I was diagnosed with MS in 2006 and my symptoms were fairly manageable until 2014. Strangely, that was a few months after we moved into our new house. I tried every alternative treatment I could think of and did not find much relief. Finally, I started wondering, could it be something in this new living space that was making me sick?
When I ran out of alternative treatments I started thinking about Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs). I had a hunch that the EMFs in our new house might have played a part in the decline of my health. I reached out to fans on my Facebook page. The thousands of comments I received were incredible, and your helpful input would become a key step in my new quest for healing, leading me to write about The Green House that Almost Killed Me.
I had thought the beautiful house we built was green through and through. I worked diligently with our contractor to use no-VOC products during the construction process from start to finish. Additionally although our house was not visibly impacted by the historic flood that hit Boulder shortly after we moved in, I had tested it for mold. I thought our house was well constructed and ecologically sound. I was wrong.
I made a huge mistake in the design of our new home. I had not researched the ecological impact of the electrical systems installed. But something changed that day on Facebook. With your help I did a deep dive into EMF research. Your responses to my questions about EMFs were disturbing, and they may have saved my life.
I started to realize it wasn’t all in my head, especially after digging in to the book Zapped, which is an easy read and incredibly informative. In the course of one week, I turned my life upside down to reduce my exposure to EMFs. Here are the simple steps I took to reduce EMFs in our home and in my life overall!
Unplug Smart Appliances
The first thing to go was the printer in my tiny office. It is a wireless printer. I unplugged it from the wall. Now, when we need to print, we plug it in with the ethernet cable and the electric cord, plus we use another cable to connect our computers to it for printing.
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Turn off WiFi
We unplugged the routers in our house and instead began using ethernet cables that plug into the wall. It doesn’t look pretty because we have cords all over the place, but being sick isn’t that pretty either. For more information on how I hardwired our computers into the Ethernet you’ll want to read my post called Avoiding EMFs at the Computer! If you are unable to turn off WiFi completely I recommend turning off your WiFi at night.
Turn off Breaker to Bedroom
Yes, this sounds crazy, and for most people it may not be necessary. However, for my system to get a rest from EMFs we decided we would turn off the circuit breaker to our bedroom. We are now using flashlights in the master bedroom and battery operated analog alarm clocks.
We also turned off the circuit breaker to the laundry room that is on the other side of our bedroom wall. This breaker is only turned on during the days that we use the washer/dryer so that the electric current is not active while I’m in the bedroom at night. Finally, my husband parked his cell phone outside of our bedroom so that I am now sleeping in a cell phone free environment.
Eliminate Cordless Phones
Cordless phones use a technology called DECT which stands for digital enhanced cordless telecommunication. This type of phone continuously emits electromagnetic radiation from the base, even when you are not speaking on it.
Although I thought that I was doing a good thing by using a landline, I was wrong since I was using cordless phones for our landline. I eliminated all of the cordless phones from our house, which were a significant source of EMFs, and instead replaced them with these corded landlines.
Reduce Cell Phone Use
Over the past couple of years I became accustomed to using my cell phone often. Last week I changed that habit. I now leave it at home when I exercise, and when I take it with me it is in airplane mode with the data switched off. When the cell phone is in airplane mode it does not emit electromagnetic radiation.
I take the phone with me in the car in case I need it for an emergency, but again, it is in airplane mode with data switched off. I don’t use the phone in the car. If I need to I will make sure the windows are rolled down. Using the phone in the car with the windows up is like using a phone in a Faraday cage. The EMFs are somewhat trapped in the space bouncing off the walls, literally, having no where to exit. The same thing that makes your car safe during a lightening storm, makes it a sealed space that can trap EMFs when your cell phone is in use.
I’ve written a great post with links to scientific research for those of you who are wondering Are Cell Phones Dangerous?
Dismantling the Control4 System
Unfortunately, since I entirely neglected the electronic components in the building process, we have a long way to go. The house is on a system called Control4. That means that every light switch and thermostat in the house may be on WiFi, not to mention the televisions, and much more. We plan to eliminate this system and unraveling it is going to be a complex process. We are only at the beginning.
