great Canadian article

This just came out in the Toronto Star (November 11 2005). It is an
excellent article on electrosensitivity written by Tyler Hamilton who,
with his co-author, wrote a series of articles on cell phones that
appeared in the Toronto Star this past summer.

Toronto Star, Friday November 11, 2005
Distress signals
by Tyler Hamilton
Nov. 11, 2005. 01:00 AM

Distress Signals

It started with nausea and vomiting in the morning, followed by
insomnia and the annoying sound of clicking in her ears.

Marika Bandera, sitting in her east-end Toronto apartment, begins to
cry as she recalls how her symptoms gradually got worse over the course
of a year. They included everything from shaking hands and blurred
vision to burning skin and mild convulsions. Sessions at a sleep
clinic, brain scans, an epilepsy test and numerous visits to her family
doctor and various specialists in Toronto failed to determine the cause.

"They would not listen, they are not hearing their patients," she says.

It wasn't until a trip to Europe that a doctor there suggested her
symptoms may be related to extreme electrical sensitivity, or ES, a
suspected allergic-like reaction to radio and electrical frequencies
associated with cellphones, wireless base stations, computer screens,
power lines and common household appliances that use electricity.

Little is known about the phenomenon of ES or how many people think
they have it, but the government of the United Kingdom took a small
step last week toward recognizing the controversial condition after its
health protection agency released a report calling for more research
into sufferers' stories.

"The starting point for this review is recognition ... of the need to
consider ES in terms other than its etiology (causes), as this position
alone is failing to meet the needs of those who consider themselves
affected by ES," the report stated.

The report emphasized there's no scientifically proven link between
symptoms and exposure to electrical and magnetic fields. It's the main
reason health agencies in countries such as Canada don't recognize ES.

This hasn't stopped Sweden, with an estimated 250,000 suffers, from
accepting ES as a physical impairment. Dr. Olle Johansson, associate
professor of experimental dermatology at the Karolinska Institute in
Stockholm, says residents of some municipalities can get their home
"sanitized" from electromagnetic frequencies.

Ordinary electricity cables in the home are often replaced with special
cables and electric stoves can be changed to natural gas. If the
problem persists, roofs and floors can be covered with special
wallpaper and paint that can block outside frequencies. Windows can
also be fitted with tinfoil.

"If these alterations turn out not to be optimal, they have the
possibility to rent small cottages in the countryside that the
Stockholm municipality owns," says Johansson, who investigates cases of
ES. "The municipality also intends to build a village with houses that
are specially designed for persons who are electrohypersensitive."

In the workplace, Swedish employees can request special computer
monitors and lighting fixtures that dramatically cut down frequency
emissions.

The issue of electrical sensitivity first gained a profile in 2002 when
Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, then director-general of the World Health
Organization, confirmed in a media report that she banned cellphones
from her office because they gave her headaches.

Brundtland, a medical doctor and former prime minister of Norway, told
the Star during a visit to Toronto late last month that the condition
needs to be taken more seriously by health authorities, and that little
is known because research to date has focused largely on the potential
links between electromagnetic frequencies and more severe illnesses,
particularly cancers.

"I get headaches and feel terrible when I am in contact with mobile
phones, even if I'm not using it but it's 1 or 2 metres away. I can
identify it by feeling a mobile phone in a room without knowing it's
there," says Brundtland, adding that it may not be life-threatening but
can affect quality of life.

The U.K. health agency was quick to point out that the conclusions of
its review were drawn largely from the study of electromagnetic fields
from power lines and electrical appliances, as the widespread use of
mobile phones is relatively new. "Similar symptoms have been reported
from exposure to radio frequency transmissions and there is some
research being carried out in the U.K. on this topic," according to the
agency.

Acknowledging that the prevalence of ES - also known as
electrohypersensitivity - has not been measured in the United Kingdom,
it estimates as many as a few people per thousand among the population
could be affected.

Dr. Magda Havas, a professor of the environmental and resource studies
program at Trent University in Peterborough, is one of the few trying
to track the condition in Canada.

Havas estimates as much as 35 per cent of the population may be
suffering from moderate ES, with the severe form Bandera experiences
affecting 2 per cent. She speculates that ES may have an association
with diseases such as multiple sclerosis and diabetes.

"MS and diabetes are both on the increase and I wonder how much of this
is due to dirty electricity and our inundation with radio frequency
radiation," says Havas, who has experimented with filters that help
block what she calls "electropollution."

"I have videos of MS patients who walked with a cane and can now walk
unassisted after a few days or weeks with the filters."

