My EMF-Blocking Experiment

After a recent post on a CFS experimental discussion group I decided to try an experiment to determine whether I am sensitive to EMF (electro-magnetic field), and particularly to the microwave radiation from cell towers (cell towers are open-air microwave emitters). The person who posted, Paul Doyon, an American English professor at a Japanese University claimed that leaving cell phone tower range caused his CFS to go into complete remission. He additionally claimed to have studied the EMF issue and determined that CFS was largely influence or even caused by EMF pollution. I decided to test his claims so I purchased an EMF-blocking hat and have been wearing it during most of the day for the past month. The results have been shocking.

What is most shocking to me is that nearly ALL of my symptoms are slightly improved when I wear the hat. So what is this all about? After studying the issue a bit, I am now starting to suspect that ambient EMF may be provoking CFS symptoms, and that people with CFS who have a high biotoxin load (including heavy metals) are somehow more susceptible to EMF. Since we know that people with CFS are often pathological detoxifiers, they will tend to have a higher toxin load. What if the ambient RFR and EMF pollution in our modern world is more hazardous to people like us?

First, some basic science and information about EMF. The following video presents some compelling evidence. (I am NOT promoting the product described at the end of the video and do not know if their products work, but find the video to be a very useful introduction to the topic).

http://www.emf-health.com/

That video is fascinating. I love the animations of the EMF waves, and think people need to think about EMF that way, it is simply a form of light that penetrates everything non-metallic. Some people believe that the Pineal gland is sensitive to this type of EMF 'light.' I have wondered whether one connection to CFS is that we have an over-sensitive or toxic Pineal gland, thus the Pineal interprets some types of EMF as a threat. This could create a perpetual fight-flight response (I speculated about that fight-flight response in my ‘CFS Theory’ entry, but have not made the connection to EMF until recently). Certainly, many people with CFS are over-sensitive types, perhaps that extends to sensitivity to EMF.

There are also many studies showing a wide range of subtle biological effects from EMF exposure, including many Russian studies of a ‘Radio Wave Sickness’ with symptoms that parallel CFS. Here is a paper summarizing some of this research.

http://www.goodhealthinfo.net/radiation/radio_wave_packet.pdf

And, one other important effect of EMF is to de-polarize the blood. This is particularly a problem with the use of cell phones. Here are some photos showing how this blood clumping progresses after cell phone use.

http://www.buergerwelle.de/pdf/cluster.jpg

This photo is really amazing. The first photo is blood before making a 90 second cell phone. The next pictures are right after, 20 and 40 minutes later. The last two photos are from a person standing 1.7 meters away from a person making a 90 second cell phone call, with blood during and 20 minutes after the call. My German is a bit rusty but I was able to read through the text. The blood was drawn from an ear capillary, presumably to be near the cell phone exposure. What they said was that after the cell phone exposure the blood became depolarized and therefore the erythrocytes clumped together and had lower oxygenation capacity. Yes, this reversed after 40 minutes. But clearly the normal functioning of those cells was suspended for a time. And what if a person makes or is near a cell phone transmission every 40 minutes? Yikes!

Clearly every use of a cell phone inflicts a temporary electrical injury and lowers oxygen in the blood cells, particularly those in the brain. Well, what about the other electrical elements of the body? The nerves, for example? I think cell phones should carry a health warning on the side, much like a pack of cigarettes. But probably that will not happen for a long time, after more clear identification of their role in disease, lengthy public awareness campaigns, legal battles, involvement of the US Surgeon General (for the US), etc. Just for fun I searched the US Surgeon General’s website. There is not a single reference in any report to EMF (nor related keyword combinations), and the only reference to cell phones was a warning about them distracting drivers. So maybe we should not use cell phones except in emergencies. Also, if they are so dangerous when held up to our heads, what about the chronic low-level exposure from cell towers? I believe the EMF blocking hat is helping with this chronic exposureI purchased the hat from Less EMF.

http://www.lessemf.com/personal.html

There are other vendors online selling the same hat. The hat is rather ordinary-looking, and some people might not like the Kaki color. But it is helping. I felt an effect within 24 hours, mostly a relaxing type of effect in the middle of the head/brain. It continued for a few days before I noticed that I was sleeping better, had more energy and endurance, and my mood was hugely improved. That lasted for about two weeks, then I got a kind of ‘herx’ and immune activation. I also did not get many symptoms from a terrible viral illness that went through our area, I had several children home from school, one for over a week with a bad virus, high fever, etc. All I had was sniffles and some mild pains. My college-age daughter has CFS and is not wearing the hat, and she was very sick for several days with this virus. Ordinarily I would be in bed for a week with something like that.