Changing Habits Takes Time
So far I’ve been spending a great deal of time and energy to reduce the EMFs in our home. Since I really enjoy creating new habits it has been very easy for me. My family is making changes to their habits too, and these changes in behavior were not their idea, so it is less pleasant for them. I have turned their world upside down. Thankfully they have been really good sports about it. I am very lucky and show them my gratitude at every opportunity!
You’re Crazy EMFs are in Your Head
When I’ve spoken with friends about reducing the EMFs in our home the response has been interesting. One friend said she was very proud of me, that she was glad I had not given up on my health, and that I was still searching for an answer and working to get well.
Another friend had a different response. This friend said there was no proof that EMFs are harmful and that people would think I was crazy in my efforts to reduce EMFs in my own home. Thankfully I haven’t really ever cared much anyway what people thought of me so that’s not an issue! Many people have told me that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a total scam, and still, I get my HBOT treatments for MS, finding them particularly helpful.
It’s been less than one week since I made all of the changes outlined above! Since it took around 10 months of living in the house for all of my strange symptoms to arise, I expect it will take at least that long to heal. Remember, healing is a process that takes time.
Next, I’m bringing in an EMF specialist to measure the different areas of our home to help me to get the EMF situation here further under control. I’ll be sure to keep you posted! I’m so glad that I went on Facebook to chat with you all last week about EMFs. I learned so much from you! Now I hope you can learn something from me and that together we can spread awareness of this important issue!
If you want to make a difference, share this post on Facebook, or leave a comment about your own experience with EMFs below.
Anne Annie says
I believe the best way to reduce EMFs is by purchasing a faraday cage. Silent pocket have very nice faraday cages. I recently bought mine from them, and I love it. I’d vouch for Silent pocket any day!
Elana says
Anne, thanks for your comment, and agree. We have one built into our bedroom that we constructed while renovating our home :-)
Cariboo says
Hi Elena. There are lot’s of good tips in this article, but nowhere did you mention the need to actually measure where the high level, and alot of the time hidden EMF radiation can be located inside and outside your home. High level EMF spikes can be hidden in places most people would never expect.
For that you would need a measuring device, such as a TriField TF2 EMF meter. A brief overview of which can be found here: https://product-talk.blogspot.com/2020/12/trifield-tf2-review-uk-usa-canada.html
Elana says
Cariboo, thanks for pointing that out.
CindyR says
Hi, I’m searching, searching, searching for answers regarding my health. I watched a webinar explaining Qi EMF Technology from synergyscience.org that uses their patented shields to block the EMF radiation in our homes.
Are you familiar with them?
Do you use anything similar in your home to block EM F radiation from harming us?
Thanks so much for sharing your story. Mine is still being written.
Elana says
Cindy, all of the Building Biologists I’ve learned from have said it’s best to remove EMF at the source, as opposed to trying to block it.
Janet Howard says
Does anyone have a recommendation for a powered toothbrush that is not wifi enabled? My dentist is really pushing it for gum and tooth health. Problem is the only ones I have seen are chargeable and then the sit there pulsing like the problematic cordless phones. Ideal I suppose would be battery-powered.
Any suggestions?
Elana says
Janet, thanks for your comment! I think you can get an electric toothbrush that plugs into the wall that does not have Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity :-)
Sharon says
Great to find you.
What are the symptoms of EMF and how do you get the proper diagnosis?
Are some people more susceptible to this?
Elana says
Sharon, thanks for your comment! I think at this point it’s nearly impossible to get a proper diagnosis on this. However, one fabulous doc who specializes in EMF toxicity is Dr. Klinghardt on the West Coast. EMF over-exposure can exacerbate neurological symptoms, as it did in my case which I write about here, I also discuss increased susceptibility:
https://elanaspantry.com/green-house-almost-killed/
Other symptoms include headaches, brain fog, depression, dizziness, sleep issues, fatigue, and much more.
Thanks for your great questions!
Elana
Sharon says
23 and me has a section that covers genetic variants related to emf sensitivities.
