Is your smartphone toxic to your health?

Key facts

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Regular use of a cell phone for just 30 minutes a day can increase your risk of glioma ( brain tumor) by 40%
People are getting tumors on the same side that they use their cell phones.
EMFs cause free radical damage and oxidative stress on your body, which leads to disease.
The rates of autism are steadily going up, and EMFs are a major contributing factor.
EMFs contribute to hundreds of neurogenerative conditions that were never heard before cell phones came on the scene. An example of these conditions includes ALS and Alzheimers.
Low-intensity microwave EMFs have been proposed to produce neuropsychiatric effects, sometimes called microwave syndrome. An example of this is depression.
Bees are integral to our survival as humans! EMFs are contributing to their death.
Incorporate several ways in your life to minimize EMF exposure. One of the methods is keeping your phone in airplane mode all the time.
It is crucial to order a device to minimize EMF exposures, such as a Qi device. A Qi device protects you by depolarizing and reducing EMF exposure- by making it biologically safe.
Also, consider ordering a PELOs case or a grounding tool from Earthing.com to help minimize radiation exposure from EMFs!

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Are you addicted to your smartphone?

Did you realize that your smartphone is toxic to your health? Are you addicted to your Android or iPhone and feel like you can’t live without it? If this is you, then you may need to reassess your lifestyle! Sure, a lot of us indeed feel the need for these smartphones to function on a day to day basis. However, we don’t need the toxic radiation that comes with them! When I am referring to radiation, I am talking about electromagnetic fields (EMFs). If you didn’t know this already, I am here to tell you that they can wreak all kinds of havoc on your body. EMFs are found in smartphones, but they are also on laptops, desktop PCs, radios, TV waves, microwaves, and more.

So the question is, “What do you do?” Throw out your phone or laptop? Unfortunately, many of us need these devices to function in today’s world; it’s not like we live in “Little House on the Prairie” times. The good news is that there are ways to minimize your exposure! Also, some devices will help mitigate the dangers of EMFs, which will reduce the risks of getting diseases or cancer.
Okay! So now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and discuss why EMF’s are so harmful to our body and then what it is we can do about them.

EMF health dangers

Brain tumors and cancer

Yup, I said it. The big “C” word. I jumped right to it! As you can see, I don’t take EMFs lightly. Whenever you decide to have your cell phone nearby, you are increasing your odds of cancer. I know it is disheartening, but you don’t get anything in this life for free.

Think about it. Do we have twenty to thirty years of long term data on EMF’s in terms of how toxic it is to your health? The answer is no, but the short-term data we have is pretty scary. I don’t know about you, but just the word cancer seems to wake me up! If you are surprised by this, then don’t feel alone. When I first learned of this, I was in denial too. Reality is a slap in the face!

The carcinogenic effect of EMFs from cell phones

Maybe you have heard that EMFs from cell phones can cause cancer, but have shunned it as a myth. Think again! Before we even delve into how EMF’s cause brain tumors, I am going to present a website to you called the emf-portal.org, which has a database of over 29,000 studies which is growing daily.¹ If you have any doubts and wonder if what you hear is a “conspiracy theory” or “myth,” then I suggest you consult this portal. It is not only convincing but overwhelming at the same time! In 2016, a $30 million, 10+ year US federal study conducted by experienced scientists published findings that were considered by many as the world’s largest, most well-designed study of its type on cell phone radiation. Do you know what they found?²

[callout] After extensive reviews, the consensus is that there was a carcinogenic effect.
-Dr. Ronald Melnick, NTP study lead scientist. ³
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Did you notice that Dr. Melnick had mentioned the word “extensive”? In my world, that means a lot of evidence. In fact, they found that the link between cell phone radiation and cancer was so bright that they decided that other studies, called peer review, needed to be done just to be sure they hadn’t made a mistake.⁴

Regular use of cell phone can significantly increase your risk of brain tumor (glioma)

Are you awake yet? Are you considering how toxic your smartphone is to your health? If not, read on. Did you know that using your cell phone for just 30 minutes a day can increase your risk of getting a brain tumor by 40%?⁵ According to EMF researcher, Prof. Magda Havas, it was found that regular use of a cell phone can significantly increase the risk of glioma. A glioma is a deadly type of tumor that starts in the brain or spine, which can begin by using your cell phone just 30 minutes a day.⁶

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A glioma is a deadly type of tumor that starts in the brain or spine, which can begin by using your cell phone just 30 minutes a day.

