Recently, I got a new cell phone. Highly functional with a full keyboard inside to make texting easier and faster, it is sleek and sexy. It enticed me with new features and the ability to do everything I needed my phone to do, and more. Anxious to start using it, I didn’t read the instructions, much less the precautions in fine print. Reading how electromagnetic radiation from my new cell phone could hurt me was the last thing on my mind. Modern technology, with all of its glitz and glamour, is here to stay; and besides, I would miss my computer, my Wi-Fi, my cell phone, my television and all of the other wonderful electronic devices I use on a daily basis. I know plenty of people who make more use of their television than I do, and they’re not alone – just look at the cable tv statistics for 2020 as an example of this. It is fairly normal and understandable to want to have these technologies in your home to keep you entertained, which is fair. So, why should anyone learn more about the effects these things have on health?
As a Certified Wellness Doctor, I am familiar with electromagnetic pollution as one of the Six Interferences to Health. However, I have recently begun to do more research into the effects of electromagnetic radiation from carrying cell phones, spending time in front of television screens, and using computers. It is my contention that as we increase our understanding of this invisible radiation that floods our environment and fills the sky, we can better make the kinds of choices that will benefit our health and our future. I’m certain that you will agree how important this is, especially when it comes to our children.
Looking up at the sky, we don’t see anything except the beautiful colors of a sunset, a sunrise, or a reflection of our ever-changing weather. What we don’t see is something that is very dangerous, yet is just as real as the clouds. Although easy to ignore, we are all affected by it. The “it” I am referring to is the radiation that was developed in the name of progress. Radar waves, television waves, and microwaves followed radio waves, one of the earliest forms of electromagnetic radiation. Then came Extremely Low Frequency waves (ELF) that are used in communications with submerged submarines, Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Radiation waves (PEMR) that are used in old style television screens, and the latest are Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex Modulation (OFDMM) that are used in the new digital televisions.
Quite a few years ago, it was observed that if you were in close proximity to radio wave transmitters, you could become ill. This was aptly called “radio wave sickness” or “RWS.” As time went on, more problems with radiation were observed. Research from as far back as 1989 shows problems stemming from time spent in front of television and computer screens, especially those of the tube (CRT) type. These screens produce PEMR waves that affect productivity, development, behavior, memory, attention span, fatigue, reproduction and more. Studies have shown that four solid hours in front of a screen increased the urinary output of adrenaline, a stress hormone that has been associated with aggression, nervousness, and even violence. (Reference: WHO publication-1989.)
Exposure to PEMR waves coming from computers, televisions and video game screens also blocks the secretion of melatonin, the hormone needed for the immune system to function. Blocking melatonin can result in general weakness, chronic fatigue, and pathogen attacks that disrupt endocrine functions. Research has shown that after just 20 minutes of exposure to these types of screens, the corpus callosum (which divides the right and left brain) is saturated with electro-magnetic radiation and certain brain waves between the G and D lobes are shown to go flat.
Cell phones create extra problems because of the fact that phones are constantly seeking and staying connected to the closest cell phone towers to be ready to serve at a moment’s notice. Since they emit microwaves even when not in active use, we are constantly eradiated from our cell phones. Dr. George Carlo, formerly the lead epidemiologist of Cellular Telecommunication Industry Association, makes the risks very clear. He states, “There are over 300 statistically significant findings showing an increased risk of tumors ?
(from cell phone use.) There are three to four statistically significant findings showing no increased risk. So it’s like 300 to 4. So how do you reconcile that with what’s in the news media? We’ve never had an exposure that’s that dangerous that’s being sustained by four billion people (cell phone users worldwide).” (EPOCH Times.Feb.2009)
Children are at the greatest risk from cell phone use due to the nature of their developing bodies and the possibility of mutation in cells that divide quickly. This is the reason we try to avoid x-raying children under age twelve, and restrict exposure whenever possible below age twenty-one. Often unbeknownst to their parents, I’ve heard that some children even sleep with cell phones under their pillows so they can text their friends at night. Some experts believe that cell phone use may be contributing to learning disabilities, such as ADD and ADHD, as well as cancer, brain tumors and acoustic neuroma’s. Other risks to children come from the significant wave energies derived from WI-FI networks, high power lines, and cell towers that have been located on school property as an income source for financially strapped educational systems.
By now you are probably shaking your head. It is frightening stuff, but there are things that you can do. Limiting time spent in front of computers and televisions is a great place to start. When it comes to kids, limiting their exposure may not be easy, but it is so important. Remember that your job as a parent is to protect your children from what they don’t yet understand. A Bible verse from the Gospel of Luke, Verse 11:12 says, “No parent would hand their child a snake in place of a fish or a scorpion instead of an egg.” Since the media uses such sophisticated advertising in trying to seduce children (and adults) into wanting to buy all kinds of new electronic toys, parents have to be strong. It’s hard for parents to resist their child’s begging for these new and exciting toys, or the latest video games. It is equally hard to turn down requests to spend more time in front of the television or computer, and to ignore the cries that they are the only ones that don’t have their own cell phone or computer. Saying no isn’t easy, but parents must remember that children will be exposed to electromagnetic radiation for a very long time!
Our bodies are extremely sensitive to even the minutest electrical fields that are produced by other people and other things on the planet. You, or perhaps people you know, can probably feel the advance of a storm coming in their direction often days before it arrives. People have been known to sense other phenomena as well. How often have you heard the expressions, ” I feel it in my bones” or “This just doesn’t feel right”? You should not ignore the things that you feel, but instead use them to guide you. If you don’t feel well when you are under florescent lights or when you have been sitting too long at your computer, do something about it. For example, replace those bulbs with some of the new full spectrum bulbs and make the best use natural sunlight whenever possible. Get up and stretch intermittently when you are using a computer. It is good for your eyes and will give your body a chance to rebalance itself. We are so used to running our bodies and neglecting the things we need to do to take care of ourselves. Perhaps we should feed and take care of our bodies as if we were planning on keeping them for a while – as if they were irreplaceable. Wait a minute, they are!
Taking responsibility for your body and your health is the best way to offset the effects of electromagnetic radiation. Although there is danger in our electric sky, fear can be replaced with understanding. Going backwards in technology is not the answer. Learn about the Six Interferences to Health by coming to workshops where I am a guest speaker, or call my office to make an appointment so that I can show you what you can do to reduce the ways that these interferences, such as electromagnetic radiation, interfere with your health. Remember that the things that are invisible to us are the things that hurt us the most, as well as the things that help us the most. Appreciate every sunrise and sunset, and start making the kinds of choices that will help you, rather than hurt you.
Dr. William H. Karl, D.C.
