Did you know that exposure to electromagnetic fields can affect your health?
Recently, I hired Jason Masek from Benchmark Environmental to check for electromagnetic radiation inside of the new vacation home we just bought. The consultation was eye-opening!
Jason is a Building Biology Environmental Consultant and Electromagnetic Radiation (EMF) specialist.
In this blog, Jason brings awareness to how EMFs can negatively affect your health and offers some suggestions as to what you can do to protect yourself.
If you want to reduce exposure to EMFs inside your home, listen to Jason!
Watch the video below:
(Click here to watch on YouTube)
Watch the video above to see how Jason measures the electromagnetic activity in my home and gives me tips on how I can optimize my health!
EMFs are virtually everywhere.
An electromagnetic field (EMF) is an area of moving electrical charges. We are exposed to EMFs through power lines, cellphones, computers, wireless routers, and microwaves to name a few things. While some EMFs are not damaging to human health, some can be very harmful.
Unfortunately, not a lot of people are aware of the health risks that come with EMF exposure. This is why I'm grateful that I was able to interview Jason Masek about how EMFs work and learn about some simple ways that you can protect yourself from EMF radiation. On that note, let's dive in!
Do you mind sharing with people how you got into this field?
I got into this field because I got sick from EMFs. At the time, I was a home automation specialist. Essentially, I worked in large homes designing and installing elaborate automation systems. Unfortunately, I ended up getting Lyme disease and I crashed.
While I didn't know the root cause of my sickness at the time, I did know that I always felt sick when I was working on site. When I left, I would instantly feel better.
I learned about building biology while I was traveling in Germany. Eventually, I attended school in the U.S. at the International Institute For Building Biology and Ecology.
During this time I was dealing with my Lyme disease and co-infections.
Thankfully, I got better. For those of you who are electrically sensitive or have an autoimmune issue, please know that there is help available. In the field of biology, electromagnetic fields are considered a large slice of the pie, in terms of what you can do to get your health back.
However, you still need to do things like exercise, breathe clean air, and adopt a holistic lifestyle. EMF isn't the main culprit, especially when I was sick. However, once I removed that issue it gave me space to get healthy again.
What are some of the common symptoms of EMF exposure?
The initial symptom is anxiety that seems to come out of nowhere, in addition to headaches and dry eyes. We are finding that younger people are experiencing tinnitus, which is a ringing of the ears.
These symptoms stem from oxidated stress. EMFs penetrate our body and we absorb some of them. It tells our system that we are supposed to be stressed out, but we aren't. This message confuses our biology.
What are some of the common electromagnetic measurements that you see inside someone's bedroom?
We want to make the bedroom feel safe. In building biology, we call it a sleep sanctuary. That means that not only are EMFs gone or low, but everything in the room is making you feel relaxed.
A cell phone and a cell phone charger emit EMFs, both of which people usually have in their bedroom, especially before falling asleep.
Even if you turn over and check what time it is on your phone, there's a huge EMF density pulse that is connecting to the Wi-Fi. You're absorbing that. Putting your phone on autopilot will help, but there is still an EMF present called light.
Artificial light from your phone will affect your ability to fall asleep.
Bright light reduces our melatonin, which impacts our ability to sleep. Ideally, it's best if you can keep your cell phone outside of your bedroom. You don't want to have any electricity close to you while you sleep.
To replace the alarm on your phone, I suggest getting an old-school battery-powered clock radio. As part of my EMF assessment consultation, I create a customized sleep sanctuary plan for each of my clients that best suits their lifestyle.
What can people do to protect themselves if they live near a radio tower or if there is wiring hidden within the walls of their home?
When it comes to the electricity in your home, it's a good idea to turn it off altogether on a breaker panel. That being said, I would suggest that you hire a professional to do this for you because certain breakers have different circuits moving around.
The next level is shielding.
This involves putting shielding around the space that captures or reflects the EMFs. Bed canopies are great for this. However, the concern with shielding is that we are adding metal to the space. If you use a bed canopy, you want to make sure that the electricity in the bedroom is under control.
How can the chemicals inside your mattress/bedding negatively affect your health?
These chemicals are known as volatile organic compounds. It's like saying, “bacteria”. There are good VOCs and bad VOCs. Bad VOCs are from industrial chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene. These chemicals are really bad for our health.
You want to avoid a foam mattress that is made from polyurethane. This is any mattress that has the word poly in it. Stick with latex at all costs. The healthier the mattress, the healthier the sleep you'll get.
This is how electromagnetic fields can affect your health.
I hope some of the home optimization tips that Jason suggested give you some peace of mind as to how you can protect your health.
If you live in Vancouver and you want a specialist like Jason to come to your home and do an EMF assessment, check out his company website, Benchmark EMF Solutions!