February 24, 2013.  The following is an open letter I sent on February 15, 2013 to Tony Pontes (Director of Education) and Janet McDougald (Chair of Trustees) at the Peel District School Board, the second largest School Board in Ontario.

February 15, 2013, Magda Havas wrote:

Tony Pontes and Janet McDougald

I write to you because I am convinced Wi-Fi technology is harmful and should not be introduced into the classroom. I know that my opinion may not mean very much to you as it is contrary to what Health Canada says, however, I have been studying environmental toxins since 1975 and, based on my many years of research in this broad area, I believe that we are making a serious mistake that will be much more harmful than asbestos in the classroom ever was. I do not make this statement lightly.

It is my understanding that the PDSB, like many other school boards across Canada, is considering Wi-Fi technology as the primary source of Internet access. Please read the attached letter regarding Wi-Fi and microwave radiation in the classroom before you make any firm decisions about deployment of this technology.

My original research was on acid rain and we were able to bring in clean air legislation despite federal government scientists making claims that there was no such thing as acid rain. The same is happening today with radiation from wireless technology. It takes decades before the science is translated into policy when it comes to environmental toxins.

A strong lobby is trying to sell as many Wi-Fi routers to schools as possible because it is a lucrative business for the manufacturers and distributors. I guarantee that if the PDSB goes ahead and installs Wi-Fi routers many students and teachers are going to become ill. I know this because I work with people who have developed a sensitivity to this radiation. I’m currently doing research on how to diagnose and treat people who have developed electrosensitivity and I provide training sessions and lecture to doctors, workplace safety officers, as well as the general public.

Please do not disregard the teachers and parents who are expressing concern about their children being exposed to microwaves in the classroom. Please do not blindly assume Health Canada is correct on this issue as they have been wrong many times before.

If you wish to discuss any of the science regarding the health effects of microwave radiation at levels that are common in schools with Wi-Fi, I’m at your service. Please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

-magda havas

What follows is the pdf that I attached to the email.  Click here to download pdf to the Peel District School Board.

For those who would like to send an open letter to their School Boards, a generic open letter regarding Wi-Fi in schools is attached for you to use.  Click here to download the generic pdf regarding Wi-Fi in schools.

This is an issue that affects students and teachers and those who work in a school environment no matter where they live.

June 22, 2012.  Earlier this year (March 2012), the Austrian Medical Association released a very important document: Guideline of the Austrian Medical Association for the diagnosis and treatment of EMF related health problems and illnesses (EMF syndrome).  Consensus paper of the Austrian Medical Association’s EMF Working Group (AG-EMF).  Click here for pdf.

If you think you are responding adversely to electromagnetic radiation, it is important that you share this document with your doctor/health care professional.  EHS is an emerging illness that has not been taught in most medical schools, especially in North America.  However, it is increasing at an alarming rate and now children as well as adults are adversely affected by this radiation.

According to Hallberg and Oberfeld (2006) the prevalence of EHS is increasing and by 2017, 50% of the population is likely to be electrically hypersensitive.

I take a fairly conservative view that perhaps 3% of the population have severe symptoms and that 35% of the population have mild to moderate symptoms.  Based on these estimates, the number of people already affected is staggering and continues to increase.  See table below.

Below are excerpts from the Austrian Medical Association document Guideline.

There has been a sharp rise in unspecific, often stress-associated health problems that increasingly present physicians with the challenge of complex differential diagnosis. A cause that has been accorded little attention so far is increasing electrosmog exposure at home, at work and during leisure activities, occurring in addition to chronic stress in personal and working life. It correlates with an overall situation of chronic stress that can lead to burnout. [page 1]

…

Physicians are often confronted with unspecific complaints without clearly identifiable causes (Huss and Roosli 2006). It has been suspected that environmental conditions such as increasing exposure of the population to radio waves, emanating e.g. from cordless phones, mobile phone base stations, cell phones, GPRS, UMTS, data cards for laptop and notebook computers and wireless LAN (WLAN), but also exposure to electric and magnetic fields emanating from power lines, devices and equipment, may play a causal role (Blake Levitt and Lai 2010). For the medical profession, this raises new challenges in diagnosis and treatment. A central issue for the causal attribution of symptoms is the assessment of variation in health problems depending on time and location, which is particularly relevant for environmental causes such as EMF exposure. [page 1]

