Excerpt:

Noise induced hearing loss: unlike bird and amphibian hair cells, human hair cells don’t grow back. They are gone for good. Ref. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/noise-induced-hearing-loss

The post EMFSA January 2024 Newsletter appeared first on EMFSA.

29th of January 2024

Tinnitus is a common symptom among individuals with environmental sensitivities, such as electrohypersensitivity and multiple chemical sensitivity.

Could tinnitus be caused by something you are taking or an indication of an undiagnosed medical condition?

Prescribed medications, supplements, or herbs, invariably influence our bodies in some way. Therefore, it’s important to ascertain whether any of these products might inadvertently contribute to the issue at hand. It is thus worthwhile to check whether anything we take could unintentionally be part of the problem. Additionally one must be mindful of medical conditions that could cause tinnitus symptoms and ensure that these are excluded as part of a thorough investigation into chronic tinnitus.

Ototoxicity

Ototoxicity is inner ear damage that develops as a side effect of taking certain medications. It can cause problems related to hearing and balance, functions your inner ear controls. It may be helpful to think of ototoxicity’s effects in terms of the word’s origins: “Oto” means ear. “Toxicity” means poisoning. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24769-ototoxicity

List of Ototoxic Medications That May Cause Tinnitus or Hearing Loss

There are more than 600 prescription and over-the-counter drugs that can trigger tinnitus, make existing tinnitus worse, or cause a new tinnitus sound to appear.

Knowledge is power when it comes to protecting your hearing health from ototoxicity. Before beginning prescription medication, ask your doctor about any potential ototoxic effects. While taking medication with potential ototoxic effects may be inevitable for certain health conditions, your doctor may be able to prescribe an alternative that does not affect your hearing health. https://www.soundrelief.com/list-of-ototoxic-medications/

Hidden ototoxins?

“Natural Compounds as Occult Ototoxins? Ginkgo biloba Flavonoids Moderately Damage Lateral Line Hair Cells”

This research demonstrates the potential for ototoxic damage caused by unregulated herbal supplements and suggests that further supplement characterization is warranted.

FDA-approved drugs are not routinely tested for ototoxicity, so their potential to affect hearing often goes unrecognized. This issue is further compounded for natural products, where there is a lack of FDA oversight and the manufacturer is solely responsible for ensuring the safety of their products. Ref. Neveux S, Smith NK, Roche A, Blough BE, Pathmasiri W, Coffin AB. Natural Compounds as Occult Ototoxins? Ginkgo biloba Flavonoids Moderately Damage Lateral Line Hair Cells. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2017 Apr;18(2):275-289. doi: 10.1007/s10162-016-0604-6. Epub 2016 Nov 28. PMID: 27896487; PMCID: PMC5352612. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5352612/

While not very common, acoustic neuromas and other head, neck, and brain tumors can cause tinnitus

Acoustic neuromas

Acoustic neuromas are also known as vestibular schwannomas, and are noncancerous tumors that grow in the ear, and can affect hearing and balance.

Tinnitus is a very common symptom of acoustic neuromas and many other inner ear conditions. Symptoms include balance problems and vertigo, headache and pressure, numbness in the face, facial twitching or weakness, swallowing problems, change in taste and tear production. These symptoms can be caused by many other, more common health issues. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/brain-tumor/vestibular-schwannoma

In children tinnitus often goes unnoticed. In some cases, the child is too young to describe what they are hearing, has come to think of it as normal, or is not troubled by the experience enough to mention it.

Although it is rare, more severe cases of tinnitus can cause enough distress that it interferes with sleep and concentration in school. https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/tinnitus-in-children

Acoustic Neuromas in Children

Although they are more common in adults, acoustic neuromas can occur in children and teens, and may grow large before they are diagnosed. Children with acoustic neuromas most often have the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis type 2. In children with this disorder, acoustic neuromas may arise on both sides. Symptoms of acoustic neuroma in children are usually hearing loss, headache and unsteady gait (ataxia), elevated pressure inside the skull, tinnitus and dizziness. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/brain-tumor/vestibular-schwannoma

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL)

Loud noise exposure can also cause tinnitus.

•Can be prevented

•Most NIHL is caused by the damage and eventual death of hair cells inside the cochlea of the ear. Unlike bird and amphibian hair cells, human hair cells don’t grow back. They are gone for good. Ref. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/noise-induced-hearing-loss

Video gaming and esports

Risk of sound-induced hearing loss from exposure to video gaming or esports: a systematic scoping review

This article was recently published in the BMJ Public Health (open access)

• The limited available evidence suggests that gaming may be a common source of unsafe listening, which could place many individuals worldwide at risk of hearing loss and/or tinnitus.

•Additional research on these relationships is needed along with steps to promote safe listening among gamers.

Ref: Dillard LK, Mulas P, Der C, et al Risk of sound-induced hearing loss from exposure to video gaming or esports: a systematic scoping review BMJ Public Health 2024;2:e000253. doi: 10.1136/bmjph-2023-000253 https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000253

Tinnitus can be a debilitating disease for some, leading to severe depression and loss of quality of life. It is concerning to note that adolescents and adult gamers might be at special risk that could have life-long consequences. Most of these individuals are not only exposed to loud noise from gaming but also to RF-EMF, ELF-EMF and blue light exposure from screens. Sometimes for extended periods of time. 