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It has been found that gliomas now can represent 80% of all malignant brain tumors.⁷ As a health care provider, I can’t even begin to tell you how many people have said to me of stories where a family member or friend is suffering from a glioma. A lot of people that I talk to don’t even realize the correlation between cell phone usage and a brain tumor! It is so sad!

Tumors on the same side, you use your cell phone.

One of the most alarming trends is that people are getting tumors on the same side of the head, where they use their cell phones. ⁸ There is more and more research to support this! A study that was done in 2009, with results that indicated using a cell phone for > or = 10 years approximately doubles the risk of being diagnosed with a brain tumor on the same (“ipsilateral”) side of the head as that preferred for cell phone use.⁹

I could go on and on about the research that confirms cell phone use and gliomas! I highly suggest that you conduct some research yourself for further validation! You may already be thinking, “Wow, I don’t want this cell phone anymore.” I know I did! Before you decide to get rid of it, I will touch on specific strategies at the end of this article to help minimize radiation. First, let’s continue to talk about the adverse effects of cell phones.

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People are getting tumors on same side of the head, where they use their cell phones.

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How EMFs can cause cancer.

So how do EMF’s exactly cause cancer? Overall, EMFs cause free radical damage and oxidative stress on your body, which leads to disease! It was found that even low EMF exposures ( including those from cell phones and electrical appliance commonly found in most homes) can cause your cells’ calcium channels to stay open, which increases the release of superoxide and nitric oxide. That, in turn, results in the formation of peroxynitrite, which then cascades into other free radicals such as carbonyl- free radicals that can penetrate the nucleus and cause harm.¹⁰

EMF exposure will seriously impair your mitochondria, which will deplete a lot of your energy and eventually lead to cancer. We depend on our mitochondria for a lot of processes as they give our cells power! Please see my article on Seven ways to help boost your mitochondria in pandemic times if you want to read more about mitochondria.

Autism

By now, you are probably already aware of how your smartphone and EMFs are toxic to your health. Did you realize there is a correlation with autism? This disorder is the next adverse effect that I want to discuss because the trends for autism are getting worse. Yes, there are other factors involved with autism, but I am not going to address them in this article. I am mainly going to delve into autism in terms of EMFs.

A rise in autism

In the 1980s, well before cell phone use had become widespread, autism rates in the US were reported at 1 in 10,000. ¹¹ Those days are over! According to the CDC, the recent data indicates now 1 in 54. It seems as if every year, this data gets worse! As I mentioned earlier, there are several things at play with autism increasing; however, EMFs are a contributing factor. In a recent article about Autism and EMFs, it was found that EMF/RFR exposure can add to system overload by increasing risk for Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). EMFs can also worsen challenging biological problems and symptoms; conversely, reducing exposure might improve symptoms of ASCs by reducing obstruction of physiological repair.

Chronic Fatigue

Do you suffer from exhaustion daily? Have you thought for one second that it could be coming from your smartphone, laptop, or a nearby cell phone tower? If you said no, think again. Your precious smartphone may be so toxic to your health, that it is zapping all of your energy. EMF exposure triggers oxidative stress in various tissues, but also that it causes significant changes in levels of blood antioxidant markers. Fatigue, headache, decreased learning ability, and cognitive impairment is among the symptoms caused by EMFs.¹³

Fatigue from EMFs can also be an indirect cause of poor sleep due to EMFs in your house. That is the primary reason you should take time to pay attention to your sleep hygiene and do interventions at night to minimize your exposure to EMFs at night, such as turning your phone off at night or in airplane mode. I will talk more about this below when I discuss simple everyday strategies you can take to help decrease your exposure to EMFs. If you are interested in learning about ways to improve your sleep, please go to thatorganicmom.com, as she has a whole devoted section.

I think fatigue is a ubiquitous symptom for people today! It is not only from EMFs but can be from various other causes. I suggest that you see your health care provider rule out all different reasons, but always keep EMFs in the back of your mind!

Alzheimer’s and ALS

EMF and Alzheimer’s

Have you suffered from memory loss recently? Or maybe you have a relative or friend that has Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. It is a tragic illness; I lost my grandfather to it years ago. Anyone who has lost someone to this disease can probably attest to how horrible it is, and may have even experienced their loved one not knowing who they are at the time of death. There are a lot of factors in our environment that can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.

