THE LIFE SPENT ON SMARTPHONES

THE AVERAGE PERSON CURRENTLY SPENDS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 3 AND 5 HOURS A DAY ON A SMART PHONE(1). THAT’S NEARLY 5 YEARS OF YOUR LIFE! (2)

The average UK adult now spends up to 9.5 hours per day skimming and switching between media across all platforms. (3) Even at the lowest end of the scale, the average UK adult spending 2 hours 40 mins a day on his or her smart phone is an increase of 400% from 31 minutes in 2011. (4) It makes for a lot of blue light and Radio Frequency radiation, a novel heath risk of our modern era.

In part one of this article series, we pointed out the increasing awareness of meditation in the public consciousness and predicted a further increase in awareness of Interoceptive Meditation. In this article we shall look at what we predict to become a much larger public awareness: the implications of ‘non-native Electromagnetic Fields’ (nnEMF).

DON’T MAKE ANGRY, YOU WOULDN’T LIKE ME WHEN I’M ANGRY

“Caught in the blast of gamma radiation, brilliant scientist Bruce Banner is cursed to transform in times of stress into the living engine of destruction known as THE INCREDIBLE HULK!”

Yes, the Incredible Hulk is my favourite Marvel character. He is the result of supra physiological doses of Gamma radiation. While obviously fiction, Gamma radiation is actually one of the native Electromagnetic waves the body emits naturally.

BIOLOGICAL NUCLEAR REACTIONS

William Alfred Fowler won the 1983 Noble Prize in Physics for experimental research on nuclear reactions which explained the formation of the chemical elements of the universe (5) and subsequently the human being. He wrote:

“All heavy elements from carbon to uranium were formed in the stars… our bodies are mostly comprised of the heavy elements. Apart from hydrogen, we consist of 65% of oxygen, 18% of carbon, smaller amount of nitrogen, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulphur, chlorine, potassium, and traces of heavier elements. Therefore, it can be said that you, your neighbour, myself, everyone and all of us are in fact small parts of star dust!”

A radionuclide is an atom with an unstable nucleus which, to become more stable, emits energy in the form of rays or high-speed particles. This is called ionising radiation because it can create “ions” by displacing electrons in the body e.g. in the DNA, disrupting its function. The three major types of ionising radiation are alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays. (6)

BABY HULKS

As all parents will be aware, the first 20-120 seconds of a newborn’s life can be an agonisingly long wait for the first breath and cry of their baby. Russian physicists Kirchkov and Schnaybel managed to get themselves in to a delivery room to measure the activity of radionuclides at that very moment. What they found was the activity of a highly organised energy medium interacting with the human at the moment of first breath, measured by a burst of gamma radiation from the child. (7)

Gamma Quanta describes a form of electromagnetic radiation known as photons. Photons are elementary particles of light which have no mass or charge and travel at the speed of light. (8)

The life of a human is so closely tied to electromagnetic radiation that if a spectrometer does not register activity of radionuclides at the moment of first breath, the child’s health outlook worsens; if further radiation is not registered following the first breath, respiratory standstill ensues, and the child is rushed into intensive care. If radiation from radionuclides are measured as positive, then breathing, crying life (9) and the relentless onslaught of mini Hulks are the result.

90% of the natural radionuclides reside in the skeleton. Therefore, bone may be considered a low-energy nuclear reactor.

The production of electromagnetic radiation recorded at the moment of the first breath is present throughout our lives but decreases with advancing age. The electromagnetic wave produced is directly tied to the radioisotope potassium40 (40K) (10)

The brain maps this information – Forming a neurological representation of the surface of the body. This map resides in a part of the brain called the Parietal cortex (1), but the brain’s penchant for mapping doesn’t stop there.

The conductor also maps our simple and complex movements (2), the viscera (3), homeostatic input (4), visual and auditory information (5) and even the space around the body known as peri-personal space… moulding it all together to form what is known as the body schema (6).

