Thank You For Not Radiating
I love technology and the convenience, and efficiency that come along with it. But when my body hit its toxic load a few years ago, it could not handle any additional toxic burdens. At the time, I did not know my body had mercury poisoning galvanized by RF radiation from a very powerful cell tower with four antennas placed less than 200 feet from my home.
In this post, I share a few key lessons I learned that helped me understand the complex topic in order to avoid or reduce symptoms like brain fog, headaches, and fatigue caused by every day radiation:
- Is Cell Phone Radiation Like Second Hand Smoke?
- What Is Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR)?
- Simple Steps For Avoiding or Eliminating EMR
Is Cell Phone Radiation Like Second Hand Smoke?
What most of us do not know is that cell phones may be carcinogenic:
The World Health Organization classified radio-frequency EMF as a Class 2B probable carcinogen in 2011.
And not just to the cell phone user. Around 2010, I read the article quoted below. If you click on the link you will see the photo of a cell phone next to a cigarette pack. Just as non-smokers breath in secondhand smoke and take in nicotine and toxic chemicals, anyone within ~15 feet of a cell phone is radiated. What is more alarming is the potential impact of the cell phone on the user:
Warning: Your Cell Phone May Be Hazardous to Your Health
Earlier this winter, I met an investment banker who was diagnosed with a brain tumor five years ago…. He explained that the tumor was located just behind his right ear and was not immediately fatal—the five-year survival rate is about 70 percent. He was 35 years old at the time of his diagnosis and immediately suspected it was the result of his intense cell-phone usage…When Jim asked his neurosurgeon, who was on the staff of a major medical center in Manhattan, about the possibility of a cell-phone-induced tumor, the doctor responded that in fact he was seeing more and more of such cases—young, relatively healthy businessmen who had long used their phones obsessively…A handful of Jim’s colleagues had already died from brain cancer; the more reports he encountered of young finance guys developing tumors, the more certain he felt that it wasn’t a coincidence. “I knew four or five people just at my firm who got tumors,” (2)
If that’s not enough, recently, the NIH study confirmed the connection with cell phone use and brain tumors:
“Cell Phone Radiation Boosts Cancer Rates in Animals; $25 Million NTP Study Finds Brain Tumors U.S. Government Expected To Advise Public of Health Risk”
So the next question is, what is it about cell phones that makes them a possible cancer-causing toxin? The short answer is that cell phones emit electromagnetic radiation and that radiation damages all living cells.
What Is Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR)?
EMR (a.k.a. EMF) is radiant energy released from anything electrical. The radiation can stress or damage DNA in all living cells, including those in humans, animals, and plants. The damage is based upon the radiation’s proximity, power, and frequency.
Here is another way to think about it: Water containing minerals can conduct electrical energy. The human body is approximately 3/4 mineralized water and therefore collects & conducts electrical frequencies. That is why, for example, x-rays and EKG’s (electrocardiograms) are used in hospitals to measure what is happening within the human body.
The problem is that we are now living in a technologically advanced world where it is almost impossible to avoid the damaging electrical frequencies from cell phones, cell towers, and Wi-Fi. And while most of us are too busy or do not understand how the invisible and silent radiation is harming us, there are plenty of non-industry funded scientific studies that say otherwise. (See the Bioinitiative report for more scientific info.)
For simplicity, there are four types of EMR exposure that were important for me to understand in order to gain back my health:
- Radio-frequency (RF) radiation: Radiation emitted from cell towers, wi-fi modems / routers, and wireless devices such as cell phones, computers, tablets, and DECT cordless phones.
- AC Magnetic Fields (MF): Electrical sources like high voltage power lines, transformers on the street, cell phones, tablets, laptops, electric blankets, and appliances with transformers like clock radios, laptop plugs, or power cables.
- AC Electronic Fields (EF) like wiring in the wall.
- Dirty Electricity (EMI) from sources like dimmer switches, CFLs, and solar inverters. All of these types of electro-pollution can damage cells and cause environmental illness (EI).
