European Society of Anti-Aging Medicine (ESAAM)
German Society of Anti-Aging Medicine (GSAAM)
German Society of Hemotoxicology
Hellenic Academy of Antiaging Medicine
Indonesian Society of Anti-Aging Medicine
International Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine
Japan Anti-Aging Medical Spa Association (JAMSA)
Japanese Society of Clinical Anti-Aging Medicine (JSCAM)
Korea Anti-Aging Academy of Medicine (KA3M)
LatinoAmerican Federation of Anti-aging Societies
Romanian Association of Anti Aging Medicine
Sociedad de Medicine Antievejenimiento y Longevidad de Gran Canaria
Society for Anti-Aging & Aesthetic Medicine Malaysia (SAAAMM)
South African Academy of Anti-Aging & Aesthetic Medicine (SA5M)
Spanish Society of Anti-Aging
Thai Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine
Anti Aging Research and Education Society, Turkey
Center for Study of Anti-Aging Medicine - UDAYANA University, Indonesia
Ukrainian Association of Preventive & Anti-Aging Medicine
World Anti-Aging Academy of Medicine (WAAAM)
DISCLAIMER
This Position Paper is intended to articulate the general policy positions of certain officers and directors of The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M), its numerous worldwide affiliated scientific and medical societies, and befriended organizations, and also to provide general information to practitioners and the public. This Position Paper is not intended to necessarily reflect the views of A4M’s members or the members of A4M'’s affiliated organizations. This Position Paper is also not intended to provide specific regulatory or legal advice at either the state or federal level. As state laws vary widely and individual circumstances may vary, readers are advised to consult their own legal counsel for guidance in meeting both state and federal requirements in their specific medical practice. In no event shall A4M, its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates and their respective members, directors, officers, employees, stockholders and agents be liable to you or any other entity for any and all damages including but not limited to direct, compensatory, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary or punitive damages (including, without limitation, damages for loss of profits, business interruption, loss of information and loss of business opportunities) arising out of or relating to (1) the use of or inability to use the above information, or (2) reliance on the content of this Position Paper; or (3) errors, inaccuracies, omissions, contained within the above materials; or (4) the satisfaction of any government regulation requiring disclosure of information on prescription or "off-label" drug products with regard to the information contained within this Position Paper. Because some jurisdictions may not permit each of these disclaimers and limitations, the above limitation may not apply to you. A4M and its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates and their respective members, directors, officers, employees, stockholders and agents further do not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information, text, links or other items contained within this Position Paper. A4M may make changes to this Position Paper at any time without notice; however, A4M makes no commitment to update this Position Paper.
Chapter 2
Electrosmog and Electrosensitivity: What Doctors Need to Know to Help their Patients Heal
Magda Havas, B.Sc., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Environmental and Resource Studies,
Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
ABSTRACT
In this paper an introduction to the concept of electrosmog (a form of electromagnetic pollution) and electrosensitivity (an adverse reaction to electrosmog) is provided. Chronic fatigue, chronic pain, sleep, mood and neurological disorders, cognitive dysfunction, dizziness, nausea, heart palpitations, impaired glucose regulation, tinnitus and skin problems are common symptoms among those who suffer from electrosensitivity, a condition well recognized in Europe but virtually unknown in North America. Those who have severe symptoms are unable to use and – in some cases – are unable to be in the same environment with the offending technology (mobile phones, antennas, Wi-Fi routers, fluorescent light bulbs, computers, smart meters, etc.). Five case studies are provided that document the effect of compact fluorescent light bulbs on the skin; treadmill on blood sugar; poor power quality on multiple sclerosis; computer on live blood; and cordless phone on the autonomic nervous system. Ways to diagnose and to help people recover from electrosensitivity are discussed.
Keywords: electrosmog, electrosensitivity, electrohypersensitivity, radio frequency radiation, dirty electricity, heart rate variability
INTRODUCTION
Electrosensitivity is a chronic illness exacerbated by either short-term exposure to high levels or long-term exposure to low levels of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation. Electrosensitivity is recognized in many countries but is largely ignored in North America. It has many different names.1 In the early days of radar it was called radio wave sickness, microwave illness, and aesthenic syndrome. Later EMF intolerance and electromagnetic sensitivity and hypersensitivity were used. In Sweden it is classified as a functional impairment and recognized as a disability.2 The World Health Organization refers to it as an idiopathic environmental intolerance-EMF and the Austrian Medical Association calls it EMF syndrome.1,3 Electrosensitivity resembles rapid aging, and I prefer to call it “rapid aging syndrome.”
The number of people who claim to be adversely affected by devices that emit electromagnetic fields (EMF) and/or electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is growing and doctors are having difficulty treating their patients due to the omnipresence of exposure.4 Some people who are adversely affected by electrosmog may be unaware that they are exposed as this energy is invisible to the senses. They may simply note that they feel worse in certain locations and during certain times of the day. Others have developed such severe symptoms they are no longer able to use their wireless technology as the symptoms coincide with their use.
In 2002, thousands of physicians and scientists signed the Freiburger Appeal, which states the following5:
We have observed, in recent years, a dramatic rise in severe and chronic diseases among our patients, especially: learning, concentration, and behavioral disorders (e.g. attention deficit disorder, ADD); extreme fluctuations in blood pressure, ever harder to influence with medications; heart rhythm disorders; heart attacks and strokes among an increasingly younger population; brain-degenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer’s) and epilepsy; cancerous afflictions (leukemia, brain tumors).
Moreover, we have observed an ever-increasing occurrence of various disorders, often misdiagnosed in patients as psychosomatic: headaches, migraines; chronic exhaustion; inner agitation; sleeplessness, daytime sleepiness; tinnitus; susceptibility to infection; nervous and connective tissue pains, for which the usual
