The undiagnosed mystery illness
Don't wait to discover what's causing unusual - and unwanted - symptoms.
Are you troubled by strange and seemingly unrelated symptoms? Don't just dismiss them. You're not alone, as these examples show, but you don't need to suffer.
• While at work, an emergency room physician experiences blinding headaches, dizziness and such overwhelming weakness that she's unable to intubate a patient.
• A recent engineering school grad working for the Canadian Navy suddenly begins to experience such severe fatigue that he has to nap on his lunch hour, and he later develops a chronic respiratory infection, digestive distress, heart palpitations and trouble focusing.
• A high-powered editor who's been taking the train to work for years starts feeling nauseous during every morning and evening commute - debilitating enough to make her consider leaving a job she loves.
• Fresh out of college, a newlywed moves to what ought to be the healthiest place in the world - a farm in America's heartland. Within six months, this bride suffers circulation problems, daily headaches, hot flashes and can barely walk up the stairs.
These four individuals were diagnosed with everything from chronic fatigue syndrome to stress - and while both fatigue and stress are factors, these "diagnoses" overlook the cause of their mysterious symptoms - electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from electricity, cell towers and WiFi. Once these people were able to limit their exposure, though, they enjoyed considerable improvement in their symptoms. Scientific research bears this out as well.
One review of the published literature on dirty electricity - high frequency EMFs from computers, electrical appliances, power lines and wiring - links noticeable improvements in health - balanced blood sugar levels, lessening of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, reduction in asthma and other respiratory illnesses, and fewer reports of anxiety, depression, frustration and insomnia - when individuals have lower exposure to electromagnetic radiation.
An Austrian investigation finds distinct physical differences - in enzymes that impact glucose metabolism - depending on how near cell phone towers the subjects lived. And an Israeli study shows that people living near cell phone towers had four times the risk of a variety of cancers - breast cancer, Hodgkin's disease, and malignancies of the bone, kidney and ovary - as the population as a whole.
Dr. Ann Louise's take:
I wrote my latest book, "Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn't Be Your Alarm Clock" and "1,268 Ways to Outsmart the Hazards of Electronic Pollution," to help the others understand the risks we all face from these undiagnosed mysterious symptoms, especially if their cause is not discovered and, as much as possible, removed. The good news is that "Zapped" offers lots of solutions - 1,268 of 'em, to be exact - once we recognize the problem.
Take, for example, "Debbie Roberts" (who asked me not to use her real name when I interviewed her for "Zapped"). She was eventually diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, an incurable disease that can be managed like diabetes for many years. But it was several years later before Debbie realized that for more than 20 years the bedroom where she and her husband slept - or tried to - had EMF readings two to three times higher than what's considered safe. Electropollution levels in the bathroom and home office where she worked every day were also high.
"I was literally bathing in a known carcinogen day and night for two decades," Debbie says. "No wonder I was ill." Some of the EMFs emanated from power lines about six feet from her bedroom window; others came from her electrical and water systems. But the expert who did the testing and discovered electropollution didn't do mitigation, and it took Debbie several tries to find "Mr. Right."
Get a ghostbuster
"You want to select an electrician who is a craftsman, who cares about the quality of his work, and is open to learning new things and solving problems," says Charles Keen, principle of EMF Services in Florida, a mitigation firm with a nationwide clientele. But "you're probably not going to find someone who knows anything about electromagnetic fields," he adds.
You're more likely to be successful with a local, independent electrical contractor - look for someone who's been in the community for a long time and has a small shop. "You need someone who is scrupulous about code compliance," Keen adds. Just bringing electrical wiring up to code - "fixing problems another electrician caused" - can eliminate many of your EMF problems. "Zapped" is jam-packed with additional tips on reducing dangerous electropollution in your home or workplace.
Recognize the growing risks
WiFi in public buildings - including schools - is another rapidly growing threat to public health. A recent German study shows that fatigue is the most common symptom of EMF exposure in children and adolescents. Other research finds that kids' brains absorb twice as much radiation from cell phones as adults do. Not only do youngsters have thinner skulls and smaller heads than adults, but their brains also continue developing throughout childhood and adolescence - increasing their risks of harm. No wonder that research by Magda Havas, Ph.D., at Trent University in Canada, demonstrates that reducing electropollution in the schools reduces a number of behavior and health problems.
For a complete picture of the risks from EMFs and what you can do to protect yourself and your family - from using today's technology wisely to zap-proof foods and supplements - order "Zapped," which was released Oct. 5.
Sources:
Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn't Be Your Alarm Clock and 1,268 Ways to Outsmart the Hazards of Electronic Pollution
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20619895
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20442833
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20336048
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20297674
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20183535
Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman is the award-winning author of more than 30 books on health and nutrition and guest on many TV and radio programs. She resides in Kootenai County. Information: annlouise.com
Don't wait to discover what's causing unusual - and unwanted - symptoms.
