Understanding EMFs – Radiation In our Homes and How to Limit Them
What are EMF’s?
EMF stands for Electro Magnetic Field and is a type of radiation created by the flow of electricity at different frequencies through electrical devices and wiring. These fields are surrounding us and are created by multiple sources.
What are the different types of EMF’s and where do they come from?
EMF’s are broken down into 4 different types, Radio Frequencies (RF), Electric Fields (EF), Magnetic Fields (MF), and Dirty Power. Let’s brake these down a bit more.
Radio Frequencies (RF) –
The fastest growing sources of RF come from Bluetooth technology, cell phones, cell towers, the new 5G, smart home systems and even smart meters from the power utility company. All of these send out radio frequency for communication that can be vary harmful
Electric Fields (EF)-
Electric Fields come from our electrical power systems. All energized electrical lines project electrical fields around them, even when they are not in use.
Magnetic Fields (MF)-
When power is freely flowing through the power lines it also projects a magnetic field that pulses at at 60 times per second.
Dirty Power-
We all have electronics through our home that creates dirty power, such as TV’s, computers, and even some of our lighting choices. Electronics in general disrupt the normal frequency of our electrical system and send back what’s known as dirty power. Out of all the electrical radiation, dirty power can potentially be the worst because it pulses sporadically and typically at a much higher frequency.
How can these EMF’s effect us?
There are studies that show that up to 13% of our population have high levels of Electro Hyper Sensitivity (EHS) and 35% of us have moderate levels of sensitivity.
The EMF’s that are most accepted as harmful are Ionizing radiation like x-rays and gamma rays because they cut straight through us, directly breaking our DNA bonds. Non-ionizing radiation like cell phones and microwaves are more controversial since the damage to your DNA is harder to understand until you know the science behind it.
The science can get pretty complicated but the most simplistic breakdown is a 3 step process. All cells let in calcium at a calculated rate through Voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC)
1- EMF’S open those VGCC gates wide flooding the cell with Calcium.
2- Excess Calcium cause nitric oxide and superoxide to Combine into Peroxynitrite.
3- Peroxynitrite has the power to damage Fat-cell membranes, proteins, mitochondria, stem cells and ultimately your atomic DNA
Yes! For a deep dive on the science you can read EMF*D By Dr Joseph Mercola
This damage from Peroxynitrite results in a range of health issues
Neurological illness-
such as depression, anxiety, hyperactivity, concentration issues, memory loss, insomnia and more
Cardiac complications-
Including high blood pressure and heart arrhythmia’s.
Vision impairment-
Pain or burning in the eye, presser in and behind the eyes, and it contributes to cataracts.
Auto Immune issues-
Such as leaky gut, muscle & joint pain, allergies, and Thyroid disruption also make the list.
This process disrupts your Intestinal barrier and blood brain barrier. The most concerning to me is the role it plays in disease like brain cancer, Brest cancer and childhood leukemia. Our kids are the most at risk out of all of us. Because of their size and stages of development these EMF’S can penetrate their brain and cells much deeper than any adults. This list just keeps going.
Some of the symptoms that I have personally experienced are
- Headaches
- Trouble concentrating
- Heightened Anxiety
- Tingling in your skin and face
- Pressure in/behind your eyes
- Disruption in sleep due to lower melatonin levels
I have felt the symptoms most when using wireless headphones and cellular data on my smart watch. These items have high levels of Radio frequencies and are in direct contact to your skin for long periods of time. My most intense experiences with feeling these electrical fields are in large electrical panels where all of the dirty power and frequencies converge.
This in not an arbitrary list, it is all backed by scientific studies. If you want to check out the actual studies in depth you can find thousands of them at bioinitiative.org
How do we limit and shield our family from the EMF radiation in our home?
Limiting RF’s
The most damaging EMFS within your home are from WIFI and cellular data since they are normally the highest. In 2011 the world health organization (WHO) classified RF radiation as a class 2B carcinogen. Some ideas to limit your wifi is to turn off the wifi signal from your home router, you can find that option in the settings or you can get a router without wifi. Turning off your wifi is only one step since cameras, Apple TV, smart home devices and more also emit strong wifi signals. After turning off the wifi on all of your devices you can have Cat 7 shielded data cables ran to most of your devices so you can still use them. This also provides a faster more stable connection.
Protection from your cell phone is another necessity since it normally comes in direct contact with you skin at the moment it is at full power. To avoid this you can use speaker phone or certain corded headphones that limit EFs. I have personally started to avoid air pods and my Apple Watch because I was experiencing pain from the intense RF and EF they put out. Avoiding or limiting use of laptops, tablets and wireless bluetooth devices would also make the list. I would like to add that there are alternatives for most everything.
Limiting EF and MF
Limiting your electrical system from exposing you to EMF’s is a little more tricky. Your electrical system can project an electrical field 6 to 8 feet from your walls. Unlike RF it does significantly reduce the farther from the walls and power cords you get. However when you have an older home knob and tube wiring projects these fields even farther and can cause greater damage. To start, I would focus on your bedrooms where these fields can disrupt your sleep. The most simplistic way to do this is to shut off power via your breaker box to the rooms you sleep in. You can also have an electrician install a control box to easily shut it off these circuits via a kill switch while you sleep. If you plan to build a new home, or want to rewire an existing home, you can use shielded MC cable that will block EF altogether. However, keep in mind power cords and power strips still need to be shielded or unplugged.
Limiting Dirty Power
The easiest way to limit dirty power in your home is to “clean up” the electronics. That means installing filters that you can plug in near TV’s, computers, cell phones and other electronics. Also, you can avoid certain lighting that is unsafe, like standard florescent fixtures and compact florescent bulbs limiting the creation of dirty power. This Dirty power can also jump from house to house and throughout your neighborhood.
To avoid your neighbors power issues there are filters that can be installed in your panel by a licensed electrician to stop it from entering your home.
There are many more options and alternatives to keep you healthy and we would love to help you discover them!
