Electromagnetic fields...it may sound like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, but they are VERY real.
Opinions differ on the effects and limits of Electromagnetic fields all over the world. In fact, Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) can cause symptoms of illness in infants, children and adults, particularly those who already experience low immunity.
"In Israel, it is illegal to sell a house that has more than a 10 mG magnetic field"
If you are sensitive to EMF's, you may experience symptoms like:1
- Nervous system symptoms, like fatigue, stress and sleep disturbances
- Skin symptoms, like facial prickling, burning sensations and rashes
- Body symptoms, like pains and aches in your muscles
- Eye symptoms, such as burning sensations
- Foggy thinking and depression
- A variety of less common symptoms, like ear, nose, and throat symptoms and digestive disorders
- Infertility
- Leukemia in children, breast cancer or cancer clusters have been linked to high exposure to EMF's
What Are Electromagnetic Fields?
Electromagnetic fields are areas of energy that surround electronic devices. The World Health Organization (WHO) explains that the electric fields are created by differences in voltage and magnetic fields are created when the electric current flows.3 According to WHO, electromagnetic fields affect us because our human bodies have their own electric and biochemical responses (e.g., nervous system, digestion, brain function, heart function). So exposure to EMF's can interact with your body in adverse ways.
Where Do Electromagnetic Fields Come From?
Simply put, EMF's come from electricity:
- In your home – DECT cordless phones, hairdryers, vacuums, refrigerators, microwave ovens, irons, televisions (the flat panel TVs are much better than the old box-style TVs), main ring and lighting circuits, dimmer switches, electric blankets, electric razors, electric toothbrushes, WiFi, etc.
- In your office – computers, fluorescent or halogen lighting, fax machines, photocopiers, scanners, cell phones and WiFi.
- Outside – power lines (high voltage cables either overhead or buried in the ground), transformers (the gray cylinders raised up on poles that look like trash cans), electrical substations, cell phone towers, cities that provide citywide wireless Internet (WiFi) and electromagnetic radiation from near neighbors’ electronic equipment.
- Airplanes – to learn more, read: The Health Risks of Airplanes Going Wireless and How to Protect Yourself
Most of our modern-day conveniences emit EMF's, some stronger than others. So does this mean you have to go off the grid?
Not at all! But if you are serious about achieving and maintaining your best health, there are several steps you can take to minimize the effect EMF's have on you and your family.
"Health Canada does not consider that any precautionary measures are needed regarding daily exposures to EMF's at ELF's. There is no conclusive evidence of any harm caused by exposures at levels found in Canadian homes and schools, including those located just outside the boundaries of power line corridors" - http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/healthy-living-vie-saine/environment-environnement/home-maison/emf-cem-eng.php
Testing for Electromagnetic Fields in Your Home
If you or someone in your family is on a healing journey, chances are you want to give them the best foot forward to recover. Minimizing or eliminating EMFs is even more important in these situations because if immunity is already low, EMFs can make it harder to recover.
If you are feeling well already, EMF's may cause annoying symptoms, like insomnia or headaches, which get in the way of good health.
To find out what you can do to reduce or eliminate EMF's, we went straight to expert, Roy Riggs.
We first learned about Roy Riggs from a member of the Body Ecology team, who had Roy do an assessment on her home so that her family could reduce their exposure to EMF's.
Roy Riggs is a Geobiologist and professional dowser. Geobiology (also called Bau-biologie, which means Building Biology in Germany) is the science of specific location and disease and focuses on how your house and immediate environment can make you ill due to both electromagnetic and geopathic stress.
According to Roy, the biggest offenders in most homes are typically wireless Internet (WiFi) and cordless phones. Baby monitors, often in homes with newborns, also give off high EMFs. Key to Roy’s work is scientific testing of the electromagnetic fields.
When he does a home assessment, he shows his clients the difference between the earth’s healing electromagnetic fields and the EMF's that produce negative health results. He also tests each family member’s physical exposure to the EMF's in their home. From there, he works with them to create a plan to reduce EMF's.
