Episode 60: How Technology and EMFs are Affecting Your Health with EJ Meaney, PA-C
Show Summary:
Cell phones, Smart TVs, and wireless internet have become a staple in our modern world. We all benefit from them but aren’t always aware of the detrimental effects that EMFs, electromagnetic frequencies, can have on our health.
We are excited to welcome back to the podcast one of our amazing physician assistants, EJ Meaney, to discuss EMFs and what you need to know about how they can contribute to anxiety, depression, sleep interruption, and more.
EJ practices integrative primary care and functional medicine in our clinic at Capital Integrative Health, supporting our patients in addressing conditions including fatigue, hormone imbalance, detox, gut health, and more.
Please enjoy this conversation about how EMFs affect us and what we can do to limit our exposure to them.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
2:14 - What are EMFs?
5:40 - What symptoms are associated with EMF exposure?
8:28 - How are EMFs regulated?
11:33 - Are some people more sensitive to EMFs?
13:47 - How concerned should we be about EMFs?
21:18 - Where to learn more about EMFs?
22:28 - Lifestyle and nutrition balance
26:09 - Shield devices
29:44 - What can we do?
Listen to the full conversation:
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Full Transcript:
EJ Meaney:
Most people don't know that, you know, keeping the phone on their body is actually never what they were intended. So anytime my phone is near me, it's on airplane mode. Using Airplane Mode is a great tool, all of your, all the different antennas in your phone. So your Wi Fi has an antenna, your cellular has an intent of Bluetooth, all of these are admitting EMFs. So turning those off if they're not in use, so if you're not using your Bluetooth, just click that off, putting your phone in airplane mode if you're going to be putting in your pockets, things like that.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
Cell phones, smart TVs and wireless Internet have become a staple in our modern world. We all benefit from them, but aren't always aware of the detrimental effects that electromagnetic frequencies or EMFs can have on our health. We are excited to welcome back to the podcast one of our amazing physician assistants, EJ Meany, to discuss EMFs and what you need to know about how they can contribute to anxiety, depression, sleeping eruption, fatigue, immune suppression and much more. EJ practices integrated primary care and functional medicine in our clinic at Capitol integrative health, supporting our patients and dressing conditions, including fatigue, hormone imbalance, detoxification, gut health and much more. I am Dr. Andrew Huang, co founder of capital, integrative health. This is a podcast dedicated to transforming consciousness around what it means to be healthy, and understanding the root causes of both disease and wellness. Please enjoy this conversation with EJ about how EMFs affect us and what we can do to limit our exposure to them. I welcome you do to the podcast again.
EJ Meaney:
Thank you. It's great to be back.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
Yes, this is your second round of we talked about chronic fatigue or fatigue last time, I think that was really helpful for a lot of people. So we should talk today I think about EMFs, which is the invisible toxin. Right. Yeah. And even we can talk about tying that into your first podcast episode about how how sometimes people with fatigue, you know, one of the root causes of fatigue for them might be even chronic EMF exposure, we should we should maybe that delve into that if you want to get some rabbit holes there. So let's talk basic, real quick. EJ, what are EMFs? What are the primary sources of EMFs?
EJ Meaney:
Yeah, absolutely. So EMFs are electromagnetic frequencies. These are all around us. We they are natural in nature, the earth naturally produces EMFs, the sun produces EMFs. But then they're also manmade EMFs. So sources of these that we think about are things that we use every day, our phones, our computers, Wi Fi routers, smart meters on our homes, tablets. So really a wide variety there. EMFs are an interesting kind of spectrum. So just wanted to clarify that upfront. So there's two different categories that we think about ionizing radiation and non ionizing radiation. So your ionizing radiation is going to be what we think about traditionally with like X rays. And we know that there is the potential for DNA damage, which is why when you go in for any of those procedures, they always cover you up with non ionizing radiation. And that's the spectrum that we're talking about today, with EMS with cell phones and Wi Fi, it works a little bit differently than that the, the exposure itself doesn't directly break covalent bonds to damage DNA, but through other mechanisms, there is the DNA damage that does occur.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
What kind of mechanisms with non ionizing radiation radiation, you know, I guess have in order to affect our cellular health.
