Partha Nandi MD, FACP
Partha Nandi MD, FACP
Partha Nandi MD, FACP
Partha Nandi MD, FACP
Technology is everywhere. These days it seems like we can’t get away from it. Everyone is glued to one screen or another.
Do you have a smartphone? Where are you keeping it? In your pocket, on an armband, maybe even in your bra? In the past decade, we’ve had an explosion of wearable technology. At home and at work we have wifi for our computers and devices – the signals permeate the entire structure. Utility companies are now installing smart meters to our buildings, often without our knowledge or consent.
All these devices are emitting electromagnetic fields or EMFs. More and more we’re hearing from people complaining of headaches, nausea, insomnia, disorientation, and digestive difficulties when they’re exposed to these electronic devices. The State of California recently issued an advisory on cell phones, stating there are possible health effects from cell phone EMFs. And recent studies suggest that long-term cell phone use may increase the risk of brain cancer and other health problems.
As a physician and father, I’m increasingly concerned about the perils of technology. I recently saw a cell tower on top of a water tower, they’re also being put up near schools and parks. And the bottom line is, we really have no idea how all these signals are affecting us. In an effort to shed some light on the subject I have several guests who are experts in their fields, plus a woman who links her own health issues to EMFs. They share what they’re discovering, what steps other countries are taking and suggest some simple changes we can all make to limit our exposure and protect our health.
Like most of us, Mary Karen McClellan was pretty happy when she got her first cell phone. Never prone to headaches, Mary noticed she started to suffer from them when she used her phone. So, she started using a wired earpiece and the headaches went away. Then her husband installed a router in their home and Mary noticed the same type of headache would occur whenever she used her laptop. Mary tells me her headache would, “Start in the back, and it would turn into a dizziness, a fogginess. I would be in a conversation like this and forget where I was going, forget your name. It was terrible.” Then she was given a Blackberry by her employer. And for the sake of her job, Mary tried to overcome her symptoms, but she says, she just got sicker and sicker.
Mary shares how her health improved when she and her husband made the choice to get rid of their wifi and become a hard-wired household. Then one day the utility company showed up to take down the existing analog meter and install a smart meter. All of Mary’s symptoms returned within hours, the smart meter was changed back the next day and her usual good health returned. We discuss the “aha” moment when Mary started seeing other people with the same symptoms talking about it on the local news. A few years later the utility company came by when no one was home, put another smart meter on the house and this time refused to remove it. Hear about the drastic decision the McClellan’s were forced to make as Mary’s health took another turn for the worse and she was no longer able to live in her home of 25 years.
Dr. Anthony Miller is a distinguished cancer researcher and advisor to the World Health Organization. He tells me he’s greatly disturbed by the results of studies coming out of Europe regarding the effects of radio frequency radiation. That’s the radiation used to power our cell phones and wifi. It’ll also be used in the driverless car technology that’s being developed. Dr. Miller talks about the results of a series of studies done through the International Agency of Research. He says the studies are showing a doubling of the risk of brain cancer as well as an increased risk of other types of cancers. “The part of the brain that has been most commonly affected by these brain cancers, have been the part of the brain nearest where the cell phone is put,” Dr. Miller says. A study in rodents by the U. S. National Toxicology Program are showing similar results.
Shockingly, Dr. Miller says, brain cancer is now the most common form of cancer in children and there’s also been an uptick in teens and young adults. As a result of the epidemiological, biological, and global evidence, Dr. Miller tells me that he is now calling EMFs a human carcinogen. “Once you’ve label something as a human carcinogen, you have to do all you can to reduce exposure to (it) as low as reasonably achievable.” he says. Dr. Miller points to X-rays as an example of how that can be achieved.
Theodora Scarato is the executive director of the Environment Health Trust, a scientific think tank focused on preventable health risks, and she’s also a clinical psychotherapist. Theodora says she’s seeing a huge increase in screen addiction among her patients. To the point where they can’t seem to unplug, even in the face of bullying, and ADHD. One of the reasons for this, Theodora tells me, is there’s an actual physiological addiction in the form of the neurotransmitter, dopamine. “Interactive screens where you’re getting the pings, the notifications, social media, it’s not the same as TV,” Theodora says. What’s actually happening is the lights and sounds act like a trigger to the brain, in much the same way we see with sugar and cocaine, she says. And studies are starting to bear this out. Little hits of dopamine are being released, in response to signals from our phones, and it’s especially true for children.
