…the canary in the coalmine

Many believe that those of us with EHS (electrohypersensitivity) are the ‘canaries in the coalmine’.  That is to say we are the early warning signal that something is amiss in the environment and thereby, a call to action.

There seem to be an increasing number of gadgets, supplements and therapies aimed at helping us get better from this condition.  And many of them work – at least to some degree.  But is a cure for EHS a desirable outcome?

…even though they mainly exist to protect scientific instruments!

This week on Radio 4 there has been a fascinating series of programs entitled “Welcome to the quiet zone”.  The central feature of this series has been the 13,000 square miles of radio silence around the National Security System of the US and the powerful radio telescope at Green Bank.  In order to preserve the functioning of these absolutely no EMFs are allowed in the area.  What struck me was how much care is taken to protect the telescope from radio frequency pollution which is so sensitive that it can detect energy from space comparable with that of a snowflake landing on the ground.  Thousands of pounds are spent keeping the area ‘clean’ and ‘quiet’.  Such areas are also referred to as ‘white zones’.

Green Bank radio telescope

It is a perfect place for individuals suffering from electrosensitivity and the area is becoming a refuge for them.  The locals have referred to the these electrosensitives as “crazies” believing that their condition is all in their heads.  The electrosensitives refer to themselves as “technological lepers”.

But let’s get this right.  A scientific instrument is delicate enough to be adversely affected by RF pollution but not the human organism.  Really?  I don’t think so.  If that were true it would be odd given that the human body is an electro-chemical system and a highly sensitive one at that.  And yet mainstream medicine and research still denies there is such a thing as electrosensitivity.

France has a white zone and it is the venue of this year’s ES-UK convention in August.  Thank goodness these places exist.  I know where I will be taking my next holiday.

An article in the Guardian a couple of weeks ago refuted completely the idea of electrosensitivity as an allergic reaction to electromagnetic radiation from, for example, wireless devices.  The authors claimed that such reported physiological reactions to technology are no more than the nocebo effect, that meaning that if you worry enough about something and believe it is harming you, then it surely will cause physical symptoms of distress and ill health.  Mind, it was written by a couple of psychologists.  I would not necessarily have expected them to have an unbiased opinion.  And quite possibly they were being paid by some telecommunication company for their view.

Perhaps they would like to explain how come I had a full set of typical EHS symptoms, beginning in 2011, a whole 2 years before I had even heard of the syndrome and with no concerns about modern technology because I had no idea that there was anything to potentially be feared.

Symptoms like:- my left lower leg (and sometimes my whole body)periodically vibrating; an odd disruption to sleep, manifesting as getting off to sleep easily but waking with a jolt after 10 – 15 minutes, often 2 or 3 times consecutively; feelings of intense physical panic but alongside a calm and relaxed mental disposition (take it from me, that is very peculiar!); getting stroppy whilst out and about when I’m actually having a nice time and enjoying myself! I’d like to know how Messrs Psychologists can explain these symptoms by the nocebo effect. By the way, I am a Psychology graduate with a Masters degree in Mental Health, so I also know about these things.

The onset of the above symptoms, and a few more, was likely related to an MRI scan I had in 2010, working at a desk with my left leg just inches from the CPU of my computer since 2008, and living on top of hills since 2001 and continually being zapped by the local airport radar. Perhaps Messrs Psychologists can explain how they are not.

So life is a challenge now, living with EHS – alongside my very sound mind. I still manage to go to work but mainly because most of the equipment I use is wired in. I can last about an hour in a coffee shop which hampers my keeping in touch with friends. I have to sleep with screening material over and around my bed (thank goodness someone invented this as I can now have a good night’s sleep – much improved over the one hour or so a night it had deteriorated to). Shopping trips are short or online (only in the morning though as I can no longer use my laptop in the evening without adversely affecting my sleep). Changing the car was interestingly problematic and buying another house in a ‘clean environment’ is proving next to impossible.

I am not worried about any of this stuff though. I do get a bit peed off that some aspects of my life are marred by an inability to engage with something without feeling unwell but overall I love life and get a massive amount of enjoyment from it, fortunate that my hobbies and interests tend to be solitary and far from the madding crowd anyway.  But there are days when I just can’t face going out.

Messrs Psychologists need to get real and face up to the fact that modern technology is having a profound effect on our health and will continue to do so unless we take some action. And while they are at it, check out the video footage of the aphids jumping in time with pulsed radiation from a radar – in a nocebo kind of way…..…

It is now incontrovertible that EMFs are not healthy for our bodies.  So what else what can we do to lessen the harmful effects to ourselves.