In a church basement in St. Catharines last month, dozens of people
gathered to hear Havas talk about ES. It was part of an event organized
by the SWEEP Initiative, which stands for "safe wireless electrical and
electromagnetic policies."

The group, led by Brock University professor David Fancy, was created
in the summer as part of a grassroots effort to raise awareness and
begin documenting cases of ES in Canada. The hope is that health
authorities and politicians will recognize it as a problem.

"There is a lot of front-line work happening, as people reach out to
those with a variety of symptoms who are having to move out of suburbia
and live in the woods," says Fancy, who wears special protective
clothing to help block signals.

He compares the condition to an allergy that affects certain people in
different ways. Other SWEEP members, such as retired police officer
Martin Weatherall, former head of legal services at the Toronto Police
Association, prefer to think of it like a poison that accumulates in
the body.

Havas says one of her missions is to engage medical professionals in
Canada to help them understand ES. Many of those at the St. Catharines
event were doctors, she says.

One physician, working at a high-profile Toronto hospital, told the
Star she's seeing an increasing number of patients exhibiting
unexplainable, often disabling, ES-like symptoms and feels compelled to
learn more. But she's afraid to speak openly about it because of
skepticism in the medical community, which tends to treat such patients
like they're crazy.

"They think it's a bunch of hooey," she says, asking that her name be
withheld. "But we don't understand everything. We don't know
everything. So we have to take these people seriously."

Bandera, suspecting that nearby hydro lines and a neighbour's home
wireless network may have contributed to her symptoms, moved a few
weeks ago to a different apartment, only to find a wireless phone tower
nearby. Her symptoms persist, but so does denial from the medical
community.

"I'm still searching to get well from this," she says, sounding tired
and defeated. "People need to be aware that this condition exists."

Tyler Hamilton is the Star's technology reporter.

Here's the link to the above article:
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Render&
c=Article&cid=1131663011758&call_pageid=968332188492&DPL=IvsNDS%2f7ChAX&
tacodalogin=yes






