by Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D.
 Several decades ago exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFS) was a
subject on few people’s minds. In the 1970s even my health-conscious
wife did not give a second thought to buying a house that had
high-tension wires running nearby. But several years later, in 1980, when
three young men in that suburban development died of various cancers,
she and the other residents began to wonder if something in the environment
could have been responsible. Were children in that development at
risk? Or were the three deaths just some strange coincidence? This mysterious
disease cluster is like many around the U.S. and the world that have
been noted and publicized in the intervening years.
Not All Waves Are Created Equal
To get some perspective on the issue, let’s look briefly at the biophysics of
electromagnetic fields. An EMF consists of both an electric field and a magnetic
field. Electric fields are everywhere, even surrounding the cells in our
bodies. They are produced by voltage (think of a lamp plugged in but
turned off).
Magnetic fields are similarly ubiquitous—the earth has a strong magnetic
pull—and they are produced by current (think of a lamp plugged in
and turned on). When electrical and magnetic fields are in motion, EMFs
are created.
EMFs are characterized by non-ionizing radiation, the type that doesn’t
generate enough energy to remove electrons from atoms. This is the kind
of radiation emitted from devices that produce, transmit or use electric
power, including such common household items as shavers, electric blankets,
televisions, heated waterbeds, computers, microwave ovens and so
forth. Power lines and transmitters emit non-ionizing radiation. Even a
shock from static electricity delivers a small dose.
However the energy in ionizing radiation does break atomic bonds and
it thereby damages chromosomes in living things. Gamma rays and X-rays
are in this category. They are the “big gun” exposures and they are cumulative.
In other words, every exposure to these stays with you for life. It is
hard to say how much radiation is too much because it’s an individual
matter but I definitely recommend thinking carefully about each and
every X-ray before agreeing to it.
Highlights From The Research
In 1995 the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the
U.S.Department of Energy reported that everyday exposure to electric and
magnetic fields from common household electrical appliances and wires
produces weak currents between cells. In some laboratory studies even a
small exposure to low frequency (60 Hz) EMFs produced:
- Changes in functions of cells and tissues;
- Decrease in levels of the hormone melatonin;
- Alterations in the immune system;
- Acceleration of tumor growth;
- Changes in circadian rhythms (biorhythms)and
- Changes in human brain activity and heart rate variability.
To evaluate the possible effects of magnetic fields on human health, scientists
rely on large population (epidemiological) studies. However, these
take a long time to generate results, are costly to conduct and at best reveal
only small increases in risk. It is also tricky to quantify people’s exposure to
environmental constituents like EMFs after the fact and to control for variables that may skew the results, such as an individual’s
exposure to other cancer risk factors.
The few studies of magnetic field exposures
and central nervous system cancer have focused
on low-frequency (50–60 Hz) fields. There is little
research to date on microwave frequencies,
such as those emitted from hand-held cell
phones (800–900 Hz).
So far expert panels that have reviewed existing
evidence have determined it insufficient to
support any conclusions about EMFs and cancer.
But I have examined the work of several
researchers at the leading edge of this field and
have spoken with several of them. All are
convinced that EMFs pose a significant health
threat and I agree.
Think about your own experiences with lowvoltage
electricity for a moment. If you have ever
accidentally touched an electric fence, for example,
you know how the force of that shock can
sting for a moment. That is a simple lesson in
why external sources of electrical energy are bad
for you.
Nevertheless, the following is an overview of
National Cancer Institute findings from the
research at present and a look at what is in
progress.
Brain cancer:
Epidemiological studies have linked central
nervous system cancers with a variety of
environmental exposures—physical, chemical
and biological. While it is clear that high doses
of ionizing radiation can increase the risk of
tumors, the picture is less clear regarding risks
posed by low doses of nonionizing radiation or
magnetic fields. Most studies of groups occupationally
exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation
have not found a connection to an
increased risk of brain cancer.
Breast cancer:
EMF exposure may lower levels of melatonin, a
hormone that is thought to help protect against
breast cancer. Brigham and Women’s Hospital
in Boston is evaluating electric blankets and
breast cancer risk in a group of 121,700 nurses.
One of the most startling anecdotal reports
to come along involves three men who worked
together in the same office and who developed breast cancer at about the same time. The men
were stationed next to electricity-distributing
equipment that averaged more than 15 milligauss
throughout the day, every day. (A gauss is the unit
of magnetic field strength and a milligauss is one
thousandth of a gauss.) There has to be some connection
because the odds of three cases of breast
cancer in men occurring at the same time and
place are about one in one trillion.