A 2018 study noted that the tinnitus prevalence in Korean adolescents is relatively high, and thus, intervention may be necessary to prevent or reduce depression and suicidal ideation to ensure that other areas of life are not negatively affected. Ref. Kim JS. Association between tinnitus and mental health among Korean adolescents: the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2018 Mar;26(1):65-70. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a4514. PMID: 29684301. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29684301/

Less common tinnitus risk factors include

• Chronic conditions: diabetes, migraines, thyroid disorders, anemia, and certain autoimmune disorders such as lupus and multiple sclerosis are among the chronic conditions that have been linked to tinnitus.
• Ménière’s disease: tinnitus can be a symptom of Ménière’s disease, an inner ear disorder that can also cause balance problems and hearing loss.
• Jaw joint problems: the joint that connects the lower jaw to the skull is close to the ear. Jaw clenching or tooth grinding can damage surrounding tissue, causing or worsening tinnitus.
• Blood vessel problems: high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, or malformations in blood vessels, especially if they are in or close to the ear, can alter blood flow and cause tinnitus https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/tinnitus

Tinnitus research and challenges

•Although it is a common condition, there is still no standardized classification of tinnitus: Hackenberg B, O’Brien K, Döge J, Lackner KJ, Beutel ME, Münzel T, Pfeiffer N, Schulz A, Schmidtmann I, Wild PS, et al. Tinnitus Prevalence in the Adult Population—Results from the Gutenberg Health Study. Medicina. 2023; 59(3):620. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina59030620

•There is no consensus or standardization for a specific questionnaire in either research or clinical use. There have also been recent efforts to distinguish tinnitus as a symptom and tinnitus as a disorder. Tinnitus disorder specifically reflects the associated psychological and physical impacts of the disease. Standardization of these processes will prove paramount for creating a lasting impact on future tinnitus research. Ref. Park, K.W.; Kullar, P.; Malhotra, C.; Stankovic, K.M. Current and Emerging Therapies for Chronic Subjective Tinnitus. J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12, 6555. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12206555

•A new study from Mass Eye and Ear investigators shows that individuals who report tinnitus, which present as a ringing in the ears in more than one out of ten adults worldwide, are experiencing auditory nerve loss that is not picked up by conventional hearing tests.

By measuring the response of their auditory nerve and brainstem, the researchers found that chronic tinnitus was not only associated with a loss of auditory nerve but that participants showed hyperactivity in the brainstem. https://www.masseyeandear.org/news/press-releases/2023/11/loss-of-auditory-nerve-fibers-uncovered-in-individuals-with-tinnitus

Ref. Vasilkov, V et al. “Evidence of cochlear neural degeneration in normal-hearing subjects with tinnitus” Scientific Reports DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46741-5 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-46741-5

•Otorhinolaryngologic complications after COVID-19 vaccination, vaccine adverse event reporting system (VAERS)

A potential correlation between COVID-19 vaccines and the onset of tinnitus

Adverse events following immunisation (AEFIs)

A significant finding of the study was the identification of tinnitus as a notable AEFIs following COVID-19 vaccination. While the precise mechanisms underpinning the development of tinnitus post-vaccination remain elusive, the accumulating evidence denotes a potential correlation between COVID-19 vaccines and the onset of tinnitus, necessitating more comprehensive clinical and mechanistic investigations. Ref. Shin, Shim, Lee, Ryu and Kim. Ref. (VAERS) Shin J, Shim SR, Lee J, Ryu HS and Kim J-Y (2024) Otorhinolaryngologic complications after COVID-19 vaccination, vaccine adverse event reporting system (VAERS). Front. Public Health. 11:1338862. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1338862 Copyright © 2024 Shin, Shim, Lee, Ryu and Kim. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1338862/full

•Personalized treatment: tinnitus symptoms are diverse, with different people hearing different sounds in different patterns. The results of brain imaging studies in people with tinnitus also vary considerably from person to person. Using data gathered from study participants who are tracking their tinnitus using a smartphone app, along with brain imaging data, scientists are working to characterize the many forms that the condition can take. They aim to describe distinct tinnitus profiles and to identify the most effective treatment approaches for each one. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/tinnitus#5

•The effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields exposure on tinnitus, migraine and non-specific symptoms in the general and working population: A systematic review and meta-analysis on human observational studies

Interpretation (according to the authors) – This is currently the best available evidence to underpin safety of RF-EMF. There is no indication that RF-EMF below guideline values causes symptoms. However, inherent limitations of the research results in substantial uncertainty.

