American Academy of Environmental Medicine Recommends Patients Limit Exposure To Electromagnetic and Radiofrequency Fields

American Academy of Environmental Medicine Recommends Patients Limit Exposure To Electromagnetic and Radiofrequency Fields

14.07.2012 by emily Category Electromagnetic Health Blog

The new report says:

 

• Patients are becoming more electrically sensitive.

 

• Physicians should consider the total exposure of a patient to electromagnetic fields.

 

• Electromagnetic fields may be an underlying cause of a patient’s disease process.

 

• Lists 9 categories of disease or disability where double-blind research in humans suggests avoiding EMFs may be beneficial, including neurological, cardiac and pulmonary conditions.

 

• Lists other conditions where supporting research exists suggesting avoidance of EMFs may be beneficial, including neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, plus many more.

 

• Patients with the above conditions should not have smart meters on their homes.

 

AAEM Recommends Limiting Exposures to Electromagnetic Fields for People With Various Conditions

Audio Interview with AAEM President-Elect Amy Dean, MD and William Rea, MD

http://electromagnetichealth.org/electromagnetic-health-blog/aaem-recommends/

Wind Turbine Syndrome

July 16, 2012 in -Mailing List, Wind turbine issues by EMFacts

Link From Beperk de Straling: What is Wind Turbine Syndrome?

Need a crash course on WTS? If you’ve got only 10 minutes and you want to know what all this “Wind Turbine Syndrome” stuff is about—read “Inconvenient Truths,” by Pierpont. Short and to the point.

If you’ve got another 20 minutes to spare, read “Wind Turbine Syndrome: A Twenty-Minute Crash Course.”

If you want the latest clinical thinking on WTS, read “Wind Turbine Syndrome and the Brain,” likewise by Pierpont.

If you want more detail, but in plain English, read “Your Guide to WTS.”

If you’re interested only in the noise and vibration from turbines, read “How Loud Is Too Loud,” by Kamperman & James, two distinguished noise engineers.

If you want to read more, scroll down the page and start reading by topic—whatever topic interests you.

http://www.windturbinesyndrome.com/wind-turbine-syndrome/what-is-wind-turbine-syndrome/

Are health effects from wind turbines just a psychological sensitivity?

Are health effects from wind turbines just a psychological sensitivity?

July 16, 2012 in -Mailing List, Wind turbine issues by EMFacts

Yes, according to Dr. David Black at the recent BEMS conference in Brisbane, Australia.

Black is consultant expert for ICNIRP and new president of the Bioelectromagnetics society so it is a concern that although he is not an expert in wind farm health effects, he dares make such a sweeping claim. And what does it have to do with bioelectromagnetics anyway? The health issue with wind turbines is infrasound not EMF or RF.

See the following recent court decision that does not agree with Dr Black’s claims about windfarms and noise.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/7233811/Wind-farm-too-noisy-court

Residents complaining the nearby Te Rere Hau Wind Farm is too noisy have been vindicated, with the Environment Court ruling the farm owner breached its resource consent.

Noise predictions supplied by NZ Windfarms were wrong.

In a potentially precedent-setting decision released yesterday, the court ruled the noise effects on residents were “considerably greater” than those predicted in the resource consent application.

This put the 97-turbine wind farm on the Tararua Range in breach of its resource consent to such an extent that Palmerston North City Council could now choose to review its noise consent conditions.

Bob Stewart lives on Pahiatua Track near the wind farm and said he was pleased the court had recognised residents’ concerns.

“What we were hit with in terms of noise was quite different to what the application said it would be,” Mr Stewart said.

“It’s vindicated the residents’ concerns. It’s some comfort to know we’re not just a bunch of complainers with no grounds [to complain on].”

Mr Stewart said the ruling had made it clear assessments of the effects on the environment produced by those wanting consent for wind farms “needed to be accurate”.

“Hopefully it will be a wake-up call to other applicants that have to get it correct.”

The city council gave NZ Windfarms resource consent for Te Rere Hau in 2005. An extension was later granted.

Since its construction the wind farm has been the source of hundreds of noise complaints by neighbouring residents. That led the council to ask the Environment Court last year whether Te Rere Hau was operating within its resource consent.

Council chief executive Paddy Clifford welcomed the decision and said it was likely to set a precedent as it was one of the few wind farm noise rulings in the country.

“The case and ruling came about because members of the affected community and council staff worked together on this issue. Now that we have the backing of the Environment Court we can start working towards a resolution with NZ Windfarms.”

Tararua-Aokautere Guardians president Kevin Low said there was “still room for a standoff” over the resource consent.

