Protect Yourself from Electromagnetic Pollution

By Janey Lee Grace.

 

“We must learn to balance the material wonders of technology with the spiritual demands of our human race.” John Naisbitt

It’s a worrying fact that we’re exposed to more pollution in our own homes than when we’re outdoors. Building materials, air fresheners and toxic chemicals in our cleaning and personal care products all add up.

Then there are the effects of electromagnetic pollution. Now I am not going to pretend to be scientific enough to give you the full lowdown on this, but none of us need to be capable of that to figure out that it’s one of the biggest health issues facing us today.

It is also often referred to as ‘electro-smog’ or ‘e-smog’ but what makes it so much worse than traditional smog is that at least that can actually be seen, prompting people to do something about it! The conclusions of scientists who have looked into the increasingly omnipresent e-smog range from ‘no real health risk’, to ‘the silent killer of the 21st century’.

One could argue that we do seem to be making ourselves guinea pigs in the biggest mass biological experiment of all time, and that future Earth inhabitants may look quizzically at an array of electronic gadgets and wonder why we exterminated our species! There’s no proof that it isn’t a risk, and personally I believe we would be prudent to err on the side of caution.

Of course, it’s not viable to give up our high-technology lifestyles. Most people use mobile phones, cordless telephones and/or wireless internet connections and live not far from a mobile phone mast. So let’s look a little more closely at what the specific potential risks are, and then consider what we can do about them.

 

 

Cordless phones – the underestimated health risk

Unlike mobiles, which transmit unwanted radiation only when in use, the base stations of cordless phones are transmitting powerful signals 24 hours a day, continually seeking out their little receiver friends dotted around your house.

It’s been said that the radiation from cordless systems flying around our houses is 100 times more dangerous than using mobiles. According to Alisdair Phillips of Powerwatch, the independent consultants and lobbyists for safety protection from electromagnetic fields, who is co-author of The Powerwatch Handbook (Piaktus Books):

“Cordless phones are now the standard in most households, and, like mobile handsets, they emit microwave radiation – from both the base unit and the handset itself – that is alleged to cause brain tumours, breast cancer, dementia, DNA damage, concentration problems, memory loss, mood and behavioural changes and fertility problems.”

 

Shield yourself

The first thing to do is find out if you’ve got a problem. If you’re in the UK, to find the nearest Tetra or G3 transmitter to you go to www.sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk. You can also check your house for electro pollution. Rent or buy electric and magnetic meters from www.healthy-house.co.uk. They’re simple to operate, and you can run a 15-minute check and find out any possible problems.

EMFs are impossible to escape from completely. Short of wrapping ourselves in a lead duffle coat or installing a Faraday Cage (a highly sophisticated EMF screening system) what can we do?

Some people are affected by e-smog so badly they can’t live in areas near mobile phone masts or power lines. Some report headaches when using cellular phones and many people just notice a huge difference in their wellbeing when they get away from their usual environment – i.e. away from the electro pollution of their city or office (though these days the countryside is not immune, either).

If it’s serious for you, look into metal fibre woven net screens for your mattress and around your bed. You can also invest in a geopathic stress neutraliser and even radiation shielding paint but these are expensive measures.

The most important time to protect yourself is during sleep, as electromagnetic fields interfere with the delicate neurological balances and mechanisms necessary for your body to repair itself. We spend a third of our lives kipping, and TVs, computers and radios – in fact anything that you plug in – emit radiation that can affect our sleep patterns. So favour an old-style alarm clock over a ‘clock radio’ and whatever you do, don’t use your mobile to wake you up!

However, in true imperfectly natural style you don’t have to absolutely eliminate everything electrical. It’s all a bit ‘sticking plaster on an ocean’ but here are the precautionary measures I’d advise:

• For general electronic equipment put houseplants close by. Spider plants are excellent (and don’t need too much talking to) and peace lilies, incidentally, have been proven by NASA scientists to remove formaldehyde from the air to 30 feet.

• Place unpolished clear quartz crystals near your computer to soak up e-smog.

• It sounds too obvious but minimise your mobile phone use, and if you can switch to a corded phone at home and ditch the cordless, do.

• Use a Blocsoc anti-radiation cover on your mobile phone – this is the single most effective shield and they come in all sizes and colours.

• Pop a Phoneshield on your cordless phone base station and a Compushield on all computers and laptops.

• Switch off your wi-fi at night.

• Take the supplement Asphalia before bedtime. It’s a natural melatonin supplement devised to help protect against electromagnetic frequencies and as an added bonus it’s a natural sleep aid.

  The scientific community offers no consensus on this most complex of topics, so revert to your own instincts, and ask yourself, “Could there be a problem?” My view is that there definitely is, and precaution is the sensible option.

  If this area interests you one of the leading experts in it is Roger Coghill. Visit Roger Coghill Research Labs at www.cogreslab.co.uk or get hold of a copy of his excellent book Electropollution: How to Protect Yourself Against It.

   

   

  BIO - Janey Lee Grace

  Is a Radio 2 host and the author of several books on holistic living, including the best-selling Imperfectly Natural Woman. Her book is Look Great Naturally – Without Ditching The Lipstick. Visit www.imperfectlynatural.com to browse Janey’s recommended products.

   

  This article was published in the Winter 2010 issue of Get Fresh! You can subscribe here.