As society adopts ever more wireless technology, we are increasingly bathed in high intensities of electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Some EMFs are emitted by devices we own and use ourselves, but even if you refused to ever buy a cell phone or wireless router, you would still be exposed to ever-increasing amounts of EMFs, thanks to the growing number of cell towers, wireless hot spots and satellites that are used to broadcast these signals.<\/p>\n
To make matters worse, with the advent of 5G (the so-called \u201cfifth generation\u201d of mobile technology) that\u2019s rolling out, your EMF exposures \u2013 and the health and environmental ramifications they bring \u2013 are about to increase exponentially. In the months ahead you will likely have access to 5G if you live in a large urban area.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, EMF damage can manifest in myriad ways, which include many conditions that are occurring in ever increasing amounts, such as decreased sperm count, impaired sleep, anxiety, depression, Alzheimer\u2019s disease and cancer.<\/p>\n
The single most powerful way you have to protect yourself from EMFs is to reduce your exposure to them in the first place.
\nHere are the most important steps to achieving that.<\/p>\n
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Hire an expert to measure levels in your home. The most well-known trained and certified professionals who offer this service are building biologists. They can also help you learn how to use your own meters and add to your knowledge of how to determine, reduce and eliminate EMFs that lurk in your home.<\/p>\n
EMF professionals are particularly helpful in finding wiring errors in your home. These are relatively common and can result in very high magnetic fields throughout your home.<\/p>\n
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Purchase your own EMF meter and do the measuring yourself. Often a decent meter can be obtained for somewhere between $200 and $400. There are different types of meters to measure different EMFs, but you\u2019ll need a radiofrequency (RF) one for cell phones, Wi-Fi and smart meters.<\/p>\n
One cost-saving idea is to pool your resources with your neighbors or family members and purchase meters together that you\u2019ll share.<\/p>\n
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Radiofrequency exposures are among the largest contributors to your EMF exposure load, especially Wi-Fi from your home routers and other devices. What\u2019s more, Wi-Fi produces a modulated signal that is especially harmful to your body.<\/p>\n
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Connect your home computer and printer to the internet using a hard-wired Ethernet cable (local area network, or LAN) instead of wirelessly through a Wi-Fi enabled router.<\/p>\n
Ideally, enlist a low-voltage audio\/video contractor or a home theater company to install Ethernet cables in your walls.<\/p>\n
As a money-saving alternative, you can do it yourself by running Ethernet cables from your modem and router along the walls at the baseboards of your home.<\/p>\n
The less-expensive flat Ethernet cables, readily available at online retailers, work best in this scenario. Most new laptops do not have an Ethernet port, so you will need to purchase an inexpensive adaptor that fits into the USB-A, USB-C or Thunderbolt port.<\/p>\n
Your Ethernet connection will not be grounded, so if you have a laptop, disable your Wi-Fi, and plug in a standard Ethernet cable to connect to the internet instead, you will still be exposed to high electric fields when you put your hands on the laptop.<\/p>\n
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Avoid high electric fields by using a grounded Cat7 Ethernet cable (with metal ends) and an Ethernet grounding adapter kit.<\/p>\n
Most cable and telephone company modems and routers are Wi-Fi enabled by default, but you can turn off Wi-Fi through the software. Contact your cable or telephone company to walk you through how to do this, or have them do it for you remotely over the phone. Your RF meter should then confirm that there is no wireless radiation coming from your device.<\/p>\n
Your cable company may update your modem\u2019s software automatically and turn Wi-Fi back on without making you aware of it, which is why it is wise to check for this regularly with your RF meter. You can then easily confirm whether or not the wireless is truly disabled.<\/p>\n
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Purchase your own cable company-approved modem and your own separate router. Then you can avoid paying the monthly fee to rent the modem\/router from your service provider, and avoid having Wi-Fi turned back on automatically with updates.<\/p>\n
The Arris Surfboard is one such cable company-approved modem. Choose a model that does not have Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n
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If there is more than one computer in the house, purchase a router that doesn\u2019t come with Wi-Fi at all, or a router model that has switchable Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n
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To ensure that your laptop is not emitting a Wi-Fi signal, go to your settings and put the device in airplane mode.<\/p>\n
