After reading a recent publication on ScienceDaily.com, I was inspired to further discuss a topic that many have been asking me about lately. Let’s start with the basics, shall we? (from The Ecologist.org)…

Electromagnetic Wave Frequency (EMF): Electric current flowing through a conductor, i.e. a power cord, a computer, or even celestial bodies, generates a magnetic field known as an EMF.

Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR): Residual and resultant energy produced from the interaction between flowing electricity, and its magnetic field. Such energy is emitted from its source and spreads out in concentric circular patterns, like ripples created in stagnant water when a solid object is dropped into the water – i.e. like radiation from a cell phone. EMR is composed of energy-carrying particles called photons. The shorter the wavelength, the higher the frequency and the more photons – and therefore energy – the waves contain. When scientists refer to the “electromagnetic spectrum,” they are referring to the whole range of such EMR wavelengths.

Now that we know what these abbreviations mean, what do they do to the human body?

As the body is exposed to EMF’s and EMR’s, its cells start vibrating at the same frequency, and absorb the energy of the wave, rather than allow the wave to simply pass through. That’s the same concept that makes a glass break when a soprano sings. The molecules of the glass vibrate, and match her tone frequency, which causes their chemical bonds to rip apart. With the body, and EMR and EMF exposure, the process is more subtle, but just as real.

Now, how that affects the human system is largely in debate. There is one camp that believes, after evaluating studies like the one reviewing increased cancer rates (leukemia) in children living near a power center in San Francisco, that EMF’s and EMR’s are an insidious, unseen force that chip away at the body’s system, leaving disease states in their wake after years of exposure. Then, of course, there is the other camp who states that there is no evidence of tissue damage, even when areas of the body are objectively measured as heating up, after direct correlation to prolonged exposure. However, in one study in 1999, these same scientists were baffled when brain tissue that heated from EMR exposure, showed no actual tissue damage, but DID show that subject’s reaction times during the study were altered. They even were quoted in the article saying “technically, that’s impossible. We’re baffled”

My opinion is that waiting for science to completely understand how damage occurs may prove to be too little too late, in preventing subtleties in the body’s cell structure alteration. I would rather take a proactive approach to the EMR / EMF debate and do all I can now, to protect myself as technology encapsulates our world at an exceedingly, and impressively fast pace.

Short of going back to living in a cave, what can be done to enjoy our modern world’s marvels, yet remain healthy? Here are a few good tips:

• Be sure to get a good daily intake of vitamins C and E to help with free radical tissue damage reduction.
• Try and take breaks from computers, cell phones, televisions, anything emitting an EMF or EMR, to help reduce potential risk.
• Get back in touch with nature. The more you can get outside and get your bare feet on the earth, the more you’ll be able to reduce the build up of free radicals, excess heat and cortisol accumulation in the body that leads to cellular damage.
• Buy and wear EMF and EMR scattering magnets and pendants. Every little bit helps. In fact, small battery-operated machines now exist that scatter and eliminate unseen waves in your home or office, as well. I highly recommend those.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 8th, 2007 at 2:58 am and is filed under Electromagnetic Frequency (EMF). You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.