But first a funny story…
Last week after I sent out my newsletter saying that I was getting rid of my cell phone, I got my son Drake and we drove into Longmont to run some errands and go to the Sprint store. I could see that a storm was coming but as I pulled into the parking space in front of Sprint, there was zero precipitation and the sun was still out.
So I get out of my car and step up on the curb. There was a guy coming out of the store and a woman walking down the corridor on my left and all of a sudden a piece of ice hit my head and grazed my face. There was water on my arm and even my phone! I screamed. It scared me. The guy coming out of the store joked, “I think that lady threw a piece of ice at you.” She replied, “Not me!” Drake says, “Look mommy, it’s a piece of hail.”
Seriously, what are the chances? I figure The Universe was saying one of two things to me, “Hey, dumbass, getting rid of your cell phone is stupid!” Or two, “You go girl! Well done!” I prefer to believe the latter.
Following this little incident, I walked into the store and said to the Sprint person, “I hope you can help me. Have you ever heard of electrohypersensitivity?”
Shaking his head, he said, “No, ma’am. What is it?”
“Well, when I talk on this phone, I feel it in my body. I came in about 2 months ago and traded in my iPhone for this flip phone thinking that it would be better, but it’s not. I get this rising sensation in my body, like I’m going to explode. It’s very uncomfortable, and I’m not alone. I just attended a medical conference about EMFs. This is something you will hear more about. I don’t even like being in this store right now because I don’t always feel the sensations immediately, it often comes on later. So I’m done. I want to cancel my contract, if I have one, and see if you can give me anything for this new phone. I don’t want it.”
I was met with a blank stare.
So I smiled and said, “I bet you don’t have this conversation everyday!”
He said, “Nope.”
We walked over to the counter for him to look up my account, and at every pause in the conversation, he kept asking me more questions about my experience. He seemed genuinely interested because I think we all KNOW that these EMFs are affecting us despite our continued use and love of these devices.
Long story short, I left the store with my phone because it has no value and with the reality that he couldn’t cancel my account so I had to call Sprint when I got home – at which point I had the same conversation that I did at the Sprint store.
The good news: I survived a piece of random hail hitting my head, 2 people at Sprint have now heard of electrohypertensivity, and my cell phone was disconnected Sunday.
Yippee!
Ok, now back to the EMF conference…
First up after lunch on Friday, September 6thwas Dominique Belpomme, MD: Signs, Symptoms, Diagnostic Testing and Treatment of Electrohypersensitivity/Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in Adults and Children
This doc is in the game – what a Frenchman. He’s authored a number of studies looking at the presentation of those with electrohypersensitivity and multiple chemical sensitivities. He considers that histamine is the BIG marker associated with these conditions:
“In the healthy brain the bulk concentration of histamine is very low. Upon brain injury, degeneration, or infection, the inflammatory response may trigger degranulation of mast cells, leading to a massive release of histamine in the blood and the cerebrospinal fluid, leading to an increase of blood brain barrier permeability through oxidative stress.”
The way I see it: electromagnetic radiation is an environmental toxin that contributes to a leaky brain and a leaky gut, assaulting the stability of all our cell membranes. I hope you enjoy your wireless keyboard and mouse and speakers and vaccuums because your body fucking isn’t!!!
In addition to high histamine levels, we also see low melatonin and we don’t know if it’s being used up or not produced.
Oh, and how about a nice dose of autoimmune disease: “Our hypothesis is that under the influence of electric and/or electromagnetic fields and/or chemicals, oxidation of cerebral proteins may progress to autoimmunoreactivity leading to the occurrence of autoantibodies against myelin.”
In summary, he discussed what happened at the 5thParis Appeal Congress on May 18th, 2015 in Brussels:
“Some 180 doctors, scientists, jurists, elected representatives, journalists and other participants coming from many countries attended this Congress, probably the most important scientific event ever organized on this topic. Most of the speakers underlined the fact that since the 1960s, several thousand studies (1,800 between 2007 and 2012 according to the Bioinitiative report) have shown the harmfulness of extended low exposures to electromagnetic fields; however, industries and governments still deny the existence of this risk, which jeopardizes the health of most living beings today, at various degrees and mostly without their knowledge.”