Elana says
Sharon, thanks for letting me know this!!!
Nicole says
Good Afternoon Elana!
I have been a regular follower of your blog for years. Thank you for the wealth of information!
I want to set up a landline in our home but I don’t know where to start. There are telephone jacks in the walls but I think the wiring is old and needing repair. Did you arrange for service through your local cable and internet company, or a mobile phone service such as Verizon? I have seen these services advertised, and they appear to come through an existing internet modem. That doesn’t seem great but may be the only option. Any insight would be appreciated so I can get on this.
Take Care,
Nicole
Elana says
Nicole, thanks for this great question! Yes, we get our phone from our ISP (internet service provider). We have all the phone lines as well as internet hard wired in our home so that we don’t need to use any wireless devices to get internet access or phone service via our landline. We also stopped renting the modem from our ISP because even though it was plugged into the wall and hard wired it had a hot spot on it which compromises security (can be hacked) and generates wireless radiation. So, we bought our own modem (far cheaper than renting), and eliminated those two issues :-)
Gina Christman says
Hi Elana,
Once again thank you for sharing your journey. I too suffer from chronic illness, several autoimmune diseases which at times has left me bedridden on toxic pharmaceuticals.
I’m after reading your greenhouse article I’m wondering if you have found any protective gear you wear. I’ve seen necklaces online that supposedly reflect the electromagnetic waves. Any suggestions?
Elana says
Gina, thanks for your comment! I haven’t found any of those things to work when I measure them. I did remove all of the WiFi from our home and we now plug our computers into the wall for internet access, which is the safest way to get internet and is also faster and more secure :-)
nancy brown says
Thanks Elana for this great article. I too am in the process of bringing the emf levels down in our home, including hardwiring our computers. Do you have wired connections for your phones? If so are they iPhones? I just contacted Apple for advice regarding hardwiring the macs we have and the person I chatted with said iPhones can’t be hardwired. Thanks for your advice.
Elana says
Nancy, thanks for your comment! I now use a landline to make phone calls since I cannot tolerate the EMFs from an iPhone :-)
Aramis Joel Ramirez says
I have a very fair amount of tinnitus, I notice that when gets loud I touch the ground with bare hand or feet and gets lower. I purchased some expensive EMF paint from Europe and follow all instructions, not the greatest. I just read about this small company name: EMF Blues. Based on what I read in their website seems like a WOW! Can they be trust from the best of your knowledge? Thanks in advance!! All the best!!
Elana says
Thanks Aramis! I will look into this :-)
Barb Payne says
Nancy & Elana,
Elana, your posts are super!
iPhones and iPads (and many other brands) *can* be connected via cables and adapters. Apple’s staff (and other manufacturers) may tell you that their devices can’t connect that way just because, as Elana points out, adapters might be needed and it could be that the company you’re talking to doesn’t itself manufacture or sell the cords or adapters therefore they are told to not recommend them. {Note: on some iPads/tablets, when you connect to internet via cord and/or adapter, the screen pops up a message claiming that you can’t do that… but usually that’s… well, I have to say… a fib. Usually simply ignoring the warning allows you to proceed completely successfully and it doesn’t harm the device or anything nasty like that.
I stopped using wireless and cordless years ago, yet I’m fully connected with the world and everyone in it… I do everything via cords/cables/wires/adapters with all wireless capability turned off. I have a desktop computer but I also use a laptop and tablet elsewhere (and yes I take my ethernet cable and adapters with me). ALSO VERY IMPORTANT: please if you use a mouse only use a corded mouse, do not use a wireless mouse; yes, I realize it seems like such a wee little thing *but* the wireless emissions spewing out of its components are extremely, extremely strong. If you want a small corded mouse they’re available and some have an adjustable length cord that is fully retractable too.
