Today, we will explore how to protect your family from cell phone radiation.
This is a very important topic that might not even be on your radar–but I guarantee it’s likely to be affecting you and your family without you even knowing it!
When we were children, cell phones were a luxury; today, children carry them around in their pockets, and using them is as common as brushing your teeth. But this increase in electronic device usage does not come without a risk.
While it’s been more than seven years since our family began our healthy living journey, I must confess that it wasn’t until recently that we began to consider the potential dangers of radiation from cell phones and other electronic devices.
While we must combat the tendency to make fear-based choices, I firmly believe it would be irresponsible to ignore the fact that exposure to cell phone radiation or EMFs (electromagnetic fields) can lead to some pretty serious health concerns.
Health Concerns Associated with Cell Phone Radiation & EMFs
Since the everyday use of cell phones and other electronic devices is a relatively new phenomenon (I didn’t even own a cell phone until college!), research is still being conducted on just how seriously cell phone radiation and EMFs in general can affect humans.
But preliminary findings are not positive.
Among other ailments, researchers are looking at how increased EMF exposure can be linked to:
- redness, tingling, and burning sensations;
- fatigue, tiredness, and concentration difficulties;
- dizziness;
- nausea;
- heart palpitations; and
- digestive problems (source).
In addition, frequent cell phone use could be at fault for:
- an increase in tumors (source) and can potentially increase the risk for brain cancer by 300% (source)!
- can damage sperm projection (source),
- cause leaking in the blood brain barrier, which is the brain’s first line of
defense against infections and toxic chemicals (source).
These symptoms are just the tip of the iceberg, and new research is constantly uncovering more potential risks of frequent cell phone use and EMF exposure.
Check out this site for an even more comprehensive list of health risks associated with EMFs (plus sign up to get a FREE guide–EMF Beginners Guide: The Top 10 Ways You Can Protect Yourself from EMF Radiation).
How can you begin to reduce your exposure to cell phone and EMF radiation today? Check out the following seven ways:
How to Protect Your Family from Cell Phone Radiation
1. Limit cell phone use.
Use a land line when possible.
Do people still have landlines? Well, yes, some people do! Our family has been using a Ooma phone for the past seven years–and we don’t have have a phone bill!
2. Don’t sleep with your phone by your bed.
This is something that I did for years, and I now believe it contributed to my adrenal fatigue.
If you sleep with your phone on your nightstand, then you will have a constant stream of EMFs emitting by your head for six to eight hours straight!
Instead of sleeping with ours by our beds now, my husband and I keep our cell phones charging in our master bathroom, which is right off of our bedroom.
They are still close enough that we can hear the alarms on them going off to wake us in the morning, and keeping them in the bathroom comes with the added bonus of forcing us to actually get up out of bed to turn them off–which is a much easier way to fight the temptation to hit the snooze button!
By removing your cell phones from your bedroom, you will also be less tempted to read on your phones right before bed. Not only do the EMFs potentially disturb sleep patterns, but the blue lights that cell phones and most other electronic devices emit also mess with your circadian rhythm.
image credit
2. Turn your wifi off unless you are using it–on both your phones and your computers.
You don’t have to keep your phone on all the time.
While our culture has adapted to the relatively recent idea that we all have to be “on call” 24/7, that just isn’t true. It is OK to exercise your boundaries and turn off your phone!
If you want to keep your phone on, simply use the airplane mode, although you can’t send and receive calls or messages this way either.
So, if you do want to be able to use the messages and calls function, an alternative to this is to turn off your wifi but keep on your regular data–only turning the wifi back on when you are going to actually be using the internet on your phone.
If you want to be super vigilant, you can turn off the wifi off from your home modem unless you are actively using this. We have been thinking about doing this at night.
Regardless, it’s better to keep your wifi modem in a room that you do not frequently use. It especially needs to be as far away from the bedrooms as possible!
