Dirty Electricity and Inattentive ADD (ADHD I)

Dirty Electricity and Inattentive ADD (ADHD I)

Sam Milham , an MD with a Masters in Public Health, has published a book called Dirty Electricity where he proposes that electromagnetic fields (EMF) can cause health problems in people who are sensitive. He also thinks that increases in electromagnetic radiation is part of the reason that we are seeing increased rates of Inattentive ADD (ADHD I) and other forms of ADHD.

There are many people that disagree with him and this site is devoted to discounting any claim that EMF are dangerous. There are other people who believe that he is right including Dr. Thomas Rau, Medical Director of the well respected Paracelsus Clinic in Lustmühle, Switzerland.

In Interviews, Dr. Rau reports that he is certain that ‘electromagnetic loads’ can lead to cancer, concentration problems, ADD, tinnitus, migraines, insomnia, arrhythmia and Parkinson’s disease. Rau reports that EMF exposure is known to impair brain function and learning, He says that if you install mobile phone towers near schools, which radiate to the children, their intelligence and their brain capacity decreases and you will have more ADD symptoms in children.

Most case/control studies performed on EMF have shown little danger with regards to cancer or learning disabilities but this is a complicated area has all EMF are not the same and exposure to certain types of EMF may be more problematic than exposure to others. The verdict is not clear and great minds are busy researching EMF exposure but I wanted to report on a recently published study performed on one physician that showed some interesting findings.

This physician was described as "EMF sensitive", and in a well done controlled study she was monitored and found to have changes in heart rate, muscle twitching, headache and temporal pain when the EMF was turned on or off .  The physician had no symptoms when she was continually exposed to the EMF but she did experience symptoms when the EMF exposure changed.  Who knows what that means exactly but I am sure that someone will continue to study this and eventually figure it out.  The abstract of the study is printed below.
Let me know what you think about EMF exposure and health risks.


The International Journal of Neuroscience
Int J Neurosci. 2011 Sep 5. [Epub ahead of print]
Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity: Evidence for a Novel Neurological Syndrome.
McCarty DE, Carrubba S, Chesson AL, Frilot C, Gonzalez-Toledo E, Marino AA.
Source

1Department of Neurology, LSU Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA.
Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: We sought direct evidence that acute exposure to environmental-strength electromagnetic fields (EMFs) could induce somatic reactions (EMF hypersensitivity). Methods: The subject, a female physician self-diagnosed with EMF hypersensitivity, was exposed to an average (over the head) 60-Hz electric field of 300 V/m (comparable with typical environmental-strength EMFs) during controlled provocation and behavioral studies. Results: In a double-blinded EMF provocation procedure specifically designed to minimize unintentional sensory cues, the subject developed temporal pain, headache, muscle twitching, and skipped heartbeats within 100 s after initiation of EMF exposure (p < .05). The International Journal of Neuroscience

Int J Neurosci. 2011 Sep 5. [Epub ahead of print]
Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity: Evidence for a Novel Neurological Syndrome.

McCarty DE, Carrubba S, Chesson AL, Frilot C, Gonzalez-Toledo E, Marino AA.
Source

1Department of Neurology, LSU Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA.
Abstract ABSTRACT Objective: We sought direct evidence that acute exposure to environmental-strength electromagnetic fields (EMFs) could induce somatic reactions (EMF hypersensitivity). Methods: The subject, a female physician self-diagnosed with EMF hypersensitivity, was exposed to an average (over the head) 60-Hz electric field of 300 V/m (comparable with typical environmental-strength EMFs) during controlled provocation and behavioral studies. Results: In a double-blinded EMF provocation procedure specifically designed to minimize unintentional sensory cues, the subject developed temporal pain, headache, muscle twitching, and skipped heartbeats within 100 s after initiation of EMF exposure (p < .05). The symptoms were caused primarily by field transitions (off-on, on-off) rather than the presence of the field, as assessed by comparing the frequency and severity of the effects of pulsed and continuous fields in relation to sham exposure. The subject had no conscious perception of the field as judged by her inability to report its presence more often than in the sham control. Discussion: The subject demonstrated statistically reliable somatic reactions in response to exposure to subliminal EMFs under conditions that reasonably excluded a causative role for psychological processes. Conclusion: EMF hypersensitivity can occur as a bona fide environmentally inducible neurological syndrome. as assessed by comparing the frequency and severity of the effects of pulsed and continuous fields in relation to sham exposure. The subject had no conscious perception of the field as judged by her inability to report its presence more often than in the sham control. Discussion: The subject demonstrated statistically reliable somatic reactions in response to exposure to subliminal EMFs under conditions that reasonably excluded a causative role for psychological processes. Conclusion: EMF hypersensitivity can occur as a bona fide environmentally inducible neurological syndrome.