“We consider it a very good decision. It’s not over yet, of course, in that there’s quite a lot of legal stuff the council is going to have to get through.

“By and large it’s an excellent outcome.”

In a statement released to the stock exchange yesterday, NZ Windfarms said “the Environment Court has made declarations which it expected will require us to take more actions than those planned to date to mitigate noise, including an increase in the monitoring.
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“We need to do further work (including consultation with Palmerston North City Council) to understand fully how we address the implications of the Environment Court decision.”Chief executive Chris Sadler said he did not want to say more on the matter at this stage. “The next step is for the parties to get together and commence that discussion, we’ll proceed down that path.”

Council head of planning services Russell O’Leary said council staff would now consider the decision before deciding on any further action.

- © Fairfax NZ News

Also see: Do wind turbines cause health problems? 
And: Ottawa to study wind farms’ impact on health

http://www.emfacts.com/2012/07/are-health-effects-from-wind-turbines-just-a-psychological-sensitivity/

Court says PUC didn't resolve smart-meter health issues

July 12 

Court says PUC didn't resolve smart-meter health issues

Because the meters already are installed, it’s not clear what the practical effect of the court’s decision may be.

By Tux Turkel tturkel@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

PORTLAND — The Maine Public Utilities Commission failed to resolve health and safety issues related to Central Maine Power Co.’s installation of smart meters and should now do so, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court has ruled.

In a decision released today, the court sided with smart-meter opponents, who argued that utility regulators ignored their legal mandate to ensure the delivery of safe and reasonable utility services.

At the same time, though, the court didn’t agree with the view of opponents that the meters violated constitutional issues related to privacy and trespass.

Following a PUC order in 2010, CMP began switching out its 615,000 analog meters with new-technology digital meters. The $200 million project, which received half its funds from federal stimulus dollars, is now largely complete.

Because the meters already are installed, it’s not clear what the practical effect of the court’s decision may be. The PUC said today it is considering how to comply with the court ruling.

Ed Friedman, the lead plaintiff in the court suit against the PUC, said at mid-day  that he hadn’t had time to study the decision. He was pleased that the health and safety issues were upheld, but disappointed to see the constitutional concerns dismissed.

Friedman called on the PUC to conduct full hearings in which experts could be called to testify on the health and safety matters.

“I don’t think there’s any way they (the PUC) can assure safety,” he said.

Many utilities around the world are moving to smart meters, which can give customers more information about their energy use patterns and allow power companies to pinpoint problems during outages.

But opponents say the radio-frequency radiation emitted by the wireless meters can cause health problems, and are an invasion of privacy because of the information they collect.

In an effort to address those concerns, the PUC allows customers to opt out of having the meters, if they pay a $12-per-month fee to cover the cost of alternative equipment and meter readers.

Following the court decision, the PUC released the following statement:

"The commission is reviewing the order to determine what if any process is required to comply; we haven't reached a decision on what that process will be; and we can't speculate about what the ultimate result could be. Any decision about process will be determined by commissioners
in a public session."

CMP said in a statement that the court didn't order a stay, so the decision doesn't have any immediate effect on the company's operations. The utility said it would continue installing the remaining equipment while it awaits action by the PUC.

"The (smart meter) system is largely in place and we are using it on a daily basis," said John Carroll, a company spokesman.

http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/Law-Court-sides-with-smart-meter-health-issues.html

Recommended reading: Latest issue of EMR and Health

Recommended reading: Latest issue of EMR and Health

July 15, 2012 in -Mailing List, Publications by EMFacts

The latest issue of EMR and Health, produced by EMR Australia contains a wealth of information including highlights of the June Bioelectromagnetics Society meeting in Brisbane. For example PhD candidate Mary Redmayne presented the findings of a New Zealand study on wireless use by school students. Among other effects, Redmayne found that having a wi-fi transmitter next to the bed doubled the risk of headaches. On the ‘opposite side of the coin’ New Zealand’s ultimate expert on all things, David Black, the new president of BEMS, gave a presentation on wind farms health effects, which he dismissed as a “psychological sensitivity’. (more on this in the next blog message)

From Lyn McLean:
This issue features the highlights of the Bioelectromagnetics Conference which was held for the first time in Australia just a few weeks ago. There are also updates on telecommunications bills proposed last year, Australia’s new phone tower code and the Australian standard for powerlines and electrical facilities.
As usual, you’ll find that latest in news from around the world, including news about electromagnetic hypersensitivity.

