What is YOUR standard against wireless radiation?

In the digital era of the 21st century, we are not exposed to one Wi-Fi transmitter antenna. One typical office place or school classroom might have dozens of radiation streams from dozens of transmitting antennas: 30 laptops, 30 cell phones, a wireless printer, a wireless security system, an overhead internet access point and a cell tower located in line of sight outside the window.

You enter a mall and you’re exposed to multiple sources of wireless devices and antennas around you.

Do I Need to Worry About Radiation From WiFi and Bluetooth Devices?

Here’s what is known about the potential risk from routers and wireless devices

As of 2011, radiofrequency (RF) radiation is classified as a Group 2B Possible Human Carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer at the WHO.

There is a large number of studies establishing a concern that exposure to even low level electromagnetic fields causes adverse health effects. Studies showing possible health effects, that are corroborated as more research is done.

In 2018, the US National Toxicology Program embarked on an ambitious a 10-year, $25 million government study in rodents. It provided evidence that wireless radiation can cause cancer—but the abrupt termination of the study left a lot of key questions unanswered.

Professor James Lin from the University of Illinois in Chicago discussed the US National Toxicology Program’s (NTP’s) decision to close its radiation research program and what that means for us all.

‘In 2018, NTP published the final report on its US$30 million laboratory research showing “clear evidence” that lifelong exposure to low-level RF radiation caused cancers in rats.

‘The statistically significant findings showed that both GSM- and CDMA-modulated 900-MHz RF radiation had led to the development of malignant schwannoma, a rare form of tumor in the hearts of male rats. Furthermore, an independent analysis of the NTP data for overall cancer incidence detected in any organ or tissue inside the animal showed that rats exposed to GSM and CDMA cellphone RF radiation had significantly higher overall or total primary tumor incidence than the concurrent controls.’

Just recently, in 2023, the NTP declared on its 2023 fact sheet that it would perform follow-up studies on the effects found in the long term animal studies. 

So what happened? 

Have the follow-up studies been completed already?

Working with Swiss national engineering and U.S. government experts, the NTP had devised small-scale systems for exposing animals experimentally to controlled levels of wireless radiation.

Yet results from these exposure systems have neither been publicly shared nor published.

You can learn more about the NTP cellphone study in another post.

What Are the Existing Standards on Wireless Digital Technology (Radiofrequency Radiation)?

There Are No Safety Standards.

There are no national or international bodies who have “standards” for safe levels of the radiation emitted by wireless or microwave devices.

It is important to know that different countries have different standards and approaches to the current thermal (heat) RF exposure standards. The biologically toxic (oxidative/membrane) RF exposure levels, shown to produce harm at non-thermal levels.

This is an alarming concern as many countries rush towards 5G (i.e., device to device in the Internet of Things).[2]

So we are clear that nobody is watching out on your behalf:

Any “safety standard” by the telecommunications industry and the Big Tech sector, related industry associations, regulators on both sides of the Atlantic, and standards bodies such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) are focused exclusively on thermal effects ONLY.

This means “standards” are pushed to whether you get literally burnt or fried. Any non-thermal biological effects are either ignored or denied.

Different Countries Have Different Exposure Standards

However, in just the last 20 years, more than 20 position papers and resolutions regarding EMF and health have been adopted by esteemed EMF researchers and physicians.

Building Biology Standards

Standards for EMF exposure in Building Biology is based on the precautionary principle and lowest biological harm for sleeping areas. It is informed by reports by the BioInitiative Working Group. In August 2007 and December 2012, the BioInitiative Working Group, an international group of 29 experts with different competences, published two groundbreaking reports “BioInitiative 2007/resp. 2012 – A Rationale for a Biologically-based Public Exposure Standard for Electromagnetic Fields (ELF and RF)” edited by Cindy Sage and David O. Carpenter, calling for preventive measures against EMF exposure based on the available scientific evidence.

The BioInitiative report 2012 includes sections on the evidence for effects on: gene and protein expression, DNA, immune function, neurology and behavior, blood-brain barrier, brain tumors and acoustic neuromas, childhood leukemia, melatonin, Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, fertility and reproduction, fetal and neonatal disorders, autism.

Now let’s have a look at some of these new actions:

In Europe, the EU in its Council Recommendation of 1999 adopted the ICNIRP recommendations. However, this does not consider long-term non-thermal effects. It also does not consider non-thermal bio effects.

Many individual EU countries are choosing stricter regulations against wireless radiation levels.

Austria

has one of the strictest standards. Since 2007, the Highest Health Council of the Ministry of Health in Austria has recommended to take preventive action by reducing exposure levels from RF devices of at least a factor of 100 below the guideline levels of the European Commission!

South Korea

In Korea, you will find many websites for public and nonpublic institutions that provide information aiming to improve public awareness and EMF knowledge [19-22]. This information includes large amounts of data on human limitation levels, EMF measurements of electronic products, base station information, general safety guidelines, and false beliefs.

France

The first low-EMF zone was established at Drôme, France in July 2009.[10]

After two long years of debate, on January 29th 2015, France adopted a law which limits the spread of WiFi radiation and establishes basic rules of precautionary principle related to health risks from radio frequency waves.

It also promises a fine of 75 000 Euros if any cell phone advertisement fails to mention recommended use of EMF protection products.

On 8 July 8, 2015, a court in Toulouse, France, ruled in favor of a woman with the diagnosis “syndrome of hypersensitivity to electromagnetic radiation” and determined her disability to be 85% with substantial and lasting restrictions on access to employment.[9]

Italy

The Italian Supreme Court confirmed a previous decision by the Civil Court of Appeals of Brescia (no. 614 of 10 December 2009) that ruled that the National Institute for Workmen’s Compensation (INAIL) must compensate a worker who had developed a tumor in the head due to long-term, heavy use of mobile phones while on the job.[11]

Russia

Russia set strict standards and has not loosened these. In contrast to the ICNIRP guidelines, the Russian safety standards, are based on non-thermal RF effects, which were obtained by several research institutes in the former Soviet Union during decades of studies on chronic exposures to RF. It is interesting to find that Russian researchers  looked at RFR exposures and immune dysfunction over 2 decades ago and because of these robust studies which were replicated in 2006-2009 they set their upper limit of RFR at 10 μW/cm2.