Theodora shares with me that other studies are showing a direct correlation to an increase in depression and social media usage. Suicide in girls between the age of 10 to 14 has increased threefold, she says, “I tell you, I’ve seen a lot of things in my practice, but what I started to see several years ago, I found shocking.” Theodora presents and discusses brain imaging, using MRIs and computer simulations, showing the effects of radio frequency radiation on the brains of both adults and children. The images clearly show the deeper and more intense penetration into the brains of children. I think it’s so important for parents to be aware of this information, so we can take the necessary steps to protect our children. It’s not about taking away their devices, it’s about setting healthy boundaries.
Nobody understands technology better than Frank Clegg, the retired President of Microsoft Canada. He was also Vice President at Microsoft for the central region of the United States, which included Michigan, for several years as well. Frank shares with me why he’s done a 180 and is now the co-founder and CEO of Canadians for Safe Technology. C4ST is a non-profit group, with a mission to educate and inform the public about the dangers of technology and promote its safe use. An unlikely candidate, Frank tells me how everything changed when he was approached by three different families in his community. They were concerned about cell towers that were going up in areas frequented by children. One was by a school, another near a playground and a third being put into a very small community. “I watched Health Canada come in to talk to our local city officials. I just didn’t like their message,” Frank tells me. “Their message basically was, if it has anything to do with health effects, it’s out of your purview, you can’t talk about it.” A grandfather, Frank felt he needed to get involved.
Frank shares some disturbing information about how outdated North America’s guidelines are and how seriously we’re lagging behind the guidelines and actions of Europe and Asia. Frank tells me they’ve actually eliminated wifi in preschools in France and Israel. Additionally, in France cell phones are banned in middle and elementary schools and it’s illegal to market them to children under the age of 14. We discuss how the attitude toward science differs here in North America, and Frank shares what he believes is the only way to get your voice heard.
Author and advocate for safe technologies Nicolas Pineault published “The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMFs” in 2017. It’s a book full of suggestions on ways to minimize the effects of EMF’s. One of the things Nicholas talks about is a new way of thinking about how to use our gadgets. “Always off, airplane mode, and sometimes on when you need it.” he says, “The same thing can be said for your wifi router or other wireless technologies. That way, you reduce and you minimize the risks that are associated with the technology.” Nicholas tells me that this is especially important at nighttime because our phones are interfering with our sleep. Everything from the blue light, which reduces melatonin production, to all the little pings and dings that wake us up and those everpresent EMFs. In fact, Nicholas shares a super simple technique for controlling our wifi environment.
Nicholas emphasizes that it’s especially important not to hold the phone right up to your ear, where you’ll get a 100 percent blast of the radiation. Even a mere 1-foot distance reduces that radiation by 80 percent, he tells me. Another important point, that’s not been discussed as much, is the effect on your body when you sit with a laptop actually on your lap. Nicholas shares how this habit can expose your entire body to the EMFs and how that can cause issues for your gut flora, fertility health and more.
Dr. Michael Halliday, the founder of PROTXS which offers a possible solution against the effects of EMFs, joins me. Dr. Halliday is a chiropractor who started doing research after losing both his parents to cancer. Dr. Halliday shares the revelation he made about frequencies after studying the research of French biologist Jacques Benveniste and Nobel Prize winner, Luc Montagnier. The more Dr. Halliday learned, the more he started to recognize how EMF frequencies were interacting with our natural biological frequencies, and he tells me what he was discovering wasn’t good. “It really comes down to frequencies. Everything is frequencies,” Dr. Halliday says, “You’re frequencies, I’m frequencies. As we looked at (it), was there a possible way for us to then take those frequencies, and change them?” It was that question that led Dr. Halliday to collaborate with scientific leaders in the field to create new technologies that may help remediate the impacts of these invisible radiations.
Dr. Halliday points out one of the biggest problems with the telecom industry, is not only how old the FCC guidelines are, but where they initially came from. “The FCC went to the mobile devices and said, ‘What are the safety limits that we should be putting into our site?’ They did that. They accepted that as the standard,” he says. That was back in 1996, the standards have never been updated and they were never tested. To emphasize how dangerous this is, Dr. Halliday compares it to putting a cigarette into the mouth of a young child and lighting it up. It’s no exaggeration, Dr. Halliday tells me the International Cancer Research Foundation and the World Health Organization have classified both cigarette smoking and cell phone use as class two B carcinogens. “You either give them a cigarette, or you give them a cell phone. They both are classified the same.” Dr. Halliday says. So what can we do? I mean, cell phones aren’t going away. Dr. Halliday explains his new technology and how it can help reduce EMFs.
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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
