The purpose of this article is to highlight how wireless radiation affects our physiology, and document some of the indisputable health effects.

Confusion on whether cellphones harm us or not is rampant. This is partly because the vested interests are powerful, and partly because of a fundamental ignorance of both the physical and health sciences related to this problem. The current paradigm is built on flawed assumptions, lacking both the integral knowledge of electromagnetic radiation and the true magic and mystery of life.

The telecommunications industry is using the standard playbook of denying the science and obfuscating it with their own funded studies – just like the tobacco, pharmaceutical, and agribusiness industries have done. The studies that downplay the effects get touted in the media. When peer-reviewed research demonstrates clear correlations to cancer, the reporting insists they are ‘not relevant’ to human exposures. The money and the strategic importance of the next generation of wireless – 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) – to nearly every industry and government means this situation will continue. Large and powerful interests couple with the massive telecommunications industry to ultimately undermine our health and futures by delaying the inevitable awareness that wireless radiation harms us in significant ways.

Cellphones and Wi-Fi routers are ubiquitous in our modern age. The skyline is littered with cell towers. Everyone has a smartphone. Teenagers consider it a right. Parents placate their youngest children with a phone or tablet. We are amused and distracted. We are addicted. The 21st century is defined by the cellular phone and yet this has happened in very short time. We assume safety because everyone is doing it and most of the press and government advice says there’s nothing to worry about. Yet, we are all getting sicker each passing year and the trends of nearly every disease or disorder are worsening. How much do we really know about the health effects of our new found obsession? Worse, what is happening to the children who are plugged in at younger and younger ages, when their brains and bodies are first being molded?

Most are surprised to learn there are a host of health issues already proven. While the epidemiological studies fret about whether cellphones cause cancer, the evidence of physiological disruptions and degrading effects continues to mount. This article focuses on the key health effects we need to be aware of. These are known and proven by volumes of peer-reviewed studies. Only with awareness can we protect ourselves and our families, and push for a better way to communicate.

Electromagnetic Radiation Basics

Radiation is just energy moving through space in some medium, in our case, the human body. Electromagnetic (EM) radiation is the basis for not only the modern world and all our technology, but also the functioning of all known life.

Classically, electromagnetic radiation is composed of two parts, each moving through space as a waveform, coupled to the other. One is electric and the other magnetic. We describe these two parts with wave equations, defined basically by their wavelength, frequency, and amplitude. The frequency is how many waves cycle per second – up (+), down (-), and back – measured in Hertz (Hz). A frequency equates to a set length of wave, or how far the energy travels in each cycle. The typical cellphone transmits information at a frequency between 1 and 3GHz, or 1-3 billion cycles per second. This equates to a wavelength of around 12.5 centimeters (~5 inches). The infographic below demonstrates these concepts along with some other basic information regarding electromagnetic waves (click for larger view).

Your phone pushes electric current through the antenna and this radiates a characteristic electromagnetic field that is received elsewhere. The field extends through all space and through all cells in your body, but the intensity or strength of the field is reduced as it traverses distance and various mediums. So the key questions are: do these fields affect you physiologically, and if so, what are the effects? The first part is quite elementary.

Electric fields interact with surfaces, molecules, and atoms that are charged or polar. Charged molecules have a net electric charge, either positive or negative, because the balance between positive protons and negative electrons is unequal. As the source EM field oscillates between positive and negative polarities, the charged molecule responds. This is because like attracts like. The force on the particle flips back and forth as the electric field oscillates.

Polar molecules may have a net neutral charge, but they are asymmetrical structurally. This means they want to orient themselves in response to the field. Water is the best example – two hydrogen atoms on the ends with oxygen in the middle. In the rapidly oscillating electric field, it will flip back and forth billions of times per second, constantly realigning, and this generates forces, friction, and heat. This is how a microwave oven works using the same frequencies as our wireless devices.

Since we are mostly water and so many vital molecules to our physiological processes are charged, this means every tissue in our body responds to electromagnetic radiation. Cell membranes are polar surfaces. The sodium (K+) and potassium (Na+) pump fundamental to cellular homeostasis, and the calcium ions (Ca2+) flowing in every neuron and muscle twitch, are all charged. Besides water, other important polar molecules include nitric oxide (NO) and a variety of vitamins. The body is bioelectrical and the smallest charges and potentials influence every process. This cannot be overstated.