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Disable Bluetooth on your PC or Mac, after replacing a wireless mouse and keyboard with a wired mouse and keyboard. You may need to actually unplug a Bluetooth dongle from a USB port to disable the Bluetooth on your computer.<\/p>\n
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Disable the Wi-Fi on your router, by using either an electronics timer or a wireless switch to turn your Wi-Fi router off every night. Make sure it is always off when you are sleeping and place it far from a desk, couch or anywhere people regularly sit or stand in the daytime.<\/p>\n
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Keep your router on, but cover it with an RF-shielding cloth or wire mesh box. Those in your family who insist on using their portable wireless devices will still get a signal, but at least the RF signal from the router and other wireless devices will be reduced in the room.<\/p>\n
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Make sure your computer has a grounded alternating-current (AC) power cord with a three-pronged plug, and that it is plugged into a properly grounded outlet.<\/p>\n
This is crucial for protecting against EMFs when using a laptop. If your PC doesn\u2019t have a power cord with a three-pronged plug, buy one that plugs into a USB port.<\/p>\n
For a Mac laptop, slide off and throw away the adapter on the transformer (the white brick attached to the power cord). The adapter is the piece with two blades that swing out and allow you to plug the transformer into an outlet or power strip \u2013 but that adapter is not grounded.<\/p>\n
Instead, connect the transformer to the grounded AC power cord with the three-pronged plug that was included with older MacBooks. Or, you can purchase it online from Apple or other retailers. For added protection, purchase shielded AC power cords for your desktop computer, monitor and printer.<\/p>\n
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Your cell phone transmits RF radiation even when you are not on a call, because it is constantly updating its location and communicating with the nearest cell phone towers for updates, downloads, e-mails and texts.<\/p>\n
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Whenever you don\u2019t need to be making a call, switch your phone to airplane mode in order to avoid the continuous radiation it emits. Also turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and near-field communications (NFC).<\/p>\n
Additionally, use the phone on speakerphone, with the phone itself kept at least two feet away from your body during the call.<\/p>\n
Many women diagnosed with breast cancer carried their phone in their bra. Unless you have an emergency and need to be alert to incoming calls, avoid having your phone turned on when it is touching your body.<\/p>\n
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Avoid using your cell phone when the signal is weak. When the phone has to work harder to establish a connection, it emits higher levels of radiation \u2013 up to 10,000 times more EMF radiation when the connectivity is low.1<\/p>\n
Wait until you\u2019re in a spot with full bars \u2013 and then, use t
\nhe speakerphone.<\/p>\n
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How EMFs impact human health<\/strong><\/p>\n The way EMFs damage your cells is by increasing oxidative stress within them, and this damaging process involves intercellular calcium.<\/p>\n Calcium has many roles besides keeping your bones and teeth strong, including:<\/strong> It is calcium\u2019s role as a biological signaling molecule that is affected by EMF exposure.<\/p>\n A study by Martin Pall of Washington State University, first published in 2013 and updated in 2018, showed that when EMFs activated the voltage-gated calcium channels on muscle and nerve cells, after about five seconds the channels opened up and flooded the inside of the cell with an unhealthy amount of calcium ions.1<\/p>\n EMFs also disrupt the flow of calcium once inside your cells, allowing too much of it to pass into your mitochondria. When calcium inside mitochondria increases, it leads to a series of damaging states, including a lowered ability to generate energy inside cells and increased oxidative stress that eventually contributes to premature cell death.2<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Don\u2019t believe that a \u201charmonizer\u201d will protect you from EMFs. One example is a sticker that enshrouds a polycarbonate disk that you place on your phone or laptop, which sellers claim emits a negative electrical field that counteracts, or \u201charmonizes,\u201d the radiation emitted by the phone \u2013 making it \u201csafe\u201d to use your phone.<\/p>\n I have tested many of these devices and have never found any that actually reduce radiation exposure. If you have one of these and take measurements that are above the recommended biologically safe threshold of 1 milligauss, there\u2019s your proof.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Avoid using a cell phone in your car, or while you\u2019re on a bus or train, even when the connection to a cell tower is strong. Because you are in motion, the phone will need to work harder to stay in communication with the cell tower, emitting more radiation, which will be further intensified because you are encased in metal.