3. Use a cover or shield that blocks EMFs.
While, for several months, I turned my phone on airplane mode when I was not actively using it, that got inconvenient after a while.
Instead, I now use a shield that blocks nearly 100% of EMFs.
DefenderShield sells cell phone and tablet cases, and they also sell an actual pad for your laptop.
My husband and I bought our DefenderPads back in the fall, after we began to research how EMFs could be negatively affecting our health.
While not cheap, we have been incredibly happy with this investment, and we feel much safer and at peace while using our electronic devices.
Because we run a business from home, we are probably on the computer more than many people, although most everyone in our generation uses electronic devices multiple times each day!
Check out Defender Shield here.
4. Keep your phone out of your pockets.
The closer your phone is to your body, the more EMF exposure you will risk. Instead of keeping your phone in your pocket, leave it in your purse.
5. Use a headset or earbuds instead of talking on the phone by your ear.
If you absolutely must use your cell phone to talk, try using earbuds or a headset instead of placing the phone itself directly against your ear.
I’ve been doing this for the past several months, and besides minimizing my EMF exposure, I also appreciate the ability to talk while hands-free!
6. Limit your children’s time on electronic devices.
Our children are growing up in the first generation with widespread use of electronic devices. When I was a child in the 1980s and 1990s, we did not even have cell phones–much less tablets and apps!
While my husband and I do allow our children to have limited accessibility to educational games on electronic devices, we encourage more traditional play over electronics.
Fresh air from playing outside and the use of their imagination while playing with toys that don’t require batteries will make for much better childhood memories than will sitting on the couch while glued to an electronic device all day long!
Where do we go from here?
As always, I encourage you to do your own research and use this post as merely a starting point.
I don’t give you this information to cause undo fear. Rather, I firmly believe that when we know better, we can make better choices.
What have you done to protect your family from cell phone radiation?
Related Posts:
Thank you, DefenderShield, for underwriting this post.
Jill York
Cell phone use gives me headaches and makes my head buzz sometimes. None of this happens when I use a shield for my phone. They are truly wonderful!
Erin
Wow! It makes me glad they weren’t around when we were children!
Rebecca
A couple things….
1. There is no mention of EMFs from everything else in our homes that is electronic, or even bluetooth, for that matter! Bluetooth radiation is WAY worse than cell phone radiation. Your TV, microwave, toaster, bedside clock, etc etc are all emitting radiation. Even your outlets that aren’t being used!
2. No mention of devices to neutralize the EMFs in your home, such as orgonite, or Himalayan Salt Lamps.
For me, it is easier to just neutralize them in m y home vs. turning off my router every night. Or making it inconvenient for me to live my life in my own home. I have orgonite near every electronic in my home (TV, computers, night stands, etc etc.) and I have a Himalayan Salt Lamp in every room of my house.
You can totally tell the difference.
But I also don’t use Bluetooth at all. I speak handsfree (on speaker phone) with my phone. It is always near me but not ON me.
Just some thoughts.
Erin
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for your input! Although I mentioned EMFs in general, I wanted to keep to cell phones to not have to write a book. LOL But I would love to do some more research and post on these other things in the future. I have an older post on microwaves. I agree that this is definitely not just isolated to cell phones, unfortunately!
I have personally not used the salt lamps, but I am definitely intrigued by them! They are on my wish list,and when/if I do some more research on those, I will update this post and probably write an independent post on the lamps. I have several friends who rave about them!
Thanks again for your thoughts!
Christa Upton
Excellent post!!!!! As one who suffers some of the symptoms you listed above, I can tell you that these ideas DO make a difference!!!!
Erin
I have felt the same!