In addition to affecting charged and polar molecules, there are also resonances where frequencies and wavelengths match the natural modes of tissues. Then there are interferences with other sources of electromagnetic radiation that can sum to increase local intensity. Both lead to ‘hotspots’ and other ways in which electromagnetic radiation can interact with our physiology, though they are nuanced and impossible to study or predict accurately.

Very importantly, an electric field produces varying potentials in space. The varying potentials induce currents in our body – the flow of electrical energy through our own wiring and tissues. Studies show electrical currents are produced in the head and body in response to electromagnetic radiation, but the largest currents flow from torso to head, through our necks. These currents produce secondary electric fields and heat as they flow, influencing us in additional ways.

Finally, there are the magnetic fields to consider. Magnetic fields apply forces to magnetic particles, just as electric fields do to electrically charged ones. It turns out that the human brain is particularly vulnerable to electromagnetic radiation because it is full of extremely magnetic particles called magnetite. These subtle magnetic fields influence biochemistry in other ways too.

So this answers how electromagnetic radiation can affect our bodies and now we’ll focus on the consequences of these disruptions and the health effects from artificial electromagnetic frequencies.

Wireless Radiation Causes Oxidative Stress

Free-radicals are molecules with unpaired electrons (charged particles) that actively break the bonds of other molecules. They are produced by normal metabolism and in response to environmental pollutants like radiation, chemicals, toxins, solvents, drugs, and cigarette smoke. They are highly reactive and damage critical molecules such as DNA, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. Free-radicals attack nearly any molecule in the body, leading to cell damage, disruption of fundamental physiological processes, and DNA damage (and mutation).

The body counteracts them with antioxidants, which can prevent the formation of free-radicals, neutralize them, or help repair the damage they inflict. A number of enzymatic antioxidants are produced by the body and additionally, there are sources of external antioxidants we bring in mostly through eating plants. When there is a systemic imbalance in favor of free-radicals over antioxidants, the result is oxidative stress. It’s an equation. When free-radicals win, the body becomes depleted, and the oxidizing radicals degrade various systems. This stress is responsible for disease progression, aging, and cancer.

Electromagnetic radiation is a major source of free-radical production. This conclusion is unavoidable and has been shown in study after study. A number of free-radicals are stimulated by wireless EMF. Chronically, this depletes antioxidants in our body and induces oxidative stress. Research consistently documents free-radical production, antioxidant depletion, and cellular damage in EMF-exposed tissues. Proximity to cell towers and usage of cell phones is directly correlated. It has been demonstrated in vivo and in vitro, in adults, children, babies exposed in utero, rats, mice, and even earthworms.

Governments and industry still parrot the lie that there ‘is no known mechanism’ for electromagnetic radiation to degrade health, contribute to disease, and cause cancer by perpetuating the myth that non-ionizing radiation is harmless. But if EMF exposure produces an abundance of free-radicals that have the ability to cause or contribute to nearly every health issue, then there is one mechanism that is well established. The very basics of how we age and our cellular health is affected by the sea of invisible radiation pollution we cannot escape. Oxidative stress is involved in the development of autism, ADHD, diabetes, cancer, thyroid issues, heart disease, chronic infection and fatigue, anxiety and depression disorders, and all the neurological diseases of dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS. Some people may have better resistance, diets, genes, and general biochemical make-up, but compounding free-radical production will affect us all.

This means that wireless radiation degrades life – all life – as any chronic stress of free-radical production does. It is best understood as a diminishing factor on our quality of life. This increases proportionally with the continued trends of more phones, more towers, more and younger users, and the frightening, new generation of 5G devices that seems unstoppable. Minimizing exposure to electromagnetic radiation and maximizing the health, vitality, nutrient, and antioxidant defenses are the best ways to mitigate this threat.

Wireless Radiation Leads to Leaky Blood-Brain-Barriers

Another key health effect from wireless radiation is increased permeability of the Blood-Brain-Barrier (BBB). Studies have shown this since the middle of the last century. When our heads are exposed to wireless radiation, the cells separating our bloodstream from our brain tissues begin to leak. This barrier is comprised of specialized endothelial cells. Their function is to provide nutrients to the brain, while maintaining a tight-junction that prevents larger molecules from passing through. Exposed to EM radiation, however, these cells become inflamed and more permeable, especially in conjunction with a number of other causes and chemicals that do the same. This permits the passage of dangerous substances and leads to brain damage. See the animation below for a better understanding of how wireless radiation affects the blood-brain-barrier.

Vascular cells leak even at very low energy and power levels. With a cellphone up to our head, and for some time following, the capillaries fueling our brain leak toxins, pathogens, drugs, heavy metals, chemicals, and other normal substances found in blood. This causes brain damage and can lead to a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. Protect your health. Never put a cellphone to your head.