EJ Meaney:
Yeah, so one of the biggest biggest mechanisms that's discussed is actually related to calcium channels. So specifically, with voltage gated calcium channels, the EMFs can stimulate these channels to open, which can cause an influx of calcium into the cells, increasing the amount of free radicals. And there's one in particular peroxy nitrite, that can be really damaging to proteins to our mitochondria, to the cell membranes, which we know that are really important for the integrity of the cells, in turn, can increase a lot of inflammation. The other thing with these specific type of free radicals is that they last a really long time. So they're harder to get rid of se than other free radicals
Dr. Andrew Wong:
that we think about. How long did they last for approximately?
EJ Meaney:
Yeah, so one study, I read in comparison, said a billion times longer, which I was like, that is just a long time. But yeah, they can often last a lifetime, potentially,
Dr. Andrew Wong:
I see. So there's probably ways to mitigate which we can we can talk about including avoidance of EMS, also maybe other ways to mitigate and increase the health of our mitochondria, cell membranes, etc. So what are the said primary sources of EMS really are a lot of things we use every day. And this was when you were saying that I was kind of like we're kind of dependent on these. Yeah, different thing we are. Yeah.
EJ Meaney:
And I think the big thing with this topic is to that we love our technology and it's just learning to work with it in a way that's safe. And there are ways to do that. And it's just becoming educated about it. Sure.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
Great. Well, let's dive in today and get educated on that. So we talked about how EMF exposure impacts at a molecular level, the cell membrane, the mitochondria, it may increase influx of, of calcium into the cell through that calcium channel, like you were saying, generating these long lasting free radicals. What kind of symptoms would people maybe expect? Or think about, you know, when they're thinking about this invisible toxin of electromagnetic frequencies? And if they're exposed to it for a chronic amount of time? What kind of symptoms? What people or could people see?
EJ Meaney:
Yeah, so it's definitely on a spectrum. I think that this is the hardest area to discuss with people because it's something that we can't see. We can't hear it. We can't physically, you know, connect with it, smell it? No, no. So it's, it's really challenging to figure out but the research has become very clear in a couple of different areas. So just kind of across the board, there are some things that I think about fatigue, definitely, which we talked about last time. Tinnitus is another big one. So another symptom, heart palpitations, or a red Mia's. And then from there, things like insomnia, development of specific types of cancer. And fertility is another big area of research with EMF exposure.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
So that's a huge bucket. Yes, it is. Absolutely.
EJ Meaney:
Absolutely. And there is, you know, a lot of cool research going on. Out there. I think, especially the Cleveland Clinic has done a lot of research with fertility, which I think is such a huge topic, because especially in the clinic here we see a lot of patients who struggle. And they did studies with especially sperm in relation to sperm. Yeah. So I remember reading this New York Times article a while back that said, if we continue on the current trajectory with sperm counts decreasing by 2050, we could be almost to zero, which is terrifying.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
extinct. Yes. Yeah.
EJ Meaney:
So the Cleveland Clinic did this study looking at, you know, how does EMFs impact sperm and what they found is it impacts their decreases their motility, and decreases the amount that are present.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
Wow, yeah. Wow. That's really, that's really crazy. What about what about sort of equalities? Or any any evidence on that as well? Yeah,
EJ Meaney:
there is some so with a lot of, especially with women, they talk a lot about in in utero. So when women are pregnant, how do you decrease exposures? I've seen a lot more research there. But definitely, you know, it's a big topic with fertility, teaching people, you know, taking the phone away from your body, things like that, which we can talk about more
Dr. Andrew Wong:
curious about sort of like other other things where people are holding up the cell phone to their head or like a lot at the computer. What about like headaches eyestrain, those type of things? Yeah,
EJ Meaney:
absolutely. So those can be in twofold, one from just the blue light coming off of the screen. But also, again, these frequencies that are coming out, you know, decreasing mitochondrial function, we think of mitochondria as that energy source for our body energy powerhouse of the cell. So without that, we're going to struggle with energy eyestrain, especially as part of that.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
So let's talk about regulation of this toxin, since we know that it's a toxin that has likely health consequences. How are you miss regulated? Are there any safety standards standards for EMS?
