The Truth About Cell Phones

By Dr. Anita Mary Pepi, D. C.

Every time you use a cell phone, you “cook” some of your brain cells. This is because cell phones use microwaves to send and receive communication, similar to the microwaves that cook food in your kitchen. Regardless of what we would like to believe about cell phones due to their convenience, steps need to be taken to use that technology more responsibly to obtain its benefits without being subjected to as many of the negative effects that accompany it.  Let’s look at some of the research that has been done on cellular phones.

GENERAL DATA
Here is what is known about cell phones:
0* All cell phones emit microwave radiation.
1* Radiation emits mainly from the middle of the antenna.  When the antenna is not extended, the entire phone functions as the antenna, emitting radiation into a much wider area of your head, jaw and hand.
2* Depending on how close the cell phone antenna is to the head, as much as 60 percent of the microwave radiation penetrates the skull and is absorbed by the brain.
3* The brain is the most heat-sensitive tissue in the body.  Infrared photographs of people before and during cell phone usage show elevated brain temperatures. When brain tissue is heated, cellular physiology is altered and there is a breakdown in the basic processes that serve to provide nutrients to cells and control cellular functions.  When these functions break down a host of problems can ensue, including mutations and damage to the immune system.  Significant heating causes death of cells and severe damage to biological tissue that can impair whole organs.  Heat can also cause DNA breakage which is a potentially serious problem as well; but since all mammals, including humans, have sophisticated systems that repair DNA, the breakage of DNA does not always lead to disease.  However, serious mutations and chromosomal anomalies can occur if the rate of DNA breakage is greater than the ability of the body to repair the broken DNA.  And that can lead to the development of immune system problems, birth defects, cancer and other physical problems.

SPECIFIC RESEARCH STUDIES
4* In 1994, Dr. Salford, a Swedish physician, reported his research showing that he found significant leakage or breakdown in the blood brain barrier due to the effects of microwaves.  The blood brain barrier is a filtering system in blood vessels in the skull that keeps dangerous chemicals from reaching sensitive brain tissue.  This could constitute an indirect mechanism for the development of brain cancer as the brain is no longer protected from daily exposure to poisonous chemicals.
5* In 1996, Dr. Om Gandhi, found that the radiation absorption rates inside the brain were 7.84 milliwatts/kilogram in an adult, 19.77 mW/kg in a 10-year-old child and 33.12 mW/kg in a 5-year-old child.  A 5-year-old child absorbs four times as much radiation as an adult. Children are more susceptible to genetic damage because the tissues in their brains and bodies are still growing and their cells are rapidly dividing.  This is a concern not because small children normally use cell phones, but in my research I have found that any use of a cell phone within a six foot radius can adversely affect them.)
6*   Dr. Lennart Hardell’s study showed that among cell phone users, tumors were twice as likely to occur in areas of the brain at the side where the user normally held the phone.  Dr. Ken Rothman’s study of 285,561 cell phone users showed that users of hand held cell phones have more than twice the risk of dying from brain cancer than do car phone users whose antennas are mounted on the body of the car.

CLINICAL RESEARCH
This is why more research is needed about the long term effects of cell phone radiation on children.
Cell phone use reduces mental alertness which can lead to a lack of judgment in people’s behavior, especially in children and patients that already have borderline or poor function in the brain or pituitary.  Due to the fact that the greatest amount of radiation occurs during dialing and ringing, the degree of the reduction of alertness relates to two different factors: 1) the number of calls and 2) the number of minutes spent on the phone.  Even one short phone call can put the brain into a state of reduced function.

I have seen a highly mature, four-year-old child, after exposure within two yards of a cell phone, begin to engage in wild physical activities that showed very poor judgment which almost resulted in a bad accident.
The Core Level supplements I use in my practice are called Core Level because at a basic (core) chemical level, they are balanced for assimilation.  Core Level Brain, for example, contains a variety of balanced coordinating nutrients such as enzymes, amino acids, minerals, trace minerals, vitamins, herbs and tissue extracts to improve the function and vitality of the brain.  A supplement must have a balanced variety of coordinated nutrients in order for the body to run its many chemical processes to absorb it.  Otherwise, a deficiency is created.
Clearly, my primary recommendation is that people do not use cell phones unless the danger of the situation they’re in outweighs the danger of using the cell phone, e.g. a child or woman is in a dangerous neighborhood with a car that has broken down.  I’m not saying people shouldn’t own and carry a cell phone, I’m saying they should use them only in a true emergency.
Because I have had patients who “can’t live” without their cell phones, I’ve had to come up with some recommendations which are helpful but by no means completely solve the problem.

HEALTH RECOMMENDATIONS
7* Children (someone who has not achieved full body growth) should not use cell phones at all.  The brain continues to develop until a person is in their early 20’s.
8* Six foot radius around children.  A baby, child or person in poor health should never be allowed within 6 feet of a cell phone in use, unless it is an actual emergency.  In my clinical testing of brain and pituitary function in children exposed to cell phones, six feet is the nearest point at which brain and pituitary function is not affected.
9* If your phone has a retractable antenna, it should be fully extended during use.
10* Use a headset or earpiece to keep the antenna as far away from your body as possible.
11* When the signal strength is low, don’t use your cell phone.  The lower the signal strength, the harder the phone has to work to carry the call and the greater the radiation that is emitted from the antenna.
12* Due to the fact that the greatest amount of radiation is during dialing and ringing, people should keep their phones somewhere else besides their belt or pocket.  Cell phones should be kept off the body.
13*    People who regularly drive alone and need to take business calls may choose to get a car phone kit.  Your cell phone fits into a cradle in the car and is connected to an external antenna which then picks up most of the radiation.  Stores which will install these kits are easy to find in the yellow pages under “Cellular Telephone Equipment & Supplies” and the kits range from two to five hundred dollars.
14* Use regular phones.  Groove yourself back into the use of regular phones whenever they are available.  Only use cell phones in true emergencies.  You wouldn’t stick your head in your microwave oven unless it was really important.
15* Attach a “ladybug”.  An aid I’ve found to be helpful to mobile phone users is a small attachment that you place on the cell or cordless home phone.  It’s called a “ladybug” and one or more of these can be used to reduce the effect of microwaves on your body.  Ladybugs are aesthetic and come in a variety of colors.  The ladybug’s shape, layers and the special ceramics used have been researched as being effective in absorbing radiation.  The ladybug reduces the amount of energy from an antenna that passes through a biological tissue during a specified time period by 40-percent. (This energy is measured in watts of power per kilogram of tissue and is called the Specific Absorption Rate or SAR). This was independent research not overseen by the Harvard University Peer Review Board.  It has been known for many years that certain ceramic materials absorb radiation. This is the only product of this nature on the market that we’ve tested and found to be helpful.
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17* Concerning users with heart pacemakers:  Cell phones can’t be kept in your breast pocket when the phone is on.  The greater the distance between a pacemaker and a cell phone, the less the risk of electromagnetic interference.  This data applies to cordless home phones as well.
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