It took me a while to understand each type of EMR and keep them straight. Learning how to measure EMR with different meters (see below) helps as does trying different ways to shield and avoid radiation. But to be honest, until one is forced to avoid radiation due to symptoms, it might seem untrue, foreign, or not worth the time. All I can say is that I wish I had known that taking a few simple steps could have prevented me from hitting my radiation toxic-load. I share some of those steps here.
Tips For Avoiding or Reducing EMR
Tip #1: Keep cell phone use to a minimum
- Keep the cell phone on airplane mode. Cell phones on standby mode still emit strong radiation intermittently.
- Turn call forwarding on the cell phone and route calls to a corded land line when at home. (Text messages do not forward so I use Google Voice on my wired desktop.)
- For special situations, turn airplane mode off AND then turn bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular data off. Phone calls and text messages work with less radiation, but the internet and most apps will not work unless cellular data is turned on.
- Use the speaker phone with the phone at a distance or a corded air tube headset instead of wired headsets, wireless headsets, and bluetooth.
- Follow safety guidelines when using a cell phone. e.g. Use the cell phone in areas with good reception (aka full bars) and avoid using blue tooth and cell phones in the car, elevator, or metal stairwells. RF can create reflections and bounce around inside the metal enclosures.
Tip #2: Create A Sleep Sanctuary and Wire The Home
- Sleeping in an EMR-free environment is one of the most important things I did for healing and recovery.
- If Wi-Fi routers must be used instead of ethernet wires:
- Turn the router off when sleeping or not in use
- Turn down the transmission
- Comcast customers can call and ask them to turn off the Hot Spot
- Turn off all wireless devices, bluetooth, and Wi-Fi or put on airplane mode.
- Opt out of electric “Smart Meters” and avoid “smart” devices like home thermostats, security systems, TVs, Google Home, Amazon Eco, Sonos, smart watches, fitness watches, etc…
- Replace cordless “DECT” phones
- Ditch the microwave oven
- Use infrared remotes over RF remotes for the tv, shades…
- Unplug appliances when not in use
- Exception 1: refrigerator — since this cannot be unplugged without effecting food, try not to stand next to it for long and do not have a bed behind it in an adjacent room.
- Exception 2: oven — stand at an angle when cooking on an electric stove. And with any stove, keep a safe distance from the control panel and clock if at waist level.
Tip #3: Limit flying, driving and outside exposure
- Cell towers / antennas line the freeways and emit high amounts of RF.
- Avoid electric cars or measure the EMR to make sure it is not too high. I have heard hybrid vehicles emit more EMR than non-hybrid vehicles. However, 1) I do not feel EMR discomfort in my hybrid and 2) My certified electrician and EMR specialist drives the same make and model hybrid
Appendix
From my research, I found it helpful to know that some governments outside of the U.S. are more advanced in addressing radiation exposure limits. For example, I’ve read and heard interviews reporting that in France, Wi-Fi has been removed from public schools. Several families have sued and won against telecom corporations and their radiating cell towers. In the U.S., the FCC has passed laws (i.e. The 1996 Telecom Act), that make it illegal for anyone to sue Telecom companies on the basis of environmental effects from cell towers. (This has somehow been translated as health effects?) I suggest doing your own research. To help, I’ve listed a few links below as a starting point:
Helpful Meters
1. Radio Frequency ~$346 + S&H: Currently using the Safe & Sound from SLT.co. (Will add link.)
2. Magnetic Fields ~$299.95 + S&H: Switchable Single Axis And 3-Axis Gaussmeter
3. Electric Fields ~$159.95 + S&H: Line Noise Meter (no longer manufactured or sold)
4. Dirty Electricity: Greenwave (also sold under Alpha Labs). (Will add link)
Resource Links
bioinitiative.org
electromagnetichealth.org
emfcenter.com
healthandenvironment.org
microwavenews.com
report: Electromagnetic Radiation Hypersensitivity
Videos Worth Watching
1. TakeBackYourPower.Net
2. Ted X Talk by a Bay Area engineer (only 16 minutes long and a great primer)
3. CBC Marketplace Video “The secret inside your cellphone”. 22 minute investigation on cellphone radiation asking 1. Are cell phones safe and 2. do consumers have enough information on how to use cell phones safely?
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