Leukemias and lymphomas:
The results from a 21-year study of Swiss railway
employees found a significant increase in
leukemia mortality in those exposed to several
decades worth of extremely low frequency
magnetic fields. This finding supports the
evidence of a link between heavy exposure to
low-frequency EMFs and leukemia.
Low-frequency EMFs and immune system response:
Fifteen employees in an Italian museum exposed
to an EMF induced by 50 Hz electricity for 20
hours a week were compared to a control group
with similar health habits. Investigators concluded
that the study showed a reduction of
“natural killer cells,” or lymphocytes, in the
blood of the museum workers who were
exposed to low frequency EMFs. Decreased natural
killer cell activity is associated with immune
system dysfunction and cancer; thus, these
immune system cells are agents you want to
enhance, not hinder.
Nearly everyone in the scientific community
agrees that more research is needed, and of a
longer duration, before we can draw any conclusions
about EMFs. What is most striking to me,
however, is that studies examining the effects of
low-frequency EMFs over time almost always
found a link with disease or decreased immune
status. It is all cumulative, whether high or low
frequency. Because we have so recently entered
the high-tech age we now live in, we do not yet
know what technology’s long-term effects on us
may be, but here is my hypothesis: EMFs are yet
another environmental toxin insidiously undermining
our immune systems.
Cell phones and cancer:
The Food and Drug Administration and the
Federal Communications Commission have stated that the greatest risk from cell phones is
the possibility of getting into an accident while
using them. I have really looked at this issue and
I disagree. From the research I have seen there is
some merit to the argument that cell phones can
cause cancer.
In addition, I have had patients in my
practice who were avid cell phone users and who
eventually developed brain cancer. While we
cannot know if there is a connection in these
isolated instances, a study done in Great Britain
shows that there may be. The research revealed a
substantial reduction in radiation absorption
when cell phone users added an earpiece attachment
to their phones. Supporting this data is an
older study that found a link between police
officers who held radar guns next to their heads
and a much higher-than-expected number of
cancer cases among them.
Here is my advice: If you are a cell phone
user, use a hands-free unit or an earpiece attachment
at all times. That is what I do, so the
phone is away from my brain and body. An
earpiece is inexpensive and will protect you from
radiation continuously entering your ear,
possibly affecting delicate brain cells. I would
also avoid using portable conventional phones
because they emit EMFs too. Even with those
precautions in place, use cell phones to make
contact and that is it. Do not have lengthy
conversation on them.
De-EMF Your Life as Much as Possible
My view on the EMF controversy boils down to
this: It might be 10 or 20 more years before
definitive data are released, so why take a
chance? My wife Jan and I consciously “de-EMF”
our lives and we encourage you to do so as well.
Here is how to get started.
Do not keep any electrical appliance near
your bed, especially your head. Move your alarm
clock radio to the other side of the room or
replace it with a battery-operated or wind-up
model. Keep your TV and stereo components
out of the bedroom or at least move them as far
as possible from your head.
Jan and I do not sleep under electric blankets
any more or use any other product that increases
our everyday exposure to household electrical
fields. We got rid of our waterbed mattress
because of the electric heater that needs to be
used with it and bought an air mattress instead.
Underground electrical wires serve our home,
though we did not consciously buy it for that
reason.
Use microwave ovens sparingly, if at all, and
be sure to stand at least six feet away from the
unit while it is in use. Keep in mind also that
when you microwave food to temperatures of 130 degrees or more, you are distorting the
food’s natural architecture and destroying a lot
of the natural enzymes.
Do not buy a house near high-tension power
lines, especially if you have young children. If
you live within 100–200 yards of a major power
line, you may be within a range of vulnerability.
Not too long ago I was looking for a larger house
so all our children and grandchildren could
come stay with us. We found a nice place in the
woods about 100 yards from hightension
lines, which I thought was a decent
distance. But then I learned that respected
environmental researcher Neil Cherry of New
Zealand advises maintaining a buffer zone of at
least 300 yards. Consequently, we did not buy
the house.
Raise your awareness of workplace exposure,
where EMFs are not only abundant but continuous.
Large electric motors, electric cables, power
saws and drills, not to mention computers, scanners,
copiers and electric pencil sharpeners,
generate EMFs. What I am most concerned
about in regard to nonionizing radiation is
length and continuity of exposure.
In my work I have had a lot of exposure to
powerful radiation in the form of X-rays in the
cardiac catheterization lab. Of course the hospitals
had us wear protective lead aprons but they
offered no coverage above the neck or below
knees, so it was not a fail-safe scenario. We also
wore badges that monitored how much exposure
we were accumulating. Make sure your
workplace is at least taking similar precautions
and if you have concerns, request a gaussmeter
reading to determine your levels.