<\/p>\n Keep your phone in airplane mode when you\u2019re in the car. If you commonly use it to listen to music or podcasts, download the content before you leave.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Avoid sleeping with your cell phone in your bedroom unless it is in airplane mode or powered off completely. And place it in a Faraday bag.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Never sleep with your phone on right under your pillow. Keeping your head within inches of a device that transmits intermittent radio signals all night long is one of the worst things you can do for brain health; it is a virtual prescription for neurodegeneration and increased risk of brain cancer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Don\u2019t use your cell phone as an alarm clock. Many people use their cell phones as alarm clocks. If you choose to do this, the minimum precaution is to put your phone in airplane mode and inside a Faraday bag.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t use wireless chargers for your cell phone, especially anywhere near your bed, as they too will increase EMFs throughout your home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Use a standard plug-in charger and keep that charger and its cord well away from the bed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If your child wants to play a game on a tablet or phone, put the device in airplane mode. Restrict your child\u2019s total access to mobile devices to less than two hours a week. Hold out as long as you possibly can before giving your child a cell phone, especially a smartphone, and then have them keep the devices in airplane mode and on speakerphone when on a call.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Find ways to put more distance between the phone and your body. If you\u2019re one foot away from an EMF, you\u2019re exposed to only one-fourth to one-eighth of the radiation you would experience if you were in contact with the source. If you\u2019re two feet away, the strength of the field that reaches you is one-sixteenth of the full strength.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How 5G works<\/strong> That 4G signal will geolocate your mobile and fixed devices. The 5G antenna will then send in data at high speeds when a 5G device requests it.<\/p>\n Engineers have made it clear that to save electricity, small cell stations will send out 5G signals primarily when users\u2019 mobile handsets request a connection, along with a much weaker but frequent reference signal looking for 5G-enabled cell phones.<\/p>\n All 4G cell phones are programmed to prefer Wi-Fi by default when given the choice. However, when a visitor, resident or passerby with a 5G-enabled cell phone does initiate a connection to the small cell 5G antenna outside, that signal will come into your home with a relatively narrow and focused beam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Much of the EMF radiation coming from outside your home originates from cell phone towers, radio\/TV stations, neighboring Wi-Fi routers, power lines and smart meters. These are invariably bombarding you 24\/7, and they can\u2019t be turned off.<\/p>\n This will only get worse when 4G\/5G small cell transmitters go up outside homes in residential neighborhoods, particularly in large cities.<\/p>\n The 5G signals will be beamed into your neighbor\u2019s homes, but not so much into yours unless you or a family member invites that signal in by buying and using these devices yourselves.<\/p>\n Small cell signals, such as 4G LTE transmitters, are always on, spraying your home with constant RF exposure. By contrast, 5G antennas will send data signals, but on demand in a relatively narrow beam (along with constant but much weaker reference signals).<\/p>\n Certain shielding materials will be effective against 5G signals and accompanying 4G signals. The term shielding refers to enveloping either the source of the EMFs or yourself so that the radiation reaching you is blocked, or at least reduced.<\/p>\n For the electrically sensitive, it\u2019s not until they shield their bedrooms that their symptoms \u2013 like heart palpitations, insomnia, tinnitus, night terrors and night sweats \u2013 disappear.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Buy a tent. I developed the Silver Shield EMF Sleeping Tent because I travel quite a bit and want to make sure I sleep in a shielded room. The only practical way for me to do this was to create a lightweight, easily collapsible tent made out of RF-shielding fabric that can be grounded.<\/p>\n For those who are unable to remediate their bedroom, using a tent could be a simple and economical way to introduce shielding. Keep in mind that you will need one tent for every person in your home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paint your bedroom with EMF-shielding paint. This is an effective shielding solution for blocking RF from entering your bedroom, but you will need to paint the ceiling, walls, floor, door and window frames, and also have shielding fabric, film, and\/or a metal mesh screen for your windows.