EMFs & Your Immune System: How EMF Radiation Leads to Sickness & Chronic Disease

Last Updated on October 4, 2023

Effects from EMF on Lyme Disease and Chronic Illness

EMF radiation is electromagnetic energy that emits from all electronic devices, including cell phones, tablets, and laptops. Studies show that long-term, constant exposure to EMF radiation can cause a number of biological health effects.

These biological changes include cell damage and oxidative stress, DNA fragmentation, and neurological changes that can suppress the immune system and evolve into many different illnesses

This makes EMF radiation exposure, though not a chemical in the traditional sense, an environmental toxin that impacts the body. As one of the most overlooked toxins, people do not realize that EMFs are biologically impacting them.

The biological changes stemming from EMF exposure have been linked to many adverse health conditions:

  • Infertility and miscarriage
  • Developmental problems in babies & children
  • Sleep and concentration difficulties
  • Various Neurological and Psychosomatic disorders (caused by disruption of many neurotransmitters and hormones)
  • Problems with various body systems (Immune system, Digestive system, Nervous system)
  • Headaches and body pain
  • Skin symptoms (rashes, tingling, redness)
  • Cancer

EMF is an Immunosuppressant

EMF radiation is classified as an immunosuppressant, which means it makes your immune system unable to respond—sometimes at all—to a foreign substance or toxin. If that’s the case, toxins, bacteria, viruses, and chemicals like mold and pesticides can easily infiltrate your body.

Doctors purposefully administer high levels of radiation to fully suppress the immune systems of cancer patients as part of their treatment protocol. However, being exposed to low levels of radiation daily may inadvertently cause immunosuppression in perfectly healthy people, and this can substantially increase the risk of developing different illnesses, and even lead to chronic disease states.

One research group found that repeated exposure to low-level non-ionizing radiation weakened the immune system in mice. Another group of researchers found that exposure to these energy waves exerted the same immunosuppressive effects as a single dose of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug Diclofenac.

A weakened immune system basically lowers your force field to environmental toxins, bacteria, and viruses, that can cause anything from a common cold or viral infection to a whole slew of chronic diseases. EMFs have been linked to the development of many long-term illnesses: Autism; Cancer; Insomnia and other sleep problems; Depression, Anxiety, and other mental health problems; ADHD; Obesity; Asthma; the list goes on.

Not only that, but research is finding that EMFs may also be creating more pathogens in the body that are antibiotic resistant, and reducing the amount of good bacteria while increasing the bad bacteria.

While the World Health Organization (WHO) identifies chronic disease as the leading cause of death and disability around the world, it is also the most preventable illness due to the various environmental toxins that come into play.

What is a Chronic Disease?

Seven out of 10 deaths in the U.S. are due to a chronic disease. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention defines chronic diseases broadly as: “conditions that last one year or more and require ongoing medical attention or limit activities of daily living, or both.”

The most common of these diseases are Heart Disease, Stroke, Cancer, Chronic Respiratory Disease, and Diabetes.

While chronic illnesses affect more and more people each year, young children are especially vulnerable to chronic disease risk factors. Children are more susceptible to environmental toxins, such as Electromagnetic Field radiation (EMF radiation for short), because their developing bodies are at a higher risk for exposure. In 2011, an average of $76.6 billion was spent on childhood environmental diseases every year!

Many chronic conditions end in lifelong disability, lowered quality of life, or even death and typically result in huge health care costs.

Chronic diseases and mental illnesses are very much intertwined. Suffering from a chronic disease can lead to feelings of Depression and Anxiety, while Depression itself can actually lead to a variety of chronic diseases.

Causes of Chronic Disease

Every disease has different risk factors. Some are out of our control (heredity and age), although many are common across all illnesses.

The top controllable factors include unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and tobacco use.

There’s a laundry list of other environmental factors that could play a role in chronic disease. Many are caused by different chemicals and toxic pollutants. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Exposure to Toxic Elements

    Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury may be found in many different products, and can inhibit enzyme function in certain organs. Lead and EMFs are in the same category of carcinogens on the WHO’s website.

