If you’ve been following my health story here you know that I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2006. After that initial MS attack I was fairly symptom free until 2014. That’s when things began to get weird.
Non-Toxic Green Building Materials, Check!
We had renovated a 100 year old house in historic Mapleton Hill and moved in during the summer of 2014. I believed we had done a totally green renovation. That’s because I knew nothing about wireless technology. Every single thing in the house from lighting to thermostats to the sound system and more was wireless and ran on electromagnetic radiation. It was the equivalent of living with 300 cell phones in my home buzzing constantly.
For someone with the MTHFR genetic mutation, it was too much. By the spring of 2015, less than two years after we moved in, I was in the hospital with the worst MS symptoms of my life, completely numb from the neck down, along with an array of other concerning issues.
I began doing hyperbaric oxygen therapy and getting weekly IV nutrients. I was stabilizing and not getting worse, but I was not fully recovering which was odd. Things were stagnant in spite of my complete focus and dedication. I had never experienced that before.
Deteriorating Health
Fast forward to the fall of 2016. I knew something was seriously wrong. Before moving into the house, I had lived the full and healthy life of a New York Times best selling author, writing a book for Random House every two years, going on book tours, doing TV and radio, all while posting on my blog a few times each week. I had attended the boys’ sporting and school events regularly. Now I went to doctors and treatments and wrote on the blog every couple of weeks if I was lucky. I watched my life pass me by, missing family events and vacations.
Discovering EMFs and Building Biology
When the fall of 2016 rolled around I had a lucky break. Our HVAC vendor walked in one day and said, the house has too many electrical systems in it and everything is shorting out! And so I began my research. I learned about building biology and electromagnetic fields (EMFs). I discovered the effects EMFs can have on people like me. I found out what had made me so sick, and prevented me from getting well in spite of my best efforts.
Since then we’ve removed all of the wireless systems from our home. On March 1, 2017 I began living in a mostly WiFi free environment. Although my living environment is almost perfect and we’ve removed all of the wireless smart technology, there are small compromises that we make.
Balancing Different Types of Stress
We still let our boys and their friends use their cell phones when they’re here. For me the stress of not having the gang in our home is far greater than the stress of being near half a dozen cell phones a couple of hours per day. That’s a trade I made. The boys have made compromises too. While they can still use their cell phones in the house, they’ve lost their wireless head phones, wireless speakers, and gaming console.
Don’t Make my Mistake
I don’t want you and your family to go through the pain and heartache that we’ve suffered. I’ve lost years of my life so that we could have silly smart systems like lights and thermostats that operated remotely.
Living in a home filled with wireless radiation severely exacerbated the multiple sclerosis I had been diagnosed with in 2006. If you have a neurological condition such as MS, autism, Alzheimer’s, or Parkinson’s, or an illness such as cancer or Lyme disease, you are far more vulnerable to the effects of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) and may need to take the extra precautions that I outline in my post called Simple Steps to Reduce EMFs.
The Good News
Little by little I’m getting well. It took over a year to get sick so I anticipate I’ll need at least that long to get healthy again. I’m sticking to my program of sleeping as much as I can, eating a low-carb diet, and exercising moderately. The body can heal itself, and now that mine is in a healing environment the sky is the limit!
Susan says
Dear Elana,
Thank you for sharing such an important story about your own experience with EMF’s. I had not considered the dangers of this prior to now and will need to reconsider several wireless devices in my home – especially the wifi fire alarm that is mounted above my bed.
Sending lots of healing energy and good vibration to you as you reset and repair your body. We all appreciate the work you do to bring us thoughtful recipes and kind, supportive words. The community you’ve built here is just incredible, and much needed! Thank you thank you thank you.
All the best, Susan
Elana says
Susan, thanks for your incredible comment. I am so grateful that we are on this healing path together :-)
Julie says
Amen!
Lisa says
Elena,
Thank job for sharing your story! It’s so important for everyone to get informed on EMFs & how they effect people. I stared working at a company last year after working from home in a EMF protected house for 3 years straight while I raised my daughter. Shortly after starting my new position at work, I noticed some strange things happening- heart racing, eyes crossing on their own, and other weird body issues. It took awhile but I realized it was EMFs. I now have a emf protector necklace that I wear constantly, an RF safe phone case and a himalyian salt rock lamp at my workspace. They work great! I now get all of my friends emf protecting items as gifts for birthdays. :)
I’m so happy you figured out what was going on! Thanks for spreading the word! :)
Elana says
Thanks Lisa. I’m so glad that those items are working for you. A word of caution though to readers, I have not been able to measure any reduction in electromagnetic radiation from EMF protector necklaces. Also, please bear in mind that himalayan salt lamps create negatively charged ions which are a good thing, but plugging any device into an electric socket creates additional electromagnetic fields so please be aware of that. Finally, I haven’t found a phone case that reduces electromagnetic radiation by more than 10-20% at best (still incredibly high) so I recommend keeping cell phones in airplane mode when not in use. I’m so sorry to be the bearer of bad news to anyone, but also feel a responsibility to let readers know when I’ve researched something :-)
Malinda says
Hi Elena,
I have been looking into EMF protector necklaces and other products and wondered if the ones sold by GIA Wellness are any good? Have you come across these ones?
Thanks for all of your fabulous information!
Elana says
Malinda, thanks for your comment! I haven’t been able to measure any reduction in EMF’s from those types of necklaces.