Ref. Martin Röösli, Stefan Dongus, Hamed Jalilian, John Eyers, Ekpereonne Esu, Chioma Moses Oringanje, Martin Meremikwu, Xavier Bosch-Capblanch, The effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields exposure on tinnitus, migraine and non-specific symptoms in the general and working population: A systematic review and meta-analysis on human observational studies, Environment International, Volume 183, 2024, 108338, ISSN 0160-4120 ,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.108338. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412023006116)

Current Options for Tinnitus

Management strategies include hearing aids, sound masking, tinnitus retraining therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and emerging therapies including transcranial magnetic stimulation and electrical stimulation. Although current treatments are limited, emerging diagnostics and treatments provide promising avenues for the management of tinnitus symptoms. As of November 2022, 50 clinical trials of treatments for tinnitus are registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as currently recruiting or preparing to recruit. Ref. Park, K.W.; Kullar, P.; Malhotra, C.; Stankovic, K.M. Current and Emerging Therapies for Chronic Subjective Tinnitus. J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12, 6555. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12206555

•EMFSA: cost effective solutions for EHS and MCS individuals that experience tinnitus (quick tips, not comprehensive).

Medical disclaimer: the information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment.

Aim to maintain optimal circadian and mitochondrial well-being. Note the impact of light, whether natural/artificial/beneficial/detrimental and use it to your advantage. It is free!

Disconnect the electricity (including the lighting circuits) from the distribution board to the bedroom when you sleep. Demand switches are available but are expensive and need to be installed by an electrician.

If possible have electrical “smart meters” replaced or moved.

Practice EMF Hygiene, starting with your cell phone use. Avoid using a phone in close proximity to your head or body.

Photobiomodulation can be helpful as part of a treatment protocol for tinnitus.

It is evident that we must be vigilant in our choices, whether opting for alternative medicine or conventional/mainstream medicine, and simultaneously, where applicable, exclude other medical conditions.

Teaching our children about the permanence and irreversibility of hearing loss is crucial, given that human hair cells in the ear do not regenerate.

While there are many clinical trials on the horizon, interdisciplinary research in the fields of environmental sensitivities should be encouraged.

The post Tinnitus and Environmental Sensitivities appeared first on EMFSA.

In this month’s newsletter:

➼The ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23) and 6G

➼China

➼BioEM 2023

➼Light Pollution

➼5G & satellites

➼Auditory; tinnitus

➼Experts’ Opinions in Radiation and Health: Emerging Issues in the Field

➼Fauna & Flora

➼Adaptive antennas

➼IARC/WHO & ANSES

➼Commercial surveillance

Read more at:

https://mailchi.mp/emfsa/2023-5g-6g-alan-auditory-tinnitus-who-iarc

The post EMFSA December 2022 Newsletter appeared first on EMFSA.

PMCID: PMC7199630PMID: 32411067

Abstract

Objective: We aim to examine the existing literature on, and identify knowledge gaps in, the study of adverse animal and human audiovestibular effects from exposure to acoustic or electromagnetic waves that are outside of conventional human hearing.

Design/Setting/Participants: A review was performed, which included searches of relevant MeSH terms using PubMed, Embase, and Scopus. Primary outcomes included documented auditory and/or vestibular signs or symptoms in animals or humans exposed to infrasound, ultrasound, radiofrequency, and magnetic resonance imaging. The references of these articles were then reviewed in order to identify primary sources and literature not captured by electronic search databases.

Results: Infrasound and ultrasound acoustic waves have been described in the literature to result in audiovestibular symptomology following exposure. Technology emitting infrasound such as wind turbines and rocket engines have produced isolated reports of vestibular symptoms, including dizziness and nausea and auditory complaints, such as tinnitus following exposure. Occupational exposure to both low frequency and high frequency ultrasound has resulted in reports of wide-ranging audiovestibular symptoms, with less robust evidence of symptomology following modern-day exposure via new technology such as remote controls, automated door openers, and wireless phone chargers. Radiofrequency exposure has been linked to both auditory and vestibular dysfunction in animal models, with additional historical evidence of human audiovestibular disturbance following unquantifiable exposure. While several theories, such as the cavitation theory, have been postulated as a cause for symptomology, there is extremely limited knowledge of the pathophysiology behind the adverse effects that particular exposure frequencies, intensities, and durations have on animals and humans. This has created a knowledge gap in which much of our understanding is derived from retrospective examination of patients who develop symptoms after postulated exposures.

Conclusion and Relevance: Evidence for adverse human audiovestibular symptomology following exposure to acoustic waves and electromagnetic energy outside the spectrum of human hearing is largely rooted in case series or small cohort studies. Further research on the pathogenesis of audiovestibular dysfunction following acoustic exposure to these frequencies is critical to understand reported symptoms.

The full study is available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7199630/

The authors discuss:

•Infrasound (0.1–20 Hz)

Infrasound Characteristics and Perception by Humans

Audiovestibular Symptoms Following Infrasound Exposure

•Wind Turbine Syndrome

•Audible Sound (20–20,000 Hz)

Human Perception of Audible Sound

Audible Sound as a Human Deterrent

•Low Frequency Ultrasound (17.8 kHz−2 mHz)

Ultrasound Wave Characteristics

Historical Evidence of Audiovestibular Dysfunction Following Ultrasound Exposure

Ultrasound Exposure From Consumer Devices

Proposed Mechanisms for Audiovestibular Disturbance

•Radiofrequency (3 kHz−300 GHz) and Microwaves (1–30 GHz)

Electromagnetic Wave Properties

Radiofrequency Hearing and the “Frey Effect”

Historical Data on RF Exposure From Eastern Europe in the Mid 1900s

Animal and Human Studies Following RF Exposure Produced Varied Symptoms

Historical Evidence of Human Audiovestibular Disturbance Following Exposure

•Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Isolated Reports of Auditory Symptoms Following Clinical MRI Exposure

Vestibular Disturbances Following MRI Exposure in Animal Models and Humans

•Limitations and Conclusions

The post Review of Audiovestibular Symptoms Following Exposure to Acoustic and Electromagnetic Energy Outside Conventional Human Hearing appeared first on EMFSA.