Due to EHS (electromagnetic hypersensitivity) I stopped using a smartphone many years ago, but I know that smartphones can be connected non-wirelessly such that you have access to whatever Internet-based apps — and that can include VoIP (voice over internet protocol), one example of which is Skype. There is usually an internet method of texting *to* any phone — therefore internet via non-wireless cord/adapter is still the same internet. The text-via-internet method is often provided as a link that anyone (who does or doesn’t have a cell/smartphone) at the website of the recipient’s cell network provider (if not from your own provider). There isn’t always an internet method of *receiving* text or a reply to your text-via-internet, but I know that some people set up What’s App, and using it via non-wireless Internet connection method, to handle two-way messaging between family members, friends, and anyone else you want to set it up with… it’s just that random people you haven’t already set up in the App wouldn’t be able to text you. It’s possible that I just don’t personally know the ins and outs of setting up accepting messages from random persons — that I’m not sure about. [IMPORTANT NOTE: Beforehand, please check with your mobile phone network plan provider if you want to start using your phone more often when it’s connected to Internet, to make sure that you have a data plan that suits your usage needs.]
When someone wants/needs to avoid exposures to wireless and other types of electromagnetic radiation *and* maybe other persons in the household aren’t *yet* 100% onboard with that, we recommend the other persons at least consider setting a timer on their phones to alert them, for example, every 2 hours, and then putting the phone on airplane mode with also data OFF and wi-fi OFF and bluetooth OFF. The timer can operate without a network connection, obviously you have to choose a timer that doesn’t need a network connection! And then each time the alert happens, the person turns off airplane mode and checks for messages/emails/whatever then switches back to airplane mode and types all the replies — so they will be waiting in a queue to send — and then turns airplane mode off again — which will cause all the queued messages to send — and then switch to airplane mode again. And when the alert happens again in another 2 hours simply do that routine again. And so on. [Note: If at some point the user also turns on wi-fi or data or bluetooth, please they must remember to turn those off again a.s.a.p.] Everything above in this paragraph only seems like a lot to do because it takes a lot of typing here to explain it :)… really it’s easy, and another benefit is that often those other persons quickly realize how overly chained to their phones they were and so they LIKE the new-found feeling of this freedom, so the habit continues and, happily, this means that they’re also getting less radiation exposure and their radiation footprint is reduced out in the world and so that benefits everyone else (all kids and adults and pets and strangers – regardless whether or not anyone else is using a wireless device). And of course ideal is when that person realizes that this isn’t really any convenience then they may feel more inspired or encouraged to move to non-wireless in other device/use scenarios or altogether, whether in support of someone else or self or strangers or pets or wildlife.
In addition to the abundance of great info Elana has here at her website, Environmental Health Trust is a non-profit organization in the U.S. that maintains a frequently updated website of informative new and archived background information and free downloads of consumer-friendly digital and print handouts regarding wireless/electromagnetic fields and health ehtrust.org or twitter.com/saferphones. (If you’re wondering: yes, I use twitter and other so-called social media… via non-wireless connection methods).
Best,
Barb
Barbara Payne, President
Electromagnetic Pollution Illnesses Canada Foundation (EPIC)
iexistworld.org
WiresRock.org
SENT FROM A CORDED DEVICE WITH WIRELESS-OFF & BLUETOOTH-OFF
TO RESPECT ALL ENVIRONMENTS
because wireless radiation is a pollutant
I aim for zero footprint and reduce exposure
#PracticeSafeTech #doitWITHwires
• prefer wires • provide wires
• request wires • respect wires
Elana says
Barb, thanks so much for your comment! I have a post here for readers on how to plug your computer into the wall:
https://elanaspantry.com/avoiding-emfs-at-the-computer/
And I also plug my phone into the wall so that I can use Instagram on it. I loved hearing all of your creative ideas and suggestions and am so lucky to be on this healing path with you!!!
Elana
Denise says
Hi Elana, my daughter just told me about your website. I’m so happy she did! You have a wealth of great information. I know getting rid of WiFi is the way to go but just as there are metal mesh type shields for smart meters there are also ones for WiFi routers. Are these safe to use and are they effective?
Elana says
Denise, if you effectively shield a WiFi router you won’t be able to connect your devices to it so there not really any point in doing that :-)
Christine says
Hi Elana-
May I ask what kind of infared sauna you have?
Elana says
Christine, we have a Clearlight sauna.