Are EMF’s harming my baby?

My husband and I have been enjoying watching “Better Call Saul,” the much anticipated prequel to the hit TV series “Breaking Bad.” In case you aren’t familiar, in this new show, the main character Saul’s brother Charles suffers from EMF sensitivity. So much so, that visitors must leave their cell phones and all electronic devices outside his electricity-free-home while visiting, and “ground themselves” before entering. When Charles is exposed to radiation, he experiences intense pain and because of this, he is virtually incapable of functioning in society. Charles’s character is protrayed as somewhat of a freak show, and we’re left to wonder if he actually suffers some kind of mental illness. But what if it were true? What if there are some people out there that are suffering from real medical conditions due to EMF (Electro-magnetic frequency) sensitivity? And what if this kind of sensitivity manifested itself in varying degrees? What if it showed up as mysterious headaches, joint pain, brain fog, ADD, asthma, and even Autism?

I’m not a scientist or a doctor. I do consider myself a wellness professional and am always looking into ways our lifestyle affects the quality of our health. And now that I’m pregnant, I find myself even more vigilant about the kinds of daily choices that I make. Is keeping my cell phone in my pocket for “safety” while I go on my daily walks actually harming my unborn son? What about that SMART meter right outside the nursery window? Should we switch back to a “wired” computer network?

I coach people on a daily basis around making healthy behavioral changes: quitting smoking, healthier eating, physical activity, and stress management. So I was blown away when I came across an article that suggested the dangers of wearable electrical devices could equal those of smoking!

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/19/style/could-wearable-computers-be-as-harmful-as-cigarettes.html?_r=0

When living in an urban environment, we are absolutely bombarded with invisible electrical pollution. Between the wi-fi, all of the cell phones, everyone now wearing fitbits to track their calorie expenditure, and SMART meters in our homes, our environment has drastically changed within the last 20 years. How much is this ubiquitous electrical “cloud” of energy all around us affecting us as electrical beings?

In France, they have already banned Wifi in baby nurseries and in schools and forbid children under the age of 12, whose brains are still developing, to use cell phone technology.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/wellbeing/11589857/Is-Wi-Fi-making-your-child-ill.html

This is seriously making me rethink the Wi-Fi video baby monitor that I was considering! Sure it would be fabulous for my Aunt and Cousin in Paris to log on and catch a glimpse of my sleeping baby all the way in California, but at what potential cost?

Another thing that’s been on my mind recently while pregnant is of course, the whole autism phenomenon. Why is there such a sudden rise? Just out of curiosity, I googled “EMF Exposure and Autism.” Wow! Looks like I scratched the tip of an huge, ugly iceberg. Not only is there a ton of research currently being done around this, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24095003, but there is evidence that EMF exposure in the womb can increase the likelihood of asthma in the offspring: http://emfsafetynetwork.org/maternal-exposure-to-magnetic-fields-during-pregnancy-in-relation-to-the-risk-of-asthma-in-offspring/.

My Grandmother used to always say, “When in doubt, err on the side of caution and just abstain.” I don’t want to stress myself or anyone else out about this issue. It is so important to keep things balanced; we do what we can in various areas of life. We choose healthy, whole foods, we move our bodies, we connect and laugh with our loved ones.  For some, the thought of going wireless may be anxiety producing! For me, I’m willing to give it a go. Why not? What have I got to lose? I would welcome your thoughts and comments on this issue.

Yours in Health,

Sylvie Nalezny, MA