By Thomas Durchdenwald  October 23, 2019 – 15:15

Article in German.

Extract, loosely translated. For the original article please see: https://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/inhalt.demo-am-staatsministerium-in-stuttgart-protest-gegen-5-g-in-weissen-arztkitteln.18d9e428-36dc-4cab-ac71-b5af2cce9140.html?fbclid=IwAR3aaip_-nCZXTWXzGKwhPRqtFkytmptJZImGkjpGdFa4xfYvg-vR7Ew_5c

From tinnitus to cardiac arrhythmias, a group of doctors are  making a strong case for patients who suffer from  electrosmog. Now, about three dozen doctors went to the state ministry.

Cornelia Mästle, a doctor of internal medicine and cardiology from Winterbach: “We call for prevention strategies to protect the population, further research needs and a moratorium on the expansion of 5G mobile communications.”

Patients react to electrosmog

Jörg Schmid, a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy in Stuttgart: ” We have more and more patients in our practices who are hypersensitive and react to electrosmog.”

The clinical picture ranges from headache, tinnitus, difficulty concentrating to arrhythmia. And even if a direct connection between mobile phone radiation and cancer has not been proven, there are now many scientifically sound indications of the cancer-promoting effects of radiation. 5G  may be developed only if its safety is proven, demanded Mästle.

The post Stuttgart – Doctors protest against 5G appeared first on EMFSA.

Translation by the authors of this site:

Those with electrohypersensitivity are often misunderstood and accused of being crazy. These are the people who are getting sick from cell towers and wi-fi. Photographer Koen Verheijden compiled a photo series of people suffering with symptoms ranging from insomnia, ringing in the ears, a rushed feeling, allergies, headaches, extreme fatigue. It is only a sampling of the complaints that thousands of Dutch people ascribe to the radiation to which they are exposed to. They have EHS, which stands for electromagnetic-hypersensitivity, or over-sensitivity to radiation.

Radiation comes from high-voltage pylons and plug-in devices (low-frequency electromagnetic fields) and high frequency electromagnetic fields like Wi-Fi, GSM, UMTS and LTE(3G and 4G). The latter sources are problematic, because the radiation is almost impossible to circumvent, such as Wi-Fi, GSM, UMTS and LTE (3G and 4G). More and more high-frequency electromagnetic fields are coming in at a faster rate – Are there any places without Wi-Fi?

People with EHS say they can hardly go anywhere without getting hurt or getting sick. They report to the general practitioner, who then writes “solk”(?Somatic insufficiently declared physical complaint) (?Somatoform Disorder) The government is unsuccessfully adhering to the preservation or establishment of radiation-free zones. These people do not feel that they are being taken seriously by the Health Council, which believes that the radiation from wireless communication is not harmful within the applicable exposure limits.

While residents of so-called ‘white’ areas are crying out for full-range mast coverage, people with EHS are looking for coverage against the same radiation. They move, wear protective clothing, wrap their home in foil or sleep under a silver wire mosquito net. In the meantime, they become isolated and do not know what to do.

He is 31 but feels 85

Rik Bodewes is 31, but he sometimes feels 85. Some eleven years ago his complaints started when the library where he often came got wi-fi. With the arrival of 4G and strong routers, it quickly went downhill with him. He gets tired very quickly, has sore muscles, can not relax, experiences a pressure on his heart and problems with his digestion. In the room he rented in Drunen, he sleeps under a radiation-resistant mosquito net. He usually wears protective clothing. Rik does not have a job, because even for simple, sedentary work, he lacks energy. He goes to the daytime activities. He does have a computer. Wired, of course.

Headache from Wi-Fi

This is how Dinette Keulen (52) looks when she buys groceries. Her gauze is made from stainless steel. Under her clothes she wears a self-stitched blouse and a pair of cotton trousers woven with copper and silver. All to exclude as much radiation as possible, because ten minutes of Wi-Fi gets two hours of headaches. Dinette previously lived in Haarlem. There she wrestled for years indoors and outdoors with headaches, restlessness, a ‘weird’ head, burning eyes and more becoming more dismal. After she had made the connection between her sickness, a radio mast and the Wi-Fi of the new neighbors, she left the ‘radiating’ city. There is less radiation in the Frisian countryside and it is peaceful. She feels like a radiation refugee.

In a silver Faraday cage

Two mosquito nets with silver wire have to protect Henk de Moei (64) against the high-frequency electromagnetic radiation of an umts mast. There is a radiation protection cloth on the floor. In 2012 Henk suffered from fatigue, insomnia and more complaints that were not explained. After endless searching and measuring, he came to the conclusion that it was caused by the new telephone network. Moving house would be a solution, but Henk lives close to the Utrecht station and within walking distance of the center. He reads his mail in the library. So Henk stays alive and sleeping on the tenth floor, in his silver ‘Faraday cage’ which repels radiation.

