Electro-hypersensitivity is finally becoming accepted as a legitimate health syndrome. Well, sort of.
A breakthrough in raising awareness about electro-hypersensitivity came when the animated film, Remembering Nearfield, won the prestigious Cannes Film Award for Best Health Film of 2023. The film focuses on one woman’s journey with electro-hypersensitvity and the struggles she endures.
What is Electro-hypersensitivity?
Electro-hypersensitivity goes by several different names. Sometimes it’s called electrical sensitivity, and sometimes it’s called electro sensitivity. To make it simple, and for the purpose of this article, we’re going to refer to it using its formal name of electro-hypersensitivity, or EHS for short.
Mainstream science is not yet on board with this syndrome and attributes most of the symptoms people suffer from as being ‘psychosomatic’ in origin.
A recent article on healthline reviewed by a Medical Doctor opens by stating that:
“Electro-hypersensitivity (EHS) is believed to be triggered by electronic devices but has no scientific proof. Symptoms may happen due to other disorders or beliefs about electromagnetic fields.”
Scientific Proof of EHS
However, the truth is there is scientific proof of EHS.
A 2020 published study on Pub Med titled ‘Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS, Microwave Syndrome) – Review of Mechanisms’ validates the existence of this syndrome.
The published study was a joint effort from a Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel and the School of Public Health at Rutgers University.
The study opens by explaining that electro-hypersensitivity is not a new syndrome and that it used to be called Microwave syndrome.
“Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), known in the past as ‘Microwave syndrome’…”
The published study then goes on to explain what EHS actually is.
According to the study, EHS “is a clinical syndrome characterized by the presence of a wide spectrum of non-specific multiple organ symptoms, typically including central nervous system symptoms, that occur following the patient’s acute or chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields…”
The researchers go on to state that “numerous studies have shown biological effects at the cellular level” from exposure to electromagnetic fields. They compare electrohypersensitivity to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in that “repeated exposures result in sensitization and consequent enhancement of response”.
Electro-hypersensitivity Symptoms
Like being sensitive to chemicals, sensitivity to electromagnetic frequencies is something that affects the central nervous system.
So, many of the symptoms associated with EHS are neurological in origin. Neurological doesn’t just mean brain fog. Neurological symptoms can be weak legs, tingling and numbness in extremities, eye floaters, trouble focusing, excessive sweating, skin burning and rashes, sensitivity to light entering the eyes, headaches, dizziness, changes in heart beat and cognitive function.
Neurological symptoms can also be depression, attention deficit disorder and depersonalization disorder.
How EMFs Affect The Body
The researchers looked at the effects of electromagnetic frequencies on the body and found these frequencies to cause various biological changes.
An increase in free radical production and changes in calcium signaling were observed.
Changes in circulation and blood were also noted, as well as disruption of the very important blood-brain barrier.
High-Profile EHS Cases
Although mainstream science prefers to paint a picture of a tin-foil hat wearer when it comes to EHS, the truth is some very notable people have disclosed they suffer from this condition.
The first being Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland. Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland was the first female Prime Minister of Norway. She served in this position for three terms. She also served as the Director-General of the World Health Organization from 1998 to 2003.
Dr. Bruntland said she developed sensitivity to cell phone radiation and would get headaches if anyone was using a cell phone near her.
A former telecom engineer at Ellemtel named Per Segerbäck said he developed EHS along with many of his co-workers.
Obviously, their EHS was related to their high-tech work environments.
The guitarist for Iggy Pop, Ricky Gardiner, said he fell ill after having developed EHS back in 1995. He passed away in 2022 after a long illness.
The Battle Between Thermal vs Biological
The confusion regarding EMFs and their potential health effects on the body all stem from the ongoing battle between thermal effects and biological effects.
Thermal effects, or tissue heating, is known to occur from exposure to radiation. Microwaves cook food based on this premise of radiation causing heating.
If too much radiation is absorbed by the body at one time, tissue heating will occur. This type of tissue heating is damaging, as it creates breaks in our DNA. This can lead to tumor growth and cancer.
Current radiation guidelines around our tech devices are based on thermal heating effects.
The current guidelines are based on the theory that if the level of radiation is too low to heat the body tissue, it is safe.
However, that is a theory which has been proven by science in studies – such as the earlier mentioned 2020 Pub Med study -to be false.
Radiation that is too low to actually heat tissue has been found to have biological effects on the body. In addition, long-term low level heating has been shown to have cumulative negative effects.
The changes in blood, circulation, the blood-brain barrier and more are all biological changes. These changes have been documented in various studies.
Current Radiation Guidelines
Many scientists agree that the current levels of radiation accepted as ‘safe’ for public exposure are actually not safe.
Dr James C. Lin says that the current guidelines “… are devised for restricting short-term heating by RF radiation and aim to prevent increased tissue temperatures. Thus, they are not applicable to long-term exposure at low levels … [they] are based on outdated information….”
Dr. Lin also points out that these guidelines do not take into consideration any of the biological effects found to be caused by exposure to these levels of radiation.
Outdated Safety Guidelines
Watchdog Group the Environmental Health Trust recently took the FCC to court over what they claim are out-dated radiation safety guidelines.
According to the EHT, the safety guidelines put out by the FFC on what amounts of radiation exposure the public can sustain without ill health-effects are based on science from 1996.
Since then, there has been more research done on the effects of these electromagnetic fields on our health.
The EHT asked that the FCC be made to look at the newer science and update their safety guidelines regarding radiation accordingly.
The court ruled in favor of EHT and said the FCC has failed to respond to new science showing radiation levels below what is currently deemed safe to have the ability to cause cancer.
According to the court, the agency of the FCC demonstrated “complete failure” when it did not respond to over 200 complaints from people saying they experienced illness from electromagnetic radiation exposure.
This court ruling happened in August of 2021, and as of this writing, there has yet to be made any formal changes to current wireless radiation guidelines by the FCC.
Do I Have EHS?
Like all syndromes, there are a collection of symptoms that people can experience. There is also a variation in the degree of symptoms experienced.
When these symptoms become chronic and debilitating and prevent you from living your normal life, that would probably warrant a label of electro-hypersensitivity.
If someone is already experiencing underlying health issues, such Lyme’s disease and Fibromyalgia, the extra stress of EMF exposure could be felt in a very pronounced way.
However, for most people living and working among technologies and in wifi environments, an educated and conscious approach to keeping themselves protected when among EMFs will most likely be enough to keep those symptoms from becoming debilitating.
There is a lot one can do to minimize daily exposure to electromagnetic frequencies and to boost their own health through food and supplements to keep themselves well even as the amount of electromagnetic pollution increases.
Disclaimer:
We want to be clear that this article is in no way claiming that any type of EMF Protection Device can stop the effects that people who truly suffer from electrohypersensitivity experience. What this article is saying is that, fortunately, most people who are continually exposed to EMFs do not suffer with such severe symptoms that would label them as electrohypersensitive. They are able to continue to live their lives normally. However, science has shown that EMFs do affect our bodies negatively, and the effects can be cumulative. Therefore, we advocate preserving health via a common sense approach when dealing with technology and wireless radiation. This approach includes EMF Protection, a healthy diet and good antioxidant supplementation.