Editor
Director EMR Australia PL
www.emraustralia.com.au
contact@emraustralia.com.au

http://www.emfacts.com/2012/07/recommended-reading-latest-issue-of-emr-and-health/

Maine Public Utilities Commission didn’t address smart meter safety, court says

Maine Public Utilities Commission didn’t address smart meter safety, court says

By DAVID SHARP,The Associated Press

Posted July 12, 2012, at 8:03 p.m.

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AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

A new Central Maine Power smart meter displays electricity usage at a business in Freeport in fall 2010.

PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s highest court ruled Thursday that state regulators failed to adequately address safety concerns about Central Maine Power’s smart meters but the ruling had no immediate impact on more than 600,000 smart meters already installed in homes and businesses across the state.

The Supreme Judicial Court ordered the Maine Public Utilities Commission to reconsider a complaint that raised health concerns, and lead plaintiff, Ed Friedman of Bowdoinham, urged the panel to use the opportunity “to hold full evidentiary hearings on this and look at it under the bright lights.”

“We understand that the horse is out of the barn in terms of the meters being in, but they should’ve vetted these smart meters for safety before they were deployed instead of waiting until they’re deployed to see that there’s well-known biological effects,” Friedman said.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission issued a brief statement saying the panel is considering how best to comply with the supreme court’s unanimous ruling.

“The commission is reviewing the order to determine what steps must be taken to comply with the court’s decision. We have not reached a decision on what process will be required to do so. Any decision about process will be determined by commissioners in a public session,” the statement said.

Smart meters transmit information about electricity use to CMP’s headquarters in Augusta using wireless technology similar to cellphones which emits radio frequency radiation. CMP says smart meters are safe, cut energy use and allow utilities to pinpoint problems during power outages more quickly.

At issue is whether the state regulators shirked their legal mandate to ensure the delivery of safe and reasonable utility services in approving CMP’s smart meters.

Critics also contend the smart meter program poses constitutional problems related to privacy and trespass, but the supreme court dismissed those claims.

As for safety, lawyers for the Maine Public Utilities Commission previously said there was no need for the panel to tackle safety concerns that already had been addressed by federal agencies. They also contended an opt-out provision provided an alternative for people with health worries.

Critics say radio frequency radiation emitted by smart meters can cause sleep loss, heart palpitations, dizziness and other problems. They say the PUC had a duty to look into those health concerns and that the opt-out provision doesn’t assure safety of those who keep smart meters. Friedman said the opt-out provision is meaningless for people who live in congested neighborhoods where they’re surrounded by smart meters.

CMP, which contends smart meters are safe, said the supreme court’s ruling has no immediate impact. The utility said it would continue installing the remaining 2,000 smart meters.

Federal stimulus dollars funded roughly half the $200 million cost of the smart meter project.

“The system is in place and it’s operating. We use it every day. This decision isn’t going to change any of our operations in the short term,” said spokesman John Carroll.

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/07/12/business/maine-public-utilities-commission-didnt-address-smart-meter-safety-court-says/

This Life-Saving Mineral Found to Actually Increase Senility in Many

This Life-Saving Mineral Found to Actually Increase Senility in Many

July 19 2012 |

By Dr. Mercola

Iron is essential for virtually every life form, including humans, where it is a key part of various proteins and enzymes, involved in the transport of oxygen and the regulation of cell growth and differentiation, among other uses.

One of the most important roles of iron is to provide hemoglobin (the protein in red blood cells) a mechanism through which it can bind to oxygen and carry it throughout your tissues, as without proper oxygenation your cells quickly start dying.

If you have too little iron, you may experience fatigue, decreased immunity or iron-deficiency anemia, which can be serious if left untreated.

However, if you have more iron than your body needs to satisfy your hemoglobin requirement (for cell oxygenation), the excess becomes a dangerous surplus.

Your body has a very limited capacity to excrete iron, which means it can build up in your tissues and organs, a dangerous occurrence because iron is a potent oxidizer and can damage your body tissues contributing to serious health issues, including Alzheimer's disease.

Reducing Iron Levels May Protect Your Brain from Alzheimer's

High iron levels in your blood can lead to the production of free radicals that can damage neurons in your brain. It's also believed that iron accumulates at high levels, and is extremely reactive in the beta-amyloid plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.

A new animal study revealed that reducing iron levels in the blood triggered levels of beta-amyloid and phosphorylated tau protein, which disrupts the ability of neurons to conduct electrical signals, to return to normal.¹

Experts on metal metabolism in the body said the research highlights the role of metal ions in the development of Alzheimer's, as excess iron accumulation in the brain is a consistent observation in Alzheimer's disease.