The highly sensitive Wally Verboog (60) from Werkhoven noticed thirty years ago that she is sensitive to radiation from wireless communication. And that has only come with WiFi and 4G. When she is exposed to it, she develops twitches, wheezing, banging in her head and “feeling her energy.” In an ‘overdose’ she gets a heartbeat of 240, against which no pill helps. To protect herself, Wally wears a home-made blouse and headscarf made of silver fabric. The fabric costs 100 euros per square meter, but it does contain 95 percent of the radiation. She also uses a lot of the material at home. There the walls are also treated with carbon paint and an aluminum fabric.

Moving did not solve anything

Letters to the municipality and the housing corporation and lawsuits did not help. Maria van Tongeren (71) finds no relief from her testimony that she has been suffering from exposure to high-frequency electromagnetic fields for fifteen years. Tinnitus, head pain and cramps in her stomach and abdomen: Nothing causes the radiation to decrease. It is a losing battle and she is at her wit’s end.
Moving from the heart of Amsterdam to Zaansta has not brought a solution and she does not have money for another house; Everything has gone into radiation-protection measures. One side of her house is covered with aluminum foil from top to bottom. Maria cannot go anywhere because everywhere there is more radiation instead of less. She sees no way out.

Radiation is also present in the church

Jan Janszen (77) has been living in a caravan on the grounds of a farmer in Zeewolde for more than nine years. Previously he lived in a nice flat with new stuff. But, he just moved in when he developed strange symptoms: insomnia, sore muscles, excess mucus and dizziness. He attributes his symptoms to the radio masts on the roof. Now, he only comes into the flat to take a shower and do the laundry. Once back in his caravan covered with foil, he needs days to recover. He is spending his days reading the Bible. He can not go to church anymore, because there is also wifi.

This photoshoot has won the Zilveren Camera award:

http://www.zilverencamera.nl/wi…/documentair-nationaal-2017/)

It also featured in the De Volkskrant newspaper:

https://verhalen.volkskrant.nl/leven-met-ehs#14833)

The post Sick From Radiation appeared first on EMFSA.

Is your child presenting with unexplained medical issues? Spent a fortune on medical consultations and supplements?

Stickers and crystals not doing the trick?

Make sure to read and understand:

https://www.emfsa.co.za/ehs-research-update-june-2021/

PDF https://www.emfsa.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/World_Health_Organization_International.pdf

Explanatory videos available on https://www.buymeacoffee.com/EMFSA

Two courses on offer by a top university: Light, Water and Magnetism

1. Introduction to Sub-Molecular Medical Sciences
2. Introduction to Sub-Molecular Agricultural Sciences

Open to Bachelor and Master’s students, PhD candidates, and professionals from all disciplines: Neurologists, surgeons, physicists, medical practitioners, radiologists, food scientists (human, veterinary, climate change, food security), dieticians, etc.

Highly recommended for physicians treating Electrohypersensitives. 

Vetted course material taught by a quality educational panel. 

There are many adults worldwide suffering from electrohypersensitivity. But, how many parents consider that their children’s symptoms might be caused and aggrevated by wireless technologies and EMF’s? Is your child’s healthcare provider aware of this issue? Has your child’s paediatrician enquired about his/her EMF exposure?

Common symptoms of electrohypersensitivity include:

Headaches, dizziness, sleep disturbance, sensory up-regulation, palpatations, unusual pain in multiple sites, visual disturbance, auditory disturbance (especially tinnitus), membrane sensitivity, muscle twitching, dermatalogical complaints, hyperactivity/fatigue, restless leg syndrome, memory/concentration disturbance and anxiety, dyslexia, attention disorders and concentration, loss of memory attachment, sometimes behavioral problems (child refusing to go to school without reason).

Dr Mallery-Blythe states that many children are currently affected, but undiagnosed. Children are likely to be more vulnerable to developing EHS since their exposure is higher and outcomes may be worse given their developing systems and greater time for latent effects. (1)

Challenges for Physicians

A Case study from the Physicians For Safe Technology website

R.W., an 8 year-old boy, comes into your office accompanied by his mother with a chief complaint of dizziness and depression. She states that since her son started the new school year he had episodes of dizziness at school, nausea and at times vomited. He said he only gets dizzy when they turn on the white board to project images and videos to the class. She took him to his regular pediatrician who could find nothing out of the ordinary. She noticed over time he was developing symptoms of depression. She wondered why he was dizzy only at school and why this had never happened in all the years before at the same school. There were no changes in his diet, exercise or health. He had many friends and was quite social. He did not use a cell phone.

If this were your patient how would you approach this? What other questions would you ask?  Would you think that the wireless radiation from the white board could be responsible for the symptoms? Here is what happened.

His mother found out that the white boards were new at school and were wireless. Her son’s symptoms persisted when at school but not at home.  After reading about the issue and thinking he may be electrosensitive his mother went to the school and talked to the principal and the teacher. She asked that a consultant do measurements to determine the levels of radiation he was exposed to. She was told that there was no scientific evidence of harm and that they would not turn off the white boards in class nor do any measurements.  The best that could be done was to allow her son to be farthest away from the white board in class.

