A
Deadly
Obsession
Hooked on
Cell Phones by Sherrill Sellman, ND |  |
| Illustration by Jeff Ham |
Can you imagine leaving home without your cell phone? Apparently not many people can these days. With the cell phone’s debut in 1984, 92,000 early adapters raced to own one. Twenty years later, it is now estimated that more than 171 million Americans use a cell phone. Worldwide, a staggering 1.5 billion
cell phones are constantly sending their invisible frequencies through the airwaves.
The Wireless Age is unrelentingly upon us. In just 20 years, the wireless industry has profoundly transformed the lives of people, businesses
and societies globally. It has also evolved into a lucrative 200 billion dollar a year industry.
Around the world,
people are embracing
all things wireless. No
doubt, this technology
offers a world of new
possibilities. But there
are also dangers lurking. Is there something that
you need to know about the wireless world that
you haven’t been told?
The answer could very well be your health
and the health of your children.  The
Invisible Health Hazards Michael discovered
first hand the dark side of wireless technology.
In his late twenties, Michael was a
successful marketing executive living in the
fast lane. For years his cell phone was his
indispensable companion as he wheeled and
dealed, racing through thousands of cell
phone minutes each month. Only when his
headaches became unbearable, did he seek
medical attention. His shocking diagnosis
changed his life; brain cancer was discovered.
It was located on the same side of his head
and in the same location where he held his
cell phone. Three years down the track, several
brain surgeries later, and a complete
transformation of lifestyle, Michael’s life has
been saved. There is also no doubt in
Michael’s mind that his cell phone was a key
factor in causing his brain cancer.
Although the wireless industry has always
claimed that its technology is totally safe, no
thorough safety testing was ever conducted
before introducing cell phones into the mass
market. Could it be just a coincidence that
brain cancer rates in America have increased
by 25 percent since the introduction of the cell
phone?
Electro-Magnetic Frequency (EMF) is the
measure of radiation that comes from a cell
phone, cordless phone, computer, hair dryer,
microwave oven, automobile, or other electrical
head with microwave radiation!
EMFs are everywhere, and that’s precisely
the problem. According to medical researcher
Robert O. Becker, M.D, “At the present
time, the greatest polluting element in the
earth’s environment . . . more
serious even than
global climate
change and chemical
pollution . . . is
the proliferation of
electromagnetic
fields.” Cell
Phones and Cancer
Only many
years after the
introduction of cell
phones has
scientific research
become sophisticated
enough to
find the dangerous
effects of
microwave radiation
from cell
phones and other
EMF-emitting devices. Irrefutable
evidence now confirms
that
microwave radiation
emitted by cell
phones has the
potential to heat
up human tissue
in the area of the head that the phone is
pressed against.
If you think that your cordless phone is a
safer bet, think again. Digital cordless phones
emit the same dangerous microwave frequencies
as cell phones or, in some cases,
even higher levels, as do most headsets.
This thermal (heating) effect may cause
headaches, fatigue, tissue swelling, memory
impairment, learning difficulties, insomnia,
and tingling. But there are other potentially
severe long-term damages. Research concurs
that EMFs interfere with cellular DNA
and its repair mechanisms. In addition, cell
phone radiation makes cancerous cells grow
aggressively.
One study revealed that cell phone users
were two and a half times more likely to have
a temporal brain tumor on the side of the
head where they held their phone. In the case
of tumors of the auditory nerve, which connects
the ear to the brain, the risk increased
to more than three times for mobile phone
users. It was found that users who spend
more than an hour a day talking on a mobile
phone have close to one-third higher risk of
developing a rare form of brain tumor.
Depending on how close the cell phone
antenna is to the head, as much as 60 percent
of the microwave radiation is absorbed by
and actually penetrates the area around the
head, some waves reaching an inch to an
inch-and-a-half into the brain. This is the first
generation that has put relatively high-powered
transmitters against their head, day after
day, year after year.
Research by Henry Lai, Ph.D. showed that
brain cells are clearly damaged by microwave
levels far below the U.S. Government's "safety"
guidelines. Dr. Lai notes that even tiny doses of
radio frequency can accumulate over time and
lead to harmful effects. It is also known that an
extremely low frequency electromagnetic field
(ELFEMF) can alter gene expression and act like
a tumor promoter.
Frequent mobile users also have significantly
depressed melatonin¡ªa vital cancerpreventing
hormone. Cell Phones and the
Brain Radiation from mobile phone handsets
damages areas of the brain associated
with learning, memory, and movement, and
may even trigger Alzheimer's disease. A study
was carried out on rats whose brains were in
the same developmental stage as teenagers,
and who were exposed to two hours of radiation
equal to that emitted by mobile phones.
Researchers found an abundance of dead
brain cells in rats that were exposed to radiation.
They hypothesized that in people whose
neurons are prone to Alzheimer's disease,
radiation from mobile phones may trigger the
disease earlier in life.