POTASSIUM

Potassium ions are mostly contained in cells; only 2% of their quantity in the body is located in the extracellular space. This imbalance of ions on the inside compared to the outside of the cells is termed ‘ionic electrovalent asymmetry’ and is pertinent to all living organisms. So pertinent in fact, that 50% of the Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) produced by mitochondria is spent on the maintenance of ionic gradients and cell membrane electrical potentials. (11)

Potassium in particular is closely related to the heart, participating directly in cardiac muscle rhythm. It is the heart which radiates the electromagnetic wave in the gamma spectrum. This is also tied to cyclical drops in body temperature during the normal 24hr biological rhythm of the body (circadian cycle). (12)

In other words, we have our own radioactivity and emit electromagnetic waves (light) at predictable times of day. We are made of the same materials as stars. As such, we cannot be considered separate or isolated from our environment but can be considered instead as a physical, light emitting object interacting with the surrounding world.

In astrophysical terms, we are moving sources of light within the medium of the universe, with a constant velocity of the orbital rotation speed of the earth, 29.783km/s

BZZZZZZZZ

As electromagnetic beings, we emit and absorb radiation to and from our environment. Native EMFs are those which occur naturally in the environment. The primary natural EMFs which we ‘should’ interact with on a daily basis are:

1. Sunlight, which is a mixture of electromagnetic waves ranging from infrared (IR) to ultraviolet rays (UV). (13)

2. Geomagnetic field, which is the magnetic field that extends from the Earth’s interior out into space, where it meets the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun. (14)

This also includes the natural electric field of the earth, which is negatively charged relative to the positively charged ionosphere. (15)

These EMFs are essential to health and normal physiological function.

STRANGER DANGER – NON-NATIVES

So now, on to the bad guys—the man-made EMFs which can mess with our magical, cosmic biology.

What are they and how can they affect us mechanistically?

Non-native EMFs are grossly divided into two camps. Extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF) are one type, generated from lighting, electrical systems (home power supply), electronic appliances (TVs, microwaves, etc), and power lines.

Radio Frequency radiation (RF) is the other, generated from cell phones, cell phone towers, cordless phones, and broadcast transmission towers. The big one of the modern era is Wi-Fi. We all know and love it, but it’s also an RF radiation which is everywhere, all the time—unless of course you live in a poorly populated area, or possibly under the sea in a secret lair.

Both ELF and RF are classed as ‘non-ionising’ forms of radiation. However, as artificial EMF’s, they superconduct through silicon, which increases the voltage meaning they actually can produce ionising radiation like effects. Research by Abe Libroff and Pressman showed that ELF and RF EMF alter calcium flow within and outside of cells. Mess with calcium signalling and you mess with biology.

Essentially, the body is a highly evolved, extremely sensitive emitter of and antenna for electromagnetic energy, and nnEMFs mess with the signals that our cells use to communicate with each other.

In a report produced by the bioiniiative.org, a group of fourteen scientists who have reviewed the evidence on the impact of ELF and RF on public health, have stated that “The scientific evidence is sufficient to warrant regulatory action for ELF; and it is substantial enough to warrant preventative actions for RF” (16)

They are saying that RF radiation is so damaging to public health that government bodies should be educating the public on how to prevent negative health implications associated with signals such as Wi-Fi. That’s a pretty big statement.

The primary effects of concerns are associated with cancers, damage to the nervous system, Alzheimer’s, brain tumours, alteration of genetic expression, effects on stress proteins, inflammatory and allergy responses, and alterations to normal immune function, to name but a few. (17)

NON-NATIVE NAYSAYERS

Many people out there still say that this is all scare-mongering. They say that Wi-Fi is safe, that the science shows it doesn’t affect you, and this just another fad for health nuts to discuss over a nice Acai and Alfalfa smoothie.

These are the same people who tend to demand evidence before considering anything as real. Well, the evidence for the damaging effects and implications of nnEMFs has been around since the 1960s. It has also been the subject of scandal and bias at the highest level of science, involving highly influential tech/power companies. (18)

The point here is that the evidence does exist, and while I love the constant access to information and instant communication capabilities that smart phones and Wi-Fi provide me as much as you do, we are in the midst of a mass biological health experiment as we bathe continuously in these signals. At the end of the day, is it really such a bad idea to be reducing the time we spend on our devices or in front of screens?

CALIFORN-I A

It’s not just Alfalfa enthusiasts who are becoming aware of the dangers of RF. The California Department of Public Health has recently issued a warning about cell phone overuse.

The report, ‘How to Reduce Exposure to Radiofrequency Energy from Cell Phones’, states:

“Although the science is still evolving, some laboratory experiments and human health studies have suggested the possibility that long-term, high use of cell phones, may be linked to certain types of cancer and other health effects, including:

• Brain cancer and tumours of the acoustic nerve (needed for hearing and maintaining balance) and salivary glands.