Her son was able to cope with this situation for a while. One day her son wanted to go to on a school field trip to an art gallery. The mother was concerned as she was convinced he was sensitive to wireless radiation and it would likely be stronger in the gallery. She asked him not to go but he wanted to be part of the group. She took him there and came back an hour later to see how he was. He was quite agitated and couldn’t sit still. His short term memory was impaired. After that he also became hypersensitized to wireless devices such that he could tell if someone had a cell phone on across the street.

His mother then removed all wireless devices from the house. He was home schooled after that and once his symptoms calmed he was placed in a public school where he received a 504 ADA accommodation such that wireless devices were turned off in his classroom and surrounding areas until he was symptom free. He still has to avoid wireless devices but otherwise is doing well.

More cases:

The case of Jenny Fry, from Oxfordshire, England. For over two and a half years, Jenny had been feeling ill, complaining of headaches and exhaustion. She couldn’t concentrate at school and couldn’t sleep at night. She developed nosebleeds. Her mother replaced the Wi-Fi in her family home with wired Ethernet connections, and pleaded with Jenny’s school to do the same. The school refused. Jenny continued to suffer, returning home from school with splitting headaches that would dissipate at home. Jenny Fry  killed herself in 2015. (2)

Quebec: An electrosensitive student who could no longer attend his school in Ville Mont-Royal,  because the Wi-Fi  in his school make him sick. The symptoms are very real for this student who preferred not to reveal his face or his real name, being afraid of being ridiculed.
“I have headaches, sleep problems,” the young man told TVA Nouvelles. This student’s doctor  even set up a special waiting area for his electrohypersensitive patients at the hospital. His problems started with the  arrival of smart meters. According to the article this is not a unique case and other parents are looking to enroll their children in a classroom sheltered from wireless internet. (3)

Quebec:  Tachycardia, tinnitus, headaches –  A Montreal lawyer  filed a discrimination complaint against the Montreal Public Health Division (DSP) and the Quebec government, who refused to grant  his three children reasonable accommodation for electrohypersensitivity. The lawyer said his 9 year girl often bled from the nose when exposed to Wi-Fi. According to their doctor the children had developed a severe intolerance to radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by antennas and wireless devices, such as Wi-Fi modems and routers.A  complaint was filed with the Quebec Commission on Human Rights (4)

Massachusetts:  After a more robust school Wi-Fi was installed in Spring 2013, a 12 year old boy started to experience troubling symptoms, which he reported to his parents when he came home from school. These included severe headaches, itchy skin, and rashes. The school nurse indicated that various children in the same classes were reporting increased headaches, dizziness, nausea and chest pressure. The symptoms were present whenever he was at school. The child was diagnosed with Electrical Hypersensitivity (EHS) after several tests.  An ADA Federal Complaint was laid against the school. (5)

One family had a non-verbal ten-year-old boy who screamed every night from 10pm until 3am.  Within three days of turning off their Wi-Fi at night and unplugging their cordless phones, this boy spoke a complete sentence. This family lived on a military base, and still they kept reducing their own EMR emissions, and the doctor (Dr. Jelter) prescribed therapeutic-grade fish oil. After three weeks, the boy’s screaming stopped. He slept through the night. His mother’s seizure disorder also decreased. (6)

South Africa: Twelve year old autistic girl Skyla Collins from Montrose Park, Mitchell’s Plain, Cape Town: The house where Skyla lives has a cell tower almost on her doorstep. Skyla’s condition and that of her single mother has worsened significantly since the tower was installed. The City of Cape Town is not interested to have this matter resolved despite numerous appeals.

Tyler Hoffmann  – Colwood BC: In April 2012, Tyler began coming home from Sangster Elementary School in the Sooke School District with extreme headaches, fatigue, and he was having trouble sleeping at night. When asked to touch the part of his head that hurt, he would point to the top, his mother Lori recalls. But as the headaches grew worse over the next few weeks—to the point of nausea—Tyler was no longer able to touch the source of it, stating it was now in the middle of his head. “After a few weeks of using Advil and Tylenol to alleviate the severe pain in Tyler’s head, we knew something was seriously wrong,” Lori says.

The following month, she discovered what it was.

“We accidently discovered, through another parent, that the school district had just finished installing commercial wi-fi networks throughout every school,” Lori explains. “This was done without informing parents. We were denied any opportunity for input,” she adds.

Tyler’s pediatrician recommended that the school shut off the wi-fi router closest to Tyler’s classroom, so that Tyler could remain in school and complete Grade 2 with his friends.

“I don’t have a cell phone, wireless router, cordless phone, wireless keyboard, wireless mouse or any other wireless devices in my home because I have made the choice of not exposing my children or myself to microwave radiation. The school district has now decided for me that Tyler will be exposed to it,” she says. Lori pulled Tyler out of school that same day rather than risk his health any further. “After we removed Tyler from school, his headaches and associated nausea completely stopped,” says Lori. 