The takeaway is this: this kind of gradual brain damage may not have immediately apparent consequences, but in the long run, can result in reduced brain capacity and expedite other neuronal diseases, including dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and more.

Wireless Radiation Causes Cognitive Impairment

If you mix oxidative stress, leaky brains, and a few other nuanced effects, what you get is a wide range of cognitive impairment. This means impaired thinking, decision-making, memory, language, and more. It means too much wireless radiation makes us dumber, slower, and poorer in a variety of critical capacities. Does this sound too extreme? The research is clear. Worse, it shows significant effects in children and teenagers related to behavior, emotions, and learning. Here are some highlights from just a few of the studies. Find additional studies here: brain damage, nerve damage, cognitive impairment, emotional impairment, and behavioral, emotional, and learning impairment in children.

…revealing an impact on genes involved in critical biological processes, such as cell cycle, DNA replication and repair, cell death, cell signaling, nervous system development and function, immune system response, lipid metabolism, and carcinogenesis…This study provides preliminary evidence that mobile phone radiation induces hippocampal lipidome and transcriptome changes that may explain the brain proteome changes and memory deficits previously shown by our group.

Importantly, we found that RF-EMF exposure led to myelin sheath damage and mice displayed hyperactivity-like behavior.

In conclusion, the stereological and histological results of this study indicate that EMF has harmful effects on the hippocampus and cerebellum.

[Microwave] MW radiation is detrimental to brain energy metabolism… MW radiation leads to mitochondrial structural damage… MW radiation causes abnormal expression of the genes encoding the respiratory chain, resulting in brain energy metabolism disorders… MW radiation induces neural cell apoptosis… MW radiation can break mitochondrial DNA or change the expression of mitochondrial DNA…

The study clearly indicates that exposure of rats to microwave radiation of 2.45 GHz leads to detrimental changes in brain leading to lowering of learning and memory and expression of anxiety behavior in rats along with fall in brain antioxidant enzyme systems.

In summary, then, the mechanism of action of microwave EMFs, the role of the VGCCs in the brain, the impact of non-thermal EMFs on the brain, extensive epidemiological studies performed over the past 50 years, and five criteria testing for causality, all collectively show that various non-thermal microwave EMF exposures produce diverse neuropsychiatric effects.

Wireless Radiation Reduces Fertility

Oxidative stress affects all body systems, but seems to be highly detrimental to our reproductive organs. There are other factors that make wireless radiation particularly pernicious to our ability to procreate successfully and healthily. This fact alone should cause us to think twice. The studies are known and well-documented, especially in regard to wireless radiation’s effect on male fertility.

For men, countless research papers conclude wireless radiation decreases sperm count, motility, viability, normal morphology, and increases DNA fragmentation. This means there are less sperm of a lower quality able to swim well enough to fertilize an egg. Even those that arrive have more damaged DNA making the probability of successful fertilization even lower, and the possibility of heritable mutations higher. Sperm counts have decreased 50-60% in men over the last 40 years and there is no sign that this trend is slowing.

For women, the evidence documents altered reproductive functioning, including disruptions in the estrous cycle and endocrine hormones, reproductive organ weights, embryonic development and success of pregnancy. EMF’s have been linked to miscarriages and spontaneous abortions, reduced ovarian and uterine follicles, and increased levels of oxidative stress in reproductive organs.

There are also clear links to damaged germ cells and DNA, leading to heritable mutations passed to our children. All in all, the studies paint an alarming picture that we are threatening our future and most basic biological processes with our wireless obsession.

Wireless Radiation Synergizes With Other Toxins

One of the worst aspects of radiation is that it interacts with other toxins synergistically, increasing the detrimental effects. Radiation is a unique toxin because it has no boundary in biological systems. It can penetrate and interact with any molecule anywhere in the body. Other toxins may be bound to certain transport conditions within the body and unable to pass critical barriers, but wherever they are able to degrade our health, radiation is present to make their effects worse.

The key take-away here is that studies that just focus on radiation are ultimately insufficient. The test rat that has no heavy-metals, chemicals, or other toxins and does not represent the human biochemical make-up. We are drowning in a sea of toxins that radiation exposure exacerbates. Too much of the epidemiological focus is on single-cause and dose-dependent assumptions, and radiation is just not like this.