After about two weeks I tried wearing the hat at night, it seemed to help sometimes, but hard to tell. I decided to only wear the hat when I am sitting or standing (vertical), just in case the sewn-in steel threads can reflect waves, becasue if they do, and you lay down, the hat might function as a parabolic mirror and reflect into the head from the bottom. Anyway, I now do not wear it at night, and that seems OK.

But the BIG surprise was after about three weeks, when I noticed (and my wife also noticed) that I am starting to gain weight again. I lost a lot of weight, to an unhealthy level with my CFS, and have really struggled to gain small amounts. So to gain weight just from EMF blocking is very significant. And this is not just fat, I am gaining muscle mass, and it has continued now for the past six weeks (At this writing).

I am starting to become sensitive of the effect of the hat, I notice ringing in the ears, more pressure in the head, and other symptoms increasing when I take the hat off. My brain just feels better with the hat, does not happen with other hats. I have been wearing the hat for about a month now, and it is still helping. I do sense some cycling, perhaps from immune system working again. I have ordered more EMF-blocking clothing (a shirt) and will report any additional effects from that.

So how could this be working? One idea is that certain types or frequencies from chronic exposure to certain low-level EMF (probably the two cell towers a half mile from my house) may suppress the Pineal and thus lower its production of MSH, melatonin and DMT, rendering us more vulnerable to neurotoxins of all sort. MSH is probably the primary culpret (Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone). Based on Shoemaker, MSH is the master control hormone. When it is lowered, the entire HPA system will not work properly. MSH controls melatonin and endorphin production. It also regulates part of the immune system, the cytokine pathways including some WBC functions (our major immune response). And it regulates the pituitary, and the cytokine (immune) response in the skin, GI tract, nasal membranes and lungs. MSH controls other hormone systems as well. Incidentally, Shoemaker also says that the low MSH also could lead to a higher need for salt, due to regulation problems with a substance called ADH. So that may be one reason why the salt therapies are helpful.

In my own case I am finding that EMF avoidance/shielding is a very helpful combination. I actually went to the dentist after wearing the hat for a month and have started being able to walk farther than I have in a long time, maybe a few years. There has been less post-exertion malaise even when I can tell that I shift to aerobic metabolism. Also, I seem to be detoxifying more significantly, possibly even experiencing a 'herx' effect after about 5 weeks wearing the hat, that lasted for about a week. Maybe my MSH levels are improving from the EMF blocking, and maybe some part of the immune system is returning to normal function, or trying to come back on-line. That would be nice.

Since I originally wrote this post, I have continued to improve, gaining more weight and clear thinking. I have been wearing an EMF-blocking mesh over a T-shirt most days and at night for about a month. As of this writing, two months have passed since I started with the hat, and I have gained about 8-10 pounds, mostly muscle, and am more than an inch taller than when I started. Yes, that is not a typo. My eating habits have not changed and no other treatment has changed. I had scoliosis as a teenager, and I have been gaining muscle mass in my back, and I believe that is straightening out my back. There may be other factors as well, such as strengthening of connective tissue. There is much more going on here than I have seen with ANY treatment I have ever tried in my 10 years of full-blown CFS. EMF blocking has reversed my long-term muscle-wasting! I realize that this result may be caused by synergy with my other treatments, so I will list the major treatments I am continuing during this trial of EMF-blocking. I am using a low-dose of Salt/C daily (about 6-8g), take systemic enzymes (including Wobenzyme, Serrapeptase, Nattokinase), and a few amino, herbal and mineral supplements. Also, I use meditation and emotional processing methods regularly. But none of these, nor dozens of other treatments I have tried have produced this effect in the past. I believe the EMF blocking is responsible for my rapidly improving health.


OTHER LINKS: Here are some great links I have found on the topic of EMF and chronic health problems.

The Largest Biological Experiment Ever, by Arthur Firsterburg, MD - this is an eye-opening description of what EMF, particularly wireless digital, may be doing to our brains. If you read nothing else about EMF, read this!

The FDA finally wakes up, Just announced April 6, 2006. The FDA is investigating cell phone safety after significant reports of increased brain cancer risk! This amazing development will hopefully be the beginning of the end of the ignorance of EMF health risks, particularly digital signals from cell phones. The FDA is certainly sending the right signals. Hopefully they will call the FCC on the carpet for what they have allowed to happen to us. Time to sell those wireless telecom stocks...