Ugh. Many thanks to the captured agencies running our government.
Jeromy Johnson and Rob Metzinger: The Engineering Approach to Healing and Preventing Electrical Sensitivity
This Mr. Jeromy Johnson was my inspiration for getting rid of my cell phone. He’s been without a cell phone for 7 years and gave a compelling Ted Talk titled Wireless Wake Up Call and has a new book coming out How to Find a Healthy Home: A Step by Step Guide to Purchasing or Renting a Low EMF Home. His website is a wealth of information.
To me, the most interesting part of his presentation was about why personal protection products are NOT a good idea. He made 4 points:
- “At best products provide a placebo.” In other words, he’s tested a number of these products and they just don’t work that well or at all.
- “At worst they keep people from making important lifestyle changes.” In other words, it’s like taking nutritional supplements and eating at McDonald’s. Lifestyle has to change!
- “Part of the denial (bargaining) within our society.” In other words, we want all of the conveniences of wireless technology without the dark side, but that is simply wishful thinking.
- “What if we had taken the same approach with secondhand smoke or vehicle emissions?” Good question. We’d be even more screwed!
The take home message is that surrounding yourself in crystals and pyramids and putting useless, expensive stickers on the back of your phone isn’t going to work. The upside is that when you change how you use technology, you save yourself from the addiction! Amen to that.
His tips for reducing electrical sensitivity:
- Live in a low EMF home (critical step)
- Have a low EMF sleeping area (critical step)
- Minimal use of wireless technology
- Create a low EMF computing setup/office
- Personalized detox and exercise protocols
- Quality nutrition and supplementation practices
- Low stress lifestyle (meditation, supportive relationships, positive outlook and possibly some limbic system retraining)
- Use knowledge gained to help our communities understand this important issue.
A building biologist can help you with the first four tips.
Then, Rob Metzinger, who is one of the founders of Safe Living Technologies, took the stage to share a bit about his company. This is the meter that we have been using in our home and around town to check out places. It is affordable and very handy. People really seem to respond to this issue when they can see and hear the invisible waves. It may be uncomfortable but reality trumps discomfort every time.
Erica Mallery-Blythe: Diagnosis, Treatment and Reversal of Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity
So this woman founded a group called Phire: Physicians’ Health Initiative for Radiation and Environment – another treasure trove of information.
She reminds us that electrohypersensitivity is a clinical diagnosis, meaning that there is no test to determine if you have it; it is a constellation of symptoms and the diagnosis comes with knowing the patient’s history with a thorough examination, and that it is a physical phenomenon NOT a psychological one.
Imagine that: environmental illness isn’t in your head.
Turn off your WiFi router and cell phone at night in peace, my friends!
Love,
Charlotte
PS – I absolutely love hearing from ya’ll and the changes you are making. I even received a handwritten letter in the mail from a friend the other day. What a treat! To all who have reached out (and to those who will reach out), thank you for sharing a bit of your world with me and for reading my blog. It means so much.
On another note, I cannot put this book down: The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Life by Arthur Firstenberg. It is beyond fascinating. As it turns out, electricity was thrust upon the world just like wireless technologies. Back in the day, there were plenty of scientists waving their hands in the air saying, “Wait! Stop! This is going to make us sick!” Despite the obvious harm even electricity was causing, people were so enamored with the latest and greatest technologies that it kept getting rolled out. Just like 5G technology and all this other bullshit is today.
This book presents the history of electricity that isn’t in the history books. Even fucking influenza is related to electricity! The sad truth is that none of us will ever know what real vitality feels like because we are so incredibly weakened by our electrified environment. Just today an electrician came to install a remote switch on our breaker box to shut off everything in the house but the refrigerators at night to improve our sleep. The first time someone recommended this to me, I thought, “That is fucking ridiculous.” Clearly, I’ve changed my mind because I will never look at flipping a switch to turn on a lightbulb the same way again. Please check out this book. It is enlightening and worth every penny.
And this weekend you can find me bathing in the electromagnetic fields of a hotel in Denver at Back to School for Doctors. I know, I just can’t stop learning. If you’re coming, please let me know.
See ya next week!