By Dharma Singh Khalsa, MD

Can you hear me now?

How does the idea of playing Russian roulette with your brain sound? How’d you like to live a healthy lifestyle and come down with a horrible disease, like Alzheimer’s, simply because you were using your cell phone?

Not too pleasant a thought, is it?

Well, perhaps you’re aware of the recent news from the prestigious University of Pittsburgh Cancer Center warning of cell phone risks to your immune system and bone marrow. Their recent research report, published online, reveals that the electromagnetic radiation emitted from cell phones may pose a serious risk for developing brain cancer, as well as eye cancer and acoustic neuromas, a benign tumor of the nerve in the ear leading to deafness, which needs surgery to be removed.^1,2

Recently, Dr. Paul Song, a radiation oncologist from Los Angeles, appeared on Larry King live and was asked about the dangers of carrying your cell phone on your hip and holding it next to your head. Here is what he said:

“Surprisingly, the concern about radio frequency exposure is not so much for the brain or the hip, but really the testes or the eyes. Those are the areas that are most sensitive to radio frequency, because they get hot and they don’t have the blood vessels to cool off.”³

But that’s not all.

An earlier published paper revealed that cell phone radiation kills brain cells that are associated with learning and memory, and may therefore trigger Alzheimer’s.⁴

How can that be?

Now, although this study was carried out in rats, it still adds fuel to the fire over the controversy about cells phone safety.

Let me tell you why.

Rats and humans have very similar brains — they both have the same blood-brain barrier and brain cells or neurons — leading researchers to suggest that similar effects would also occur in humans.

In this cited study, the rats were exposed to two hours of radiation equal to that emitted by mobile phones. Upon examination 50 days later, researchers found a multitude of dead brain cells in rats exposed to the radiation.

The scientists also hypothesized that in people whose neurons are prone to Alzheimer’s disease — either from genetics, family history, increased age, or poor lifestyle — radiation from mobile phones may trigger the disease.⁴

Let me be very clear: to some people this research is very controversial. To others, it’s what’s called emerging science and is in the same place where the knowledge about cigarettes was — say 40 years ago or so. I remember seeing ads in antique magazines, even medical journals, that said not only was smoking harmless but, amazingly, was actually good for your breathing and digestion.

Only many years later, after vociferous denials from tobacco companies, was the reality of the truth accepted — smoking causes lung cancer, bladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, and other forms of cancer as well as chronic lung disease, heart disease, strokes, and more.

And, unfortunately, the same now holds true for the cell phone industry. The people in the corporations associated with the cell phone industry seem to be trying to suppress any and all negative information to protect their own bottom lines.

During the aforementioned discussion on CNN’s Larry King Live on July 29th of this year, Mr. King reported on the response of the cell phone industry to the warning issued by the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Center. Here is the direct transcript form the show:

KING: LARRY KING LIVE contacted cell phone companies to take part in our program today. We contacted T-Mobile, AT&T, Motorola, LG Electronics, Qualcom (sic), Nokia, Verizon, Samsung and Sprint. All declined our invitation. We contacted Erickson (sic) too, [and] got no response. Many companies we spoke with referred us to the association that represents the wireless industry. They too declined our invitation, but they did give us this statement,

“This is an issue that should be guided by science. The overwhelming majority of studies that have been published in scientific journals around the world show that wireless phones do not pose a health risk. Furthermore, this is the public position of leading health organizations, such as the United States Food and Drug Administration, the American Cancer Society and the World Health Organization. Public statements and declarations not guided by published scientific research can have the effect of misinforming the general public. As technology continues to evolve, the industry supports continued research. But we want to stress the fact that there is a consensus among leading health organizations concerning published scientific research, and they show no reason for concern.”

Regardless of the preliminary nature of these studies, the available data is striking and does beg the following question:

What can you do right now to protect yourself from possible cell phone damage while waiting for the ongoing prospective studies to give us a definitive answer; perhaps a decade from now?

Short of throwing your cell phone in the garbage, there are a few widely accepted ideas.⁵

First of all, take these ideas very seriously. We are, after all, nothing but electromagnetic energy and cell phone radiation may clash with that, causing extreme damage.

In addition, here are some common sense ideas:

• Curb calls inside buildings.
• Limit time spent on the phone.
• Limit your exposure to WiFi routers.
• Use the phone in open spaces as often as possible.
• Use a wired headset to limit your exposure to the cell phone.
• Use the speaker phone instead of putting the phone to your ear.
• Limit use by children and pre-adolescents as much as possible, preferably for emergencies only.

And please remember — this is all the more reason to take care of your brain.

Let’s do everything we can to protect ourselves from yet another risk factor to our long-term mental and physical health. The important thing to remember is that you need to be cautious, because we may not have the answer to this for at least another 10 years.

Best of Blessings,

Dr. Dharma

References

1. www.Environmentaloncolgy.org. The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Center website.
2. Khurana, V. International Journal of Oncology, February 2008; 22(2): 399-407. (contains 50 or so references)
3. Larry King Live, July 29th, 2008.
4. Salford, L. et al. Environmental Health Perspectives, June 2003. Vol. 111 # 7 881-883 (Also contains many reputable references).
5. www.Environmentaloncolgy.org. The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Center website.

[Ed Note: The author of seven best-selling books, Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., often referred to as Dr. Dharma, is America's # 1 Specialist in Memory Loss Prevention & Reversal, and Brain Longevity. To discover more about his work, receive his free newsletter, The Healing Minute, and a claim a free e-book called The 11 Secrets to The Prevention and Reversal of Memory Loss, click here. To ask him a question, e-mail info@drdharma.com.]

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