Roy says, “I show my clients what happens by measuring their body voltage with the earth’s natural voltage. When you are outside, your body comes into resonance with the earth’s natural voltage. When you walk into your house, your body is actually the most conductive thing in your house, which means the EMF's are attracted right to you...and your voltage shoots up. My equipment shows that change.”
We can’t see or hear EMF's on our own, but with Roy’s scientific testing equipment, his clients can actually see how strong EMF's are AND hear the noise chaos that they create.
Roy has also been hired to assess homes prior to purchase, which is a great benefit because some homes have particularly high EMF's that are less easily controlled, like proximity to cell phone masts (towers), electricity substations, power lines or transformers.
Expert Tips from Roy Riggs: How to Reduce EMF's in Your Home Here are Roy’s expert tips to reduce EMF's in your home:
Cell phone towers (mobile phone masts) – Guideline: Look out your bedroom window. If there is a clear and unobstructed view of a cell phone tower facing your way within a distance of about 300 meters, you are advised to look into shielding solutions. If you look out your window but can’t see the masts because they are obstructed by other buildings then the power density will be mainly absorbed by those buildings and too low to worry about.- Electro-smog from your neighbors – Use shielding paint on your shared walls or the walls nearest your neighbors.
- Substations – substations are where electricity is generated, distributed and transformed form high to low or low to high
voltage. They may be found outside enclosed in a cabinet, surrounded by a fence or up high on poles.
If the substation is immediately next to your home there is little in a practical sense you can do to reduce the magnetic fields. You could purchase or rent a meter in the UK or purchase an affordable TriField EX100 Meter in the US to check out the field levels.
Unless the substation is immediately adjacent to your house the EMF's from these small street substations fall to background levels within 5-6 meters.
- Overhead electricity pylons (power lines) – As a very approximate guideline, EMF’s from power lines are likely to drop below 0.2 microtesla [200 nanotesla] level at about:
- 492 feet from 400 kv lines
- 394 feet from 275 kv lines
- 328 feet from 132 kv lines
- 164 feet from 66 kv lines
- 98 feet from 33 kv lines
- 49 feet from 11 kv lines
There are several meters you can purchase to measure the fields from power lines near your home.
- DECT cordless phones – Emit radiation 24 hours a day even when you are not using them. Instead, use ordinary landline phones. Or if you are addicted to cordless phones, you have a couple options. If you live in Europe, you may want to use the Orchid low radiation cordless phones or the Siemens Gigaset S675, which only emit a signal when you are using them.
If you live in the US or Canada, you may want to look into shielding devices to reduce EMF's from your cell phones, cordless phones and landline speaker phones.
WiFi – Along with DECT phones, WiFi is overwhelmingly the main contributor to household electro pollution with power densities far above any nearby mobile phone mast.
- Digital Baby Alarms - Nearly all baby monitors are now digital. These alarms use the same technology as DECT cordless phones and will continuously pulsate microwave energy throughout the baby’s room and beyond.
- Transformers - The job of a transformer is to convert high voltage to low voltage. An example of this is a digital bedside alarm clock that only need 6 volts to operate, but is plugged into your 120 volt ring circuit (240 volts in the UK). The volts that it doesn’t need are radiated out as energy and heat.
Bedside clocks usually have the transformers inside the clock housing. Most others are usually black and look like big 3 point plugs and are hot to touch.
Make sure all transformers are at least two feet away from you body.
- TV and computer screens - Best to change your old cathode-ray monitors (the ones with the deep backs) to any type of flat screen monitor as these give of far less electromagnetic fields than the old type, which thankfully you can’t buy any more.
- Main ring & Lighting Circuits - Your body voltage is highest where you sleep. Naturally your body voltage should be in harmony and in equilibrium with the earth’s natural Schumann based electrical field, which is under 350 mV and normally stable at about 2 mV. Average person sleeps with a body voltage of about 2,500 mV or more.
Following all the above advice will make an immense difference to you and your families health. In addition to these great tips from Roy Riggs, you can also look into personal and home shielding solutions to protect you from EMF's in your home or outdoors.