Canada

EMF Exposure Guidelines in Canada are under the jurisdiction of Health Canada who has not independently established guidelines for magnetic field or electric field exposure. When pressed, they will state that Canada follows the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection “ICNIRP” guidelines of 830 mG or 83,000 nT (Magnetic Field) or 5000 V/m (Electric Field) for a 24-hr period. Since these guidelines are based on short-term acute exposure we still do not have guidelines that protect the public from long-term low level exposure.

The Canadian Teachers' Federation (which represents over 200,000 teachers across Canada (2013)) recommends “prudent use of Wi-Fi” whenever possible including the recommendation to limit consistent exposure in schools by turning off wireless access points when not in use.

The Elementary Teacher's Federation of Ontario - over 76,000 teachers (2013) adopted resolutions:
 "That ETFO study the impact of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, including the possible implications for schools and members, with a report with recommendations.

The British Columbia Teachers' Federation (41,000 public school teachers (2013) adopted resolution to protect teachers' health: "The BCTF supports members who are suffering from electromagnetic hypersensitivity by ensuring that their medical needs are accommodated in the workplace."

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association - 37,000 teachers (2012) recommends pulling plug on Wi-Fi in schools, schools should practice “prudent avoidance of exposure” given the mounting evidence against WiFi exposure especially on children.

May of 2012: To accommodate children with EHS and to provide choice for parents who want to heed health warnings to reduce exposure for children who are most vulnerable, the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC) called for a moratorium on Wi-Fi in schools, and for a minimum of one school in each district at each level to be free of Wi-Fi.

What Are Your Personal Standards against Wireless Radiation?

• How often do you use WIFI hot spots? Regular surveys often find many places where the level of public exposure substantially succeeds that generally observed at the national scale.

  While, say the National Frequency Agency (AFNR) in France in this moment considers a hotspot to be atypical if the levels of radiation exceed 6 V/m (9.5 µW/cm2). It is not uncommon that WiFi radiation on hotspot peaks above 10 V/m. It takes time for network operators, often some months, before an excessive hotspot is recalibrated.

• Do you set clear boundaries against wireless radiation in your home?

  From nurseries and daycare centers are common places that ban wireless devices; this is where very small children under 3 yrs spend their time. Do you permit wireless devices for “digital educational activities” and “lifestyle and entertainment”? Otherwise, wireless access to internet can be disabled, eliminating one common source of high levels of wireless radiation.

• Are you aware of the EMF-spreading installation (antennas, towers etc)?

  Any such installation typically has to first approved by local government, because it may breach location rules, if indeed the area has any. Installers typically must submit necessary documentation about EM fields it will create and emit. This information may not be available to the public, however. In fact, the entire process may be obscured. This means it is up to you, the individual, to be able to detect, measure, and mitigate against EMFs in your environment.

• Do you use EMF protection? And are you regularly up to date on the various types of EMF product quality? For example, the most common products promise they reduce exposure of the head to wireless radiation from mobile device.

• If you have children, do you consider their more vulnerable needs? EMF protection products for kids consider their lower body weight to mass ratio.

Are you concerned about the levels of electromagnetic pollution in your home? Do you work with wireless devices? Check out my full guide to the regulations that institutions are enacting in response to citizens’ concern around the world.

For a full list of EMR exposure guidelines go here

References

• 1. http://www.safeinschool.org/

• 5G: Great risk for EU, U.S. and International Health! Compelling Evidence for Eight Distinct Types of Great Harm Caused by Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Exposures and the Mechanism that Causes Them. (2018) Martin L. Pall, PhD. Discusses SCENIHR and ICNIRP (International Commission on Non Ionising Radiation Protection – ICNIRP, Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) Guidelines for RFR and robust scientific literature on adverse health effects which are both considered and not considered in their deliberations.   https://einarflydal.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/pall-to-eu-on-5g-harm-march-2018.pdf

• 2. Oberfeld G. Precaution in Action – Global Public Health Advice Following BioInitiative 2007. In Sage C, Carpenter DO, editors. BioInitiative Report 2012: A Rationale for a Biologically based Public Exposure Standard for Electromagnetic Fields (ELF and RF), 2012. Available at: http://www.bioinitiative.org.

• 3. Havas M. International expert’s Perspective on the Health Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) and ElectromagneticRadiation (EMR) [Internet]. Peterborough, ON, (CD): 2011 June

• 11 (updated 2014 July). Available at: http://www.magdahavas.com/international-experts-perspective-on-the-health-effects-ofelectromagnetic-fields-emf-and-electromagnetic-radiation-emr/.

• x. https://ehtrust.org/singapore-policy-recommendations-cell-phones-wireless-radiation-health/; https://www.imda.gov.sg/user-and-set-up-guides/mobile-and-broadband/mobile-phone-base-stations-and-radiofrequency-radiation

• [9] Première reconnaissance d’un handicap dû à l’électrosensibilité en France. Le Monde fr avec AFP | 25.08.2015. Available at: http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2015/08/25/premiere-reconnaissance-en-justice-d-unhandicap-u-a-l-electrosensibilite_4736299_3244.html.

• 10. Abelous D. France has its first radiation-free refuge in the Drome [Internet]. EURRE/Drome (FR): Agence France Presse (AFP), 2009 Oct 9. Available at: http://www.next-up.org/pdf/AFP_France_has_its_first_radiation_free_refuge_in_the_Drome_09_10_2009.pdf.