• Lower sperm counts and inactive or less mobile sperm.

• Headaches and effects on learning and memory, hearing, behaviour, and sleep.” (19)

Let’s remind ourselves that the average adult use of a smart phone is between 3-5 hours a day. That’s a lot of handheld contact with a RF device, which when not in use often lives in your pocket.

As health and wellness professionals, we need to be aware of ELF and RF radiation as another toxin which impacts our health and that of our clients, and we need to be able to make recommendations on how to offset the risk and ultimately protect ourselves from it.

“For the first time in our evolutionary history, we have generated an entire secondary, virtual, densely complex environment — an electromagnetic soup — that essentially overlaps the human nervous system,”

Michael Persinger, PhD. Neuroscientist at Laurentian University who has studied the effects of EMFs on cancer cells

HOW DOES IT AFFECT US?

The body is a finely tuned bio-electric signalling system, a transmitter and receiver of electrical and electromagnetic fields. As I mentioned earlier, our Mitochondria donate 50% of all ATP towards maintaining cell membrane and ion voltage gradients.

The ion channels in the membrane of the cell are little electrical pathways which open and close to conduct current from the exterior to the interior of the cell. This is called ‘gating’. The opening and closing of ion channels stimulates cells to carry out their work of running the body. Bio-electrical signals, hormones, stretching/deformation, changes in temperature, the action of other cells, or phosphorylation can all ‘gate’ cell membranes. (20)

It would appear that ELF oscillating electrical and oscillating magnetic fields are directly capable of forcibly vibrating all free ions of a cell’s plasma membrane, thus altering the entire function of the cell. (21,22,23)

Specific effects on cell function, such as the modulation of Calcium and Potassium activated channels, short term exposure to ELF/EMF increasing activation of Sodium activated channels in neuronal cells (Cerebellar granule cells), long term exposure altering protein expression (24), the possible effects of increasing conductance of Potassium channels in neuronal and immune cells (25) and, depending on the cell type, intensity/frequency and exposure time to magnetic fields causing an increase in Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) have all been documented. (26)

As with any toxin, we must consider the overall toxic load on the body and what actions are taken to offset the impact. The trouble with nnEMFs is that they’re everywhere, at all times. It is fairly easy to control our exposure to things like aspartame, heavy metals, and smoking. Pollution however is not so easy to avoid, and in modern cities nnEMFs form a large part of the atmospheric pollution. 

WHAT DO WE DO?

RUN!

Only joking, don’t panic.

We can all take simple steps towards reducing our direct exposure to ELF and RF radiation.

1. Reduce your mobile phone use! Keep it on airplane mode as much as possible, don’t keep it on you when you’re not using it, block the blue light with nightshift mode all the time, or get a blue-light blocker app and use wired headphones instead of running Bluetooth signals directly through your brain

2. Turn Wi-Fi off in your home at night, either via a setting which blocks the transmission on your router or by simply turning the power off at the wall

3. Turn off all electrical devices in the bedroom at the wall socket

4. Earth the body at night whilst sleeping, preferably via a copper rod connection to the earth outside the home

We have evolved under the sun and in direct contact with the surface of the earth. Electrical phenomena of the natural earth, geo-electromagnetic, and atmospheric factors have played an essential role in the evolution of the cell and subsequently animals on this planet. (27) Only in modern times have we disconnected ourselves from these natural fields via rubber shoes and indoor lifestyles, and at the same time we have dramatically increasing the volume of non-native EMFs bouncing around inside the ionosphere.

To maintain normal bio-electrical gradients within the body, we should be in direct skin contact with the earth on a daily basis. We should also endeavour to gain exposure of the retina and skin to the natural frequencies of sunlight in a specific order: near red, far infrared and infrared A light, followed by UVA, and then UVB light.

Visible and infrared light make it to the surface of the earth easily, so these spectra are present all day long. Due to the ozone, sun elevation, latitude, altitude, time of year, etc the presence and intensity of UV light varies. As a general rule, when sun elevation is approximately 20 degrees above the horizon we see UVA and when above approximately 30 degrees we see UVB. (28,29) So it’s important to get outside in the morning sunlight, preferably between sunrise until late morning, whenever possible.

By increasing our exposure to natural EMFs and reducing our exposure to non-native EMFs, we can all better maintain a healthy electromagnetic balance and physiological function.