  • Exposure to Naturally Occurring Substances

    Your body may be sensitive to various molds and allergens, and there may be a relationship between these and certain diseases.

  • Exposure to Pesticides

    Pesticides are developed to repel and kill insects, so they are inertly toxic. Studies have linked modern pesticides to Cancer and many other disorders.

  • Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

    POPs are chemicals—found in herbicides, flame retardants, and Teflon—defined by how long they stay in the environment and in the body. When we are exposed to these chemicals, they become stored in our body’s fat tissue.

  • Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

    VOCs—found in gasoline and fragrances—may interfere with cellular membranes and cause neurological effects.

Lyme Disease and EMFs

Every year, more than 300,000 people in the U.S. are bitten by a tick and infected with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which triggers an infection, leading to an inflammatory response and Lyme Disease. Lyme Disease is the most commonly occurring vector-borne disease (transmitted through animals bites) in the country.

Initial symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, fatigue, and a skin rash. The symptoms arise as a result of the inflammatory response caused by the infection, NOT the infection itself.

Typically, antibiotics are prescribed to treat the symptoms. However, if left untreated, symptoms can develop into severe headaches and neck stiffness; Arthritis; facial palsy; body pain; heart palpitations; dizziness or shortness of breath; inflammation of the brain and spinal cord; nerve pain; numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet; and problems with short-term memory.

Often, Lyme disease isn’t dealt with in the early stages—people may not even realize they’re infected—leaving the disease to worsen.

Even if Lyme Disease is treated in the initial stage with the appropriate antibiotics, there’s a chance symptoms may persist. The New England Journal of Medicine found that 10% to 20% of patients treated for Lyme Disease still continue to experience symptoms—symptoms that may last up to six months or longer. These typically include fatigue, joint or muscle aches, and cognitive dysfunction. At this point, the disease is referred to as post-treatment Lyme disease (PTLDS), and is commonly referred to as Chronic Lyme.

Lyme Disease continues to stump medical professionals. However, there seem to be some key environmental considerations that play into the severity of the disease.

Two of the main factors are EMFs and mold.

We know that Lyme is an inflammatory infection. A person with PTLDS has higher levels of inflammatory proteins throughout the body, including in the bloodstream and in the brain, that persist beyond the initial antibiotic treatments.

And we know that EMFs impact the body’s immune system and can cause inflammation. A weakened immune system allows the Lyme infection to persist, in turn leading to continued inflammation.

This is a very unfavorable combination for someone suffering with Lyme disease.

The second environmental toxin of focus is mold. Mold is a microscopic organism present in most homes. When exposed to mold, people may experience hay-fever like symptoms (runny nose, sneezing, red eyes, and skin rash), Asthma attacks, and irritation of the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs.

Mold illness is a multi-faceted condition called Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, or CIRS. It not only can be caused by Lyme (since the immune system is weakened) but it can actually lengthen a Lyme infection and prevent treatment from being effective.

Some experts think that around half of all unresolved Lyme cases could be a result of mold illness.

Intertwining the conditions even more is the fact that EMF radiation encourages mold growth!

So not only can EMFs have a direct impact on the way the body deals with Lyme, but it may also be worsening another environmental factor impacting the severity of the disease.

In this video, Dr. Klinghardt explains the connection between EMFs and mold growth. One of the standout points he makes is that the production of biotoxins in mold cultures increased more than 600 times when exposed to ambient cell phone radiation from a nearby cell tower.

EMFs and mold are two pervasive environmental factors that only serve to worsen the impacts of Lyme and other chronic diseases.

How Chronic Illnesses Can Lead to Electrical Hypersensitivity Syndrome (EHS)

Electrical Hypersensitivity Syndrome (EHS) is characterized by a variety of non-specific symptoms caused by exposure to EMFs.

A simple way of thinking of EHS is as an allergy to EMFs. Everyone may have a different “allergic response.”