• 19. Seoul (Korea): EMF; c2005. Electromagnetic field (EMF) [Internet] [cited 2019 Oct 5]. Available from: http://www.emf.or.kr/ [Google Scholar] [Ref list]

• Naju (Korea): Korea Electric Power Corporation; c2019. Korea Electric Power Corporation [Internet] [cited 2019 Oct 10]. Available from: http://home.kepco.co.kr/kepco/KO/D/A/KODAPP001.do?menuCd=FN050401/ [Google Scholar] [Ref list]

What Are EMFs? 7 Things You Need to Know as a Mother

You probably hear about EMFs and its associated risks in the devices, content, and habits that we have, but what exactly does it mean? And what does it mean if you have children or are planning for a family?

In this article, you’ll learn what is EMFs and how they’re negatively affecting the health of children, in particular concerns around fertility, conception, birth and all through the crucial years of child development.

What are EMFs?

EMFs are invisible and completely beyond most people’s awareness. However, some people can actually feel them. Especially those that are manmade (non-native electromagnetic radiation).

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The simplest way to understand how important EMFs are to our health – is by learning about the electromagnetic spectrum.

contains the entire range of all electromagnetic radiation. It also shows the field’s approximate frequency – which relates to its wavelength.

At the absolute lowest frequencies in the hertz range, we see the largest wavelengths. These are the size of several thousand miles! The lowest of frequency fields includes the Earth’s Schumann Resonance, which is also very healing for us when we are grounded in Nature to its energy.

The higher in frequency, the field gains more energy, and also reduces in wavelength. (That’s why wireless radiation is often called pulse radiation to describe its very high energy field.) In fact, at the frequency of Wi-Fi, your body is being exposed to 2.4 or 5 billion pulsations per second. Compare that to the natural Schumann Resonance, which has just 8 gentle cycles per second.

EMFs may be triggering your child’s hungries

In healthy participants and compared with no exposure, 50-minute cell phone exposure was associated with increased brain glucose metabolism in the region closest to the antenna. Link to the study: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/645813

Light can cause breast cancer

75 studies and articles showing effects of EMFs and the initiation and promotion of breast cancer.

https://emfrefugee.blogspot.com/2019/06/emfs-and-breast-cancer.html?m=1

2008 – Austria – Cell Phone Towers and CancerA study by Austrian Dr. Gerd Oberfeld (EMFacts 2008) showed a 23-fold increase in breast cancer and a 121-fold increase in brain tumors for those who lived with 200 meters of a cell phone base station for five years or longer! http://www.verwaltung.steiermark.at/cms/ziel/21212/DE/

EMFs may be harming your chances of conception

There’s enough compelling evidence to show how higher levels of exposure can reduce sperm quality in men.

It can also increase miscarriage risk in women. Two miscarriage studies, conducted by Kaiser Permanente and funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, are particularly interesting because they're some of the only ones to date that actually measured EMF exposure in subjects using a magnetic field monitoring device.

"We took [913 pregnant women] and asked them to wear the monitor for the duration of their pregnancy. Studies right now aren't using the meters because most of them are focusing on cancer. [But] Cancer can take 20 years to develop—you can't measure your exposure from 20 years ago, so in those cases, you just ask how much the person uses their cell phone." — eproductive epidemiologist De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, the principle investigator on both studies (one published in 2002, one published in 2017).

Singapore breast cancer statistics

What does your bedtime routine have to do with your breast cancer risk?

-

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women anywhere you're from. In Singapore,

Researchers looked at how short wavelength visible light in the blue region emitted from digital screens TANKS this crucial process.

also examined different levels of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) such as cellular phones (29-40), mobile base stations(41, 42), Wi-Fi routers

We have shown that both the blue light and RF-EMFs generated by mobile phones are linked to the disruption of the circadian rhythm in people who use their phones at night.

women who carry mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2, or women with family history of breast cancer should avoid using their smartphones, tablets and laptops at night.

Why bother with a sleep sanctuary if any will do?

Protecting your sleep/wake cycle is paramount to prevent cancer. Melatonin, the hormone dominant at night, is your ANTI-CANCER hormone. "has been shown to produce strong anti-cancer actions and also promotes sleep."

All mice were kept in the light for 12 hours each day. One group of three mice was in the dark the other 12 hours, which helped them produce high levels of endogenous melatonin. Another group spent 12 hours in light followed by 12 hours in dim light at night, which suppresses their nocturnal melatonin production. The dim light was 0.2 lux, which is less than a night-light or a display light from a cell phone

And the number disruptive to your

Women are more sensitive to melatonin disruptions.

BOTH the blue light and RF-EMFs generated by mobile phones are linked to the disruption of the circadian rhythm in people who use their phones at night.

Your breastmilk can be changed by your light enviroment

Human breast milk is more than a meal – it’s also a clock, providing time-of-day information to infants.

https://theconversation.com/human-breast-milk-may-help-babies-tell-time-via-circadian-signals-from-mom-118492?fbclid=IwAR2kplJ4RVUugLqqc7poMbCmZGYCnZvcxwDFXzmE_URmkbTS4ExjArOIZjo

Children are especially susceptible

Children are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of EMF (electromagnetic frequencies or fields) for a number of reasons, and most are submerged in an electrosmog soup all day, every day. What are the risks?

In 2016, the National Toxicology Program released the results from the largest cell phone study ever performed on the link between nonionizing radiation and cancer. Rats exposed to the frequency of radiation emitted by cell phones developed two kinds of tumors: gliomas in the brain and schwannomas in the heart. These results align with several observational studies finding links to the same types of tumors in humans - plus acoustic neuromas and meningiomas.

• Sleep deprivation

• Low energy, “brain fog”, mommy brain

• Mood issues, such as anxiety, depression, aggression and impulsivity

• Increased stress

• Affect sleep/wake cycles in babies through breastfeeding

• Developmental issues (especially in young kids)

• Dry-eye disease

• Decreased hand-eye coordination

• Reduced ability to form social connections and relationships

• Reduced executive function

In 2010, Powe et al. reported that among 25 Boston-area women,  mothers of sons produced ~25% higher energy density in milk than mothers of daughters. More recently, Fujita and colleagues (2012) revealed sex-biases in the milk fat concentration among 72 women in rural Kenya. On average, mothers of sons produced significantly higher fat concentrations in milk.

