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.
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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!
Michele Scharg says
Hi Elana,
I’ve loved your recipes and blog for years and I’m super happy to hear that you’re on the road to recovery. We live in a smaller home in wash park so not much wireless is going on but we have strictly used airplane mode for years on all of our technology. I had no idea that they could affect ones health in the way that you mentioned but I believe it!!
I was surprised to see you mention MTHFR because I also have that genetic mutation which I found out after having a few miscarriages years ago in between my two kids. Do you have any resources about MTHFR? I have been taking 1mg of Folic acid daily ever since my younger one was born (six years ago) but the doctors never mentioned anything else to me and when I Google it, nothing comes up.
Thanks for making me aware of this potential issue.
Elana says
Michele, thanks so much for your wonderful comment! I will be writing about the MTHFR gene in the near future so stay tuned :-)
angela says
Dear Alana,
You have obviously researched this issue extensively! Thank you for sharing this very important information.
I also want to bring an important item to your attention in case you were not aware. In 2014, Comcast/Xfinity began issuing a new type of wireless router to its customers in Colorado. This new type of router has 2 lines of wi-fi – one for home use, and one for public hotspot use. The public hotspot has an extensive reach, a radius of 100 m around the router (that’s the width of about 3 average home lots)
Here’s a study done on a woman in Colorado whose demyelination was exacerbated in Aug 2014 (after being symptom free since 2003) when a neighbor got one of these new routers with public wi-fi hot spots. After the neighbor switched to a different router without the hot spot feature, she recovered. Then when another neighbor acquired the same type of router, she became sick again. After talking to this second neighbor, the router was exchanged for one without the public hot spot and she recovered.
https://comitatotutelamonteporziocatone.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/johansson-redmayne-2016.pdf
(To disable the public hotspot feature on your Xfinity modem, go to http://wifi.xfinity.com/ )
Xfinity was sued for this http://www.fastcolabs.com/3039682/comcast-wassued-for-quietly-making-your-homes-internet-part-of-thesharing-economy
Feel free to contact me – I am also a member of the team at Environmental Health Trust http://www.ehtrust.org
Elana says
Angela, thanks so much for pointing this out! We had to entirely replace the wireless router in our home due to this issue. It was one of the first things to go when we purged our home of wireless technology. We bought a wired router that we can plug into the wall and also saved money with this one time purchase because we no longer have to pay a monthly rental fee.
angela says
Hi Elana
Forgot to mention that if a lot of people in your immediate area have the public wi-fi hot spot feature on, it increases ambient EMF levels in your area (and home) significantly. Wi-fi hot spots are far more intense than regular home wi-fi. Since you have become sensitized, it might be worthwhile to have a conversation with your neighbors about this and ask them to turn off the public wi-fi hot spot feature if you haven’t already. You mention that your bedroom is shielded, but the other unshielded areas of your house would have RF from the surrounding public wi-fi hot spots pouring in.
I had a conversation with my neighbors about this and I was fortunate that they listened and complied. The area outside my front door was measuring very high – after figuring out where it came from using a Cornet meter, I talked to that neighbor, she turned off the hot spot feature, and it then dropped 80%.
Autoimmune conditions are so hard to deal with – feels like your body is working against you when they flare up. Sounds like you have come very far in your healing since removing wireless in your home, and that’s great cause for celebration. I know you will be back to your normal self soon!
Elana says
Thanks Angela! Thankfully the rest of the house is now fairly low in EMF’s. Not as good as my bedroom but close :-)
Wendy LaLonde says
Hi Elena:
I purchased a cornet meter to check the EMFs. Did you ever do that? I was pleasantly surprised to see everything in my house was green and low yellow with the exception of the microwave. Do you trust the EMF meters. I am nervous that everything was OK. I was diagnosed with MS in 2013 and follow the Medical Medium diet and protocol. I think I am improving but am nervous about the EMFs even though they said OK on the meter.
Elana says
Hi Wendy, thanks for your comment. I have an amazing acoustimeter that I use to check our house quite often. I will be writing about it in the near future so stay tuned :-)
Sarah says
This is tangential, but I am wondering about ways to offset the heavy wifi saturation that we will be bombarded with this summer over the course of 6 weeks in hotels. I’m particularly concerned about my 18 month old’s ability to sleep through the night with such exposure to EMFs. Do you have any experience with black tourmaline? That is one thing that was recommended to me as far as taking something from place to place to somewhat shield us from EMFs.
Thank you! My changes are small, but because of posts like yours, I’ve begun switching my phone to airplane mode and unplugging our wireless at night.
Elana says
Sarah, I’m so happy to hear that the information I am sharing on wireless technology is helpful to you! Unfortunately, for the reasons I’ve mentioned in the post above, my travel has become extremely limited. My best recommendation is to find the wireless router in your hotel rooms and unplug it. That will minimize high levels of direct exposure to wireless radiation. I haven’t seen any scientific studies that indicate wearing necklaces or using various stones can reduce EMF’s. The best practice is to remove EMF’s. When that’s not possible, it’s best to hire a building biologist to assist you with shielding methods that can be grounded properly.