EJ Meaney:
Yeah, so I think this is one of the most frustrating areas when I learned about this as a little bit in shock. So the FCC currently regulates EMFs. And the safety studies that they're basing off of are actually done in 19 690 96. Okay, so that was really old. Yeah. And the metric that they use is called SAR specific absorption rate. So if you look at any of your devices, they should have a measurement on there. But the way that they came up with, you know, their metrics for this was using a guy called Sam, which is measured, actually, it was a head that actually measured thermal energy coming through the skull. The problem that I have this research that was done, based on the head of a six to 220 pound male. Yeah. So when we look now at EMFs, in our environment, kids who are exposed to this, women, it doesn't really account for a really large percentage of the population
Dr. Andrew Wong:
that's using it right. And kids are using these different devices with EMFs at younger and younger ages. Yeah,
EJ Meaney:
yep. And kids is definitely a huge question. Because we think about you know, early, even early in my lifetime, I didn't have these types of technologies now. And now kids are being exposed to them starting in utero. Birth on through the rest of their life. So it's really important important teaching kids early on how to use these devices properly.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
So my understanding about SAR is that the as the distance decreases from, say the the EMF device to your head, there's more exposure and as did increases then than just less exposure. So if there's some sort of distance and EMF Yeah. Exposure relationship.
EJ Meaney:
Yeah, distance is really important. What's really interesting too, is a lot of the studies with laptops and tablets, even phones, they're conducted at a distance away from the body. So somewhere between six to eight inches.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
Oh, wow. So that's already taking that into account, which a lot of people don't don't Yeah,
EJ Meaney:
which most people don't know, I mean, laptop, it sounds like it should sit on your lap. You know, most people are holding the phone directly to their head, which can cause a lot of issues.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
And I think there's, there's maybe ways to mitigate EMFs. But let's, let's kind of go into a little bit more about, about sort of, you know, our exposure overall, it sounds like, you know, we're all exposed to that living in a world with Wi Fi. You know, living in a world with a lot of computers and tablets, everything's electronic. Now, I believe there's, I forget now, but there's some, there's some, like when you go on the toll roads and stuff, they're like, gonna replace everything with electronics. Right? So everything's computer based now. And you know, not as much, you know, paper based, etc. What What can we do to mitigate our exposure to EMFs? How also, I think another sort of related question, we can answer these separately, but How significant are these exposures? Are everyone affect? You know, is everyone affected? Or are there certain people affected more like a canary in a coal mine situation where some people are more sensitive to toxins? Yeah,
EJ Meaney:
absolutely. So this goes back to kind of the total toxic load overall. So we know that EMFs are one piece of the puzzle. So for each individual person, it's going to be different. And based on your genetics, what other environmental exposures do you have to maybe mold, heavy metals? What's your nutrition? Like? What's your sleep, like? All of those things are going to play into how these potentially will impact you. There is, you know, a spectrum there is actually a diagnosable disorder to sensitivity to EMS. It's called the EHS or electromagnetic hypersensitivity syndrome, okay. So there is a portion of the population, like you said, the canaries in the coal mines that absolutely cannot tolerate this, and actually have to live in areas where there is not as much exposure or potentially, you know, using their home as a safe space. And they experience a lot of the symptoms that I mentioned, you know, fatigue, tinnitus, a lot of insomnia issues there. So it can be really hard to identify because there's a lot of overlap with other disorders.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
And that's not a large percentage. But I wonder if that's also under diagnosed? You know?
EJ Meaney:
It could be definitely yeah, I also wonder what those patients you know, what, what else is going on? Right? Have they been worked up for other underlying issues.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
So there may be a lot of different toxins that are kind of adding up and contributing that total toxic load
EJ Meaney:
Exactly? Well, if we think of the mechanism of action related to just the impacting the integrity of the cell membrane of the cell itself, the more things that are taking hits on that cell membrane, the worse outcomes you're gonna see.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
So let's talk about some some, I think, juicy topics about EMFs. Because we know that EMFs, you know, contribute to, you know, health issues and can really damage the membrane. But if someone's listening, they might be like, well, you know, I use my cell phone, and I use my computer, and I'm at my workstation for eight hours a day. And I feel okay, you know, I feel decent, you know, maybe there's some insomnia, maybe there's some fatigue, but nothing to chronic first for a lot of people. Are there any sort of long term, you said, there's some long term potential association between EMFs and even things like, you know, cancer or other chronic issues? How concerned should people be about about that?