Children are also sensitive to their environment

Some people are "exquisitely sensitive" to places where EMFs are present. Some literally cannot be in certain places because of the Wi-Fi there—they end up with fatigue and headaches and ringing in the ears and a sense of brain fog to the extent that it may affect thinking and speech patterns.

I had a glimpse of this as a child that worsened as a teenager until it hit a peak when I was working fulltime. It took me until I was into my 30s to understand where all these symptoms were coming from.

The thing is, at that time I had no idea what was going and kept going, kept struggling despite the bouts of malaise that would hit me. It takes time for children to learn how to express their bodily aches in calm ways for our adult ways; before then, it often manifests as temper tantrums, general fatigue and “laziness”, and spectrum-type disorders.

Brain development in children

A child’s hippocampus and hypothalamus absorb 1.6 to 3.1 more MWR than an adult’s, and his cerebellum absorbs 2.5 times more[6][7]

Resources and references:

1. [6] Christ, Andreas, Marie-Christine Gosselin, Maria Christopoulou, Sven Kühn, and Niels Kuster. "Age-dependent Tissue-specific Exposure of Cell Phone Users." Physics in Medicine and Biology55, no. 7 (2010): 1767-783. doi:10.1088/0031-9155/55/7/001

2. [7] Gandhi, Om P., L. Lloyd Morgan, Alvaro Augusto De Salles, Yueh-Ying Han, Ronald B. Herberman, and Devra Lee Davis. "Exposure Limits: The Underestimation of Absorbed Cell Phone Radiation, Especially in Children." Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine31, no. 1 (2011): 34-51. doi:10.3109/15368378.2011.622827.

3. the Agency has issued opinions on the health effects of 5G deployment, high-voltage lines, body scanners and light-emitting diodes.

4. READ MORE about the link between night time light exposure and breast cancer here ((Melaniechua.com)).

5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5811748/?fbclid=IwAR3nAtsjrYTSCzDy5S7ayvcRmEgs4QZNyTBkhe6qoLEgTTkAyaWC7wOue0U#!po=1.51515

6. https://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2019-03-breast-cancer-likelier-bone-nighttime.html?fbclid=IwAR114v839lOxffTGnuuWVPfsVcMWaRf9fntJsxIi0NW7f-Shm_en3-OLE9M

New Studies Link Emf Radiation from Mobile Phones to Adverse Outcomes in Pregnancy, Birth, and Infant Outcomes

If you knew that the top factor that influences the health outcome of your child is something that you use every day, what would you do?

Electro-pollution is invisible radiation that is common in many homes from personal sources such as your mobile phone and the latest smart gadgets, moving subatomic particles (i.e., light in the body) at the speed of light.

It directly affects the human body's electric and biochemical responses, especially during the sensitive stages of pre and post pregnancy.

EMFs harm both the baby in-utero and the pregnant mother

In a recent study published in the journal Heliyon, researchers systematically reviewed and analyzed articles that highlight the impact of harmful electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation on physiological as well as pregnancy outcomes with regards to the mother, birth, and the child.

Electromagnetic fields disorder the body’s physiological balance, increase the lifespan of free radicals, and lead to DNA damage in individuals [22]. In addition, according to gender, density of body tissue, life cycle, and exposure, the effect of environmental pollution varies. Many sources can cause humans to be exposed to magnetic fields. Power supplies, computers, televisions, radios, and telephones are some of these resources.

We’re fundamentally bio-electric in Nature, which means every single cell process runs on bioelectricity. Any artificial electromagnetic fields has the potential to affect these processes.

The female placenta facilitates an exchange of oxygen and nutrients between the tissues of the mother and the fetus. Thus, alterations in the mother’s body can affect fetal growth and development. EMF radiation emitted from mobile phones can penetrate fetal tissues and cause hormonal imbalances in the mother and thermal, anthropometric, and cardiovascular changes in the fetus. Hence, analyzing these radiation-induced damaging effects in terms of physiological and pregnancy outcomes on the mother and the baby is important.

study: Emfs Is Linked to poorer pregnancy and infant outcomes

The researchers looked up all qualitative or qualitative studies printed in English within the past five years that reported the negative physiological and pregnancy outcomes of smartphone induced EMF radiation on mothers and child’s health in humans and animals, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA) guidelines.

They found 10,450 published articles, and selected 18 articles.

The studies found that pregnant women exposed to high levels of EMF radiation had elevated levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).

They also had higher rates of miscarriages, premature birth along with low birth weight, fluctuations in temperature, heart rate variability (HRV), altered development of the nervous system, decreased head and chest circumference, hyperactivity, and speech problems in the infant.

Link to the study: El Jarrah, I. and Rababa, M. (2022) "Impacts of smartphone radiation on pregnancy: A systematic review", Heliyon, 8(2), p. e08915. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08915. https://www.cell.com/heliyon/fulltext/S2405-8440(22)00203-1

Emfs Is Linked to Higher Risks of Fetal and Childhood Abnormalities

The following year in 2023, another study was published. It noted that electromagnetic waves can have harmful effects on the cell components that lead to differentiation and abnormalities in cell proliferation, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage, chromosomal abnormalities, cancers, and birth defects.

It also noted that the UK showed that the prevalence of hospital admission due to congenital anomalies has increased significantly from 1999 to 2019. It also cited an Australian study from 2005 to 2015 reported an increasing trend in admissions due to congenital anomalies

It showed:

• In mothers who have more exposure to EMFs, the odds of fetal developmental disorders in fetus were 1.34 times as many as in mothers who have no exposure to EMFs. The odds for development disorders was 2.10.

• In mothers who have more exposure to EMFs, the mean change in gene expression in fetus was 1.02 units as many as in mothers who have no exposure to EMFs.

• In mothers that have more exposure to EMFs, the mean of antioxidant parameters in fetus was 0.84 units lower than in mothers that have no exposure to EMFs.