…

In Austria, there are no democratically legitimized limits to protect the general population from EMF exposure. The recommendations of the WHO, compiled by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP 1998), are based on a thermal model. These recommendations were adopted by the EU in its Council Recommendation of 1999  . . . without taking into account long-term non-thermal effects. [page 2]

…

Based on the scientific literature on interactions of EMF with biological systems, several mechanisms of interaction are possible. A plausible mechanism at the intracellular and intercellular level, for instance, is interaction via the formation of free radicals or oxidative and nitrosative stress . . . It centres on the increased formation of peroxynitrite (ONOO-) from a reaction of nitrogen monoxide (NO) with superoxide (O2-). Due to its relatively long half-life, peroxynitrite damages a large number of essential metabolic processes and cell components. [page 3]

This approach can serve as a plausible explanation of many of the health problems, symptoms and their progression observed in the context of EMF exposure. There are increasing indications that EMF syndrome (EMFS) should be counted among multisystem disorders (Pall 2007) such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), fibromyalgia (FM) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). [page 3]

…

How to proceed if EMF-related health problems are suspected [page 4]

The recommended approach to diagnosis and treatment is intended as an aid and should, of course, be modified as each individual case requires.

1. History of health problems and EMF exposure [patient questionnaire]
2. Examination and findings [laboratory testing of blood, urine, HRV, etc]
3. Measurement of EMF exposure
4. Prevention or reduction of EMF exposure
5. Diagnosis
6. Treatment

…

For more information, refer to the AMA 2012 guidelines (link provided above).

June 13, 2012.  For years doctors at Women’s College Hospital, in the heart of Toronto, have been diagnosing patients with environmental sensitivities that include multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EMS). They have a long waiting list and if you sign up it will take 9 months to a year before a doctor has time to see you.

April 2012.  Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway, former Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and now a member of The Elders—an independent group of global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela—gave the keynote presentation on Thursday April 19, 2012 on the occasion of the Opening for the new School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo.

Dr. Brundtland spoke about her training and experience as a physician, in public health, as a Minister of the Environment and later as the first female Prime Minister of Norway and as the head of the WHO. She talked about problems with global health issues including the SARS epidemic and how health authorities and governments around the world put aside their differences and came together quickly to avert a potential global disaster.  She spoke about malaria, AIDS, water quality issues, childhood poverty and other illness associated primarily with developing countries.

During her presentation, Dr. Brundtland’s cell phone rang.  She paused the presentation and removed her phone from her purse to check to see who was calling. She told us the call was from Oslo and that she would tell us more about it at the reception.  She held up the phone and said that it was a Blackberry and acknowledged that the phone was invented at Waterloo, the city where she was giving her talk. She then placed her Blackberry on the podium and continued her presentation.

Dr. Brundtland’s response to her cell phone was most unusual, especially after repeated requests–prior to her presentation–for everyone to turn their cell phone off.  Few speakers would take the trouble to find their phone, draw attention to the caller and the manufacturer’s relationship with the university.  Some members of the audience believe the cell phone call was staged

At the end of Dr. Brundtland’s talk, the moderator said we had time for 5 questions from the audience. The first question was about arsenic problems in Bangladesh.

I raised my hand and asked the second question.

“Dr. Brundtland, my name is Magda Havas and I’m a professor at Trent University. I work with people who have electrohypersensitivity. In this age of growing exposure to wireless technology and constantly increasing levels of exposure to radiofrequency radiation, what advice do you have for the University of Waterloo and for the rest of Canada and for those who are or will become electrohypersensitive.”

She paused for a few moments and then went on to explain a health issue that has caused a lot of controversy in her life.