EJ Meaney:
Yeah. So it's hard because these things can happen over a long span of time, it can take cancer 20 to 30 disease and develop Exactly. So I think, you know, with anything, I tell people, educate yourself, but there's no reason that we need to be scared. But I think definitely understanding more of the research that's coming out and talking with our policymakers who are making these decisions, not necessarily maybe knowing the full depth of the research that's out there is definitely really important. There is one study that was done by the next National Toxicology Program. I think it came out in 2016. And it was meant to replicate more of the lifespan a little bit more, and in this study was done with actually 2g technology. So we've kind of moved past that. And that's the other issue with a lot of these studies is we're seeing a lot you know, talking about 5g rollout, but our studies are still really in the past here. We don't have updated studies to look at this. So but in this study, they found you know, with increased EMF exposure, increased incidence of specifically two types of cancers. So one, gallium was in the brain and schwannomas of the heart. Okay, so both, you know, fair fairly rare, but we have seen an increased incidence in gliomas. Sure. So it's definitely the more you mitigate it, the more that you mitigate those risks. Yeah.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
Yeah, that is Yeah. So just to go back to some you just said, so it sounds like a lot of the early studies were done a about 30 years ago, be on a six to 200 pound male. Yeah. And a 2g environment. Correct. So so we're like, way behind on that? What's the difference between 2g versus three, four 5g?
EJ Meaney:
Yeah, so I'm not an expert. And, you know, potentially the different technologies out there. But basically, it's the amount of power that those give off, especially 5g is going to be much different. It uses millimeter wavelengths, which requires more cell towers. So right now, you'll often see cell towers close to interstates, things like that. But these would be required more in residential neighborhoods. Yeah,
Dr. Andrew Wong:
yeah. I know that there was some petition to stop the cell phone towers near our neighborhood. Yep. Phil. Yeah. So
EJ Meaney:
just and those petitions are asking for just a certain number of space. So amount of space, whether it's way 60 feet, whatever it may be.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
Yeah, yeah. And then, are there any sort of links between EMFs and heart disease or vascular disease? I'm wondering, because we just had a session with our friend and colleague, Liz Reese, who does Heart Math. Yeah. And I think we know that EMFs can contribute to the imbalance in the autonomic nervous system, right? Basically, it kind of can make us stressed. Yeah, right. Stress, which we know is the root cause of a lot of disease.
EJ Meaney:
Yeah, yeah, definitely. I know, there's this one picture that I came across, I thought was really interesting. It was the, I think, the inauguration of the Pope or something like that. And that showed pictures 20 years apart. And in the first picture, everyone was standing there watching and in the second picture was just a bunch of phones. Oh, and I thought that that was so interesting.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
I mean, they were watching me get inaugurated. But they were just like taking pictures and
EJ Meaney:
stuff like that. And I think it brought me to this question of, you know, our ability to be present. Yeah. And live totally, it's okay. Which comes back to the whole autonomic nervous system, because I think our lives have sped up dramatically. I think that anyone at one moment can feel that way. There's so much information coming at me, at one point in time, that how do I slow slow things down? I think there's a lot of people out there who talk about taking a digital holiday taking a break, which I know isn't always possible. But I think something we need to be really intentional about and questioning how are we using these devices? And how can we maybe decrease the time that we use?
Dr. Andrew Wong:
I agree, I mean, in the 1990s, when the internet got popularized, and it was kind of like sold as an information superhighway. And it was really great. You could kind of surf on, you know, Gateway computers or things. And it's kind of like, oh, actually, maybe now is, you know, in the 2020s. Here, we're just taping this podcast. So maybe we don't want to be on the implicate Information Superhighway all the time. Yeah, it might be tough. You want to enjoy nature, you want to be present with other people connect. In the present moment. Yeah,
EJ Meaney:
yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. I think about like, times when I get into an elevator with people and everyone's just on their phone, right. It's just so different than maybe, you know, being present with or even
Dr. Andrew Wong:
just trying to have conversations with with, you know, family and friends. Yeah. I mean, not to not to say specifically, you know, yeah, yeah. But I think that, that we're even just they're trying to talk to, to us, let's say and then yeah, maybe if we're on our phones right now, kind of thing. So
EJ Meaney:
the big thing with these devices is that they increase dopamine, they're they are addictive. And the platforms are created to be addictive in some cases. Yeah. So it's recognizing that and figuring out how do you how do you manage that for each individual person for yourself? I know that I have like the time limits on some of the apps and sometimes I'll just click past them and say, Oh, ignore for now do that. I'll do that. So is it fully deleting those things? What purpose are they bringing to your life, and really, you know, evaluating that,
Dr. Andrew Wong:
but let's talk about the melatonin dopamine axis, because we know that a lot of times with those phones, they have the blue light, they suppress the melatonin. So one way we'll get around that often is we might put ethics on our computer, we might put some sort of like wear blue blockers and things like that. But it sounds like if EMFs increased dopamine, we won't be able to get beyond that. So even if we're trying to preserve a melatonin, that increase in dopamine is going to increase that adrenaline. Yeah. And then we won't be able to fall asleep. Even with that blue blocking.