Have you noticed that more people are getting Alzheimer’s? If you have, then it is no coincidence. There are currently about a dozen studies that show a direct link from cell phone radiation exposure to Alzheimer’s disease. Almost all epidemiological studies (the study of disease in populations) done so far on EMFs and the risk of Alzheimer’s and ALS show an increased risk.¹⁴

EMF’s and ALS

If you don’t know what ALS is, let me define it for you. ALS stands for Amoyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; it is a progressive nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control. ALS often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in a limb or slurred speech. Eventually, ALS affects control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat, and breathe. There is no cure for this fatal disease. ¹⁵

ALS makes you feel “trapped in the body.”

Can you say “scary”? As a health care provider, I have seen people with this illness! They feel as they are trapped in their own body. The sad thing is that most of the time, these people are acutely aware of their surroundings! I can remember years ago; when I was working in the ICU as a nurse, I took care of a patient with ALS. She was only in her late 40s and was at the end of her illness. She had lost control of all of her limbs. Now, during the last stages of her ALS, her diaphragm and lungs were failing her, so she was on a ventilator. It was sad because she knew what I was saying to her, and if I asked her a question, all she could do was blink twice for yes or once for no.

These are just a few of the neurogenerative conditions caused by EMFs. Unfortunately, it is only the tip of the iceberg! There are now literally hundreds of these neurogenerative conditions-many of which were unheard of before cell phones came on to the scene .¹⁶

Depression

Do you struggle with motivation on day to day activities? Does it sometimes feel that nothing can make you happy? If so, consider EMFs as a probable contributing factor. A 2016 study found that cell phone type EMFs produced widespread neuropsychiatric effects, including depression¹⁷. In 2002, a study on people who lived at different distances from a cell phone tower found that the closer people lived to the tower, the more they experienced depression, fatigue, and similar symptoms.¹⁹

Microwave syndrome

When I think about EMFs, I picture that we are all being literally cooked in a giant microwave. It turns out that this is a fact! Low-intensity microwave EMFs have been proposed to produce neuropsychiatric effects, sometimes called microwave syndrome. Among the more commonly reported changes are the following: sleep disturbance/insomnia, headache, depression/depressive symptoms, fatigue/tiredness, dysesthesia, concentration/attention dysfunction, memory changes, dizziness, irritability, loss of appetite/body weight, restlessness/anxiety, nausea, skin burning/tingling/dermographism, and EEG changes¹⁸.

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When I think about EMFs, I picture that we are all being literally cooked in a giant microwave.

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EMFs affect honey bees.

Did you know that EMFs are destroying the bee population? Did you stop and think for one second that our honey bees are integral to our human existence? We need to do whatever possible to help save them! EMFs are one of the things that are destroying them; some other things include pesticides and viruses. It turns out that EMFs can affect not only their motor abilities but also their cognition. A study conducted in 2018 that even low levels of EMF exposure reduced the number of bees feeding, and it is possible that EMFs could affect the acquisition of essential resources for the colony.²⁰

How to assist the bee population

So what do we do? How do we save our bee population? Even though we can’t stop the EMF transmissions, we can do little things at home to help! I hope to be doing an article on this topic very soon. An example would be not using harmful pesticides in your lawn or garden, plant bee-friendly gardens by using flowers that they love, and understanding bees by not killing them. Remember, they don’t want to sting us!

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EMFs, viruses, pesticides, etc are killing our bees! We need bees for our survival as humans!

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Paul Stamets intervention to save the bees

I am very intrigued by Paul Stamets (the founder of Host Defense Mushrooms) because he wants to use his knowledge of growing mushrooms to help save the bees. Stamets’ groundbreaking invention of MycoHoney, made by bees that sip mycelium droplets, provides nutrients to safeguard bee survival. MycoHoney is the first step to saving the world’s most essential pollinators from the growing threat of extinction and ensuring the survival of humanity in the process²¹ Hopefully, soon in the future, there will also be something to help bees mitigate the effects of radiation from EMFs. There may already be an intervention underway that I have not heard of yet.

What you can do to minimize EMF exposure?

I wish that I did not have to write an article on EMFs and their adverse effects. Learning and talking about the destruction of EMFs is more than holistic; it is a harsh reality. Why are we in this situation? Can I admit to something? I want to go back in time before all this technology! However, this is the life we now live, and we have to adapt to our environment. It is unfortunate! You just have to do what you can do and what is best for your family. Fortunately, there are interventions that you can use to minimize your EMF exposure. This next section will focus on just that.

Simple everyday strategies

The good news is that there are simple everyday strategies that you can implement in your life! If you still want to toss out your smartphone, then that is fine too. Recently, my husband and I have considered going to a flip phone just for lower radiation. I haven’t done it yet but who knows, I may consider it in the near future. Overall, I think I have settled that I have a love-hate relationship with my iPhone.

