EMF- The Overlooked Environmental Toxin & What You Can Do About It

I love all things healthy home. Whether it’s how I cook and store food or how I tidy up, I have developed diligence over the years as I’ve uncovered the health impacts certain habits and products can have.

I haven’t always lived this way. I’ve microwaved food in Styrofoam in the past… (Yup. Don’t do this. Ever.) Thank goodness a new day and a new dawn have shed new light on how I care for myself, my family, and my home. (By the way, if you haven’t signed up for the Uplifting Spaces Healthy Home Calendar, you can do that here.)

As I’ve continued my journey, I’ve uncovered an insane amount of information about something we live with every day. I like to call it the “overlooked” environmental toxin – electromagnetic frequencies, or EMFs.

What is EMF and why should you care?

“EMF” is a catch-all term for 3 separate and distinct things – electric fields, magnetic fields, and high-frequency radiation.

Bottom line, we are electric. It’s how our hearts beat and our muscles and brains function. There is mounting research that connects electric and magnetic field exposure and high-frequency radiation to a variety of health conditions, including anxiety, depression, insomnia, fatigue, fertility issues, cardiovascular issues, Alzheimer’s, and even certain cancers like blood, brain, and breast.

Therefore, understanding how our bodies interact with the EMFs in our environments and what we can do about it is very important.

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The electromagnetic spectrum consists of energy (radiation) and how these waves of energy travel. Think waves like ripples from throwing a stone into a still pond.

On the low end of this spectrum are radio waves. They bring us the Top 40 countdown with Casey Kasem. Not so bad, right?

As these waves increase in their frequency (number of waves per second), that radio signal turns into your microwave oven, TV remote, the visible colors and light we see, the X-rays we get at the doctor’s office, and ultimately Gamma rays.

Honestly, I can’t explain this much better than NASA, so I highly recommend this 5-minute video on the topic.

Electric Fields

Electric fields exist anywhere you find electricity. They emanate from our walls, appliances, and from anything with a battery or power cord (even when plugged in and turned off!).

Electric fields are in love with the ground. They are constantly looking to connect with the ground. And, because of the way our bodies are, we provide the perfect path. It’s not shocking that electricity will always “swipe right” for us. Actually, it is shocking… (pun intended).

Anyway, unless the source of electricity is both grounded and shielded, little “hairs” of electricity are constantly attaching to and flowing through our bodies, especially when we are inside a building with electricity.

You can:

• Unplug appliances when not in use, or use an outlet switch.
• Ground everything with a 3-prong adaptor.
• Have your body voltage measured in working and sleeping areas (Body voltage – a way to measure how much electricity is in your body)

Magnetic Fields

Magnetic fields are both natural and man-made. One key man-made source is above-ground power lines.

Magnetic fields form around electrical wires. These fields flow in a circular path based on the direction of the electrical current in the wire. In appliances and most homes, these fields cancel each other out due to the way they are wired.

Above-ground power lines are different. The lines carrying the current are far enough apart that the large circles of magnetic fields don’t cancel one another. As such, they pass into and through homes and buildings that are close by.

Magnetic fields cannot be blocked like electric fields. Therefore, it is important to understand if and where magnetic fields enter the home.

You can:

• Avoid sleeping in rooms next to above ground power lines.
• Have your home tested for the presence of magnetic fields occurring from electrical wiring errors, appliances, and especially if you have overhead power lines  or large transformer boxes on or close to your property.

High Frequency Radiation

High frequency (HF) radiation is precisely that – energy “waves” that repeat rapidly every second (frequency).

Common everyday sources of HF radiation include WIFI, cellular towers (4G and 5G), cellular phones, cordless phones, baby monitors, everything Bluetooth, smart gadgets and appliances, wearable tech, smart meters, and microwave ovens.

Most of us, myself included, have been early and fast adopters of all things tech. (I’ve really pumped the brakes on tech at this point.) However, we are starting to see more and more research presenting the negative health effects that HF can have on the human body.

You can:

• Turn off WIFI and Bluetooth on your cell phones, tablets, and computers unless you are actually using WIFI or Bluetooth.
• Keep your cell phone on airplane mode unless you actually need it, especially if it’s on or near your body.
• Forward your calls to a landline and turn off your cell phone while at home.
• Skip the 5G upgrade. Newer 5G cell towers only emit on-demand (at this time) so if  there are no 5G devices in your home, the high frequency component of the 5G tower stays “asleep”.
• Avoid wearable tech, especially with children (i.e. Bluetooth pacifiers, diapers, bottles, etc.)
• Connect to the internet through ethernet instead of WIFI. Things that are stationary like TVs, computers, and Sonos systems don’t “need” WIFI because they aren’t moved. Ethernet can suffice.
• Have your home tested for sources of HF and implement suggested changes.

Fantastic. Now what?

Luckily, most everything referenced here can be measured and potentially remediated by me (click HERE for my services) or a Building Biologist in your area.

If you choose to focus on one area of your home, I recommend your sleeping room. The body’s ability to heal during sleep is of utmost importance. Therefore, paying special attention to sleeping rooms is key.

For a few quick wins, you can:

• Unplug your WIFI router at night, or plug it into a timer that shuts off during sleeping hours.
• Keep all tech, wearables, cell phones, laptops, TVs, and other electronics off your body and out of the bedroom.
• Try sleeping with your bedroom breakers off at night for one week. If the head of your bed is on a wall of an adjoining room, shut the power off there, too (unless there is a refrigerator or freezer present). 

Please note, home breakers aren’t meant to switch on and off with frequency, so please do so with caution. I can offer you permanent solutions that can be implemented to conveniently and safely turn power on and off.

At a minimum, I recommend having your body voltage measured in your sleeping room. I can do this for you or consult with you on how to do this for yourself. To learn more about this or anything else mentioned, schedule complimentary time on my calendar here.

Until next time…