Dr. Brundtland said, “Based on your question, I assume you know that I am electrically sensitive. I never place a mobile phone next to my head because in one second I would develop a bad headache. I use the phone in speaker mode,” and she demonstrated with her cell phone, holding it away from her head.

“I answered truthfully to media regarding my sensitivity to mobile phones. My story was written up in a Norwegian paper,”

She cautioned about the overuse of cell phones and went on to explain how she became allergic to microwave radiation.

”Let me tell you how I became electrically sensitive.  In my case, it was an accident with a microwave oven. While making lunch for my husband and myself, I placed some food in the microwave oven on a plate that had blue flowers. The plate began to spark, and foolishly, I went closer to have a look.  My eyes were damaged and I was blinded for one year.  I still have poor eyesight. It turned out that the flowers were made of cobalt blue paint and we know not to put metal into a microwave oven. This happened only two months after I become Director-General of the World Health Organization. I had researched before putting a microwave oven in my home and had convinced myself that it would not be dangerous—which was not correct.

From that incident I became electrically sensitive. I have been heavily criticized as scaring people from using cell phones because I told the truth about my illness.

This is important. We are exposed to different technologies of a new nature. I am frustrated that I was unable to sound the alarm fully.  A sentence in an instruction book—where you do not explain the danger of radiofrequency—is not good public health and consumer policy.  I became electrically sensitive and have been criticized because I can scare the public.  We know they are not inert and there are potential consequences. People who have electrical sensitivity show that we do take some risk.  Until we know more, we cannot say this is no problem.”

In the end, Dr. Brundtland said that people who say they are electrically sensitive are not taken seriously. Her final words to the audience were, “Let your children have a mobile phone all day? NO!”

Those of us in the audience, who were familiar with her background, appreciated her honesty. The question period was terminated.

The entire session was videotaped but it is unlikely that her answer will appear because Waterloo is the birthplace for RIM (Research In Motion)—the inventor of the BlackBerry and a key player in wireless technology.  Indeed, Dr. Brundtland’s honest response was probably a wee bit embarrassing to this high-tech university.

The press, who were there during her presentation and interviewed her afterwards, did not give any information about her answers after her presentation.

At the reception following her speech, in a private conversation Dr. Brundtland asked one of the attendees how he became electrohypersensitive (EHS).  They discussed how the environment needs to be modified to reduce electrosmog exposure in order to protect health.  They also discussed how difficult it is to make these modifications due to logistics, costs, and lack of understanding within the public health arena

Ever since “Our Common Future” (commonly referred to as the Brundtland report on sustainable development) was published, I have been an admirer of this remarkable woman who is not afraid to speak the truth, knowing that people like Michael Repacholi will attack her no matter what she says.

Indeed, the personal attacks resumed several weeks ago and seem totally unprovoked.  I wonder why Repacholi feels it is necessary to criticize his former boss?  Expect he is still protecting his friends in the telecom industry, which is what he did when he worked for the WHO.

I recall attending a meeting that Dr. Repacholi organized at the University of Ottawa quite a few years ago. It was attended by a small group of people from the federal government, industry representatives and experts mostly from Canada.

Repacholi stated that he was disappointed that countries were not following WHO’s lead in establishing radiofrequency radiation (RFR) guidelines. He said that different guidelines just lead to confusion and risk for the credibility of the WHO.  I stood up and said that countries would follow the WHO but the WHO is failing to lead.

Later Repacholi asked how we could prevent lawsuits against the cell phone industry. This question was most revealing. It was obvious that his concern was for the welfare of the telecom industry rather than the health and welfare of the world’s population.

I believe that Dr. Repacholi was once a good scientist but something happened along the road to the WHO.  Some lose their way and some, like Dr. Brundtland, become Elders—the wise among us—who are here to reduce pain and suffering and to bring social justice to the forefront of decision-making.

Her statement on the Elders is that:  We are individuals who are speaking without any outside pressures.  In that context we can create the potential for change.

We need more people like her.

If Gandhi were still alive, he would be a member of The Elders.  Here is one of Gandhi’s quotes that fit the Brundtland/Repacholi situation.

