agents. Because they display a very quick reproductive strategy, this provides pathogens the ability to produce a vast population in a very short time period. The overuse of agents to kill bacteria promotes and even accelerates the success of any organism to become resistant. The killing agent does kill the non-resistant ones; however, what we are left with are the resistant microbes which now employ their reproductive strategies and one resistant microbe becomes 2, then 4, then 8, and so forth. In reality we have it within ourselves to fight pathogens, through our own immune systems, but we have to be supportive of this system by sustaining it and building it through proper rest and nutrition. However, exposures to environmental synthetics or toxins have so compromised our immune systems that it has limited and diminished our innate capacity to compete against pathogens as effectively as we used to.
Connie: You know that’s an important point, Kathy, so I really wonder, are our immune systems as strong as they used to be? And then the question becomes, ‘Are there natural compounds that we can use that regenerate our natural ability to fight the pathogens?’
Robert: Yes that’s a good point, and some essential oils such as Thieves support and build our immune system, allowing us to better compete against pathogens. In fact, essential oils are very supportive to multiple body systems.
Connie: So consequently then, why not use Thieves?
Robert: Well let’s digress for a moment and consider several body systems and the implications of antibacterial products for them. For example our endocrine system, which is our chemical messaging system or cellular communication system in our bodies, relies on cell receptors interacting with chemical messengers. This system can be disrupted by introduced chemicals of similar size, shape, and charge to those natural messengers. These include not only estrogen and testosterone mimics, but also thyroid hormone mimics. Thus our own chemical message system is vulnerable to the disruption caused by the novel compounds that mankind has synthetically created, and we must become aware of the chemical disruption that they pose.
Kathy: So there it is again, the question becomes synthetic versus natural choices, which is better? Consumers should consider the immense value one can get with the entire Thieves line for creating an environmentally healthy home that supports multiple body systems.
Connie: Now you mentioned body systems and the olfactory system came to mind for me. Recently I read a study by the Natural Resource Defense Council where they evaluated 14 air fresheners, and 12 of them contained compounds termed phthalates. Then it pointed out that air fresheners are used in 75% of U.S. households, and the market has doubled to 1.72 billion dollars. Now that tells me there is value in showing people that there is value in diffusing; in fact many countries outside of the U.S. have banned the use of such compounds and it has prompted our own Congress to take at least some action in restricting their use in children’s toys; however, they still remain as additives in many household products and are not fully disclosed. Because phthalates cause endocrine disruption, they can lead to disease. My question is, why do you think people are still buying these products?
Kathy: You know Connie, we grew up with these products and their companies. Companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Proctor & Gamble; our mothers bought these products so we trust unconditionally as our mothers did. For example, Johnson & Johnson presently has 22 different product recalls, and that is just in the past 18 months. This is a valid concern. How many recalls has Young Living had in 15 years, Connie?
Connie: Absolutely none.
Kathy: Now that is a reliability factor. That is a trust factor. And that is the factor which has caused the Fuller household to make a change.
Connie: I keep thinking about the 1.72 billion-dollar market of these harmful air fresheners. By communicating how important diffusing is, we make a major contribution to healthy changes when consumers realize the Young Living essential oils are a therapeutic grade. They are not a commercial grade or a synthetically-created oil; Thieves is a living substance. The quality of their oils has the reliability factor that each constituent is at optimal levels so it promotes and supports our health and creates a healthy home. It is Young Living’s focus on quality control, it is their focus on retaining their oils to their natural form, it is their commitment to the seed-to-seal process, it is their dedication to operating their own farms and distilleries around the world to bring us the best. For Michael and me, we too have replaced all these antibacterial-type products, the need for air fresheners and all those other cleaning products with the Thieves line. Young Living offers us a total lifestyle.
To illustrate one of my passions about the impact of lifestyle changes is water resources. Michael and I live on a lake. Do you think our individual choices affect our lake? How about our community? We all must realize that our individual choices do impact our waterways and therefore our communities. With these implications, do you think we need a call to action to share the benefits and the value of the Thieves line to our friends, our neighbors, and our communities?
Kathy: Connie, I’m reminded of an applicable quote by Chief Seattle: ‘Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together, all things connect.’
