Cell Phones
A British
physicist was quoted in the British medical journal
Lancet
as saying that if mobile phones were a type of
food, they would not be licensed. He went on to describe the
possible effects of the low intensity pulsed microwaves (EMF)
used in cell phone technology. Everyone pretty much assumes cell
phones to be safe. In fact, there is no way to prove that they
are safe. Instead, the huge global use and expansion of cell
phone usage to our children constitutes an ongoing experiment
that may in fact eventually prove dramatically and tragically
that they are unsafe. You never hear about this. If you ask the
people at the ubiquitous cell phone stores about risks, they
will not know what you are talking about. In truth there is no
hard data yet (despite a fairly long history of heavy use) to
suggest adverse health effects on humans, but perhaps we are not
looking hard enough. Perhaps there isn’t much money forthcoming
for studies that could shock the nation, and jar the
telecommunications industry. I just want to open your eyes to
few issues with cell phones that you should know about.
The human body
itself generates its own electromagnetic fields (chi) that
travel through what practitioners of Chinese medicine call
“meridians”. Some work on the west coast showed that the body’s
main channel of energy, the “governing vessel” which runs down
the back of the neck, is weakened temporarily by cell phone
usage. It is also possible that EMF may change the properties of
cells, upset hormone (pituitary, pineal, melatonin) or
neurotransmitter (serotonin) balance, and perhaps cause
chromosomal damage. When a cell phone is held up to the ear it
sends out strong magnetic pulses in all directions in its search
for a receiver. Its antenna is within an inch of the user’s
brain. The specific waves are in the RF (radiofrequency)
spectrum which includes the microwaves by which cell phones
operate.
The FDA has
jurisdiction over radiation-emitting devices. In my opinion they
do not have a good history of protecting the American public.
They did not conduct any pre-market testing of cell phones, as
was done with microwave ovens. There are no formal ongoing
health studies of cell phone users ongoing under FDA
supervision. That leaves most of us as participants in an
informal unsupervised study going on right now with the health
of almost a billion people worldwide who use a cell phone, and
the many others that just live in a cell phone dense
metropolitan area: no controls, no data collection, no ideas on
what to look for.
I don’t think
that there is proof of serious adverse effects at this time. For
example, the original concerns about an increased risk of brain
tumors in cell phone users could not be documented when the
usage histories of actual patients with brain tumors were
examined and compared to non-cell phone users in four separate
studies. However, I do believe that the proper caution has not
been taken in introducing this potentially hazardous technology
to the world. So at the current state of affairs, here is what I
recommend:
-
Whenever
possible use a land based phone rather than a cell phone.
-
Avoid
unnecessary conversations on your cell phone and keep the
calls as short as possible.
-
If you
must carry a cell phone with you at all times, purchase a
pocket or purse shield that will block emission of EMF
-
Whenever
possible either use your cell on speakerphone or obtain an
RF blocking headset which will dramatically reduce your
exposure to EMF.
-
Make sure
your teenagers know about the possible health risks of heavy
cell phone use.