“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win”–Mahatma Gandhi.

Thank you Dr. Brundtland for your honesty.

_____

Note the “direct quotes” are drawn from memory and are not necessary verbatim.

Dr. Magda Havas is Associate Professor of Environmental and Resource Studies at Trent University (Canada) and she teaches and does research on the biological and health effects of electromagnetic energy.

January  23, 2012.  In October 2011, Moses Znaimer, President of Zoomer Media,  invited me to give a talk at the Zoomer Life Conference in Toronto. Below is short video  based on that presentation.

In this video I present information about the harmful effects of electrosmog and the beneficial effects of devices that generate pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF).  In Europe these PEMF devices are much more popular than they are in North America.  They are used to treat pain, to enhance healing of bone fractures, to treat depression and other psychological disorders, to promote circulation and functioning of the immune system.

In order to better understand how electromagnetic energy affects living organisms, it is important to consider a broad range of exposures and both the harmful and beneficial effects documented in the literature.

Fortunately we have some excellent doctors, scientists, and engineers who have been working with PEMFs for decades and who are willing to share their understanding of this technology.  The work of Dr. Rainer Klopp in Germany is particularly enlightening and is mentioned in the video, as is the work of Dr. Thomas Rau at the Swiss Paracelsus Clinic, Dr. Jeff Daskalakis at the University of Toronto, Dr. Jeff Marrongelle at the  Bioenergimed Metabolic Institute in Pennsylvania, and Dr. Roland Drolet in Quebec.  The devices mentioned in this video include those that promote bone healing; transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression; Rhumart for rheumatism and arthritis; and iMRS and BEMER for a host of symptoms.  Many devices are now available and I expect these devices will become more popular here in North America as well.

Various shielding products to reduce electrosmog exposure are also mentioned in this video.

Please note that our research in the area of PEMF is at an early stage. Inclusion of a product in this video does not necessarily imply endorsement.

Click here to watch Dr Oz on PEMF Therapy and Pain Relief.

January 7, 2012.  In 2010, we published a paper that showed radiation from a cordless phone at 2.4 GHz affects the heart. Click here for a copy of that publication and here to watch the youtube video.

We heard from many people who acknowledged that they experience heart palpitations in certain environments and are unable to use mobile phones and be near cell phone antennas and Wi-Fi routers.  We also learned that some students in schools with Wi-Fi experience a racing heart. Cardiologist, Dr. Stephen Sinatra, believes that those who have undiagnosed heart conditions may be particularly vulnerable to radio frequency radiation.

In the past we were concerned about the radiation from a microwave oven affecting heart monitors.  Those heart monitors have been improved and are now shielded against radio frequency radiation. Our hearts are NOT shielded and our exposure to radio frequency radiation includes not only microwave ovens but mobile phones, cell phone antennas, wireless routers, smart meters, wireless computer games, blue tooth, and wireless baby monitors.

Our study was criticized and the claim was made that our results were due to electromagnetic interference (EMI).

EMI refers to disruption of an electronic circuit with an electromagnetic signal. A common example is the static you hear as you drive under high voltage transmission lines with your radio tuned to an AM station.  The static on the radio is EMI.

In our experiment the radiation from the cordless phone may have affected the receiver, placed near the heart, creating spurious results.  If this were the case, the signal would interfere each time but that did not happen. We were convinced our results were real (i.e. that we were recording changes in the heart rather than changes in the equipment)  but the criticism of EMI was worth testing.

Was there a critical distance where the radiation from the cordless phone interfered with the equipment we were using?

So we designed an experiment to test for EMI.  The results are in our new video.  Click here to watch the video.

NOTE:  There is an error in our previous video (2010).  We refer to the cordless phone as a DECT phone.  Technically DECT phones radiate between 1880 and 1930 MHz and the phone we used provides a signal at 2400 MHz.  We do have DECT phones in North America but they operate at a different frequency than those in Europe.  DECT 6.0 phones in U.S. and Canada operate at 1.9 GHz.