Connie: That is a fantastic quote; I love it. And Bob I don’t know about you but in my opinion, I feel we have to start talking about these implications and I absolutely love the free download document you and Kathy have on your Biosensible site http://www.inhealthalaska.com/?page_id=311 to help individuals bullet the points for talking about Thieves as a viable option, as well as presenting the urgency of these issues. I have found that to be such a useful tool. Can you share quickly, as an environmental chemist, why Young Living and the Thieves product line, is considered such a viable option for moms like me?
Robert: Yes Connie; first of all Young Living is a full-disclosure company. As Kathy said, it comes down to a reliability factor. Second, all constituents in Thieves household cleaner have received the Green rating from the respected nonprofit Environmental Working Group. Third, its synergistic blend is effective while being beneficial to our health, and finally – and this last one is one you demonstrated to Kathy and me – it makes economic sense. I have found that we have saved a lot of money because one bottle of Thieves product has replaced multiple cleaning products.
Connie: And those points do confirm why moms love Thieves. But one thing still perplexes me; can we go back to the air fresheners for a moment? As we know, they are implicated as a trigger for respiratory challenges yet 75% of households are using air fresheners. This just blows my mind! Why are they still being used?
Robert: Why do people use air fresheners, Connie?
Connie: I suppose to make the room smell fresh, and therefore they think it is clean.
Kathy: And what consumers don’t realize is that the substances they are using to make their homes, their cars or their motel rooms smell fresh (and therefore clean) are actually harming their health. If consumers want to make their home smell fresh, then Thieves provides clean odors that freshen the air while at the same time defending and protecting the home, making it healthier.
Robert: This is why simply showing people the value of diffusing comes into play. People are not aware that there is a healthy and effective alternative to these harmful air fresheners. Because we can trust the reliability of Young Living as a company, diffusing Thieves can replace these harmful synthetics, making our homes safer and healthier.
Connie: So as we conclude we have identified the concerns, we have covered why Thieves is a viable option, but let’s reiterate the practical uses of Thieves. Kathy, you start.
Kathy: We just mentioned diffusing Thieves. Inhalation of Thieves as it permeates our home environment will defend and protect us against airborne pathogens. And don’t forget Thieves provides us a wide range of application uses within our homes, from the medicine cabinet to the washroom.
Connie: Personally, I love the Thieves spray as a travel complement. I spray the TV remote in hotel rooms, door handles before I enter, and even computer keyboards. My friends who have young children spray it on shopping cart handles and the playground equipment. Plus, it’s a solution for the smelly sport shoes and sport bags. It’s the perfect solution for busy moms!
Robert: And in these difficult economic times, Thieves just makes economic sense. Our home product budget has decreased as we have replaced multiple cleaners with just one, Thieves.
Kathy: Additionally, one more thing I’d like to mention, and it’s the thing I appreciate most about Thieves – if I feel anything coming on I will place a drop under my tongue, rub the Thieves onto my feet, and then rub it over my neck area because who has time to be sick?
Robert: So we conclude that Thieves is an effective alternative to the standard available cleaners and air fresheners. Through its use as a cleaning agent; by diffusing or by spraying it, the entire Thieves line provides us an effective, health-enhancing solution; one that makes important, positive contributions to human health and the environment.
Connie: Can you imagine all the results of our collective efforts as we encourage the use of Thieves? Can you see how this information positively impacts human health and even the global environment?
Kathy: We implore all of you to take and apply this information as a call to action. Each of us can no longer afford to act like an ostrich with our head buried in the sand as we contemplate the implications of synthetic chemicals for our homes, our local communities, and indeed our Earth.
Robert: Consider the power each of us holds, acting as messengers, communicating the value of Thieves and essential oils to our neighbors, friends, and family.
Connie: Synergy comes in many forms. The power of one person communicating and motivating others becomes a force for change. We take action as a choir of voices for change. What’s at stake? Much – your health, your children’s health, the health of Mother Earth. One simple choice, Thieves; one simple action, to communicate. Let’s just do it!
Marian Wright Edelman provides: ‘We must not, in trying to think about we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to the big differences that we often cannot foresee. Your choices, our choices, do matter.’
Just as oils demonstrate a synergy – they work together – we, as members of the Young Living community, can demonstrate synergy too, by internalizing the value of the Thieves product line and communicating that value. The power of one person sharing and encouraging another compounds into a force that transcends each of us as individuals into a community of action. We can make a significant difference by recognizing the value of Thieves.