The rise and fall of the prevalence of various disorders and diseases is always an interesting thing to observe, as is an interrogation of the underlying causes.  A number of conditions have been on the increase in recent years and these have raised questions about the underlying cause, something which is not always obvious.

The statistics make for alarming reading.  In the 1920s,  the reported incidence of autism was 1 in 30,000.  By the 80s, this had risen to 1 in 500.  In 2000 the incidence was reported as approximately 1 in 325.  Today it is more than 1 in 50.

Of course, much more is known today about this disorder which is likely to have resulted in better, more effective diagnosis.  There is greater public awareness and education too.  But many experts are linking the dramatic rise in incidence with the increasing use of electronic gadgets in our environment.  Establishing a definitive causal link makes for challenging research but there is enough evidence for many to conclude that we are in the midst of an epidemic of disease caused by the proliferation of EMFs.

There has been a lot in the press this week about the national roll out of smart meters to monitor energy consumption in our homes, the most recent article being just yesterday in The Telegraph.   There is a doubt that they will do this effectively, if at all, but what they are will do however is make somebody very rich and add further to the load of electromagnetic fields circulating about our homes, in turn risking occupants health.

I am talking about the wireless type of smart meter of course, which will the default type offered to homes.  There are two alternatives though: one is to have a wired-in version, the other is not to have one at all.

Personally, I can think of better things to do with my time than fiddle about on a miniature screen in order to save the odd kilowatt here or there.  In my own household the principle of turning things off when not in use, wearing an extra jumper in order to turn down the heating, and boiling just enough water in the kettle to make the desired quantity of hot drink works well enough.  There is a wealth of action we can take to reduce our bills and they are well known, tried and tested. Saving energy, is not really a scientific conundrum, just common sense.  And it doesn’t require another wireless gadget to achieve it.

With the month of May hosting ‘dementia week’, it’s timely to consider to what extent our own behaviour may be contributing to the alarming increase in dementia and other neurological disorders.  Research conducted just last year at Bournemouth University by Professor of Psychiatric Social Work, Colin Pritchard, concluded that modern life is causing dementia at a younger age.

Appearing in the journal Public Health in May 2013, and reported in The Telegraph, the findings describe the sharp rise in deaths from dementia and other neurological disorders, in adults under 74, as an “epidemic”.  Between 1979 and 2010, of the ten biggest Western countries the USA had the largest increase in neurological deaths and the UK, the fourth largest in this age group.

Research like this is talking about you and me.  And our siblings, parents, partners, friends and children.  Isn’t it time to face up to the undeniable facts that our modern way of life is having a detrimental effect on our health?

Professor Pritchard was quoted as saying “considering the changes over the last 30 years – the explosion in electronic devices, rises in background non-ionising radiation – PCs, microwaves, TVs, mobile phones; road and air transport up four-fold increasing background petro-chemical pollution; chemical additives to food, et cetera.  There is no one factor rather the likely interaction between all these environmental triggers”.

Think about it.  Does that seem like a coincidence to you?  But there is action you can take to help yourself and now would be a good time to start.

Access the full Telegraph article here: www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10052486/Modern-life-causing-dementia-earlier-study-finds.html

We distributed a short survey at the National Self-Build and Renovation Centre “Ask an Architect” event in Swindon this weekend.  The findings were both interesting and rather alarming, suggesting a distinct lack of public awareness about the health hazards associated with EMFs.

One question gave a list of things which may be associated with harm to human health and respondents were asked to tick all those which they associated with such harm.    Only one respondent seemed aware that wireless technology and devices could lead to poor health and yet at the recent conference this year, given by the British Society for Ecological Medicine (BSEM), scientists there stated that the issue of electromagnetic radiation was set to be a bigger health risk to the public than smoking.

If you are on this website, you are one of a sadly small minority beginning to be educated about this issue so keep reading.  There is a growing body of evidence which backs up the position of the BSEM and yet most of us are still living in ignorance.