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- In [hidden email], SArjuna@a... wrote:
>This article sounds like somebody taking the words right out of my
mouth. I myself noticed that after installing the filters my ulcers
finally began to heal after about five years of suffering. I had
come to the conclusion that the high frequency electromatic pollution
was causing diabetes like symptoms which was giving me stomach
ulcers. I really am much better because of the filters even if the
initial effects on my ability to sleep for long periods again didn't
last. Other effects still last such as healing from stomach ulcers.
>
> This just came out in the Toronto Star (November 11 2005). It is
an
> excellent article on electrosensitivity written by Tyler Hamilton
who, to
> cry as she recalls how her symptoms gradually got worse over the
course
> of a year. They included everything from shaking hands and blurred
> vision to burning skin and mild convulsions. Sessions at a sleep
> clinic, brain scans, an epilepsy test and numerous visits to her
family
> doctor and various specialists in Toronto failed to determine the
cause.
>
> "They would not listen, they are not hearing their patients," she
says.
>
> It wasn't until a trip to Europe that a doctor there suggested her
> symptoms may be related to extreme electrical sensitivity, or ES, a
> suspected allergic-like reaction to radio and electrical
frequencies
> associated with cellphones, wireless base stations, computer
screens,
> power lines and common household appliances that use electricity.
>
> Little is known about the phenomenon of ES or how many people think
> they have it, but the government of the United Kingdom took a small
> step last week toward recognizing the controversial condition after
its
> health protection agency released a report calling for more
research
> into sufferers' stories.
>
> "The starting point for this review is recognition ... of the need
to
> consider ES in terms other than its etiology (causes), as this
position
> alone is failing to meet the needs of those who consider themselves
> affected by ES," the report stated.
>
> The report emphasized there's no scientifically proven link between
> symptoms and exposure to electrical and magnetic fields. It's the
main
> reason health agencies in countries such as Canada don't recognize
ES.
>
> This hasn't stopped Sweden, with an estimated 250,000 suffers, from
> accepting ES as a physical impairment. Dr. Olle Johansson,
associate
> professor of experimental dermatology at the Karolinska Institute
in
> Stockholm, says residents of some municipalities can get their home
> "sanitized" from electromagnetic frequencies.
>
> Ordinary electricity cables in the home are often replaced with
special
> cables and electric stoves can be changed to natural gas. If the
> problem persists, roofs and floors can be covered with special
> wallpaper and paint that can block outside frequencies. Windows can
> also be fitted with tinfoil.
>
> "If these alterations turn out not to be optimal, they have the
> possibility to rent small cottages in the countryside that the
> Stockholm municipality owns," says Johansson, who investigates
cases of
> ES. "The municipality also intends to build a village with houses
that
> are specially designed for persons who are electrohypersensitive."
>
> In the workplace, Swedish employees can request special computer
> monitors and lighting fixtures that dramatically cut down frequency
> emissions.
>
> The issue of electrical sensitivity first gained a profile in 2002
when
> Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, then director-general of the World
Health
> Organization, confirmed in a media report that she banned
cellphones
> from her office because they gave her headaches.
>
> Brundtland, a medical doctor and former prime minister of Norway,
told
> the Star during a visit to Toronto late last month that the
condition
> needs to be taken more seriously by health authorities, and that
little
> is known because research to date has focused largely on the
potential
> links between electromagnetic frequencies and more severe
illnesses,
> particularly cancers.
>
> "I get headaches and feel terrible when I am in contact with mobile
> phones, even if I'm not using it but it's 1 or 2 metres away. I can
> identify it by feeling a mobile phone in a room without knowing
it's
> there," says Brundtland, adding that it may not be life-threatening
but
> can affect quality of life.
>
> The U.K. health agency was quick to point out that the conclusions
of
> its review were drawn largely from the study of electromagnetic
fields
> from power lines and electrical appliances, as the widespread use
of
> mobile phones is relatively new. "Similar symptoms have been
reported
> from exposure to radio frequency transmissions and there is some
> research being carried out in the U.K. on this topic," according to
the
> agency.
>
> Acknowledging that the prevalence of ES - also known as
> electrohypersensitivity - has not been measured in the United
Kingdom,
> it estimates as many as a few people per thousand among the
population
> could be affected.
>
> Dr. Magda Havas, a professor of the environmental and resource
studies
> program at Trent University in Peterborough, is one of the few
trying
> to track the condition in Canada.
>
> Havas estimates as much as 35 per cent of the population may be
> suffering from moderate ES, with the severe form Bandera
experiences
> affecting 2 per cent. She speculates that ES may have an
association
> with diseases such as multiple sclerosis and diabetes.
>
> "MS and diabetes are both on the increase and I wonder how much of
this
> is due to dirty electricity and our inundation with radio frequency
> radiation," says Havas, who has experimented with filters that help
> block what she calls "electropollution."
>
> "I have videos of MS patients who walked with a cane and can now
walk
> unassisted after a few days or weeks with the filters."
>
> In a church basement in St. Catharines last month, dozens of people
> gathered to hear Havas talk about ES. It was part of an event
organized
> by the SWEEP Initiative, which stands for "safe wireless electrical
and
> electromagnetic policies."
>
> The group, led by Brock University professor David Fancy, was
created
> in the summer as part of a grassroots effort to raise awareness and
> begin documenting cases of ES in Canada. The hope is that health
> authorities and politicians will recognize it as a problem.
>
> "There is a lot of front-line work happening, as people reach out
to
> those with a variety of symptoms who are having to move out of
suburbia
> and live in the woods," says Fancy, who wears special protective
> clothing to help block signals.
>
> He compares the condition to an allergy that affects certain people
in
> different ways. Other SWEEP members, such as retired police officer
> Martin Weatherall, former head of legal services at the Toronto
Police
> Association, prefer to think of it like a poison that accumulates
in
> the body.
>
> Havas says one of her missions is to engage medical professionals
in
> Canada to help them understand ES. Many of those at the St.
Catharines
> event were doctors, she says.
>
> One physician, working at a high-profile Toronto hospital, told the
> Star she's seeing an increasing number of patients exhibiting
> unexplainable, often disabling, ES-like symptoms and feels
compelled to
> learn more. But she's afraid to speak openly about it because of
> skepticism in the medical community, which tends to treat such
patients
> like they're crazy.
>
> "They think it's a bunch of hooey," she says, asking that her name
be
> withheld. "But we don't understand everything. We don't know
> everything. So we have to take these people seriously."
>
> Bandera, suspecting that nearby hydro lines and a neighbour's home
> wireless network may have contributed to her symptoms, moved a few
> weeks ago to a different apartment, only to find a wireless phone
tower
> nearby. Her symptoms persist, but so does denial from the medical
> community.
>
> "I'm still searching to get well from this," she says, sounding
tired
> and defeated. "People need to be aware that this condition exists."
>
> Tyler Hamilton is the Star's technology reporter.
>
> Here's the link to the above article:
> http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?
pagename=thestar/Render&
> c=Article&cid=1131663011758&call_pageid=968332188492&DPL=IvsNDS%
2f7ChAX&
> tacodalogin=yes
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>