Over the years I had heard scary youtube videos about how harmful EMF’s (Electromagnetic Frequencies) could be but I conveniently put these warnings out of my mind. Besides, I thought, they are all around us, what can we do anyways? A few months ago I heard an interview Dr Mercola did on EMF’s. (here) It made me pause. He recommended a book called The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMF’s by Nicolas Pineault.

I did not think I was that sensitive to EMF’s. I have a couple friends who could not walk under power lines or use laptops due to their EMF sensitivity. Another friend noted her hand hurts if she uses her Ipad too long.  Thinking about the Mercola interview, it occurred to me that although my life has become less stressful in the last 5 years, I have had worse insomnia. I recalled at night feeling I was “wired”, as if electricity or some kind of energy was running through my body preventing me from sleeping. I wondered if this was partly caused by EMF’s. I did an experiment to turn off my wi-fi and the breaker for electricity for my bedroom at night. I felt more peaceful. I thought, “I think I am on to something”.

When I got Pineault’s book I timidly read a page or two. To my surprise the reading was so informative I read it eagerly. I wanted to know the facts even though they upset me. I gave myself permission to make changes slowly, one step at a time. I urge you to do the same. As I learned how far reaching the effects of EMF can be, especially for highly sensitive people and people with health challenges, the more motivated I have become to take action.

I heartily recommend Nicolas Pineault’s book The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMF’s.  He spent over 1500 hours researching by reading top selling books on EMF, studying EMF research pioneers and listening to dozens of interviews from Lloyd Burrell of ElectricSense.com.

EMF stands for the electromagnetic fields that are produced by electrical charged objects. They are organized related to their frequency and wave length. The frequency is how fast it oscillates every second. While the earth’s natural magnetic field oscillates 7.83 Hz, the 4 G/LTE signal coming from smart phones oscillate up to 2.7 billion times per second (2.7 GHz)

There are 4 main kinds of EMF’s that have been linked with harmful health effects: 1) Radio Frequency (RF), Magnetic Fields (MF), Electric Fields (EF) and Dirty Electricity (DE). Pineault writes that each of 4 these types of EMF are linked to specific health effects (both positive and negative), are emitted by specific sources, and can be reduced or avoided using specific strategies.  People often think the power lines are one of the worse sources of EMF but usually the worse sources are in one’s home.

A documentary called “Generation Zapped” reported in 2018 that we are experiencing 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 times more radiation than we did 10 years ago. Professor Martin Pall wrote in 2017:  “In 2015, regarding EMF, 220 international scientist signed a statement sent to the United Nations Secretary General and to member states, stating that international safety guidelines and standards are inadequate to protect human health. Each of these 220 scientists from 41 countries had scientific publications on biological effects of such EMFs for a total of over 2000 peer reviewed publications.”

The frequency of RF Radio Frequency is fairly high compared to the other 3 types. RF frequency rages from 3 KHz to 300 GHz. Cell phones, wireless smart utility meters, baby monitors, blue tooth devices, and cordless phones emit RF range EMF’s.

The U.S. Federal guide lines for the safety of radio frequency radiation of our electric devices were issued 23 years ago. These guidelines were based on a RF Exposure Lab where a big mannequin head was used with his head filled with water, salt and sugar. The mannequin held his cell phone 5mm from his ear at a 15 degree angle for no more than 6 minutes a day. Based on this study, it was determined for safety guidelines that it is not safe to use the cell phone next to the head more than 6 minutes a day. Pinealt writes that as of 2016 cell phone companies put in small print to never hold your cell phone next to your head or any part of your body.

What really grabbed my attention is when Pinealt wrote that dozens of countries have much stricter guidelines for safety for RF exposure. These guidelines are 100 to 1000 times lower than current US FCC guidelines.

Scientists have banded together to warn of the dangers of EMF’s. The Freiburger Appeal in Germany in 2002 had 1000 doctors and 52 authors join together to conclude, “Current mobile communications technology are among the fundamental triggers of disease.” In 2016 the European Academy for Environmental Medicine Guidelines for the European Union had 15 scientists and doctors recommend “very strict guidelines” that are 100,000 times less than current FCC safety limits.

5 G Networks are being pushed by the FCC in the United States. This means antennas the size of a pizza box will be put in every 250 feet. The EMF waves from 5 G will be 20,000 times per second or higher compared to the present frequency as being 5.8 billion times per second. In contrast, other countries are so concerned about the harmful effects of EMFs that they are removing cell phone antennas from their environment. In 2005 Vancouver Canada school board did not allow cell phone antennas to be installed within 1,000 feet of the school property. In Rajasthan, India, cell phone towers in 2012 were being torn down by the thousands near schools, colleges, hospitals and playgrounds. Chile in 2012 did not allow cell phone antennas to be installed where children, elderly and medically compromised people were exposed.

