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.
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.
Mae says
I should look into this. I have been sick since moving to my place in CO. I had a women in an office get up and declare I was poisoned by EMF’S. She presented a bit freaky making me hesitent. I use a continuous blood glucose monitor and have not noted any extra fatigue. I did some research on grounding, has anyone looked into that or had experience with it?
Elana says
Mae, I totally understand. When I’ve mentioned this to some people they’ve told me I need to get healing crystals or check for ghosts. Unplugging WiFi and dealing with dirty electricity is so important for those of us that are already dealing with other health conditions and/or autoimmune issues.
Betel says
Grounding may help some people and also make things worse for others. There are many factors involved like where is the device being connected to for grounding. Also, there are other factors in the environment where it is being used that may have some unforeseen consequences.
I have been looking into EMF issues since I realized around 2012 that I was getting sick from a smart meter that was installed on my Chicago home for metering water.
Each of us is so unique and our environment has so many variables. The world around us is also continuing to change. I guess what I am saying is that it is not necessarily a cut and dried solution for some of these things. There is a lot that can be done to make things better. Keeping a healthy, positive approach is also something I continue to develop for my well being on this journey.
By the way, I was told by one printer manufacturer that when I “turn off” wifi on one of their printers it is still sending out the signal, even though the wifi function is disabled. I didn’t buy the printer and test it with a meter. Just saying it is an interesting journey!
Elana says
Betel, thanks for pointing this out! From my research I’ve read the same thing about grounding, and also found that if there is stray current in the house that the grounding mat can attract it and potentially make things worse.Thanks again, I am so glad to have you as part of this incredible community :-)
rr rehkemper says
Hello Betel (and Elana)
I also live in Chgo and have had issues since the water company installed a smart meter in my house years ago. Did you have any success with getting them to remove it? The electric co came out within 2 days to remove their smart meter but the water company is denying this possibility!
If you have had any luck with getting the smart water meter removed, PLEASE let my family know! (and the steps you took to get this done)
Thank you
Renee
Lena says
Elana thank you for sharing. I have been struggling with sleep for over a year now. I’ve read about EMF and know that it disturbs sleep. My house is full of electronics and such. Your article encouraged me to talk to my family about the issue. First thing I’m to do is to convince my husband to remove TV from our bedroom. Thank you again.
Elana says
You’re welcome Lena!
susan s says
What a great article! Thank you for the education! I have a question and I’m sure it wasn’t enough in your case to help significantly, but did you try Himalayan sea salt lamps? If yes, did it help much? I’ve been thinking of that for me in my bedroom and office but wasn’t sure if it really works that well. Thanks!! Love your almond flour recipes – really, they save me from digging into processed goodies all the time!! Susan
Elana says
Susan, those are good because they generate negative ions. Not so good because they plug into the wall and may create an additional electro-magnetic field in every room they are in.
Amy Broderick says
Have you heard of The Wave, It’s a small plug that can actually neutralize all EMF in your home within 5 Feet of the perimeter, I feel so much better and it was inexpensive, ($35) Im considering getting an extra one for travel. It also switches the polarity on your cell phone making it a healing device. Its new.
Elana says
Thanks Amy! I’m going to eliminate all of the unnecessary EMF’s in the house before I add any other items that are plugged into an electric socket :-)
Adrienne Adams says
So happy for you! I am just beginning an EMF journey myself regarding our cell phones! … And, Elana, when I was diagnosed with cancer, your recipes saved my sanity! Thank you so very, very much! Health and happiness to you!
Elana says
You’re welcome Adrienne! So glad we are on this journey together :-)
Tori says
I so appreciate you sharing your concerns and solutions to EMFs! I went through a journey with EMFs 1 1/2 years ago. I started losing my hair, had fatigue, chest pain and was nauseated all the time. Doctors had no idea what to do with me. I started to worry that it was related to the smart meter installed on our apartment. I had an EMF expert come out and take some readings. What he found was so shocking…the smart meter wasn’t really putting out that high of a frequency, but the power lines next to our house were putting out 15-20 times higher than the recommended frequencies. Our government doesn’t regulate this, so there isn’t anything that can be done except to move. We broke our lease and moved, but now I be sure to check EMF levels before I move into a new apartment. We live in the city, so the readings are going to be a little higher, but not nearly as high as where I was living before. It can cause childhood leukemia. Crazy! People think that I went overboard, but I know that whatever I’m doing to reduce the health impacts of our environment is a good thing. Thanks for educating more people!
Elana says
You’re so welcome Tori, and thanks very much for sharing your story :-)
Virginia S. says
Did I miss a previous post on your journey to getting a healthier home environment via reducing EMF exposure? I read this article, but you don’t go into detail about the results or improvements you personally have experienced through reducing EMF’s at home (and how long it took to see the improvements). This info would be very helpful to your readers. Especially those of us who live with skeptics of the link between EMF exposure and our declining health. Thank you for sharing on this VERY important health topic with us. I will look into getting the book , Zapped. And thanks so much for all your healthy, helpful recipes and articles. You are a great and valued resource!
Elana says
Hi Virginia! You did not miss anything. I made all of the changes outlined above less than a week ago. I will keep you all posted on my progress :-)
NIcki says
Thanks for sharing your experience. Have you tried demand switches? That would mean you could have lights in your bedroom again and when you turn them off the whole circuit will turn off.
Elana says
Thanks Nicki!
Shaz T says
Do you feel any different???
Elana says
Shaz, it’s been less than a week and I plan to give myself at least a year to recover from all of the EMF generating technology we had installed in our “smart” house :-)
Laura Cromartie says
So what is the result of your efforts??
Elana says
Laura, it’s been less than a week and it did take some time, as I mentioned above, to develop health issues after living in the house :-)