Link to the study: Electromagnetic fields exposure on fetal and childhood abnormalities: Systematic review and meta-analysis. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10183723/

What EMFs do to the human body — the fertility link

In today’s world, EMF exposure is more or less inevitable. 

Unless you live way out in the woods, where you live is a matrix of wireless routers and cellphones.

In fact, EMFs messes with your biology in a few different ways that are most directly detrimental to fertility, conception, and throughout the pregnancy process! What we do know:

• Infertility in men. A 2014 study found that cell phone exposure reduces sperm quality. People who carried mobile phones that were actively receiving cell signals (that is, their phones were not in airplane mode) saw a significant decrease in sperm motility and viability[*]. 

• Infertility in women. A study of 462 pregnant women in Tehran found that the women experienced a significant increase in miscarriages after exposure to EMFs[*]. On top of that, a 2015 study found that EMF exposure increased the number of viable eggs you lose with each menstrual cycle[*].

• Decreased sleep quality. A 2019 study found that daily exposure to EMFs disrupts sleep and contribute to both depression and anxiety[*]. Another study found that EMF exposure caused people to release less melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy and helps you access the deepest, most restorative stages of sleep[*].

• Mental stress. EMFs cause concentrated oxidative stress in your brain[*][*]. A series of recent studies suggest that EMF exposure could even be a cause of neurodegeneration as you age, contributing to diseases like dementia[*][*]. This is the total opposite of what we want to mothers during postpartum recovery when the brain is adjusting to a whole new life with baby!

Mothers are increasingly exposed to environmental toxins

How much EMF exposure before it causes harm? It depends on gender, density of body tissue, life cycle, and exposure…

And for pregnant women, exposure to children begins in the womb. Women and babies (including in the womb) are also softer and more vulnerable to the penetration to EMFs.

With the increase in the modernity process and the increase in exposure of mothers to environmental pollutants, the hospital admission rate due to congenital malformations has increased by almost 19% from 1999 to 2019.

Any older mother visiting a gynaecologist’s office is well aware of the script — that mothers above 35 years have an increased risk of congenital anomalies by 3.93 times and the risk of spontaneous abortion by 12.82 times…

References & Resouces

Doi M, Usui N, Shimada S. Prenatal environment and neurodevelopmental disorders. Front Endocrinol. 2022;13:407. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

Otto M, von Mühlendahl KE. Electromagnetic fields (EMF): do they play a role in children’s environmental health (CEH)? Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2007;210(5):635–44. [PubMed]

EMFs & The Microbiome: How EMFs Can Cause Gut Imbalance

We are used to thinking about our body as parts, but did you know we are essentially made up of trillions of cellular microorganisms? Scientists call this the human micro biome, and it’s essential for our survival.

Our microbiome is directly impacted by artificial EMFs, which are everywhere in a digital society. 

What are EMFs?

Electromagnetic fields, or EMFs, are invisible areas of energy (radiation) that come from power lines, Wi-Fi towers, and electronic devices. Anything that runs on electrical power can also produce EMFs. They can be grouped into two categories:

Ionizing EMFs are produced by sunlight or X-rays.

Non-ionizing EMFs are practically everywhere in a digital high-tech society, not least in your pocket from mobile devices and in personal spaces from everyday items such as SMART appliances, microwaves, computers, WiFi, Bluetooth devices, power lines, and MRI. Learn more about the types of EMFs here

How do EMFs affect gut health? 

We already know the effects of EMFs include increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in humans.

Research is discovering how it affects the gut.

Wellness doesn’t begin and end with what’s on your plate. Food is a direct source of energy and can be powerful medicine. However, your overall health is influenced by internal and external factors, and that includes your gut health.

While thousands of studies mount on the direct health effect of a cell phone and its radiofrequency (RF) EMF to human, the effect to unicellular organisms IS rather apparent. Even weak EMFs can cause all sorts of dramatic non-thermal effects in body cells, tissues and organs.

It is important to understand that the gut is a microbial system, and how our microbiota responds to say RF-EMF (just one type of EMFs) from cell phones and personal electronic devices. This is an important mechanism of a human health threat brought about by the disruption of the intimate and balanced host-microbiota relationship. 

Signs of poor gut health

Symptoms can be chronic such as the niggly skin rash you have no idea what the trigger is. Gut health can also show up as autoimmune conditions, increasingly common celiac disease, type 1 diabetes, and myasthenia gravis.

• Heartburn

• Intestinal gas, and Bloating

• Constipation

• Diarrhea

• Fatigue

• Skin rashes

• Autoimmune diseases, which can show up every body system, including the brain, thyroid, blood, GI tract, nerves, lungs, skin, muscles, and bones. It can also show up as PCOS and endometriosis.

Why an optimal gut health is so important

The gut impacts virtually everything because your gut controls your immune system and your brain, and your brain controls all the parts of your body.

Research into the “microbiome” as a term only properly began a decade or so ago. The digestive microbiome is made up of bacteria, viruses, or one-celled beings—essentially beneficial microorganisms.

Our gut performs many roles for us:

1. The digestive tract is your immune system.

   The gut microbiome covers over 3000 sq ft in surface area and inhabited by over 40 trillion microbes. Without a healthy gut, you have no healthy immune system. The microbiome and the immune system are inextricably connected and the immune system would cease to function without the microbiome.

   These microorganisms also support immune function as the digestive tract is open to the outside world, so imagine approximately 70% of your immune system lives there!

2. The digestive tract has a direct link to the neurological system and brain.

   Did you know the gut sends more information to your brain, than vice versa?

   The gut impacts virtually everything because your gut controls your immune system and your brain, and your brain controls all the parts of your body.

   This is not only through the vagus nerve but as these microorganisms excrete neurochemicals like serotonin and dopamine. It also produces gamma-aminobutyric acid, a neurotransmitter, which helps control fear and anxiety.

   The gut has over 100 million neurons that communicate with your neurological system ensuring that your general health and mental well being are maintained.

