I've followed the work of Ann Louise Gittleman, MS, CNS, PhD for years. After writing numerous books about the effects of toxins like heavy metals and parasites on the immune system, and exploring the importance of hormone balance to health, Dr. Gittleman, an award-winning author of thirty books, expanded her focus from holistic nutrition into naturopathic medicine, and along the way launched her successful Fat Flush series of weight loss books. She has established herself as a leader in identifying the latest health challenges, as well as the cutting-edge, common sense approaches to help resolve them. I had an opportunity to review her newest book, Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn't Be Your Alarm Clock and 1,268 Ways to Outsmart the Hazards of Electronic Pollution, and it's a fascinating, well-researched, well-referenced book that looks at the health consequences of our constant exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs). With wireless wi-fi internet, smart phones, laptops, electronic games, and cordless devices everywhere, we are surrounded by electronic pollution day and night, at a rate that is, according to Dr. Gittleman, 100 million times greater than what our grandparents faced. In Zapped, Dr. Gittleman provides an eye-opening look at the pervasiveness of EMFs, identifies the specific health concerns posed by various forms of electronic pollution, and then provides practical room-by-room guidelines for minimizing exposure. Recognizing that some exposure can not be avoided, the book also provides strategies -- including nutritional and lifestyle approaches -- that may help physically shield us against the negative health effects of electronic pollution and EMFs.
I have to admit that after I read Zapped, I felt so uneasy about the extent to which my family and I are exposed to various electronic devices that I already started making some changes, especially to our sleeping areas. In my own bedroom, for example, there's a tv, a DVD player, a cable box, an alarm clock, my laptop, my Kindle, a cell phone charging, an Ipod charging, not to mention the cordless phone, and the wi-fi that goes throughout the house. I realized that we needed to clean up our "pollution level" around the house, and so I got down to business. Just a few of her many recommendations that I've already made include the following:
- When making cell phone calls, switch sides frequently
- Use "Electronic Feng Shui" to reposition appliances and electronics in the home to minimize exposure to EMFs
- Remove wi-fi and cordless phone chargers in the bedrooms
- Don't cradle your laptop in your lap, and especially not when pregnant
- Keep cell phone calls short
- Get the cell phone out of your pocket
- Text rather than call whenever possible
- Use the phone in hands-free mode versus up to your head/ear
More Information on Zapped
- Book Review: Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn't Be Your Alarm Clock and 1,268 Ways to Outsmart the Hazards of Electronic Pollution
- Website: Are You Zapped?
- Zapped on Facebook: Zapped Facebook Fan Page
- Compare Prices: Compare prices for Zapped on Pricegrabber
Photo: Harper/Ann Louise Gittleman
We don’t have a tv, DVD player, cable box or laptop in the bedroom. They’re in the lounge.
But I do use the cellphoine as an alarm clock. :
Texting rather than calling is fien advice but no use for people who drive a lot as textin whioe drving is illegal (at least in Eur-pe anyway) whenever possible
I would have thought however that hands-free mode was worse as the cable – reciever is right in your ear concentrating the dose, as it were.