January 5, 2012.  With growing concern about climate change, the carbon budget, depletion of fossil fuels, air pollution from dirty coal, radiation from nuclear power plants, and the need for a secure energy supply, more attention and funding are being diverted to renewable energy. Among the various types of renewable energy, wind has received a lot of attention, in part, due to opposition from communities earmarked for wind turbines and from communities that have experienced wind turbines firsthand.

Some people who live near wind turbines report difficulty sleeping and various symptoms of ill health and attribute these problems to noise and shadow flicker—two elements they can perceive. Indeed the U.S. National Research Council (Risser et al., 2007) identify noise and shadow flicker as the two key impacts of wind turbines on human health and well-being.

However, it is much more complicated then that.  In addition to noise and shadow flicker, infra-sound (low frequency vibrations that we cannot hear), dirty electricity, and ground current can all contribute to ill health near wind turbines.  Since sensitivity to sound vibrations and electromagnetic waves varies from person to person, not everyone in the same home responds the same way.

With a growing interest in renewable forms of energy, the technology has to be not only energy efficient but also human friendly.

A paper on wind turbines by Magda Havas and David Colling’s  has just been published.   Abstract is below.  For a copy of the paper click here.

December 4, 2011. A growing number of schools are having wireless routers installed across North America despite the fact that many of these schools already have ethernet connections and students are able to access the internet.

I have been asked to give lectures on this topic to many different groups. For those who would like information about Wi-Fi in schools and whether or not it is safe, please watch this video. Click here for video and here for pdf.

Some students, in schools with Wi-Fi, are complaining about ill health that includes headaches, dizziness, nausea, weakness and heart palpitations. Exposure in one school has exceeded Health Canada’s Safety Code 6 guideline but no one in Municipal, Provincial or Federal Health Departments/Ministries is responding.

Teachers concerned about exposure are told to keep quiet and not to speak publicly against School Board Policy.

Parents don’t know if their children are attending schools that have wireless routers as they have NOT been consulted about this and are NOT required to give consent for their children to be exposed to microwave radiation.

Some School Boards are measuring the microwave radiation in the classroom but the measurements are deeply flawed as those doing the monitoring are unqualified and are taking measurements inappropriately. The routers in some schools are hidden behind ceiling tiles and the technicians don’t know where these are.

We are heading for a health tsunami if we expose young children to pulsed microwave radiation generated by Wi-Fi routers in the classroom for the duration of their school education.

The World Health Organization in May 2011 classified this form of radiation as a possible human carcinogen, but this has not affected School Board policy. They can’t get Wi-Fi into schools fast enough.

Those of us who have been studying this issue for decades are perplexed that those responsible for the education of the next generation are so out of touch with reality and are so irresponsible in the decisions they are making that will affect the lives of many young people and their teachers. They are undemocratic in their conduct and, when all else fails, they resort to bullying tactics.  Are these the type of people we want making policy decisions and educating our children and grandchildren?

If you care about the health of students and their teachers, please watch and share this video.  Click here to watch video and click here if your prefer to read it as a pdf.

For more information about Wi-Fi in schools, visit the following websites:

www.safeschool.ca
www.citizensforsafetechnology.org
www.centerforsaferwireless.org
www.emfeffectsonkids.com
www.wiredchild.org

December 5, 2011. Dr. Oz recently aired a special show on the pain-relieving effects of pulsed electromagnetic  field (PEMF) therapy that sent shock ways across North America.  According to the experts, people can get relief from chronic pain without pills and without surgery.

PEMF technology has been around for decades and has been used to heal bone fractures, treat psychological disorders like depression, reduce swelling and pain, promote blood circulation, and stimulate the immune system. Doctors, psychiatrists, chiropractors, naturopaths, and veterinarians use PEMF devices in their practice.  Often this equipment is large, expensive and quite powerful. These devices include the Diapulse, Magnapulse, Magnacharge, Ondamed, Pulsed Energy Replenisher 2000, and various devices for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.  Today, different types of PEMF devices are available for the public to use in the privacy of their own home.