Separate research also showed that reducing excess iron in your brain can alleviate Alzheimer's-like symptoms in mice,² while measuring brain iron has been suggested as a way to detect Alzheimer's disease in its early stages.³

Iron is also known to accumulate specifically in brain regions associated with memory and thought processes, which are gradually lost as Alzheimer's progresses. At this time it's not entirely clear whether the excess iron is the result of external sources, such as supplements or metal pans, or due to a genetic predisposition to absorbing too much iron or biochemical changes that cause an imbalance internally -- likely it's a combination of factors.

What is known is that too much iron in the wrong places is clearly toxic, and when accumulated in neurons may be a "final end-stage event in neurodegeneration."⁴

How do You Know if Your Iron Levels are High?

Checking your iron levels is done through a simple blood test called a serum ferritin test. I believe this is one of the most important tests that everyone should have done on a regular basis as part of a preventive, proactive health screen. The test measures the carrier molecule of iron, a protein found inside cells called ferritin, which stores the iron. If your ferritin levels are low it means your iron levels are also low.

The healthy range of serum ferritin lies between 20 and 80 ng/ml. Below 20 is a strong indicator that you are iron deficient, and above 80 suggests you have an iron surplus. The ideal range is between 40-60 ng/ml. The higher the number over 100 the worse the iron overload, with levels over 300 being particularly toxic and will eventually cause serious damage in nearly everyone that sustains those levels long term.

Fortunately most premenopausal women lose iron every month when they menstruate. As a result, menstruating women rarely suffer from iron overload syndromes, as removing blood from your body is the most effective way to lower iron levels. However, most adult men and postmenopausal women tend to be at a high risk for iron overload and all of its toxicity, as they don't have this monthly blood loss.

Additionally, some people also have a genetic predisposition to absorbing too much iron, which is called either hemochromatosis or hemosiderosis. Interestingly, one of the most common causes of excess iron is the regular consumption of alcohol. Alcohol consumed on a regular basis will increase the absorption of any iron in your diet. For instance, if you drink some wine with your steak, you will likely be absorbing more iron than you need. Other potential causes of high iron levels include:

• Cooking in iron pots or pans. Cooking acidic foods in these types of pots or pans will cause even higher levels of iron absorption.
• Eating processed food products like cereals and white breads that are "fortified' with iron. The iron they use in these products is inorganic iron not much different than rust and it is far more dangerous than the iron in meat.
• Drinking well water that is high in iron. The key here is to make sure you have some type of iron precipitator and/or a reverse osmosis water filter.
• Taking multiple vitamins and mineral supplements, as both of these frequently have iron in them.

What to Do if You Have High Iron Levels

Some people advise using iron chelators like phytic acid or IP6, but I don't think that is a wise approach as donating your blood is a far safer and more effective and inexpensive approach for this problem. If, for some reason, a blood donor center is unable to accept your blood for donation you can obtain a prescription for therapeutic phlebotomy. At the same time, you will want to be sure to avoid consuming excess iron in the form of supplements, in your drinking water (well water), from iron cookware, or in fortified processed foods.

Certain phenolic-rich herbs and spices can reduce iron absorption, such as green tea and rosemary.⁵ Curcumin actually acts as an iron chelator, and in mice studies, diets supplemented with this spice extract exhibited a decline in levels of ferritin in the liver.⁶Lastly, astaxanthin, which has been researched to have over 100 potential health benefits,⁷ has been shown to reduce iron-induced oxidative damage.⁸

Keep in mind, however, that iron is only one problematic metal for your brain. Others, including zinc, aluminum and copper, are also known to accumulate in your brain and are similarly linked to Alzheimer's disease.

Tips for Preventing Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is currently at epidemic proportions, with 5.4 million Americans -- including one in eight people aged 65 and over -- living with Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association's 2011 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures.⁹By 2050, this is expected to jump to 16 million, and in the next 20 years it is projected that Alzheimer's will affect one in four Americans.