EJ Meaney:
Exactly. Yeah. So sleep is a really big area. And that's one of the first places that I tell people to start is creating a sleep sanctuary in your home, decreasing the EMFs and that in there as much as possible. So
Dr. Andrew Wong:
let's get into the nitty gritty on that. How do we decrease that EMFs and in our house, you know, we're trying to get more sleep and create that sanctuary.
EJ Meaney:
Yep. Yeah. Yeah. So let's start with around sleep. Definitely. So one of the things tell people turn your Wi Fi router off at night. It's really easy. Do I have a clicker with mine where I can just press off in the morning and turn it back on? Okay, so really easy. Look in, in, you know, in your bedroom, I tried to take, take the phones out, take the tablets out, put them in another room, you just want you want them away from your head while you're sleeping, all of those things will impact melatonin. The other thing I tell people is what's plugged in around you because it's different than EMFs. But it is dirty electricity, which still can have a biologic impact. Okay. So these might be alarm clocks, they may maybe lamps, but even just unplugging these things at night can make a different
Dr. Andrew Wong:
kind of like, the more the more we know, the the more we realize we need to protect ourselves and our loved ones from from these different, you know, EMFs dirty electricity, etc. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. So back to the brand of the EMF, not the EMF, the Wi Fi clicker. Do you have certain brands that you'd like? Or is it easy to just find on Amazon?
EJ Meaney:
Oh, yeah, you can get those super cheap. Yep. It's just a plug with, you know, a clicker that can
Dr. Andrew Wong:
come out. Okay. Yeah, we'll have to go into the Wi Fi in order that then yes, yeah, it makes it easy, right, right. Any resources that you have for learning more about EMF some where can people learn more more about this kind of thing.
EJ Meaney:
So a few different places. The Environmental Health Trust is one resource that I've loved. They have, you know, a really great collection of research, but also kind of pamphlets, things that are easy to read things if you want to share with family and friends. Yeah, to utilize a lot of what they talk about those. So just to mention some of the other things to help mitigate exposure. So sleep is one really important aspect. But distance and time is your other thing. So most people don't know that, you know, keeping the phone on their body is actually never what they were intended. Yeah. So anytime my phone is near me, it's on airplane mode. Yeah, using Airplane Mode is a great total. All of your, all the different antennas in your phone. So your Wi Fi has an antenna, your cellular has an antenna, Bluetooth, all of these are admitting EMFs. So turning those off if they're not new, so if you're not using your Bluetooth, just click that off. Putting your phone in airplane mode, if you're going to be putting in your pockets, things like that as
Dr. Andrew Wong:
your airplane mode versus turning the phone completely off different.
EJ Meaney:
It may be a little bit different, but it's still better, much better than Yeah, got it doesn't 10 as or not admitting.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
So we've talked a lot today about you know, the dangers of EMS, F potential health hazards of EMF, what are some of the lifestyle or even nutritional factors that might help us with sensitivity to EMFs.
EJ Meaney:
So in terms of nutrition, well balanced diet, like I talked about a lot decreasing the sugar intake is a huge part in that as well. There's actually one study completed where they looked at cell phone exposure on a conversation for 15 minutes. And they found that glucose actually increased in the brain so was able to crossing the blood brain barrier. Oh, so just increasing potential risk for future neurodegenerative? Yeah, things like that. So
Dr. Andrew Wong:
decreasing the, or rather, I guess increasing the leakiness of the blood brain barrier exam. Okay. Yeah. So we don't eat pastries and then have like, something like that? Yeah, I think those internet cafes right. Yeah. And then a cafe get a little pastry. Yep. Yeah, sugary coffee. That's probably not good.
