Are You Frying Your Brain With Your Cell Phone?

There are approximately 2.5 billion cell phones currently in use around the world and over 1.3 million base station antennas. Every time you use a cell phone you are putting a mini-microwave transmitter next to your brain.

That's right, a mini microwave.

In fact, there is a popular yet disturbing UTube video showing three cell phones pointing at 5 kernels of popcorn, which all pop when the phones ring simultaneously.  So how is your cell phone affecting your brain?

Recently, Henry Lai, a bioengineering professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, showed that the oscillating frequencies from cell phones cause the DNA in the brain cells of rats to break down due to the formation of free radicals.

This effect can be linked to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Cancer and many other illnesses and diseases.

The proliferation of cell phone use among younger teens causes even more concern. Since a young person's brain is still developing and their skulls are thinner than adults, they are more susceptible to the effects of electromagnetic radiation. There is a definite risk of causing permanent alteration to cerebral functions.

Dr. Robert Becker, an orthopedic surgeon and the author of “The Body Electric” and “Cross Currents”, studied the effects of electricity on life forms with an eye towards using electrical currents to regenerate growth of bone and limbs.

As a result of his discoveries concerning the amazing response of living tissue to even the smallest electrical and/or magnetic fields, Dr. Becker spent years trying to warn those in power about the dangers of electromagnetic pollution.

Dr. Becker believes there are two biological effects of electromagnetic radiation on living systems. The first is malignancies in growth and development processes in the body. Problems in these processes can lead to certain cancers, which are caused by cells growing out of control.

The second effect is in the central nervous system and the brain. "There are definitive effects of low strength oscillating electromagnetic fields on brain function," says Dr. Becker.  A picture is worth a thousand words as evidenced by the popping kernels of corn.

Dr. Becker’s work would have been largely ignored if not for the national coverage of the explosive series of articles in the New Yorker Magazine in June 1989 by the respected journalist, Paul Brodeur.

Because of Mr. Brodeur's reputation, his articles had a catalytic effect on scientists, reporters and concerned people throughout the world.  Immediately, flurries of contradictory reports were issued to try and discredit his report.

In November 1989, the Department of Energy reported that "It has now become generally accepted that there are, indeed, biological effects due to field exposure."

The EMF issue gained more publicity in 1990 when alarming reports appeared in Time, the Wall Street Journal, Business Week and popular computer publications. ABC's Ted Koppel and CBS's Dan Rather both aired special segments on EMFs.

As the debate continued with more people becoming involved in government protests and law suits, the desperately needed funding to further research the truth regarding these sensational claims was not forthcoming.

In 2000, Mr. Brodeur unveiled yet further reports of the imminent dangers of electromagnectic fields in “The Currents of Death, published by Simon and Schuster.

Mr. Brodeur convincingly argues that evidence exists that exposure to such radiation may cause cancer and many other illnesses, as it breaks down the immune system. Low-level microwave radiation such as cell phones, and radar towers poses another danger, he compellingly shows, as Cape Cod, Mass., residents discovered when an Air Force radar station built in the vicinity apparently led to abnormally high levels of cancer.

Courageously, Mr. Brodeur risked his national reputation with details disputing scientific studies that claim such radiation is safe.

He implicitly charges that a cover-up of the dangers has been engineered by industry, government, regulatory agencies and academia. He also reviews studies suggesting that computer video display terminals (VDTs) may induce cataracts, birth defects and miscarriages.

According to Dr. Becker, the magnetic field strength of communication frequencies is very low, but the problem is their oscillating nature. Compared to the slight change of the Earth's field as the sun goes up and down, these frequency-dependent fields fluctuate wildly. "As far as I'm concerned, these factors do have biological effects. I think that the overwhelming evidence indicates that happens," says Dr. Becker.

In addition to the long-term health concerns, buying a house with high fields is an economic disaster. In a few years, when power line radiation is as well known as asbestos and radon, a house with high fields will be practically impossible to sell. Already there are hundreds of lawsuits regarding EMFs and property devaluation.

An article from the December 2006 issue of Ode magazine, had this to say about cell phones: "Cell phones and other wireless technologies use higher radio frequencies on the electromagnetic spectrum, including the microwave band. The higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength. The shorter the wavelength, the more easily the body absorbs the energy and the more likely the biological effects."

This issue is reaching a mass crisis as cities begin to adapt public wi-fi for internet use. Considering there will be an electromagnetic radiation field increase we need to know what the current radiation levels are and how much the proposed wi-fi will add.

In some neighborhoods it could add as much as 100X radiation!

Bioinitiative.org calls for a new biology based safety standard from non-ionizing radio frequencies (cell towers, cell phones, microwaves, wi-fi). The London Resolution, issued November 27, 2007 calls for NO wi-fi in homes, schools and public places. The radiation levels in the plaza are already many times over the safety standard. The health implications of increasing our exposure are unacceptable.

At the end of the day, we must all accept that our world has become forever changed by the advance of technology.  The key will be focusing on a solution.

For instance, magnet beds have been proven to recharge the body’s cellular electric charge, and promote the balance of pH in the blood, thereby reducing the risk of the horrible consequences of EMF’s pollution.

As early as 1990 doctors and scientists were writing about the benefit of magnet therapy.

In “Biomagnetic Handbook: A Guide to Medical Magnets, The Energy Medicine of Tomorrow” by Dr. William Philpott and Sharon Tauplin, a negative facing magnet has incredible curative benefits including: oxygenating tissue, fights infection, reduces fluid retention, encourages deep sleep, supports biological healing, reduces inflammation, promotes mental acuity and a host of other benefits. (WARNING: The positive facing magnets have the opposite effect.)

Another immediate solution for cell phone damage is to use a plastic ear-piece as much as possible.

In closing, the EMF pollution is a global concern, and is certainly deserving of our full attention as earth’s guardians.  Education, activism and careful safeguards at home will all help to minimize potential damage, and hopefully, to create a better world in the future.