Well, the list is long as you will see on the reducing exposure page of this website.  But one of the simplest things you can do regularly is earthing.

Let’s first look at the physiological effects on our bodies as we spend time in environments high in electromagnetic radiation.  In simple terms, EMFs cause our bodies to become positively charged.  This is neither a natural state nor a healthy one to be in over prolonged periods as it contributes to the mechanisms for all sorts of pathology.  This might include inflammation, leading to increased levels of pain among other things; blood which becomes sticky and in so doing contributes to a range of cardiovascular changes and diseases.

The surface of the earth is charged with negatively charged electrons.  When we stand barefoot on grass, soil or at the seaside – anywhere natural that is – there occurs a balncing out of our surplus positive charge with the earth’s negative one. We are ‘earthing’.  And so we reach our natural, healthy state.  This, in part at least, explains why we feel better after running around barefooted, or just simply having our bare feet in contact with the earth.

This is clearly not practical for most of us to do on a regular basis, particularly not on a wintery day in January! But today equipment is available to make earthing comfortable and convenient in your own home or office.  These are items such as mats or sheets, which are plugged into the earthing circuit of the house and with which you then make bare skin contact.  Personally, I use an earthing sheet in my bed and this has transformed my sleep pattern from almost no sleep to decent amounts of sleep leaving me refreshed by morning –  which is what sleep is supposed to do after all.  I am not making claims that this will work for you, but there is plenty of both anecdotal and scientific evidence as to why earthing is likely to benefit our health.  And it works for me.

If you are interested in finding out more about earthing then start by checking out the work of Clint Ober.  To have a look at some of the products available, try a site like Groundology.

A word of caution about using earthing products in buildings:  you need to know that the earthing circuit is functioning correctly.  In a newish home this almost certainly will be the case, but in older properties it is a simple quick test, with an inexpensive meter, to determine that the earthing circuit is working properly.  Also, you may experience unexpected results if you use earthing products in places of high ambient EMFs.

News this month of the deployment of the so-called i-beacons in the British high street filled me with dread.  Pumping out Bluetooth signals to anyone going about the apparently harmless business of shopping, this just represents yet another increase to the already heavy toxic burden of electromagnetic radiation in public places.  Anyone who is electrosensitive will know that the high street is an already difficult place to be: this new technological facility is likely to make it an impossibly hostile place to go.

But it’s not just the electrosensitives amongst us that are going to be affected.  The continual bombardment of electromagnetic pulses will have an effect on everyone but it’s only electrosensitives who feel the effects.  And it emphasises the importance for everyone of having healthy home environments, particularly in the bedroom overnight, so that our bodies can properly and completely rest and repair.  Without this, sleep will be compromised, the immune system will suffer and ill health can find an easier door in.  Is it worth the risk?  If you do nothing else, switch off mobile and cordless phones at night, WiFi and laptops, don’t have things on charge near the bed and switch off and unplug anything electrical near the bed.  If you are concerned about neighbours or local masts or pylons, then have a survey.

So shopping is probably out as a form of entertainment for sufferers of electrosensitivity but what’s left that is electromagnetically benign.  You’d probably be surprised just how tricky it is finding options for entertainment that are .

The idea of a peaceful trip in a horse-drawn barge along my local canal seemed to offer a perfect opportunity for just such entertainment.  Surely I would not be in a sea of electromagnetic pollution floating along a canal in an historic barge.  I boarded the barge with my family and took my seat up front.  Ten minutes into the trip I feel the onset of my typical ES symptoms – nausea and the physical sensations of panic attack, a very odd feeling when mentally it is not possible to be more relaxed.  Surely not here.  Surely there is no WiFi or Bluetooth on the barge.  I know there are no masts around so it’s not that.  Meter in hand I detect the familiar pulses of mobile, Bluetooth and WiFi, made all the more strong because we are in an area with a poor signal and this makes devices turn up their power.

There is a chance for me to get off the barge at the half way point and I take it, to enjoy a peaceful and EMF free walk back along the tow path.  A far more pleasurable experience than being on a barge full of people moaning about their phones not having a signal and patently not appreciating the unique peace and beauty of a near-silent boat ride.

Yes I am middle-aged, electrosensitive and biased towards activities of a mindful nature.  But surely there is a time and place for everything, isn’t there?