Please feel free to download and use this inforgraphic for your own purposes, click here

Written by David Fleming. AMN Co-Founder and Director of Education

REFERENCES:

1. https://hackernoon.com/how-much-time-do-people-spend-on-their-mobile-phones-in-2017-e5f90a0b10a6

2. https://mediakix.com/2016/12/how-much-time-is-spent-on-social-media-lifetime/#gs.rm6r_9c

3. https://www.itstimetologoff.com/2016/01/07/uk-adults-half-their-day-on-screens/

4. https://www.itstimetologoff.com/2016/01/07/uk-adults-half-their-day-on-screens/

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Alfred_Fowler

6. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://safewater.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/214971507-1-What-are-radionuclides-

7. Andrey Krichkov. Olga Shnaybel. Philosophy of Science Multiplied by Squared Velocity of Light. Е=SPh × с https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260075751_Philosophy_of_Science_Multiplied_by_Squared_Velocity_of_Light_ESPh_s2

8. https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Gamma+quantum

9. Andrey Krichkov. Olga Shnaybel. Philosophy of Science Multiplied by Squared Velocity of Light. Е=SPh × с https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260075751_Philosophy_of_Science_Multiplied_by_Squared_Velocity_of_Light_ESPh_s2

10. Andrey Krichkov. Olga Shnaybel. Supraphysiological Mechanism of Ageing. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220025548_Supraphysiological_Mechanism_of_Ageing

11. E Puller. The Physiology of Bioelectricity in Development, Tissue Regeneration, and Cancer. CRC Press

12. Andrey Krichkov. Olga Shnaybel. Philosophy of Science Multiplied by Squared Velocity of Light. Е=SPh × с https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260075751_Philosophy_of_Science_Multiplied_by_Squared_Velocity_of_Light_ESPh_s2

13. https://www.universetoday.com/60065/radiation-from-the-sun/

14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_magnetic_field

15. https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Natural_electric_field_of_the_Earth

16. Bioinitiative 2012. A Rationale for Biologically-based Exposure Standards for Low-Intensity electromagnetic Radiation. bioinitiative.org

17. Bioinitiative 2012. A Rationale for Biologically-based Exposure Standards for Low-Intensity electromagnetic Radiation. bioinitiative.org

18. Andrew Marino, PhD., J.D. Gong Somewhere, Truth About a Life in Science

19. Bioinitiative 2012. A Rationale for Biologically-based Exposure Standards for Low-Intensity electromagnetic Radiation. bioinitiative.org

20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gating_(electrophysiology)

21. Dimitris J. Panagopoulosa. Andreas Karabarbounis B. Lukas H. Margaritisa. Mechanism for action of electromagnetic fields on cells. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006291X02023938

22. Physical Mechanisms for Biological Effects of Low Field Intensity ELF Magnetic Fields.

23. Joseph L. Kirschvink, Atsuko Kobayashi-Kirschvink, Juan C. DiazRicci,

and Steven J. Kirschvink. Magnetite in Human Tissues: A Mechanism for the Biological Effects         of Weak ELF Magnetic Fields. https://web.gps.caltech.edu/~jkirschvink/pdfs/KirschvinkBEMS92.pdf

24. Yan-Lin He , Dong-Dong Liu , Yan-Jia Fang, Xiao-Qin Zhan, Jin-Jing Yao, Yan-Ai Mei. Exposure to Extremely Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields Modulates Na+ Currents in Rat Cerebellar Granule Cells through Increase of AA/PGE2 and EP Receptor-Mediated cAMP/PKA Pathway. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0054376

25. C. Cecchetto, M. Maschietto, P. Boccaccio, S. Vassanelli. Enhancement of Kv1.3 Potassium Conductance by Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Field. https://arxiv.org/pdf/1508.06135.pdf

26. Huizhen Wang and Xin Zhang. Magnetic Fields and Reactive Oxygen Species Huizhen Wang and Xin Zhang. file:///Users/Dave/Downloads/ijms-18-02175-v2.pdf

27. Christine. E Puller. The Physiology of Bioelectricity in Development, Tissue Regeneration, and Cancer. CRC Press

28. https://www.vitamindwiki.com/Vitamin+D+vs+angle+of+the+sun

29. https://sciencing.com/percent-uv-ozone-absorb-20509.html