Five Steps for Fortifying Your Cells
If you cannot avoid sizable exposure every day,
take steps to support your immune system and
strengthen your natural killer cells.
1. Make eating well and taking targeted
nutritional supplements your priorities.
Consider high-powered immune boosters such
as beta glucans—naturally occurring carbohydrates
in fungi and yeast (I like NSC-100)—or
Maitake mushroom, which contains beta glucans
and other protective constituents.
2. Turn off the lights. Before the electrification
of America, people rose with the dawn and
retired when the sun went down. Artificially
lighting homes at night causes oscillating magnetic
fields that add to the EMF burden and
reduce melatonin levels, which I will discuss in a
moment. Save electricity. Dine by candlelight
(natural beeswax or soy candles are best) and go
to bed earlier so you can rise with the sun.
3. Consider taking melatonin. Thirteen
studies have shown that people exposed to EMFs have reduced levels of the hormone melatonin.
Because melatonin and serotonin are primary
circadian hormones, all the primary organs have
melatonin and serotonin receptors; therefore,
anything that affects these hormones affects all
the organs of the body. Take 1–3 mg melatonin
before bed, if you live near high-power lines,
have high EMF exposure, suffer from insomnia or are at risk of breast cancer. By the way, highdose
melatonin is a standard treatment for
breast cancer in Europe.
4. Go barefoot when you can. Being a
well-grounded person takes on a whole new
meaning in relationship to EMFs. There is
growing evidence to show that when bodies are
grounded, they are naturally protected from
electrical fields. In a 1993 study, for example,
sheep confined to a pasture beneath power lines
experienced no change in melatonin levels,
whereas humans did. What is the difference?
The sheep are naturally grounded because they
walk and sleep directly on the earth.
We humans, by contrast, carry an accumulated
electric charge because we wear insulativesoled
shoes. Think about the last time you were
at the beach. Did you sleep better than usual
while there and returned home feeling
refreshed? My guess is yes. And if you thought
about it, you probably attributed your feelings
of well-being to all the exercise and relaxation
you got. Now we know that you were discharging
EMFs as you walked barefoot in the
sand. The good news is that you can recapture
that sense of vitality just by keeping in closer
contact with the ground. Of course when you
kick off your shoes, watch where you are
walking.
5. Get grounded at night. For the last several
months Jan and I have been sleeping on
an Earth Tether mattress pad, which discharges
electrical stress that builds up in the
body throughout the day. My wife and I do
not sleep well without this mattress pad so
when we are on the road, we find hotel beds
intolerable. A double-blind study of 22 men
and 38 women between the ages of 23 and 74
years was done to evaluate the mattress pad’s
effect on sleep problems, as well as chronic
muscle and joint pain.
The following changes were recorded in the
study group compared with controls:
- 85 percent fell asleep faster, 93 percent reported better quality of sleep and 100 percent said they awoke feeling rested compared with 13 percent of the subjects sleeping on “dummy” mattresses.
- 82 percent reported reduced muscle stiffness and pain, compared with none of the controls.
- 78 percent noticed an improvement in general well-being, compared with 13 percent of the controls.
I found these numbers pretty compelling
but my own experience with the mattress pad
is what really sold me on its effectiveness. It is
made with carbon fibers (which, when placed
under fitted sheets, are unnoticeable) and connected
via a tether to a ground rod outside.
The intention, according to inventor Clint
Ober of Ventura, California, is to replicate the
days when people slept on the ground. If you
would like more information on the Earth
Tether mattress pad, call 1-800-304-5619 and ask
for code 10899-I. (Because it must be connected
to the earth, this product can only be used
by individuals whose beds are on the first or
second stories or in the basement of their
homes.)
Here is another angle: A phenomenon
known as heart rate variability (HRV) frequently
indicates an imbalance between the sympathetic
(“fight or flight”) arm of the nervous system
and the parasympathetic (“rest or restore”)
branch. Usually the problem is that the sympathetic
nervous system is in overdrive. Although
anecdotal, there is evidence that sleeping on an
Earth Tether mattress pad can even out these
heart rate fluctuations and restore the system’s
natural balance.
As you can see, awareness is key when it
comes to EMFs. No one knows why one person
exposed over time gets cancer and another
doesn’t. Certainly genetics play a part, as do diet,
emotional status and numerous other variables.
But I think that if you can be aware of EMFs—
not alarmed, but aware—and limit your
exposure wherever and whenever possible, it can
only be beneficial for your health.
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