In addition to making the effects of toxins worse, there are also genetic and physiological make-up differences that lead some people to be more sensitive to the effects of electromagnetic radiation than others. The range of synergistic effects are unique to each person’s chemical, biological, and electrical make-up. We are all affected, but there are those that are the most susceptible too, and our work here always has that reality in mind. To them, the invisible pollution is terribly tragic and crippling.

Wireless Radiations Effects Are Cumulative

On the high-frequency end of the EM spectrum (ionizing radiation) of X-Rays and gamma-rays, it is a well-established fact that the cumulative amount of absorbed radiation is the most important factor in determining the health consequences. There are instantaneous effects, but the accumulation of radiation damage determines the chances of disease and cancer. Wireless radiation is no different. If there is free-radical production and disruptions of fundamental physiological processes, then their effects are only amplified with time and continued exposure.

Current safety standards for wireless devices only focus on the instantaneous absorption. They are concerned with field intensities that heat tissue to the point of damage, but the science shows this is not the whole picture. Your lifetime cumulative dose is critical. This is especially true for the youth who will have decades more exposure compared to adults who started using wireless technology later in life. Their cumulative doses will be astronomically higher, especially since the power and frequencies are only increasing. Most people fail to realize that the smartphone only arrived fifteen years ago, and most of us grew up without wireless devices or the blanket of radiation that surrounds us now.

Safety standards will likely never consider cumulative effects and so we must be aware ourselves, and do everything we can to reduce our exposure. Our bodies have an incredible capacity for healing, but decades of exposure depleting anti-oxidants and disrupting biochemical reactions adds up. We are now witnessing an increasing trend in the amount of people who are extremely sensitive to EM radiation. Some lived the wireless life normally without any issues for years until suddenly the balance was tipped inside them, and now the smallest exposure cripples them and prevents them from living a normal life. They are the warning for what lies ahead, and we must pay attention.

For older people, the bodies capacity to repair slows down and the other chronic stresses add up. Especially related to cognitive function, it becomes more difficult for the body to maintain optimal cognition and nerve fidelity. Decades of additional exposure to wireless radiation speeds up this deterioration. While epidemiological studies may not be able to point to EMF as the reason for neurological disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer’s, there is no doubt that it is becoming a significant contributing factor.

Protecting Against Wireless Radiation

To understand how best to heal and protect ourselves from this ubiquitous pollution, we first need to understand the factors that influence how much harm we receive.

1. The power – strength of electromagnetic field – emitted from the device

• A phone will do everything it can to deliver a clear signal by boosting the power when signal strength is weak. Don’t use the phone in the car. The metal around you reduces the signal. Don’t use the phone when the signal is poor. If you live in an area that has poor cell reception, a landline or connection through wired internet is better.
• There are ways to shield your phone so the radiation is absorbed and deflected away from you. There are ways to shield your home and yourself. Anything to reduce the intensity of the field strengths in your body is important.
• Eliminate Wi-Fi and moved to wired internet. The speeds and connectivity of a wired connection are more reliable anyways!

2. The proximity of the device.

• Use speakerphone or a headset to increase distance from your cell phone when talking.
• Live as far from cell towers as possible.
• Avoid sleeping near routers or near the wall with a smart meter.

3. How we use the device.

• Don’t sleep with your phone. Turn it off (or put it in airplane mode), along with Wi-Fi, every night.
• Never put a cellphone directly up to your head and keep it as far from your body as possible. Don’t keep it in your pockets. Distance is everything.
• Use airplane mode when possible. Download texts, turn airplane mode on, reply to texts, turn Airplane mode off and send, and then turn off again.
• Don’t stream video. Don’t use virtual reality headsets with the phone against your face. Don’t stream audio if you are going to have it on you. Streaming video and high-data rate applications produce the highest EMF.

4. How often and how long we’ve used wireless devices for.

• Minimize use. Favor landlines and making calls through wired computers.
• Never let children use cellphones or play with them. Delay the age of use with teenagers and then minimize exposure to the absolute required amount – preferably emergencies only. They can interact with friends through the computer and learn to implement safe device usage strategies.

5. Our unique physiological and biochemical make-up. Children are most susceptible.

• Ensure a diet and supplementation strategy full of antioxidants.
• Eat a healthy diet and exercise.
• Learn how to maximize the body’s main antioxidant – glutathione.
• Incorporate green, living, and super foods into your diet.

Our message here is clear: wireless radiation is harmful, but there are solutions. We can heal and protect. The body is amazing if supported and shielded from chronic exposures. Be aware of the true dangers and develop a strategy that provides you and your family the highest degree of health, quality of life, and longevity.