In September 2012, his mother enrolled Tyler in an elementary school in the neighboring Victoria School District, where there would be no wi-fi router in his classroom.  Free from the toxic effects of commercial wi-fi in the classroom, Tyler performed at the top of his math and reading classes at his new school.  (7)

The Jeske Family Langford, BC

Jaden and Evan Jeske  – both boys are electrosensitive. Jaden was lucky enough to be attending a school that had minimal wi-fi and none near his classroom. Evan was not. The Jeskes removed all computer wi-fi, cordless phones and other sources of microwave radiation from their upscale home in Langford, a western suburb of Victoria, and replaced it with hard-wired equivalents. At night they shut off the electricity to the bedrooms, and all members of the family slept under special shielding canopies to block the wireless radiation from four nearby cell phone towers.

The boys remember what their lives were like before their sensitivity was discovered and the wireless radiation removed from their home.

“I had heart palpitations when wi-fi was on,” Evan tells me. “And I had headaches because I had a metal plate in my mouth, which amplifies it and shoots it right to my brain.” Jaden recalls his own allergy-like symptoms before the family got rid of the wireless router for the computers: “My throat was really sore. I had a lot of trouble breathing and a lot of mucus. Then they turned off the wi-fi, and right away I could breathe—within one day.” “It’s not about doing without technology,” says  their mother Tammy. “It’s about using it as safely as possible. Our family uses the Internet like every other family—we just choose to do it with wires.”  (8)

Cases of children developing symptoms after smart meter placement:

1. “I am the proud parent of six, of the six children we have four children who are under the age of six. Our children started to exhibit health symptoms and health signs that alarmed myself and my husband. The children began to have fevers out of nowhere, essentially their bodies were boiling and their fevers would go from 101 to 104 and sometimes to 105. My husband is a Clinical Partner at (name witheld for privacy) Hospital in the ICU so he is versed in the area of taking care of patients in extreme health decline, but he was not prepared to handle the weekly and monthly bouts that our smaller children began to have. Our children also began to have problems with the inability to control their bodily fluids, our five year old began peeing and pooping herself, our four year began to display the same problems, soon many of the smaller children were all displaying these symptoms and concerns. The children became depressed, and essentially we began to realize that our children were not the children who we cared for prior to the smart meter being placed on our property. “

The mother wrote that after the Smart Meter was removed the children’s symptoms “diminished greatly, they no longer get high fevers, or suffer from loss of their bodily function.”  

2. Debilitating symptoms, including headaches, diarrhea, nausea, hand numbness, chest pains, neck pains, and extremely upsetting cognitive impairment. My ten year old son and I had to start finding different places to sleep. I soon began to realize that some of the symptoms he had been having disappeared away from the apartment – chest pains so alarming I had to take him to a pediatric cardiologist, “stinging” headaches, and bouts of fatigue.

 3. Within days after our smart meter was installed I experienced a very painful miscarriage. After the miscarriage I started experiencing mysterious pain throughout my body that could not be explained. My two children who are diagnosed autistic regressed in their autism after much work with behavioral therapy and other interventions. (9)

Professor Belpomme: An oncology professor at Paris Descartes University, Prof. Belpomme is President of the Association for Research and Treatments against Cancer (French acronym ARTAC, artac.info), which shifted to cancer prevention from 2004 on. Since May 2008, his team has been studying what he named Electromagnetic Fields Intolerance Syndrome (French acronym SICEM). “I have 450 patients and I see up to 20 new patients each week, including children with headaches, memory loss, attention or language troubles. We have the biggest cluster in Europe of electrosensitive patients. This is a major problem in public health.  Alzheimer’s may appear at age 15, 20, 25.” He describes some of the young people he has seen:

– a 15 year-old comes into the office holding his mother’s hand – he had slept 3-4 years with his cell phone switched on beneath his pillow. He could not find his way out of the office and was suffering from behavioral disorders.
– a young person with a pre-Alzheimer’s condition – who, after birth, had been using a babyphone for 3 years.
– a 14 year-old who did not know how to read and was dyslexic. (10) (11)

Californian doctor Karl Maret measured higher levels of cumulative exposure in a hypersensitive child at his school than those measured in an internet café. “Electrohypersensitive children and pregnant women,” he said in a conference at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco in June 2015 , are most at risk. They are like the canaries that were once sent to the mines and tell us that there is a problem and that it is high time we took care of it. ” (12)

Increasingly, children in school with WiFi, where wireless tablets and laptops are commonplace, complain of headaches, difficulty concentrating and feeling tired. Children are put on medications for insomnia, anxiety, ADHD,  and much more, when the root of the problem is sensitivity to the artificial man-made electromagnetic fields.

