Monday, December 9

Studies Claim Wi-Fi Isn’t a Risk

Senior man with a headacheThe argument over electromagnetic sensitivity is continuing with more statements speaking against the condition. Now a new claim states that Wi-Fi isn’t the thing that is making people sick, but rather, a “nocebo effect.”

Starting with one claim, it begins with a misconception. Wi-Fi isn’t actually new technology; it’s just a reinterpretation of old technology. We have had radio frequency for more than a century, in fact. There is a ton of literature in the world claiming that electromagnetic sensitivity isn’t real, citing the idea that we have been exposed to different concentrations of radiation during all times of human history.

This latest study explores the “nocebo effect,” which essentially states that the sicknesses may be real, but it’s due to a psychological thing rather than a physical one. But many still argue that they have been sick and in pain due to this radiation from wireless technology.

The nocebo effect is essentially another version of the placebo effect, in which a pill, for example, is given without the active ingredient. This effect states that because people believe they’re getting the real thing, they exhibit the same changes as someone actually receiving the pill.

It essentially comes down to human perception, which is where the nocebo effect comes in. This effect happens when someone feels poorly due to the absence or existence of something.

The major thing to keep in mind with the nocebo effect is that it is a completely valid medical phenomenon. People aren’t faking their illnesses, but they are associating real symptoms to something that in itself isn’t dangerous.

A 2007 study on cell phones found that there wasn’t much evidence of any links to electromagnetic sensitivity. Others in 2005 and 2008 also did not show links.

One study concluded, “No robust evidence could be found to support this theory. However, the studies included in the review did support the role of the nocebo effect in triggering acute symptoms in IEI-EMF [idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields] sufferers. Despite the conviction of IEI-EMF sufferers that their symptoms are triggered by exposure to electromagnetic fields, repeated experiments have been unable to replicate this phenomenon under controlled conditions.”

Many still believe that more research needs to be done in a more open and honest way in order to get to the bottom of the illnesses.

“Radio frequency is a broad term which doesn’t accurately address the difference between listening to a radio (harmless) verses holding a cellphone up to your head (WiFi),” says Virginia Bonta Brown, Occupational Therapist Ret./President, BioElectric Shield Co. “The radio in your car receives a signal that is only 540-1600 kHz, i.e., thousand-cycles/per second. WiFi signals are 2.5 to 5.8 gHz – million-cycles/second. The 2012 BioInitiative Report reviewed 1800 studies showing the higher frequencies consistently produce serious, negative biological effects to animals and humans.”

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