Holland Franklin says
I’ve had a lot of experience with wifi issues as I’ve been electrically sensitive for 10 years. Black tourmaline is well known for its ability to help protect the wearer from radio frequency. It has helped me in the past quite noticeably. I’m “allergic” to wifi the way others react to other environmental toxins. Be aware that tourmaline, like ALL stones, has the tendency to absorb frequencies over time. Periodically soaking it in salt and water, and placing it in strong sun for a few hours will help greatly with this. Some people swear by shungite as well, though I’ve not used it that way so can’t really comment.
Elana says
Holland, thanks so much for your comment! I’m so glad this has worked for you, but a quick word of caution to my other readers. It is best to remove EMF’s at the source. I’ve measured stones, pendants, and the like and have not found any quantifiable reduction in EMF’s from those types of items.
Evan Brand says
Elana, would love to interview on my Not Just Paleo Podcast.
Let’s chat if you’re open about this!
Best wishes,
Evan Brand
Elana says
Thanks Evan, I would love to! We will be in touch with you about this :-)
marian casey says
elana,
so glad that you found out what was making you so sick! and I am really glad that you are getting better! my husband and I are in our sixties and some of our friends think that we are really strange because we still have a landline and the only cell phone that we have is a old one that is for emergencies that we keep in our truck to use when we are traveling. we have never felt the need to have a phone in our ear at all times and I think we live a more peaceful life because we haven’t fell into that trap. growing up we had a dial phone and black and white tv. how times have changed since then. we own a microwave that we use and we have a computer but no laptop. i like the computer but it doesn’t run my life. i think that keeping things simple has made our life more relaxed and with my disabilities i need that. so we wish you great health, peace of mind, and all that is wonderful in life. marian casey
Elana says
Marian, thanks so much for your comment and for sharing your story. It’s great for folks to hear that those of us that are a bit old fashioned when it comes to technology still live very rich and full lives.
Shano says
If you have MS, you need a parasite cleanse using Dr. Hulda Clarks protocol.
Seriously.
A few liver flushes after the cleanse series of Bowel>Parasite> Mop Up protocols.
Just do it, please. You will heal so much faster.
Elana says
Shano, thanks so much for your feedback. Here’s more information on dealing with MS in an alternative fashion that I think you’ll like:
https://elanaspantry.com/new-approaches-to-neurological-conditions/
Enjoy!
Elana
Kristin Gourde says
Hi Elana! I just shared this on my business page and wanted to reach out and THANK YOU for sharing your story. I am so sorry that you had to go through this and am happy to hear you are feeling better. I turn off my wifi at night thanks to someone close to me have sensitivity to EMFs. It is incredible how powerful an impact it can have on our health. Also, the MTHFR gene is something I am hearing a lot more about. I think there is a good chance that I have it as well and again, appreciate your sharing so that I can keep on my own healing journey. And bonus, your recipes are always 100% a win at my house. Thank you for all you do!
Elana says
Kristin, thanks for your wonderful comment. I’m so glad we are on this healing path together :-)
Rachel Chevalier says
The measuring devices used to detect wifi and microwaves are not very expensive. It is the most worthwhile investment you can make. You might find a site that rents them. I use the Acousticom 2 Electrosmog detector. We need more people to speak out on the subject and hold our politicians responsible for keeping our schools and environment safe. We also need more awareness about geopathic stress – radiation generated by underground water veins and fault lines. If your house is built on a hill or has a hill in the backyard or if you have many ants in your yard you want to find a geobiologist to make sure your bed is free from geopathic stress. Be well. Be curious.
Elana says
Thanks Rachel!
Beth says
That you for updating us. I read your previous post about the EMFs and how it has affected you.
I am glad that you are recovering and that your house is now the peaceful & healing home that you deserve.
Elana says
Beth, thanks so much!
Megan says
Thank you for speaking out on such an important and largely overlooked topic of health concern. I’m glad you are improving. Like you said, the body can heal! That has been my experience as well. Thank you for pioneering, especially in the area of creating healthy desserts. We all get to be the beneficiaries. I use and adore many, many of your recipes.
Elana says
Megan, thanks for your lovely comment! Yes, it’s so wonderful that the body can heal. I’m eager for that to happen so that I can get back to pioneering :-)
Christel Martin says
Thank you for being open about EMR and bringing it to the public’s attention. I’ve been speaking out about mercury poisoning courtesy of a carpenter ant exterminator using a banned commercial fungicide in 1997 (diagnosed in 2002), and subsequent electro-hyper-sensitivity (diagnosed 2009). I’ve been given every label you can think of by former friends and doctors. Former, because I said I don’t need you in my life if you’re not going to help me find the cause, rather than blaming me for losing my health despite your going bald from head-scratching (but not doing research). Functional/integrative medicine doctors are the only ones who have a clue, so good luck to everyone who’s feeling ill, tired, and losing ground continually. Find a well-qualified Building Biologist and get your home EMR as clean as you can, so at least you have safe spot. Band together, talk, tell everyone you meet, even if they say you’re crazy or deadbeat or whatever. You’re not. You’re being poisoned by our very polluted environment–as are the people calling you down. Be grateful that you KNOW why you’re sick; they don’t. You’ll survive; they won’t. Your kids will have a chance at life; theirs. . .won’t.
Elana says
Thanks for your comment Christel!
Lori says
I hear you Christel Martin! I could have written a very similar post!