Magda Havas, expert in EMF effects at Trent University, Ontario states that Wi-Fi exposes many children to annual doses of RF much greater than those received from a cell phone. Since 2010, there have been several cardiac arrests in schoolchildren in Collingwood. The incidence of this in the Collingwood region seems abnormally high for a small community in Canada; and such symptoms should be extremely rare in children. One student was encouraged to have exploratory heart surgery. However, her parents provided her a MW-free environment at the end of the school year and her symptoms disappeared. No surgery was required. (13)

Professor Martha Herbert is a pediatric neurologist and neuroscientist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School and on the staff at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She is Board Certified in Neurology with Special Competency in Child Neurology, and Subspecialty Certification in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. “Radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation from wifi and cell towers can exert a disorganizing effect on the ability to learn and remember, and can also be destabilizing to immune and metabolic function. This will make it harder for some children to learn, particularly those who are already having learning or medical problems in the first place. And since half of the children in this country have some kind of chronic illness, this means that a lot of people are more vulnerable than you might expect to these issues” (14)

New Studies Show Health Risks from Wireless Tech: Warnings from the BioInitiative Working Group/ University at Albany, Rensselaer, New York /April 16, 2014: The extent and severity of long-term health effects among children and adolescents using wireless technology are not known. However, there are already numerous peer-reviewed studies showing health hazards from wireless devices.  Mobile wireless devices like phones and tablets are big sources of unnecessary biological stress to the mind and body that can chip away at resilience over time.  (15)

We urge parents to apply the precautionary principle. Not only because of the cancer risk but also to prevent electrohypersensitivity as described above. Children with existing neurological problems that include cognitive, learning, attention, memory, or behavioral problems should as much as possible be provided with wired (not wireless) learning, living and sleeping environments. All children should reasonably be protected from the physiological stressor of significantly elevated EMF/RFR (wireless in classrooms, or home environments).(16)

Cell tower exposure can be problematic for children:
At least five new cell tower studies are reporting bioeffects in the range of 0.003 to 0.05 μW/cm2 at lower levels than reported in 2007 (0.05 to 0.1 uW/cm2 was the range below which, in 2007, effects were not observed). Researchers report headaches, concentration difficulties and behavioral problems in children and adolescents.

The connection between ill health in students and dirty electricity: Dr Magda Havas, studied the effect of dirty electricity in  schools with sick building syndrome. After after remedial action was taken, the number of students needing inhalers for asthma was reduced in one school and student behavior associated with ADD/ADHD improved in another school. Blood sugar levels for some diabetics respond to the amount of dirty electricity in their environment. Type 1 diabetics required less insulin and Type 2 diabetics had lower blood sugar levels in an electromagnetically clean environment. (17)

Note: We do not advise the indiscriminate placing of dirty electricity filters, one should first measure. We prefer the filters from EMF Fields Solutions. These have an internal electric field screen which greatly reduces the electric field around the outside of the filter plus an internal safety fuse. 18.

We hope that more in the medical community will take heed and consider the electromagnetic exposure environment of their pediatric patients. The chronic burden from artificial electromagnetic radiation is an important biological factor that should not be overlooked in the diagnosis of diseases and chronic symptoms.

Solutions and recommended reading:

Consider the steps in the two links below as first course of action. Then determine your exposure levels by having an EMF assessment done by a qualified professional who can further advise on remaining issues. This assessment should include measuring your exposure levels to high frequency, low frequency and dirty electricity. Beware of products that claim to ‘protect’ harmonise’ or ‘neutralize’. Always apply the precautionary principle  –  reduce your exposure levels first by using technology in a safer way.

A helpful tip is to disconnect the electricity to the bedroom at night, including the lighting circuits and not to put the child’s bed or cot next to a wall that contains a power outlet. Ideally there should not be a power point  or any electrical appliance on the other side of the wall either.

As for wi-fi in schools  – campaign together with other parents to have it replaced with a wired system.

Nicosia Declaration on Electromagnetic and Radiofrequency Radiation – 2017

The Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR)-Lowering Protocol (That Has No Cost Or Side Effects)

EMF Remediation should take precedent over medication. Treat the cause and not the symptoms.

The above information was compiled by EMFSA. We would appreciate a mention if this information is used.

References:

1.   Mallery-Blythe-v1-EESC(1)
2. http://www.bioinitiative.org/new-studies-show-health-risks-from-wireless-tech/   http://www.newsweek.com/2016/07/08/electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-wifi-allergies-474404.html
3. http://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2016/04/26/les-ondes-wifi-gardent-un-etudiant-a-la-maison
4. https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmaisonsaine.ca%2Fsante-et-securite%2Felectrosmog%2Felectrohypersensibilite-a-l-ecole-une-mere-devant-les-tribunaux.html&edit-text
5. http://safetechforschoolsmaryland.blogspot.co.za/2015/08/parent-brings-federal-complaint-against.html
6. https://ratical.org/ratville/AoS/KSinger102514.html
7. https://electroplague.com/2013/08/15/tyler-hoffmann-colwood-bc/
8. http://c4st.org/two-electrosensitive-brothers-in-bc/
9. http://emfsafetynetwork.org/smart-meters/smart-meter-health-complaints/
10. http://mieuxprevenir.blogspot.com/2012/06/electrosensitivity-es-ehs.html
11. Los efectos de las ondas electromagneticas – Conferencia Dr.Belpomme You Tube
12. https://www.saferemr.com/2015/07
13. https://www.emfsa.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Declaration-of-Dr.-Magda-Havas.pdf
14. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8Oub2Nx5eSLNU11Z3FoRThBOVk/view
15. http://www.bioinitiative.org/new-studies-show-health-risks-from-wireless-tech
16. https://bioinitiative.org/
17. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15368370601044192?journalCode=iebm20
18. https://emfields-solutions.com/

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