EJ Meaney:
Yep. So decreasing those things is really important as well. Other lifestyle things is, you know, kind of how I was mentioning before, how are you using your phone? Are you using it in ways that are most beneficial to you for for your time for for your mental health as well, all
Dr. Andrew Wong:
of those things playing Candy Crush or something like this? Yeah, definitely. Yeah.
EJ Meaney:
Other things that I wanted to mention too, specifically about like wired, headphones, and Bluetooth, things like that. So I know that air pods are really popular, but I do try to educate people and that they may not be the best thing for health. So those air beds, they connect to each other, and then also to the phone. So you're getting a large amount of radiation and specifically across the brain
Dr. Andrew Wong:
cross triangulation of the EMFs. Yeah, exactly. I think you've mentioned before, to our staff or team especially is that not trying not to talk, I think, on the phone when you're in the car. Can we talk about that? favorite topic here? So
EJ Meaney:
yeah, so there's a couple of different things at the car. So one, as you're driving your phone is constantly pinging trying to find the next cell tower as you're driving. And the other thing in the car is the metal frame really does create kind of a conductor to increase that frequency, the potency of that frequency. Okay. So yes, yeah, it is good. If you can put your phone on airplane mode while you're driving, or at least try not to use it, download the things that you want to use while you're driving. Let your friends and family know that you're on airplane mode, so they're not nervous about where you are. But yeah, so that'd be one thing.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
It's kind of a philosophical thing too. It's almost like this idea of have, you know, amazing convenience that this technology at the cellphone event, let's say and you know, we can know where everyone is at any given time? Yeah. Right. Versus versus do we want to have that on all the time? And that's, that's sort of where that convenience and health and kind of kind of that relationship needs to be clarified a lot. Yeah.
EJ Meaney:
Yep. Dr. Deborah Davis, she's the president of the Environmental Health Trust. And she talks a lot about how you know, early on phones, they were for emergencies. And it kind of does create that sense of emergency, it creates a sense of urgency that we need to take care of this. Now this text message needs to be answered now this email, but maybe it's not so urgent, maybe they're not always in that sense of emergency or urgency, but can just be preset.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
So let's talk about jewelry. Now, since this is a podcast about jewelry as well, just kidding. So I believe there's some EMF, necklaces and pendants, and and also maybe covers on cell phones and, you know, covers for computers. Where do you where do you stand on these kind of, you know, in terms of efficacy? Or is there any research on efficacy for these kinds of radiation blockers to try to mitigate EMFs.
EJ Meaney:
So there's two different things that you mentioned there. So one is shield shield shield. So there are devices out there, like pads for the laptops, which I know we use here at ch that can protect your lap, if you are going to be using a laptop with it on your lap. The other devices that you talked about, like Harmonizers, or necklaces, they don't have as much research behind them. I know some energy workers who truly feel like they do make a difference. So you know, they potentially could, but in terms of using a reader like actually reading the EMFs we don't see the difference.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
Okay, I was gonna ask that. So So you've tested that with some different things scattered. Okay. Darn it.
EJ Meaney:
I wish that was I wish it was that easy. Yeah.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
Are there any kind of plant based either foods or supplements or something like that that might be or other supplements, I guess that would be helpful with helping with detox and things like this?
EJ Meaney:
Yeah. So there's a few supplements that do have some research behind it. So one is magnesium, okay, magnesium can help to support the calcium voltage gated calcium channels. So just slow that influx of calcium down so making sure that magnesium levels look good. Melatonin is another big one, so you can't out supplement the melatonin that you produce naturally. So again, mitigating your exposures as best you can. But supplementing with Milla, little melatonin can be helpful. I think we've learned a lot in the past couple of years how important melatonin is, is an antioxidant. Yes, has a lot more beneficial biologic impacts
Dr. Andrew Wong:
other than just sleep. Exactly. Yeah.