Diane says
Thank you so much for sharing your personal story! Your story supports my ‘feeling’ that shutting off the wifi at night is a good idea.
I bought a wifi router to connect to my cable modem and with a button the side that lets me turn off the wifi, and it was on the approved list by the cable company. I have been shutting off the wifi during sleeping hours, as well turning off the smart TV and cable router (that are all on the same power switch). I was thinking that I could feel the difference. I’ll keep it up. We live in the trees and in the shadow of the 3G/4G tower, so why do I need to blast the wifi when I’m not using it? – A green choice as well.
Elana says
Diane, you are totally on the right track. If I did not have electromagnetic radiation toxicity I would have WiFi in our home, but on a timer as you do. Since I’ve become so sick from overexposure we do not have WiFi in the house anymore and we plug our computers into the wall using ethernet cables :-)
Maureen Kenmuir Stroud says
Elana you are an amazing inspiration. Hugs to you. We love your recipes and your approach to life. Rock on.
Elana says
Maureen, thanks for your amazing comment :-)
Maggie Lennon says
Hi Elana – I’m so sorry that your dreamhouse renovation turned into a nightmare for you. I read this blog entry with greater interest than many of our articles or recipes — since you mentioned at the beginning that you have the MTHFR genetic mutation. I also have that – I have the double version (from both parents). I did not see in your article though how the MTHFR mutation relates to hyper sensitivity to EMFs. Any information you can share about that relationship would be very helpful – I’ve got my share of WiFi at home and a double whammy of MTHFR (my doctor calls if the Mother-Father gene!). Thanks!
Maggie
Elana says
Maggie, thanks for your comment! Devices that use wireless technology emit radiation, that is a commonly accepted fact. When your body absorbs radiation it needs to detoxify from it. Having the MTHFR genetic mutation impairs detoxification and so makes that process more difficult. I will be writing about this mutation in the future so stay tuned and please let me know if you have any other questions :-)
Jennifer says
I would love to hear more about this too. Thanks!
Elana says
Thanks Jennifer, that’s helpful to know :-)
Maggie Lennon says
Thanks for your information on the MTHFR gene mutation. I think you know more about it than my doctor! He told me it’s linked to Parkinson’s (which my father had) and to the inability to detoxify … specifically from aluminum (thus I no longer can have commercial deodorants) but did not tell me much else. I’ve been educating myself about it online … which, as you know, if also full of misinformation. I look forward to your future posts about the “mother father” gene mutation … and, of course, to all your delicious recipes as well!
Elana says
Thanks Maggie!
Donna Maly says
Elana,
You are so gracious to share your personal story with all of us. Thank you. I have all of your books. They are great. I appreciate that you don’t use a ridiculous amount of ingredients. I have learned so much from you. I wish you continued success on your business and especially your health!
Elana says
Donna, thanks for your lovely comment! I’m so glad we are on this healing path together and happy to hear you have all of my books :-)
Carla says
Wow, I had no idea that wireless homes is a “thing” now. We are renters that live in a city in a 117 old apartment building (talk about mold issues!) with “old fashioned” appliances. We do have WiFi for our internet though. Thank you for the heads up about what to look out for when the time comes for us to upgrade our living space.
Elana says
Carla, thanks for your comment!
Mrs C says
Just wondering, if a person lived in a suburban area, wouldn’t EMFs from all the neighborhood wifi systems still be a problem? When I check available wifi, there are a minimum of 10 systems that show up as strong options, and only one is ours.
Elana says
Mrs. C, you are correct. That’s why we’ve shielded our bedroom, so that I can sleep in a safe environment that is not filled with wireless radiation. Unless you live in a remote area you are bathing in low levels of wireless radiation constantly. Of course, that’s far better than having high levels in your own home from something such as a WiFi router, Xbox, smart TV, etc.
Beth says
How do you shield your bedroom?
Elana says
Beth, there is transparent window shielding that you apply to the glass, fabric shield to apply to the back of curtains, and paint that can shield walls and ceiling, and you can get something to cover the floor too.
Fio says
Dear Elana, i thought those shielding paints are very toxic – how long did you wait before using the bedroom after painting it?
Thank you
Elana says
Fio, I think it depends on the product you choose. I recommend using a low-VOC shielding paint since no-VOC shielding paint is not yet available. I like to let things off gas for a week minimum when freshly painted :-)
Sherri says
I turn wifi off before bed, put cell phone and iPad in another room, unplug everything in the bedroom, except my essential oil diffuser (need to help with sleep and block out dog barking noise next door), and I sleep with a grounding mat under my pillow, and grounded band on my foot too. Noticed a huge difference in sleep and way less heart palpitations when trying to go to sleep. Is a smart Tv an issue even if I unplug it from the wall every night?
Elana says
Thanks for sharing your routine Sherri! The smart TV’s that we had used chips that kept emitting radiation even when the TV was turned off so we no longer use them.
JANE FELLLMAN says
THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXCELLENT EDUCATIONAL WORK. AND FOR YOUR CARING. I AM SHARING IT. YOU ARE A PERFECTIONIST IN THE HIGHEST SENSE. SINCERELY, JANE
Elana says
Jane, thanks so much for your lovely comment! You made my day :-)
De West says
Such good and important information-thank you for sharing your story! You are right-your body willl heal now you have removed what was making you sick. Thank you for so inspirational!
Xoxo,
De West
Elana says
De, I’m so happy to see you here. I’m really looking forward to getting back in the swing of things in the months to come and attending your incredible yoga class again :-)