You do not, however, have to feel powerless against this disease, as although there is no known cure as of yet, there are simple strategies available to significantly lower your risk. Some of the best strategies for Alzheimer's prevention, aside from avoiding excess iron, include:

• Fructose. Most everyone benefits from keeping their total fructose consumed to below 25 grams per day. Fructose has several modes of neurotoxicity, including causing damage to the circulatory system upon which the health of nervous system depends, as well as changing the brain's craving mechanism. Since the average person is exceeding this recommendation by 300% this is a pervasive and serious issue. I view this as the MOST important step you can take.
Additionally, when your liver is busy processing fructose (which your liver turns into fat), it severely hampers its ability to makecholesterol, an essential building block of the brain crucial to its health. This is yet another important facet that explains how and why excessive fructose consumption is so detrimental to your health.
• Improve Magnesium Levels.  There is some exciting preliminary research strongly suggesting a decrease in Alzheimer symptoms with increase levels of magnesium in the brain.  Unfortunately most magnesium supplements do not pass the blood brain levels, but a new one magnesium threonate appears to do and holds some promise for the future for treating this condition.
• Optimize your vitamin D levels with safe sun exposure. Strong links between low levels of vitamin D in Alzheimer's patients¹⁰ and poor outcomes on cognitive tests have been revealed. Researchers believe that optimal vitamin D levels may enhance the amount of important chemicals in your brain and protect brain cells by increasing the effectiveness of the glial cells in nursing damaged neurons back to health. Vitamin D may also exert some of its beneficial effects on Alzheimer's through its anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties. Sufficient vitamin D is imperative for proper functioning of your immune system to combat inflammation that is also associated with Alzheimer's.
• Keep your fasting insulin levels below 3. This is indirectly related to fructose, as it will clearly lead to insulin resistance. However other sugars, grains and lack of exercise are also important factors.
• Vitamin B12: According to a small Finnish study recently published in the journal Neurology,¹¹ people who consume foods rich in B12 may reduce their risk of Alzheimer's in their later years. For each unit increase in the marker of vitamin B12 (holotranscobalamin) the risk of developing Alzheimer's was reduced by 2 percent. Very high doses of B vitamins have also been found to treat Alzheimer's disease and reduce memory loss.
• Eat a nutritious diet, rich in folate, such as the one described in my nutrition plan. Strict vegetarian diets have been shown to increase your Alzheimer's risk,¹² whereas diets high in omega-3's lower your risk.¹³ However, vegetables, without question, are your best form of folate, and we should all eat plenty of fresh raw veggies every day.
• High-quality animal based omega-3 fats, such as krill oil. (I recommend avoiding most fish because although fish is naturally high in omega-3, most fish are now severely contaminated with mercury.) High intake of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA help by preventing cell damage caused by Alzheimer's disease, thereby slowing down its progression, and lowering your risk of developing the disorder. Researchers have also said DHA "dramatically reduces the impact of the Alzheimer's gene."
• Avoid and remove mercury from your body. Dental amalgam fillings are one of the major sources of mercury, however you should be healthy prior to having them removed. Once you have adjusted to following the diet described in my optimizednutrition plan, you can follow the mercury detox protocol and then find a biological dentist to have your amalgams removed.
• Avoid aluminum, such as antiperspirants, non-stick cookware, vaccine adjuvants, etc.
• Exercise regularly. It's been suggested that exercise can trigger a change in the way the amyloid precursor protein is metabolized,¹⁴ thus, slowing down the onset and progression of Alzheimer's. Exercise also increases levels of the protein PGC-1alpha. Research has also shown that people with Alzheimer's have less PGC-1alpha in their brains,¹⁵ and cells that contain more of the protein produce less of the toxic amyloid protein associated with Alzheimer's. I would strongly recommend reviewing the Peak Fitness Technique for my specific recommendations.
• Avoid flu vaccinations as most contain both mercury and aluminum!
• Eat plenty of blueberries. Wild blueberries, which have high anthocyanin and antioxidant content, are known to guard against Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases.
• Challenge your mind daily. Mental stimulation, especially learning something new, such as learning to play an instrument or a new language, is associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer's. Researchers suspect that mental challenge helps to build up your brain, making it less susceptible to the lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease.
• Avoid anticholinergic and statin drugs. Drugs that block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter, have been shown to increase your risk of dementia. These drugs include certain nighttime pain relievers, antihistamines, sleep aids, certain antidepressants, medications to control incontinence, and certain narcotic pain relievers.
A study found that those who took drugs classified as 'definite anticholinergics' had a four times higher incidence of cognitive impairment.¹⁶ Regularly taking two of these drugs further increased the risk of cognitive impairment. Statin drugs are particularly problematic because they suppress the synthesis of cholesterol, deplete the brain of coenzyme Q10 and neurotransmitter precursors, and prevent adequate delivery of essential fatty acids and fat-soluble antioxidants to the brain by inhibiting the production of the indispensable carrier biomolecule known as low-density lipoprotein.

References:

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http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/07/19/excess-iron-leads-to-alzheimers.aspx?e_cid=20120719_DNL_artNew_1