How Safety Standards for Cellphone Severely Neglects Human Biology

Do you know what levels of wireless radiation your phone has to emit to be considered lethal, or at least cause burns?

Sam the Military Man and Microwave Radiation

Let me tell you a story about SAM.

SAM is the specific anthropomorphic mannequin (SAM) meant to represent the standard human head.

But SAM was created in 1989 and he was not made to be average.

He was made to be a representative of the very top 10 percent of army recruits in the US military.

As microwave radiation as a military weapon progressed throughout 1970s and 80s, the military wanted a model to test the effects of microwave radiation on humans that they were observing in real life. So SAM was to be the test mannequin to see how much microwave radiation a body could absorb while making a cell phone call.

SAM became the standard for the specific absorption rate (or SAR) for cellphone radiation in humans.

The Problem with SAM

But some people began to point out that testing mobile phones on a plastic dummy isn't the same as in human body.

For one, the ear of a plastic dummy is not like a human ear of cartilage -- in fact, it is highly absorbant liquid.

SAM’s head size only represents roughly 2% of the human population and 0% of children.

Furthermore, the measurement, ‘SAR’ is still only based on thermal-induced effects (i.e., heating effects) and therefore disregards numerous health hazards, such as the effects on the blood brain barrier (BBB), neurotransmitters and autophagy which have all been well documented.

How do you use your phone? Against your ear?

Where do you actually keep it when you’re out all day — against your hip bone in your pocket? Or tucked in a bra? It goes on and on…

In fact, the phones themselves violate the SAR standard!

SAM was used to test early phone models. The outcome of those early proceedings was that a person cannot absorb more than 1.6 watts of energy per kilogram of body weight.

By now phones are on the 4G of wireless technology.

We Are Not SAM

Now, meet the man whose research inspired the SAM campaign. Professor Om P. Gandhi, Emeritus Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering with the University of Utah, taught courses on biological effects of antennas, RF and microwave electromagnetic fields for over 50 years.

A world expert on how mobile phone radiation penetrates the human brain, Prof Ghandhi was once a consultant to major cell phone companies.

In March 2012, his study was published in the journal Electromagnetic Biological Medicine, it shared how The SAR for a 10-year old is up to 153% higher than the SAR for the SAM model and MRI scans of children between 5 and 8 years of age.

He wrote:

"It was found approximately 2 times higher SAR in children compared to adults. When electrical properties are considered, a child’s head’s absorption can be over two times greater, and absorption of the skull’s bone marrow can be ten times greater than adults."

“It is a fact that humans of all sizes and ages from children to older individuals are using cell phones, and testing for compliance testing for a 220 lb., 6 feet 2 inch tall adult male underestimates the actual energy absorbed by up to a factor of two, thus releasing into the market telephones that would not pass if a proper safety compliance testing method was used.”

He realised these findings were being manipulated...and how the SAM testing standard were an abuse of the SAR ratings.

Prof Gandhi became deeply disillusioned at the unconscionable lack of industry regulation and zero liability of cell tower companies and cell phone makers on human health.  Gandhi refused to work with them any longer.

SAM and SAR Cannot Tell You How Much Radiation You Absorb

The highest SAR was set relative to the heat produced by RF radiation.

Worse, the highest SAR is set well below the level of radiation that would endanger a user’s health.

Prof Ghandi embarked on a mission with other scientists and concerned advocates to share this knowledge. This work sparked the WE ARE NOT SAM movement.

We Are Not SAM movement is not based on opinion - it's backed by thousands of scientific studies and the leading independent scientists from around the world have a lot to say about this testing dummy called SAM.

The SAR specification on a phone can only tell you the highest measurement taken for each frequency reached by the device, and not how much radiation you absorb.

So now you know, there is zero biological science behind mobile phone safety testing. You are exposing yourself regularly to harmful levels of wireless radiation every time you use a wireless device. It is now in your hands to share about this knowledge and protect yourself and your loved ones.

https://www.instagram.com/wearenotsam/

References and Notes:

• https://www.instagram.com/wearenotsam/

• You can read Prof Gandhi’s paper here. Gandhi OP, Morgan LL, de Salles AA, Han YY, Herberman RB, Davis DL. Exposure limits: the underestimation of absorbed cell phone radiation, especially in children. Electromagn Biol Med. 2012 Mar;31(1):34-51. doi: 10.3109/15368378.2011.622827. Epub 2011 Oct 14. PMID: 21999884.

• Prof Gandhi was a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 1997. He was the Chairman of the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Utah, from 1992 to 1999, the President of the Bioelectromagnetics Society from 1992 to 1993, the Co-Chairman of the IEEE SCC 28. IV Subcommittee on the RF Safety Standards from 1988 to 1997, and the Chairman of the IEEE Committee on Man and Radiation from 1980 to 1982.

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/