Are you troubled by strange and seemingly unrelated symptoms? Don't just dismiss them. You're not alone, as these examples show, but you don't need to suffer.
• While at work, an emergency room physician experiences blinding headaches, dizziness and such overwhelming weakness that she's unable to intubate a patient.
• A recent engineering school grad working for the Canadian Navy suddenly begins to experience such severe fatigue that he has to nap on his lunch hour, and he later develops a chronic respiratory infection, digestive distress, heart palpitations and trouble focusing.
• A high-powered editor who's been taking the train to work for years starts feeling nauseous during every morning and evening commute - debilitating enough to make her consider leaving a job she loves.
• Fresh out of college, a newlywed moves to what ought to be the healthiest place in the world - a farm in America's heartland. Within six months, this bride suffers circulation problems, daily headaches, hot flashes and can barely walk up the stairs.
These four individuals were diagnosed with everything from chronic fatigue syndrome to stress - and while both fatigue and stress are factors, these "diagnoses" overlook the cause of their mysterious symptoms - electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from electricity, cell towers and WiFi. Once these people were able to limit their exposure, though, they enjoyed considerable improvement in their symptoms. Scientific research bears this out as well.
One review of the published literature on dirty electricity - high frequency EMFs from computers, electrical appliances, power lines and wiring - links noticeable improvements in health - balanced blood sugar levels, lessening of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, reduction in asthma and other respiratory illnesses, and fewer reports of anxiety, depression, frustration and insomnia - when individuals have lower exposure to electromagnetic radiation.
An Austrian investigation finds distinct physical differences - in enzymes that impact glucose metabolism - depending on how near cell phone towers the subjects lived. And an Israeli study shows that people living near cell phone towers had four times the risk of a variety of cancers - breast cancer, Hodgkin's disease, and malignancies of the bone, kidney and ovary - as the population as a whole.
Dr. Ann Louise's take:
I wrote my latest book, "Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn't Be Your Alarm Clock" and "1,268 Ways to Outsmart the Hazards of Electronic Pollution," to help the others understand the risks we all face from these undiagnosed mysterious symptoms, especially if their cause is not discovered and, as much as possible, removed. The good news is that "Zapped" offers lots of solutions - 1,268 of 'em, to be exact - once we recognize the problem.
Take, for example, "Debbie Roberts" (who asked me not to use her real name when I interviewed her for "Zapped"). She was eventually diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, an incurable disease that can be managed like diabetes for many years. But it was several years later before Debbie realized that for more than 20 years the bedroom where she and her husband slept - or tried to - had EMF readings two to three times higher than what's considered safe. Electropollution levels in the bathroom and home office where she worked every day were also high.
"I was literally bathing in a known carcinogen day and night for two decades," Debbie says. "No wonder I was ill." Some of the EMFs emanated from power lines about six feet from her bedroom window; others came from her electrical and water systems. But the expert who did the testing and discovered electropollution didn't do mitigation, and it took Debbie several tries to find "Mr. Right."
Get a ghostbuster
"You want to select an electrician who is a craftsman, who cares about the quality of his work, and is open to learning new things and solving problems," says Charles Keen, principle of EMF Services in Florida, a mitigation firm with a nationwide clientele. But "you're probably not going to find someone who knows anything about electromagnetic fields," he adds.
You're more likely to be successful with a local, independent electrical contractor - look for someone who's been in the community for a long time and has a small shop. "You need someone who is scrupulous about code compliance," Keen adds. Just bringing electrical wiring up to code - "fixing problems another electrician caused" - can eliminate many of your EMF problems. "Zapped" is jam-packed with additional tips on reducing dangerous electropollution in your home or workplace.
Recognize the
growing risks
WiFi in public buildings - including schools - is another rapidly growing threat to public health. A recent German study shows that fatigue is the most common symptom of EMF exposure in children and adolescents. Other research finds that kids' brains absorb twice as much radiation from cell phones as adults do. Not only do youngsters have thinner skulls and smaller heads than adults, but their brains also continue developing throughout childhood and adolescence - increasing their risks of harm. No wonder that research by Magda Havas, Ph.D., at Trent University in Canada, demonstrates that reducing electropollution in the schools reduces a number of behavior and health problems.
For a complete picture of the risks from EMFs and what you can do to protect yourself and your family - from using today's technology wisely to zap-proof foods and supplements - order "Zapped," which was released Oct. 5.
Sources:
• Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn't Be Your Alarm Clock and 1,268 Ways to Outsmart the Hazards of Electronic Pollution
• www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20619895
• www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20442833
• www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20336048
• www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20297674
• www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20183535
Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman is the award-winning author of more than 30 books on health and nutrition and guest on many TV and radio programs. She resides in Kootenai County. Information: annlouise.com