Rebekah Wingo
Hi Humbled Homemaker. I am a huge fan of your website and I love reading your posts. I do have some input on this post. The word “radiation” and “cancer” and “energy waves absorbed” are indeed scary words but this post is incorrect as are many others. I have attatched a link with information regarding this topic. Please give it a thorough read and then do a repost of this blog. The misinformation about this topic causes unnecessary fear and hesitation. I do not mean this to be rude and I truly hope you do not take it personally. It simply is not true that cellphones cause cancer or any other kind of harmful health risks. It would be appropriate to post about the effects of too much screen time. The bright lights can cause irregularity in sleep patterns and eyesight. Thank you so much for your time.
http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/radiation/cell-phones-fact-sheet#q4
http://www.infowars.com/cell-phone-radiation-is-actually-not-bad-for-us-now-it-prevents-brain-disorders/
https://www.k-state.edu/media/webzine/0103/cell.html
http://www.ewg.org/fcc-dropped-cell-phone-caution-opposed-industry
(there are more but they are easy to find)
Rebekah Wingo
And to clarify, this is the only post from your blog about this topic so when I referenced other posts being incorrect, i did not mean your blog, but other sources that have written about the same topic.
Erin
Thanks, Rebekah!
Erin
Hi Rebekah! I’m sorry I just now saw this comment. My site caught it as “spam,” and I was just going through and was able to approve it manually. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and giving us this added research. I always encourage readers to do their own research, and this is good food for thought for me as well! I don’t intend to ever scare people, but I think it’s wise for us to do research and do the very best we can with the knowledge we have! Have a great day!
Keelie Reason
I don’t even let my kids use my phone at all at this point. What you think about hands free headsets? That keeps the phone away from your head, but I don’t know what the headset does. Just curious.
Erin
Hi Keelie! Unfortunately, the hands-free sets use bluetooth technology, which also emits EMFs. I do have one that I use occasionally, and I used to use it more, but now I don’t because of this. Instead, I now mostly just use the wired set that came with my phone. I love that you don’t let your kids use the phone at all! I only do it in extreme cases now (like if we are in a waiting room for hours–ha!), but I make sure to turn off the wifi if I do. I used to let them use my old phone more, and I regret it.
Rebecca
Hey there 🙂 Good post thanks! In terms of using wired ear plugs, they still do carry some EMF, an even better option can be the air tube option. Our small people can use our phones for photos, etc, we just put it in airplane mode so there’s no transmission while they’re using it; airplane mode goes for Nanna’s iPad, too – it does limit the range of games somewhat, but a small price to pay 🙂
Erin
What are air tubes? I will have to look into that!
Ann
How does the Ooma phone work? Aren’t you still dealing with EMF’s with that system?
Erin
Hi Ann! It’s a voice-over-internet phone. Instead of using wifi, it is hardwired in the device. We’ve been using it for over 7 years, and it’s saved us a lot of money. Here is the site: http://www.ooma.com. My husband is the one who researched it and got it all set up. I told him he should consider writing a post about it! I don’t use my cell phone at home b/c I have the Ooma.
Savage
In step 2* you have a typo, data has nothing to do with receiving calls or text, this is why wi-fi exist, (because your carrier charges you to run so much data on your phone) and wi-fi could be free in some places.
So, this whole step should include data and wi-fi to be turned off, this is also different than airplane mode (airplane mode turns off text and calls)
*2. Turn your data or wi-fi off unless you are using it–on both your phones, tablets, and your computers.
If you do want to be able to use the messages and calls function, but don’t need to use any internet services, the alternative is to turn off your data & wi-fi (not using airplane mode) turning the data or wi-fi back on when you are going to actually be using the internet on your phone.
Erin
I’m not sure I understand this. My data does not use wifi. How can you turn off data itself?
Savage
Go to you phone setting’s and click data usage, or data.
You will see mobile data, limit mobile data usage, & alert me about data usage.
Then there are boxes to check on & off for those features.
To make your limitations, use the bars: red “limit”, black “warning” to set your allowance if you only pay a limited amount, you can use those setting’s to avoid overages.
Those features will automatically turn your data off if your reach your limits before your month is over.
Erin
Thanks!