Pinealt said he read 1000’s of papers that showed links between EMF exposure and specific health effects, most that happen at levels below current safety limits. He picked 135 of these papers to make 8 warnings:

1) EMF’s might make you sick, something called EHS, electro-hypersensitivity. The most common symptoms of EHS include skin problems, heart problems, intestinal disorders, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, eye problems, headaches, memory problems, tiredness, throat problems, irritability and others. Oram Miller, a specialist in the EMF field,has studied electrical fields for 40 years. He states that many people have EHS symptoms but do not know they are caused by EMF.

2) EMF’s might increase cancer risks. Henry Lai surveyed 200 studies in the National Institute of Health PubMed data base about the oxidative effects of wireless radiation. He found that 90 percent of these studies showed that wireless devices caused cells to shed electrons, a process that can lead to cancer and other serious diseases. Seventy-two percent of the neurological studies also showed negative effects from wireless radiation. ­

3) EMF’s may decrease male hormones, and sex drive

4) EMF’s may decrease female hormones, decrease women’s sex drive and trigger early menopause.

5) EMF’s may affect brain functions (cognition, memory, neurotransmitters, behavioral problems, blood-brain barrier leakage and others). Martin Pall, PhD, wrote a paper in 215 that found “26 studies associated (EMF”S) with neuropsychiatric effects, with 5 criteria showing causality”. Researchers link EMF exposure with increase in anxiety, depression and suicide thoughts. Smart phone EMF’s are strongly linked with increased risk of brain tumors. Professor Girish Kmar reported that there is an epidemic of hearing problems in teenagers in India on the exact ear that they use to talk on their cell phones all day.

6) EMF’s might make you gain weight. EMF’s affect blood sugar. Paul Heroux, PhD, of Mcgill University of Montreal Canada’s research writes that EMF’s change the set point of your metabolism, having an impact on the nervous system and increase risk for diabetes.

7) EMF’s might affect your heart. Studies show that EMF’s increase the calcium metabolism in the heart, reduce antioxidants in the heart and increase blood pressure. These changes can increase arterial plaque and cause increase in heart failure.

8) EMF’s increase your toxic load. Studies show that radiation levels of EMF’s lower than the FCC limit increased oxidative damage in the liver, kidneys, and bladder. Researchers believe that when EMF’s open up your blood-brain barrier and other protective barriers in your body, it allows the toxins like mercury, and other toxins in the brain where they can cause neurodegenerative diseases. EMF’s may also enhance the harmful effects of carcinogens like formaldehyde and mold.

Biologist Allen Frey injected fluorescent dye into the circulatory system of 2 groups of rats. One group was exposed to 1.9 GHz radiation (same amount as a cell phone) while the other group was not exposed to radiation. The dye spread quickly through the bodies of the rats of both groups. However the dye also leached into the brains of the rats within minutes of being injected who had been exposed to cell phone level radiation.  This means the dye passed the blood brain barrier in this group of rats. Bad news!

Another researcher who did a similar experiment found that the leakage from the blood to the brain in the rats he exposed to this level of radiation lasted 8 weeks after they were exposed. Blood brain leakage can lead to headaches, some brain cells dying, disruption of nerve cells, damage to the nervous system, increased symptoms of Alzheimers’ and MS, and memory loss. Researchers believe that EMF’s can contribute to weakening of the blood-ocular barrier that protects the eyes, and the blood-placenta barrier (that protects the fetus)

9) EMF’s may harm your gut. EMF’s have shown to slow down the growth rate of beneficial bacteria in your gut. These good bacteria produce at least 90 % of your serotonin, (the hormone that makes you feel good), keeps bad bacteria under control, neutralizes harmful chemicals like BPA, and produces vitamin K. Pinealt writes, “EMFs might be one of the main reasons that we’re seeing an explosion in food allergies and autoimmune diseases such as Celiac, Crohn’s, Lupus, Hashimotos’s, Rheumatoid Arthritis…” He also writes that EMFs may be linked to the massive increase in Lyme disease.

It was explained to me by Marcus, of Healthyhouse.com, that the organisms in Lyme Disease, mold, and other bad bacteria experience the EMF frequencies as a threat so they increase their activity. Marcus has worked with families struggling with Lyme Disease, MCS (Mutiple Chemical Sensitivity), EHS (Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity and Cancer related to EMF, mold, water and air quality. He states on his website that his client’s conditions improve and their medical treatments become more effective.

Ann Louise Gittleman, author of over 30 books, states that if you have mold in your environment, EMF can increase it’s effect up to 800 fold

10) EMF’s may harm children. EMF’s can cause an increase in miscarriage. It can slow the risk of the fetus growing related to bone growth, kidney development and vascular system growth. A study in 2008 looking at 13,000 mothers and their children measuring effect of cell phone radiation identified a higher score for overall behavioral problems in the children exposed to cell phone usage. The exact same results were found in a study of 28,000 children showing increase in emotional and hyperactivity problems.

In 2001 Dr Dietrich Klinghardt noticed that the children of parents who worked at Microsoft had higher rates of autism. He worked with a building biologist (specialist to reduce EMF) to find higher levels of wireless radiation in the homes of families who had autistic children. This doctor has an autism prevention and recovery program that includes reducing wireless and other electronic fields. Parents who follow this program strictly often see their children improve and even recover in about 6 months.