Put your phone on airplane mode.

If you can stand it, then try to have your phone on airplane mode all the time! This means only turning it on when you plan on using it, maybe like periodically 15-20 minutes per day. I know what you are thinking, “what if someone is trying to get in touch with me?” Well, they will have to wait when you do intermittently turn on your phone throughout the day! If you are nervous about an emergency, get a landline to your house or give people your business landline number. Yes, that means using a good old-fashioned phone with a cord ( it must have a cord because cordless can be just as dangerous as cell phones). Talk about old school!

I must admit that I have not gotten to the point of having mine on airplane mode all the time. However, I do have a friend that does this, and it’s hard to get a hold of her! I think its great, that is how it should be. I miss those days without cell phones! If I want to talk to her, I just call her house. Even though I don’t have my phone on 24-7 airplane mode, I use it from 8:30 pm to 8:30 am. If there is an emergency, someone can call my corded landline phone.

I realize that there are exceptions to having your phone in airplane mode all the time, one of those being that you need it for work or need it for an emergency. In this case, just pick a time throughout the day where you don’t need it. During that time, either turn it off or place it on airplane mode. Maybe you just pick a few hours. Just do what you can! Anything is better than nothing.

Use speaker, headphones, or text instead of holding it up to your ear.

Every day when I use my phone, I never hold it up to my ear. I always use earbuds or speaker when talking to someone. Remember those Nextel days? Just think of yourself as reliving them when you use the speaker option on your phone. If you are too young to remember those days, the Nextel phone was similar to a walkie talkie, and you would talk to people on speaker instead of holding to your ear. I didn’t realize at the time, but that was probably a lot safer!
If you can get away with texting, then do that! I know I try to, but sometimes you just got to have a conversation with someone.

Do not carry your cell phone in your pocket.

Do you want to fry your body part literally? If so, go ahead, put that cell phone in your pocket. Placing your cell phone in your pocket will send radiation to your body and is not a good idea. Overall, you want to avoid being within 6 inches of your cell phone antenna, as this is the highest radiation point. You do not want any part of your body within that area. Do whatever you can to figure out how to keep it 6 inches away, your organs will thank you.

Turn your cell phone off at night.

If you can’t do the airplane mode that I mentioned earlier, then just make it resolve to turn your phone off at night! Your social media can wait! Again, if you are worried about an emergency, give your loved ones your landline. The EMFs in your house will interfere with your sleep. My family and I even go as far as turning off our WIFI at night.

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Turn your phone off at night to reduce EMF transmission! Your social media can wait!

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If you have bad reception, don’t make that call.

If you have bad reception, your phone will have to work extra hard, which means more radiation. There is a reason why it is hard to make that call when you have a weak signal. Don’t do it!

If there is a long conversation to take place, opt for a landline, or meet in person.

If you want to talk a long time to someone, then it is best to use a landline or just meet in person. Now, I understand there are many times it is not possible to meet in person. For instance, I live in North Carolina, and all of my family lives in Florida. If you’re like me, then maybe try to do the best you can to avoid those long conversations on the phone.

Grounding

Grounding is a beautiful practice that we should integrate into our daily lives. After all, our ancestors did a lot of this! Grounding helps us to connect with the Earth’s electrical rhythms. It allows your body to neutralize positive ions from your electronic devices. Grounding may offer some incredible health benefits, including reducing stress, insomnia, headaches, fatigue, and chronic pain²².

How do you ground?

Grounding is easy! All you have to do is go outside, to a grassy or sandy area, and take your shoes off! The key is to let your feet connect with mother earth. Now, not all of us have this option as we may live in a city. Also, sometimes, walking outside may be risky or unpleasant because of glass, parasites, excrement, etc. If your daily routine, the weather, or surface conditions doesn’t accommodate outdoor grounding, you can conveniently ground yourself indoors for many hours while sitting and sleeping. I highly recommend that you go to Earthing.com and learn how you can connect to the Earth and feel better ! They have indoor earthing products that are available to purchase for your home to help with grounding!

Purchase a PELA case and Ethos insert for your phone.

Recently, I purchased a PELA case and ethos insert for my phone to help with radiation. I want to thank Rebecca Huff with thatorganicmom.com for this recommendation too! It was great; I went to their website and picked the right size for my particular iPhone. What I like about the Pela case is that it is eco-friendly with no plastic involved, and it is waste-free! The ethos insert that you can purchase with the case will reduce radiation by 80% and is also waste-free. So exciting! If you are interested, please visit their website here.