<\/p>\n This is typically a far better, and likely less expensive, strategy than sleeping in an EMF-shielding canopy, which you have to go into and out of every night, collects dust and typically can\u2019t be washed due to the silver particles shedding off.<\/p>\n YShield and other RF-shielding paints as well as thicker building-grade aluminum foil will both be effective at blocking RF frequencies from 600 megahertz (MHz) through the part of the gigahertz (GHz) millimeter wave (MMW) band that will be used for 5G.<\/p>\n Windows will have to be shielded against 4G and 5G frequencies with a combination of transparent window film, st Make sure to have an RF meter available to take readings before and after shielding to ensure its effectiveness.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Buy Faraday bags. They come in different sizes to fit cell phones, laptops and tablets, and while they are commonly used to protect against remote access of your devices by hackers, Faraday bags are just as effective at keeping EMFs in as they are at keeping hackers out.<\/p>\n Use the bags whenever you aren\u2019t actively using your phone.<\/p>\n Many online retailers offer a wide selection of bags for purchase. Whichever one you choose, please be sure to do before and after measurements with your RF meter to confirm the bag is indeed shielding you effectively.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Buy EMF-protective clothing. It\u2019s possible to purchase hats, T-shirts, underwear and even hoodies and full burkas made out of materials that are designed to shield EMFs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Install smart meter guards. This is a simple enclosure that slips over your smart electric, gas or water meter, and you can probably install it yourself easily.<\/p>\n The guard blocks up to 99 percent of the radiation emanating out of the front and sides of the meter. And yet your utility provider will still be able to get their signal.<\/p>\n Cover the back of the meter with a metal plate, either directly on the back of the meter if you can access it, or on the interior side of the wall where the meter is mounted. The metal of the smart meter base in the wall does afford some RF shielding itself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Repairing EMF-related damage<\/strong> <\/p>\n Recommended products<\/strong> <\/p>\n Corded router with no Wi-Fi, or a switch-off for Wi-Fi<\/strong> <\/p>\n Corded modem<\/strong> <\/p>\n Smart electric, gas and water meter covers<\/strong> <\/p>\n Shielding paint<\/strong> <\/p>\n EMF protective clothing<\/strong> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n How EMFs impact human health<\/strong><\/p>\n References <\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Cell signaling
\n\u2022 Regulating enzyme and protein functions
\n\u2022 Muscle contraction
\n\u2022 Blood clotting
\n\u2022 Nerve function
\n\u2022 Cell growth
\n\u2022 Learning and memory.<\/p>\nStep 4: Beware of \u201charmonizers\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nSome small cell stations will have always-on 4G LTE transmitters emitting constant RF radioation into your home at high intensities because they will be so close by.<\/p>\nStep 5: Reducing outside sources of radiation, including 5G<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nandard aluminum or steel mesh insect screen and RF-shielding fabric sewn onto the back of curtains.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Limit your EMF exposure and sleep in a low-EMF bedroom
\n\u2022 Practice daily time-restricted eating where you only eat food in a 6- to 8-hour window or even less
\n\u2022 Engage in some type of daily exercise and seriously consider blood flow restriction training, where cuffs or wraps are placed around a limb during exercise, to limit blood flow to and from the muscle during resistance training or even walking.
\n\u2022 Supplement with molecular hydrogen, taken as tablets that release the gas in water (see page 24 for more on hydrogen).
\n\u2022 Supplement with niacin (25 mg\/day)
\n\u2022 Supplement with magnesium malate or citrate. Check the label for the amount of elemental magnesium per capsule and take the equivalent of 400 mg of elemental magnesium
\n\u2022 Take frequent near-infrared saunas.<\/p>\n
\nEMF-measuring meters<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Acousticom 2
\n\u2022 Safe and Sound Pro
\n\u2022 Safe and Sound Classic
\n\u2022 Cornet ED88T
\n\u2022 Electrosmog Indicator ESI-24
\n\u2022 Trifield TF2 Meter
\n\u2022 ENV RD-10
\n\u2022 AlphaLabs UHS2 3-Axis Gaussmeter<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Trendnet 4-Port Broadband Router
\n\u2022 Netgear N750 (Model WND4300),
\nN900 (Model WNDR4500) or AC1200 (Model R6230)<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Arris Surfboard
\n\u2022 Signal Tamer and Wave Cage, both available from www.LessEMF.com<\/a>
\n\u2022 Router Guard, available from Smart Meter Guard (www.smartmeterguard.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 www.smartmetercovers.com<\/a>
\n\u2022 www.smartmeterguard.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\u2022 YShield (www.LessEMF.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 www.LessEMF.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\n1 Environ Res, 2018; 164: 405-16
\n2 Neurochem Int, 2017; 109: 117-25<\/p>\n