3. The digestive system also has its own nervous system.

   Its nervous system is also known as the enteric nervous system. Approximately 30 micro-nutrients (vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and essential amino acids) are needed for the brain to function!

Gut dysbiosis: What causes gut health problems?

If your gut microbiota is out of balance, health problems start.

These are common reasons why someone might suffer gut dysbiosis:

• Food intolerance and processed food/low diversity in the diet. Low stomach acidity, pancreatic insufficiency, or gallbladder/liver dysfunction

• Nutrient deficiency

• Chronic stress

• Pesticide and chemical exposure

• Scientists also found out that EMFs are directly affecting these cellular organisms that make up our gut.

For example, the neurochemical serotonin, which also governs appetite, temperature regulation, and is turned into melatonin to activate sleep and natural opiods for pain is then depleted.

When this happens, people's appetite is altered, along with their sleep and mood.

Certain foods negatively effect the microbiome, i.e. lots of sugar whether through alcohol or excess in food wipe out vitamin B1. Do this often and long enough, and it leads to a form of dementia called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, common with hardcore alcoholics.

In fact, many, now recognise dementia as type 3 diabetes.

Many people have difficulty absorbing B vitamins, due to a methylation issue affecting vitamin B9 and the others B vitamins (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, or MTHFR). This means the body have difficulty removing waste from the cells and as a whole.

Synthetic and fortified B vitamins can make the problem worse. It is estimated between 30-70% of the population have this problem dependent on where they live, i.e. Italians have high levels.

Dementia patients and most mental health problems have MTHFR linked in with it. As you get older, your digestive system, particularly eating the trashy Western diet, deteriorates, hence the reduction in nutrient absorption and the impact on the brain and body.

MTHFR is also linked to approximately 150 illnesses, including cardiac problems, high BP, obesity, diabetes, cancer. Interestingly the covid jab wipes out the microbiome, hence the significant deterioration in health, it is one of the factors.

Folks with MTHFR seem to be hardest hit not only with the covid but also with the jab. There seems to be a correlation.

In fact, our gut is so sensitive, that even if another family member goes on a round of antibiotics, YOUR own microbiome can be affected. In essence, when one person in a household is on antibiotics, the gut disruption that this person experiences is shared by everyone else in the home. That’s incredible news!

How to improve your gut health

First: we’ve heard the quote: “You are what you eat.” This dates back to 1825 — and it’s as true today as when French bon vivant Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin penned the axiom in his book The Physiology of Taste.

Not all bacteria are harmful. Some of them are essential for our bodies. They help us digest food, absorb nutrients, and produce vitamins like niacin, folic acid, B6, and B12 in our intestinal tracts. Eating the right foods fortifies your gut’s complex microbiome and the trillions of microbes — including “good” bacteria ­— that call it home. It’s essential for your health to maintain a good balance of gut bacteria.

For example, e.coli produces vitamin K, lactobacillus helps metabolism and form some of the B vitamins.

If the gut is depleted and unable to produce B vitamins that are needed by every cell in your body to gain energy, we suffer low energy.

The microbiome is made from what you eat

You feed the microbiome with pre- and pro- biotics. Probiotics are the beneficial microorganisms, prebiotics are their food. This is usually some form of fibre, such as Jerusalem artichoke, dandelion greens, burdock root, chicory root, garlic, and other members of the Allium family, flax seeds.

You can buy your supplements, or you can eat fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha which contain both pro and prebiotics. This needs to be a regular in your diet.

Let food be thy medicine, and keep your space a sanctuary

It is no secret that medical schools teach little, if anything, about nutrition, especially as pharmaceuticals came to dominance in the mid 1800s. Fewer know about the effect of EMFs on your gut microbiota.

Fortunately, more people are recognising the direct link between their every day wellbeing and what they put into their mouths.

And more of us are realising that we are living in artificial environments with harmful electromagnetic fields emitted by our own lifestyle devices, and this is harming our gut, and therefore, our whole health.

No quick fix or single silver bullet can be relied to healing and health, if you’re living in today’s world. You have to chip away at old toxic practices and be open to including “new” (relatively speaking) ways of being.

One day we will treat food the way it once was: and as modern day naturopaths and medical herbalists do. Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. We will keep our environments free of pollutants, as it is our space that determines how well we thrive.

References & resources

1. Kıvrak, Elfide Gizem et al. “Effects of electromagnetic fields exposure on the antioxidant defense system.” Journal of microscopy and ultrastructure vol. 5,4 (2017): 167-176. doi:10.1016/j.jmau.2017.07.003

2. Dartsch PC (2020). Compensation of Mobile Phone Radiation by the Medic Amber: In Vitro Investigations Using a Novel Test System . J Biomed Sci Res 2(3): 131

3. Report on Preclinical Research of Somavedic Medic Uran Case Efficacy (2019). https://somavedic.at/wp-content/uploads/Preclinical_Research_of_Somavedic.pdf. PDF download

4. Examination of an effect of Somavedic Medic device in relationship to stress of electrosmog using analysis of blood cells in dark field https://somavedic.fi/_files/200000101-12838137d4/IGEF_Blood_analysis.pdf. PDF download

5. Antiobiotic use affects family members — Microbiologist Kiran Krishnan describes this disconcerting information in the Healing Quest podcast. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/microbiome-cloud-sharing/

What You Should Know about Wireless Radiation: Health Impacts on Babies and Children

Wireless radiation is basically EMFs, or electromagnetic fields that are invisible waves of energy emitted by electronic devices like WiFi routers, cell phones, and baby monitors. You can’t see them, but it’s how your iPad and mobile devices connects to the cell tower.

You cannot sense these as with other pollution such as smog, noise pollution, but your body is definitely sensitive to these fields.

• Children are uniquely vulnerable to wireless radiation.

Children are more vulnerable to wireless radiation and cell phone radiation because they have smaller heads, they have thinner skulls, and they have developing brains. Research shows that children absorb higher levels of wireless radiation.