Purchase a Qi device.

I love this device! It will block radiation from EMFs in your home, on the go, or even a vast office building. Several different devices are available for purchase. One of them is the Qi-home cell, which can protect your home, up to 3000 square feet. Overall, it will protect you from cellular (including 5G), wifi, and other EMF fields. Some people have said that they no longer have to turn off their wireless routers. I am going to be purchasing this very soon for my home!

If you own a large building or office space, you can consider purchasing the Qi-max. The protected area is 328 x 328 feet and 100 feet up and 100 feet down from the device. It can cover 8-10 levels up and 8-10 floors down. If you need a large area covered, including an entire office building, large warehouse, or large 3-story home, the Qi Max will take care of it.

They also have QI devices for protection on the go, such as the Qi Shield or Qi Me.

Living in a technology-based world and finding holistic wellness.

As you can see, with the strategies mentioned above, it is possible to find holistic wellness amongst your technology. It would be great if we could function in a world without EMFs, but it is challenging in today’s world. Even if you did not have any EMF devices in your home, you could still contact it in other places. I guess it could be possible to live without any device that emits EMFs, but it would be challenging for anyone to function in modern society. Like I said before, I wish I did not have to write such an extensive article on EMFs and that we did not have to worry about it. Unfortunately, that is not the hand we are dealt with.

Remember, learning and having to live with EMFs is more than holistic wellness; it is integral to our survival. We have to get the message out about EMFs so that we can save humanity! If you read this article and did not know all this information before now, I suggest you educate everyone that you know today. We are in the infancy of all EMFs and radiation, just imagine what it will look like 10-20 years for now! It is scary to think about, but it is a necessity for human survival.

Follow me on your journey to wellness and sign up for my email list.

If you are not sure how to begin your wellness journey, I suggest that you go to my Start Here page and look at my seven steps. In the journey, I have included avoiding EMFs as step 6 in your mission to better health. Sign up for my email list and stay tuned for more information to come in the future to help you achieve wellness! You got this!

Namaste!

More references

Hardell, Lennart, et al. “Meta-Analysis of Long-Term Mobile Phone Use and the Association with Brain Tumours.” International Journal of Oncology, Jan. 2008, doi:10.3892/ijo.32.5.10977 ⁷.

Khurana VG;Teo C;Kundi M;Hardell L;Carlberg M; “Cell Phones and Brain Tumors: A Review Including the Long-Term Epidemiologic Data.” Surgical Neurology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19328536/?from_term=ipsilateral tumor cell phone usage&from_pos=1.⁹

C;, Herbert MR;Sage. “Autism and EMF? Plausibility of a Pathophysiological Link – Part I.” Pathophysiology : the Official Journal of the International Society for Pathophysiology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24095003/^12,21.

Kıvrak, Elfide Gizem, et al. “Effects of Electromagnetic Fields Exposure on the Antioxidant Defense System.” Journal of Microscopy and Ultrastructure, Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PM ¹³

“Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 6 Aug. 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20354022 ¹⁵..

More references

“(PDF) Electromagnetic Fields and Neurodegenerative Diseases.” ResearchGate, www.researchgate.net/publication/329773981_electromagnetic_fields-and-neurogenerative-diseases ¹⁶.
C6025786/.

Pall, Martin L. “Microwave Frequency Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) Produce Widespread Neuropsychiatric Effects Including Depression.” Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy, U.S. National

Library of Medicine, Sept. 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26300312 ^17,18.

Santini R;Santini P;Danze JM;Le Ruz P;Seigne M; “[Investigation on the Health of People Living Near Mobile Telephone Relay Stations: I/Incidence According to Distance and Sex].” Pathologie-Biologie, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12168254/?from_single_result=12168254&show_create_notification_links=False¹⁹.

Shepherd, S, et al. “Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields Impair the Cognitive and Motor Abilities of Honey Bees.” Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group UK, 21 May 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5962564/ ²⁰.
“Solutions Underfoot: How Paul Stamets Is Using Mushrooms to Save the Bees.” Bioneers, 21 May 2020, bioneers.org/solutions-underfoot-zmaz2001/ ²¹.

Jockers, et al. “EMF Exposure: Dangers, Symptoms and Protection.” DrJockers.com, 11 June 2020, drjockers.com/emf-exposure-dangers-symptoms-and-protection/²².

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Key facts

Are you addicted to your smartphone?