I’m not referring to TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) but rather to mats, pads, probes, cylinders, and rings that generate magnetic fields that are pulsed using different waveforms at various frequencies and intensities.  The products, available to the public, are pulsed at low frequencies (not microwave frequencies) and are relatively easy to use.

The PEMF devices tend to use earth frequencies known as Tesla-Shumann resonance (around 8 Hz) and their harmonics (multiples of the 8 Hz frequency) that are believed to have healing properties.

NASA has been testing the effect of PEMF as a countermeasure for bone loss and muscular degeneration encountered by astronauts on long space missions.  NASA scientists have  a patent for a device that uses square wave magnetic fields to enhance the rate of healing of mammalian body parts. Click here for patent information.

A few years ago, I became interested in these devices and purchased an MRS 2000 system from Switzerland, a BEMER  from Lichtenstein; and a Rhumart from Quebec with the aim of testing them to see if the claims manufacturers made were valid, and if people who are electrically sensitive can use them.

As a scientist who has been interested in the harmful effects of electromagnetic energy, I believe it is important to understand the beneficial effects of this energy as well.  Ultimately these two avenues can help us better understand the mechanisms of action of electromagnetic fields, which in turn, can be put to good use both in the field of health and in the field of exposure guidelines.

My studies are still in their infancy but I will share some of what I have learned so far.

Blood Cells & the MRS 2000

One of the claims made by those who sell the MRS 2000 or the iMRS (Intelligent Magnetic Resonance Stimulation) system is that this technology helps blood circulation by keeping blood cells from sticking together.   I wanted to know if this claim was true, so I tested myself.

I did a live blood analysis after I worked on a computer. Then tested my blood after using the MRS 2000 mat for 8 minutes on a sensitive setting (low intensity) and found–to my surprise–that my blood cells looked much healthier. They were no longer sticking together.  See slides 1 and 2 below.  I repeated this several times and found virtually identical results.  This was encouraging.

Figure 1.  Photographs of a live blood sample before (slide 1) and after (slide 2) an MRS 2000 treatment.

Because my blood looked so unhealthy after working on a computer I did some more testing, which showed that my blood becomes clumped after I am exposed to electrosmog from computers and cordless phones.  Fortunately the “clumping” doesn’t last long once I remove myself from the radiation. Click here for video.

One night I bashed my shin against some furniture and knew that in the morning I would have a large bruise.  The skin was cut but not bleeding.  I used the MRS 2000 probe set at high for 8 minutes and went to bed.  The next morning there was no bruise, no swelling, and no pain, just the remnants of the cut.

Microcirculation of the Blood and the BEMER 3000

Dr. Klopp, at the Institute for Microcirculation in Germany, tested the effect of the BEMER 3000 (Bio-Electro-Magnetric Energy Resonance) and took some amazing in situ videos.  He found that blood circulation after using the BEMER is much improved as seen in the video below.

He also found that white blood cells behave differently.  Instead of flowing quickly through the vessels, they seem to move more slowly along the inside of the blood vessel and from there can easily migrate into the tissue if an infection is detected. What these two videos indicate is that the BEMER promotes blood circulation and the immune system.

Pain Relief and Rhumart

A few months ago, I visited a colleague, Dr. Jeff Marrongelle, in Pennsylvania and showed him the Rhumart, a device designed by Dr. Roland Drolet in Quebec that is named after the first two illness it was tested on–rheumatism and arthritis.  Dr. Marrongelle tested the Rhumart on several patients, all of whom responded positively after a short treatment.

Here is the result for Patient A, who complained of chronic back pain.

Two large rings were used that treat the entire body.  After a 10-minute session on the Rhumart, Patient A claimed to have an 80% reduction in back pain.

We tested this patent before and after his Rhumart treatment with an interstitial scan (ES Teck) that identifies abnormalities in the body based on the conductivity and resistance to a weak direct current.  The following two diagrams show the before and after scans.

It is clear that the inflammation of the nerves along parts of his spinal cord (shown in red) disappeared after the 10-minute treatment giving us an objective measure of the subjective pain relief Patient A experienced. Two weeks later the pain had not returned.  Such a rapid, long-lasting response to chronic pain is amazing! 