In addition, many studies show that magnetic fields, electric fields, and RF radiation decreases your body’s ability to produce melatonin. This results in less REM sleep and less healing/repair of the body during sleep. It is at night that the body does most of it’s healing if there is enough high quality REM sleep. One indication that you spend enough time in REM sleep is that you can recall your dreams. j One study showed that using a cell phone 25 minutes during the day significantly reduced the melatonin produced at night .

The ways that EMF’s reduce healing is that they reduce 2 key antioxidants, make your blood cells clump together, reduce the oxygen in your whole body, and increase the stress hormone cortisol.

So what can be done? Plenty. EMF Safety Network recommends: 1) Use a corded landline phone for home and your work place. Remove cordless phones.2) call your electric company to request the smart meter be removed and replaced by a analog utility meter. This is not allowed in all states but it is allowed in MI. There will be an increase in monthly fees in MI. 3) Use a wired router for internet connection. 

It is safer and faster. The companies that you can buy this kind of router for are: Charter, Spectrum, Comcast and AT&T. 4) Reduce cell phone use. Keep cell phones away from the body. Keep cell phones away from children. People who have an Iphone can buy an adaptor to connect their cell phone to an ethernet cord for internet usage without using wireless. Keep in mind that when you use a cell phone in a vehicle, the EMF’s goes up tremendously because the waves bounce around so much hitting the metal walls of the vehicle. In addition radiation increases greatly when there is poor reception. There are more safety tips at: www.emfsafetynetwork.org/safety-precautions/.

Other inexpensive steps that can be taken: 1) stop use of Bluetooth devices and wireless devices. 2) use a wired headset or air tube headset for her cell phone, and do not hold the cell phone in  your hand if at all possible. Put your phone on speaker. 3) unplug your router at night 4) if you continue to use wi-fi, use a router guard on the router. 

(cost $25 plus $15 shipping at www.lessemf.com), as it reduces RF 50 to 80%. 5) stop using  LED, fluorescent and CFL lightbulbs (dirty electricity), return to using incandescent light bulbs (found on amazon and the dollar store) 6) buy a corded keyboard and corded mouse  (both at $14 on amazon) &) make sure all appliances, laptops, lamps and TV’s are grounded.

There are additional steps that can be taken however I felt these steps will feel difficult enough to consider if this is your first time learning about the risks of EMF.

I know these recommendations are “a pain”. Author Ann Lousie Gittleman said it is the most inconvenient truth of our times. I could not agree more.  But consider the long term emotional and physical health effects these safety steps could help prevent.

I decided that if addressing EMF’s would reduce my insomnia, it was worth investing money in. I wanted to know if my house had electrical errors that increased the EMF field. I hired Dave Green, of Michigan EMF Specialists, from Lapeer, MI to do a 4-5 hour EMF inspection of my house. It was money well spent. He answered questions by email before and after the assessment.

Dave came to my house with 4 professional meters each costing $2000, a Trimeter, and a body voltage meter. He was appalled what RF meter picked up at my main computer work station with my laptop, 21 in monitor and printer. While Building Biologist recommend mW/m2 of 10-100, the meter picked up over 20,000 mW/m2’s at my main computer. He said “You have been getting blasted!” He told me the wi-fi signals of routers are typically  20 t0 30 times stronger than needed. I noticed under advanced configuration my router offered me the option of having 80 users. Really?

When I put my router guard on my router, the RF reduced 50% per Dave’s RF meter. I had to turn the printer off to get the wireless to go off the printer. We were able to figure out how to use advanced configurations on my AT&T Uverse router to turn my Wi-Fi off. A wireless water meter outside the house near this computer caused the RF to be higher than recommended. We ran a shielded Cat7 ethernet cord I bought for $11 from my router to my nearby kitchen. There we measured the mW/m2 of this laptop and felt relieved it was a 65. I said to him, “I don’t know if it is just my imagination, but I feel calmer now.” He said he felt calmer too.

I knew the DTE smart meters were a problem but I had been relieved that my electric smart meters were on the opposite side of the house from my bedroom. However when Dave completed the inspection, I realized the gas smart meter was on the wall right outside by bed where I lay my head at night. Dave showed me with his meter how my neighbor’s gas meter, 10 feet from my house, was also increasing the EMF in my bedroom. Dave’s meter showed electrical error at my dishwasher. He said there are often electrical errors with dishwashers.

The EMF inspection of my home was an eye opener. Since then I have listened to 4 speakers of the 2018 EMF Summit. I am starting to learn to use my TriField EMF Meter TF2 (cost $168 on amazon). 

 

I have much more to share in future blog posts. In the mean time I recommend noticing if you feel more anxious or tired after using your cell phone, laptop, Ipad or watching a smart TV.  If you would like help reducing your exposure to EMF but feel too overwhelmed by other problems, consider calling or texting me about scheduling a free 15 minute consultation at 586-799-2399.