Symptoms may include sleep disturbances, fatigue, Depression, headaches, concentration problems, learning difficulties, limb and joint pains, numbness or tingling sensations, Tinnitus, hearing loss, impaired balance, and other body system problems.

People who have a chronic illness, like PTLDS, will likely suffer more from exposure to EMFs because the biological systems in the body are in turmoil. EMF radiation exposure can add extra stress and decrease the Immune system function even more, which might create a hyper-sensitivity to devices emitting EMF radiation.

Reduction of EMF to Treat Illnesses

The evidence is clear: EMFs are unhealthy for us in some way, shape, or form.

They can worsen many chronic diseases, or create a biological environment that invites them in and makes it easier to get sick.

Reducing exposure to EMFs can help the body return from a dysfunctional and stressed state so that it can fight against other toxins.

Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt is a fierce advocate for a holistic approach to treating chronic Lyme disease. A main focus of his treatment protocol hinges on EMF radiation. He believes there is a direct relationship between the rise in Electromagnetic Fields and microwave radiation with the increased severity of Lyme disease in his patients. Dr. Klinghardt helps eliminate sources of EMF radiation in his patients’ homes by removing cordless telephones and turning off fuses at night.

He found that reducing EMFs was more successful at treating Lyme than any antibiotics he had tried.

Detoxing from EMFs is a a good holistic treatment for illnesses, as well as a great preventative measure to help defend against this invisible threat.

Ways to Reduce EMF Radiation Exposure

  1. Use EMF Shielding to Block Harmful EMF Waves

    Purchase a shield for devices like cell phones, tablets, and laptops. These will help prevent the harmful waves emitted from frequently used mobile devices from reaching your body. One study recruited 64 people with a variety of chronic diseases. For eight hours a day, the subjects used EMF shields. 90% of the patients noted a “definite” or “strong” improvement in their symptoms.

  2. Reduce Time Spent Near Sources of EMF

    In general, it is a good idea to disconnect from your phone, laptop, tablet, or other mobile device, and spend some time away from digital devices. When you aren’t using your device, store it away from you because even when the device isn’t in use, it still emits EMF radiation.

  3. Keep sources of EMFs away from you.

    This may seem nearly impossible because we live in a digital world, but there are simple ways you may not think of to distance yourself from EMF sources. When you aren’t using a device, make sure to turn it off completely. Even when your phone is locked or your laptop has gone to sleep, devices still emit EMF radiation. Some devices have Airplane Mode, which turns off its radio signal. At night, turn off your WiFi router since you don’t need it while you’re sleeping, and keep electronic devices out of the bedroom.

According to the CDC, to prevent chronic diseases, an individual must promote holistic healthy activities in multiple sectors during their entire life span.

“Without concerted strategic intervention, chronic diseases and their risk factors can be expected to cause more harm—and be more costly to society. We cannot effectively address escalating health care costs without addressing the problem of chronic diseases.” – CDC.

Making small lifestyle changes to reduce the effects of EMFs may have a noticeable change on your overall health and well-being. It might also help to manage, treat, and prevent many illnesses.

Related Posts

None found

Daniel T. DeBaun
DANIEL T. DEBAUN: ENGINEER, AUTHOR & TELECOMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE

Daniel T. DeBaun is an internationally recognized and influential expert in Electromagnetic Radiation (EMF) and shielding electronic emissions, with a particular focus on the effect of exposure from mobile devices such as laptops, tablets and cell phones. Daniel’s concern regarding the health impact of electronic radiation emissions grew from over 30 years of engineering experience in the telecommunications industry, where he held a variety of leadership and executive positions at Bell Labs, AT&T, SAIC and Telcordia. Daniel is co-author of recent bestseller, Radiation Nation: The Fallout of Modern Technology, a complete guide to EMF radiation safety and protection. Daniel is also a highly regarded industry consultant, speaker as well as frequent guest national radio and television programs discussing EMF health issues.