Issues and Concerns

One concern is that there might be adverse long-term effects of PEMF devices. To date, I have not found any studies documenting this for PEMF although I am still at the early stages of my inquiry.   If anyone reading this knows of some studies, then please let me know.

Some doctors recommend that PEMFs not be used on people who have cancer because they may stimulate the growth of cancer cells, while others report that PEMF therapy lessens the side-effects and enhances the effectiveness of chemotherapeutic drugs.  And still others report that growth of certain types of  cancer cells may be reduced with exposure to very low levels of electromagnetic fields modulated at tumor specific frequencies between 100 Hz and 21 kHz.  This type of treatment has been tested on liver cancer, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer with promising results. So, the relationship between PEMFs and cancer is quite complex and needs further investigation.

Some people who are electrically sensitive are unable to use the devices but others seem to do quite well.  The reason for this is not known and requires further study.

I will continue to do research in this area and will provide updates periodically on this website. My research has taken me to Europe and parts of North America where physicians are using this technology in their clinics. We plan to provide that information to the public in the form of a video documentary in 2012.

Thank you Dr. Oz for making people aware of this technology.  Perhaps doctors using these device in their clinics and scientists testing the mechanism involved will begin to share their results with people suffering from chronic pain, poor circulation, immune deficiencies and other ailments that might be helped with PEMF therapy.  Energy medicine, in its various forms, may very well be the medicine of the future.

*****

Disclaimer:  I do not sell these devices and do not receive any financial benefit from the manufacturers.  My sole interest is to better understand how PEMFs affect the body and to share that information with those who are interested.

October 25, 2011.  Open Letter to the Honourable Aglukkaq (Federal Minister of Health) and Ms Pieterson (Director General,  Environmental and Radiation Health Sciences Directorate)

Dear Honourable Aglukkaq and Ms Pieterson,

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my letter, dated October 8, 2011.

It seems that we disagree on many issues related to the health effects of radio frequency (RF) radiation.  But we are making progress.  We agree on the following three points, that:

(1)  proximity–how close the transmitter is to the body;
(2)  duration of exposure; and
(3)  age (hence sensitivity) of the person exposed

are all important when it comes to the amount of  RF radiation absorbed by the human body.

I come to this conclusion based on information you provided in your October 24, 2011 letter (see below) and based on the statement from the October 4^th 2011 document entitled, “Health Canada offers practical advice on safe cell phone use: regarding cell phone use.” Click here for pdf.

In the Oct 24^th letter Ms Pieterson stated:

Unlike cellular phones, where the transmitter is held close to the head and much of the absorbed RF energy is deposited in a localized area, RF energy from wireless devices such as Wi-Fi is typically transmitted at a greater distance from the human body [indicating that proximity is important].

In the October 4, 2011 document, Health Canada stated the following:

The department also encourages parents to reduce their children’s RF exposure from cell phones since children are typically more sensitive to a variety of environmental agents [indicating that age/sensitivity of person exposed is important].

The advice to consumers was:

• Limit the length of cell phone calls
• Replace cell phone calls with text messages or use “hands-free” devices
• Encourage children under the age of 18 to limit their cell phone usage [indicating that age and duration of exposure are important]

By the way, activists have been advocating this for years.  Even cell phone manufacturers recommend keeping the phone away from the body.  However, I digress.

Surely what applies to cell phones also applies to wireless baby monitors!

A wireless baby monitor consists of two parts, the part that is placed near the infant or child and the part that is kept with the caregiver. The most popular baby monitors in North America use DECT technology (1.8 to 1.9 GHz) or operate at 2.4 GHz, the same frequency used for microwave ovens, cordless phones, and Wi-Fi routers.  These DECT baby monitors–just like the DECT cordless phones and Wi-Fi routers–constantly emit RF radiation. This includes both the transmitter near the infant and the transmitter with the caregiver.

Let’s look at the first important factor that affects absorption–proximity to the body.