Hormones and Cell Phones
By Christine Riemer

The body’s master glands (pituitary, hypo thalamus, pineal) are located within the brain. And there are currently more than 236 million people in the U.S. holding cell phones against their heads for minutes and even hours each day. How are these two facts related?

Teeny Tiny Substances
Glands in the brain and throughout the endocrine system secrete chemicals known as hormones which regulate activities such as metabolism, reproduction, fluid and electrolyte balance, acid-base balance, and energy metabolism. Though they are produced in tiny amounts, hormones are powerful substances. Even small hormonal fluctuations can create havoc. The master glands in the brain send out at least a dozen hormones.

Biggest Hormone Disruptor
Stress, toxicity, poor quality food, lack of sleep and pharmaceutical medications are all known hormone disruptors. However, physiologist Dr. Charles Graham believes that the EMR (electromagnetic radiation) from electrical devices “may actually fit the definition of an endocrine disruptor better than many hormone-mimicking environmental pollutants because magnetic fields appear to elicit their effects by acting ON and THROUGH hormones rather than AS hormones.” A significant study showed that tamoxifen (a popular drug given to prevent recurrence of breast cancer) lost its ability to halt growth of cancer cells when exposed to EMR. The level of EMR that produced this effect is found in common household appliances: hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, can openers, computers, microwave ovens, desk lamps, blenders, and electric clocks.

Cell phones and other wireless devices use higher radio frequencies on the electromagnetic spectrum, including the microwave band. The higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength. The shorter the wavelength, the more easily the body absorbs the energy.

Another form of dangerous radiation produced from cell phones and wireless devices is the information-carrying signal. Emitted from the cell phone’s antenna, it is known as a “near field plume” of radiation that emanates outwards 6-7 inches, enough to penetrate a major part of the head, reaching those important hormone-producing master glands. The carrier wave is a frequency that conveys specific packets of information (voice, text, graphics). Herein lies the problem: the information-carrying radio wave has a frequency that has never existed in nature. Our cells are totally unfamiliar with it and perceive it as a dangerous foreign invader.

Then there’s the electrical circuitry in cell phones which generates a competing energy that interferes with the body’s own energy field and compromises health. When a cell phone is clipped onto a belt or kept in a pant pocket, a foreign ambient field powerfully affects tissue and organs it is close to. One study showed a 30% reduction in sperm count of cell phone users.

Melatonin - A Major Player
Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland in the brain. The pea-sized gland receives and responds to sensory information from the optic nerves and translates environmental information such as light or temperature into body signals. Melatonin levels increase at night to help us fall asleep.

Discovered 50 years ago, melatonin is now hailed as a miraculous hormone. Researchers found it regulates our circadian rhythms governing our waking/sleeping cycle, is a potent destroyer of free radicals, and strengthens the immune system. It inhibits the release of estrogen and actually suppresses the development of breast cancer. Melatonin also enhances the tumor-fighting power of vitamin D. Supplemental melatonin is an effective tool to offset jet lag, reset biological clocks of shift workers, and is a great aid for insomnia.

Suppression of melatonin by the pineal gland has been suggested as a cause for EMR’s (electromagnetic radiation) deleterious effects on health. Japanese researchers found that magnetic fields disrupted the body cell’s signaling system and that breast cancer cells treated with melatonin would resume growing when exposed to EMR frequencies. This research may explain why reduced melatonin levels from EMR have ben shown to cause breast, prostate, colorectal, ovarian, and skin cancers and childhood leukemia. It is now known that melatonin suppression occurs at frequencies not far above those of common household ranges (60 hertz in USA). If you sleep next to a cordless phone or digital clock or have faulty electric wiring, there will be enough EMR exposure to suppress night-time melatonin production.

Nowhere to Hide
Whether you own or use a cell phone or not, you are exposed to a dense sea of EMR electromagnetic radiation which is estimated to be 100 to 200 times greater than two generations ago. We’re surrounded by towers and electrical power lines. And the Wi-Fi hot spot phenomenon is expected to burgeon from 12,400 to 78,000 on the continent by 2008.

We’re paying the price of EMR with our health world wide. Researchers in Europe found people living near cell phone towers experienced depression, memory loss, irritability, dizziness, fatigue, and sleep disturbances (a sign of low melatonin levels). Dr. Sherrill Sellman writes, “Many health issues have been linked to EMR exposure, including various cancers (especially brain, eye, ear and leukemia), miscarriages, birth defects, chronic fatigue syndrome, headaches, chronic stress, nausea and heart problems, autism, learning disabilities, insomnia and Alzheimer’s disease.”

Like it or not, our exciting ever expanding high-tech world is here to stay. The studies are in. Electropollution is a threat to present and future generations. Effective interventions are not a luxury, but a necessity; the responsibility lies with each of us to take protective, proactive steps.

BIOPRO Technology, a company exclusively dedicated to providing effective solutions to the electropollution problem, has developed unique products to address health related issues. For information, product testimonials, scientific validation, and local chapter activies, please contact Christine Riemer, BIOPRO independent consultant, at e-mail: chrisrwatch@milwpc.com or web: www.mybiopro.com/resolve or phone (920) 445-7221.