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the brain's
vital protective barrier. When the BBB is
breached, a pathway is created allowing other
cancer-causing environmental chemicals to
damage sensitive brain tissue and alter brain
cells' repair mechanisms.
After two minutes' conversation, a cell
phone's digitized impulses disable the BBB
that isolates the brain from destructive proteins
and poisons in the blood. Damage to
nerve cells was observed within the brain,
including the cortex, hippocampus and basal
ganglia. Researcher Leif Salford, M.D., Ph.D.
said "It seems that molecules such as proteins
and toxins can pass out of the blood,
while the phone is switched on, and enter the
brain. We need to bear in mind diseases such
as MS and Alzheimer's are linked to proteins
being found in the brain."
Dozens of medical research studies have
also concluded that the microwave frequencies
coming into the heads of cell phone users
are enough to cause neurological damage that
can produce fatigue, dizziness and loss of
concentration. One study indicated that a 20-
minute cell phone call could disrupt and
degrade cognitive functioning in a human
brain for up to three hours after the call.
There are emerging signs that these
changes are already having profound public
health consequences. The risk of a car accident
was four times greater when the driver
was using a cell phone or soon after a call and
that heavy mobile users were involved in
twice as many fatal road accidents. The risk of
driving while talking on a hand-held phone is
similar to the hazard associated with driving
with a blood alcohol level at the legal limit.
Cell Phones and Your Sex Life Using a
mobile phone can also drastically reduce
men's sex drive. Scientists discovered that
EMF exposed rats had far less testosterone in
their blood stream than those unexposed.
And for all those men who care about their
sperm counts, research shows that men who
regularly carry their mobiles near the groin,
on a belt or in a pocket could potentially have
their sperm count reduced by as much as 30
percent.
Cell phone users are at risk of premature
aging skin. Cell phone radiation heats up
body cells, damaging skin cells and accelerating
the development of wrinkles.
In general, it appears that EMF pollution
leads to more rapid aging in general,
including elevated blood glucose levels, elevated
lipid levels, high blood pressure,
increased neuro-regulatory disturbances,
decreased testosterone levels in men, and
impacts on the central nervous, cardiovascular,
and immune systems. Children—Senile Before Their Time  The fastest
growing group of mobile phone users is children
and teenagers. Nearly one-half of U.S.
teens use cell phones, and the numbers will
only increase in the years ahead.
However, cell phones and new wireless
technology could cause a "whole generation"
of today's teenagers to go senile in the prime
of their lives. A Swedish study warns specifically
against the intense use of mobile phones
by youngsters: "The voluntary exposure of the
brain to microwaves from hand-held mobile
phones" is "the largest human biological
experiment ever." Neurons that would normally
not become "senile" until people have
reached their 60s may now do so when they
are in their 30s.
A child's brain is extremely vulnerable to
cell phone radiation, absorbing microwaves
at 3.3 times the rate of adults. A two-minute
call not only alters the electrical activity of the
brain for up to an hour but also penetrates
deep into the brain. Doctors fear that disturbed
brain activity in children could lead to
psychiatric and behavioral problems or impair
learning ability.
Since children's cells are rapidly dividing,
they are also more susceptible to genetic
damage leading to disruption of cellular function,
cell death, tumors and compromised
immune and nervous systems.
Children categorically should not, be
encouraged or allowed to use cell phones. An Ounce of Protection Contrary to
the wireless industry's official stance
defending the safety of wireless technology,
the world's largest mobile telephone manufacturers
have quietly patented devices to
reduce the risk of brain tumors. The “Big
Three”—Nokia, Ericsson and Motorola—
have invented new components to shield
users from radiation emissions from the
handset. Their patents state, "Continuous
exposure to radio frequency irradiation could
lead to development of a malignant tumor."
The evidence is overwhelming that
cell phones pose a very real health risk.
Fortunately, there are proven technologies
that offer protection from harmful EMFs.
One of the most effective solutions is
called a BioPro Chip, developed by German
scientists and distributed by BioPro
Technology. Their inexpensive EMFHarmonizing
Chips are activated and programmed
to neutralize or harmonize the
range of frequencies that emanate from cell
phones, cordless phones and other EMFemitting
devices, converting them into harmless
frequency waves. Once the chip is
applied to the phone, or other device, the
harmful EMF effects are effectively neutralized,
making them safe to use.
Wireless technology is here to stay,
whether we like it or not. Approaching this
technology with caution and protection will
make it a force that can truly enhance the
quality and enjoyment of our lives.
Sherrill Sellman, ND, is a naturopath, psychotherapist,
international lecturer and women's health
advocate, as well as the author of Hormone Heresy:
What Women MUST Know About Their Hormones.
Contact her at www.ssellman.com.
For references, send a SASE to totalhealth magazine.
|