Wherever you are using your wireless device, this radiation is being absorbed into your body, quite intensely, whenever it’s nearby. So, if it’s in your head, you’re going to get high levels of absorption of the non-ionizing radiation into your head and brain. If it’s near the abdomen and you’re pregnant, your body will receive that radiation as will your developing baby.

• Wireless radiation is linked to a wide range of symptoms.

Before it even becomes an acute disease, Some studies of people living near cell towers have also confirmed an array of health complaints, including dizziness, nausea, headaches, tinnitus and insomnia, from people identified as having "electromagnetic hypersensitivity."

• Wireless radiation is considered a carcinogen.

In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the World Health Organization, cited troubling but uncertain evidence in classifying wireless radiation as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”

In 2018, a study by the federal government that was nearly two decades in the making found “clear evidence” that cellphone radiation caused cancer in lab animals. A major study in Italy produced similar results.

• The main reason for this new classification was its linked to gliomas.

Cellphone radiation was classified a “possible carcinogen” in 2011 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, a conclusion based on human epidemiological studies that found an increased risk of glioma, a malignant brain cancer, associated with cellphone use.

Gliomas are the most common CNS tumors in children and adolescents; it is usually a fast-growing cancer that affects your child's brain or spinal cord.

Leukaemia and brain cancer are BOTH among the top five most common childhood cancers in most countries that track such statistics, from Singapore, Malaysia in the tropics to the UK, across Europe.

In fact, leukaemia and brain cancer account for more than half of all childhood cancers. Check out the population statistics in countries such as the UK, Germany, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia. By contrast, these cancers are rare in adults.

While these childhood cancers are rare and have high overall survival, it remains the first cause of death from

disease in children and adolescents. Can you imagine what the leading factor to such cancers are?

• They’ve been concerned for a long time.

“They” being the many official institutions. For example, before the WHO’s 2011 official declaration, between 2008 and 2011, the European Union Parliament and the Council of Europe passed multiple resolutions against the “early, ill-considered, and prolonged use of mobiles and other devices emitting microwaves.”

The European parliaments’ advice for an exposure level was called A.L.A.R.A. (as low as reasonably achievable). (How low is still up to you to achieve as there are no standard regulations.)

Many medical associations in North America and Europe have also issued public statements to warn about the serious health risks associated with using wireless devices. Among them, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine wrote:

• Wireless radiation is linked to autism and spectrum disorders.

A majority of studies that have looked at something called oxidative stress have found an effect. Now oxidative stress can lead to inflammation and more inflammation can lead to a lot of other health implications.

Dr. Martha Herbert documented in her publications, looking at autism and ADHD, there is inflammation in the brain. With electromagnetic fields, there are studies showing inflammation as well.

Many clinicians, doctors, and health professionals have found reducing electromagnetic fields can help with kids who have behavioral problems or have autism and other health issues. It’s been a way to impact or reduce electromagnetic fields that can support the child’s resilience.

• Wireless radiation can cause behavioural problems in children.

If you are pregnant and exposed to cellphone radiation, your baby could be born susceptible to behavioural issues. A Yale study in 2012 found hyperactivity and reduced memory in mice exposed to cellphone radiation in the womb, consistent with human epidemiological research showing a rise in behavioral disorders among children who were exposed to cellphones in the womb.

The researchers exposed the pregnant mice to radiation from a muted and silenced cell phone positioned above the cage and placed on an active phone call for the duration of the trial. A control group of mice was kept under the same conditions but with the phone deactivated (such as being on “airplane mode”).

After the mice were born, researchers conducted psychological and behavioral tests, as well as measured their brain electrical activity.

“We have shown that behavioral problems in mice that resemble ADHD are caused by cell phone exposure in the womb. The evidence is really, really strong now that there is a causal relationship between cellphone radiation exposure and behavior issues in children. — Dr. Hugh Taylor, the author of the mouse study and chair of the obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences department at the Yale School of Medicine”

Concerned scientists are advocating for education around possible harms of wireless tech and how it should be used with care around children.

The BabySafe Project was conceived jointly by Dr. Devra Davis of Environmental Health Trust and Patti and Doug Wood of Grassroots Environmental Education after attending a conference in Stonington, Connecticut — it was where Dr. Hugh Taylor of Yale School of Medicine presented the results of his important study on fetal exposures to cell phone radiation. https://www.babysafeproject.org/science

Your child may already be suffering from EMF

A case in Canada saw three young children with an environmental intolerance, medically known as electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS). They regularly suffered with symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, concentration and memory problems, anxiety, abdominal pain, nosebleeds, ringing in the ears, and more. These symptoms were otherwise unexplainable.

In May of 2012, to accommodate children with EHS and to provide choice for parents who want to heed health warnings to reduce exposure for children who are most vulnerable, the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC) called for a moratorium on Wi-Fi in schools.

• EMFs health impacts begin pre-conception.

Higher levels of exposure could reduce sperm quality in men and increase miscarriage risk in women. The two miscarriage studies, conducted by Kaiser Permanente and funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, are particularly interesting because they're some of the only ones to date that actually measured EMF exposure in subjects using a magnetic field monitoring device.

"We took [913 pregnant women] and asked them to wear the monitor for the duration of their pregnancy. Studies right now aren't using the meters because most of them are focusing on cancer. Cancer can take 20 years to develop—you can't measure your exposure from 20 years ago, so in those cases, you just ask how much the person uses their cell phone." — reproductive epidemiologist De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, the principle investigator on both studies (one published in 2002, one published in 2017).

• Any safety regulations is out of date.

Any safety data is so out of date, it is not even funny.

No standards even consider the impact to a pregnant woman, as that research didn’t exist 25 years ago.

For example, the US Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, based on an adult male and they don’t even consider a child’s developing brain. They last adjusted its woefully outdated health standards for wireless radiation a quarter-century ago, well before wireless devices became ubiquitous, heavily used appliances synonymous with modern life.

I hope this compilation of research and studies will help you make a more informed decision about Wifi and its use in your family.

Resources & recommendations

• https://www.babysafeproject.org/science

• Read the study of real-world exposure to non-ionizing radiation from magnetic fields in pregnant women found a significantly higher rate of miscarriage (December 13, 2017)

• Your quick guide to reducing exposure at home

• Is your child already experiencing exposure to EMFs? Check out 12 common symptoms that you may not know about.

• Get in touch for a free discovery call on how to kick wireless radiation exposure out of your house.

How to Ground Yourself: 10+ Techniques and Methods to Connect to Earth's Healing Energies

Grounding, also known as earthing, is a practice of establishing a connection with the Earth's energy.

In another article, I wrote an in-depth guide to explore the science and benefits of grounding and earthing, detailing how it helped my baby’s eczema, and including how to ground yourself using a wide range of effective methods.

When I started learning about EMFs and making life changes, grounding wasn’t top on my list. However, I felt the power of earthing and focused on simply going outdoors to get my dose of re-connecting to earth.

After a almost a decade of motherhood as well as practicing mindful body awareness techniques, I began to observe specific sensations in my body when I am earthing (outdoors) and when I am getting grounded (indoors). This intrigued me to include grounding at home as part of my daily routine.

How to ground, everyday

It is hard to quantify exactly how much positive benefit can come from grounding, but evidence show that just 20 minutes a day is a good benchmark for full effect. One interesting study is how just 1-week of camping lowered stress hormones, including cortisol, for months after the trip.

Time can be a premium for those of us in urban environments, so try to stack in these habits to your daily lifestyle. Do them with your child — and soon he or she will get into the habit of getting into direct contact with Nature too.

Conscious earthing

The key to any of these methods is to pay attention to how you feel both during and after using the technique. By paying attention and noticing positive results, you help anchor the experience.

1. Walk barefoot.

   Whether it is the grass, sand, or dirt, the important thing is to touch your skin to the natural ground. The feet are extremely sensitive with more nerve receptors so the longer, the better and direct is best. One foot alone on the Earth will ground you, but two feet on the ground provides a stronger grounding effect.

   If you know there are buried electrical lines. choose another area like a park or forest preserve instead.

2. Many alternatives exist. If you cannot go barefoot, you can also wear earthing shoes.

3. Seek water.

   Go for a swim in the sea, standing in a riverbed, taking a dip in a hot spring, or wading in a lake or a pond would also work. Wet sand is the best conductor of energy from the earth. There’s limited formal research on bathtubs and showers.

4. Take a cold shower.

   Cold showers are incredibly invigorating and grounding experience. Especially target the cold water on the back of your neck and the top of your head. If you’re not used to cold showers, start slow with half a minute, and then build up to a couple of minutes.

5. Have a favourite sitting spot outdoors. This simple practice frees up time and trouble — just head to your spot and slake the calm of being plugged in and recharged.

6. Watch your breath.

   Another easy grounding exercise is to concentrate on your breathing. An easy routine: Sit or lie down in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and slowly inhale through your nose for three seconds, and then exhale for three seconds. The idea to “follow the breath” with focus. It sounds easy, but it can be a surprising challenge.

7. Roll around on the floor like a laughing baby.

   Have you seen how toddlers and small children love to just plop themselves onto the floor, and just lie there? Animals do this too, especially in the morning — it is how they discharge negative energy. Doing it on a hard surface (as opposed to a soft mushy bed) helps you stimulate proprioceptive nerves in the joints where muscles attach.

   It gives you the sensory input the body may need to regulate itself.

8. Forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku

   Literally means taking in the forest atmosphere. This paper assesses the available research on the ancient practice, documenting its effects including: remarkably improving cardiovascular function, neuroendocrine metabolism, immunity and inflammatory indexes, antioxidant indexes, and electrophysiological indexes; significantly enhancing people’s emotional state, attitude, and feelings towards things, physical and psychological recovery, and adaptive behaviours; and obvious alleviation of anxiety and depression.

9. Use a grounding mat.

   Earthing mats can go under your feet while you sit or stand or on your desk so it touches your hands and arms as you work. The products are connected to the natural energy of the Earth through the ground port of your outlet, not to the electric ports that operate your lights and appliances. Many people sit and meditate on the grounding mats. Many on the Tour de France, supposedly including Lance Armstrong used an earthing recovery bag to speed recovery and increase sleep quality while on this endurance race.

10. Create an “earthed” space in your home

    When you are indoors, ceramic tile and concrete flooring can ground you if you walk barefoot. (Carpet, vinyl, and wood flooring are not conductive and do not ground you.) You can get:

    • Earthing bed sheets

    • Pillow covers

    • Grounding mats for your desk

    • Chair mats

    • Patches

    • Earthing shoes

11. Sound therapy with Tibetan ound bowls

    The sound waves emitted by the bowls interact with our brainwaves, leading to a state of entrainment. These vibrational and sound properties, can help foster grounding by calming the mind and releasing tension, by clearing blocked energy channels throughout the body.

    You can also choose a crystal bowl's clear, high-frequency ring (as opposed to a Tibetan bowl's deep, grounding drone).

12. Sound therapy with specific frequency devices

    Have you heard of devices that can mimic fundamental frequencies along with multiple harmonic overtones?

    These frequencies carefully tuned to specific notes that correspond to different energy centers or chakras in the body. For instance, a bowl tuned to the note ‘A’ might resonate with the third eye chakra, promoting intuition and clarity of thought.

    One such device is Digital Mandalas by Subtle Energy Sciences. Using quantum resonance technology, Eric engineered a method of encoding digital images and sound files with specific energy signatures. His work combines beautiful digital art with layers of various energy-related sound technology.

    If you’re open to exploring new technologies, check out Earth Pulse.

You can test whether you are actually grounding with a continuity tester instead of a voltmeter, which can be purchased here. Be aware that just as you may not want to lie in a spot with buried cables, be aware that you are also in contact with other artificial frequencies if you head out to, say, an urban city.

How do you get grounded?