EJ Meaney:
And then omegas is another big one. So making sure that your Omega three omega six levels look good.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
When you said when you can out supplement melatonin, do you mean that supplementing with melatonin will not inhibit the endogenous production of melatonin or
EJ Meaney:
so? No, it won't inhibit your natural right? Yeah, natural production. I guess what I'm saying is, if you can just do all these things and take melatonin and say, Oh, I'm okay. I'm recovered, right? Definitely that endogenous production is so important.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
God, okay, we never want to use supplements as the primary thing. That's a good take home. One thing we could think about too, with the magnesium is you mentioned that is the Epsom salt baths. Yes. Yep. You know, because A, you can't really take the cell phone into the bath. Yeah, it just kind of get don't get electrocuted. So please don't do that you're listening out there. And you know, I think that allows people that also that magnesium as well increases GABA. So that's going to be a nice calming way to kind of balance that nervous system from the whole day. If someone was, say, sitting on a computer working. Yeah. Exposed to Ms. You know,
EJ Meaney:
yeah. There's topical magnesium creams too, which can be great if people don't tolerate Okay, okay. Yeah. Those are really good.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
Well, EJ, thank you so much for coming out today to talk about EMFs. And it's a big passion of yours. And I think it's really important. And I would say under underrated, under recognized talk toxin. And it's something we should all be really kind of getting more more information on. And probably I would say advocacy as well. Let's talk about advocacy for a sec. So I know you said there's the Environmental Health Trust Deborah Davis, and I think others as well, that we've had on our webinars, is there anything we can do as either consumers of, of EMF and technology as kind of citizens of the earth etc. With advocacy for EMF guidelines to make them to improve them, etc?
EJ Meaney:
Yeah, yeah. So ultimately how we use these devices sends the biggest message to the tech companies. Yeah. And creates those the laws that are gonna be put in place. Things are definitely moving at warp speed faster than the research is coming out with the phone 5g rollouts, we see the commercials on TV all the time. So I think the biggest thing that you can do is to know what's going on get involved. There's a great website. It's called Americans for Responsible Technology. They list every state on there with local organizations that are working to protect laws. So I know that montgomery county where we are they have the Coalition for neighborhoods. And that's one of the big ones that worked on the legislation that you were talking about to make sure that the towers were placed a certain distance away.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
Yeah, home. Yeah. Or county is pretty internet, which is nice. Yeah. Yep. The other thing that I wanted to mention is there was some recent research on, you know, forest bathing. Sharon Yoku, which is a kind of a fancy term for, you know, forest bathing, like getting out in the forest. Yeah, and how that's so helpful for physical and emotional health. And so we know that, you know, one of the things of benefits of getting out in nature is obviously, you know, interacting with the plants and you know, connecting with earth and grounding and all these things. Can you speak to sort of like grounding or earthing and how that could be possible antidote to EMF exposure?
EJ Meaney:
Yeah. Well, once you've had that, put the phone down. She's great. You stepped away from all that technology.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
Unless you're you know, taking selfies all the time. And I guess I can, yes,
EJ Meaney:
unless your phones coming with the I highly recommend a walk in nature without without a phone. Any of those things with you. Let your family know where you're going. Yeah, it'll be okay.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
We'll put it in the backpack. Yeah, needed. Yeah. Maybe that kind of something like that. Yeah.
EJ Meaney:
But yeah, definitely those things. I mean, the Earth has very powerful antioxidant has very powerful energy. Yeah. And when we step out into nature, we get the benefits from that.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
I think that's something people don't necessarily realize is that the Earth's crust has these antioxidants, that kind of well up from it and create these negative ions. And that's actually more powerful than any multivitamin. Yeah, that we could ever take. Yeah, even though those can be helpful as well. Yeah, they can be but yeah, but that's the Earth is our multivitamin. Yeah, in a way. And, you know, for forest bathing, too. It's something where a lot of people are kind of enticed by sort of the technology of EMFs. And how convenient it is, but I think a lot of people have probably forgotten about about nature and getting outside. Especially now, you know, with with the pandemic, and just Yeah, camping and a lot
EJ Meaney:
are worldwide. It's so inward right quickly. I think, especially for kids, it became this big inward shift, especially having school at home, they started spending a lot of times on computers, and I think the kids are who we need to protect the most, because we have, we don't have as much research on them. We know that their skulls aren't as thick as the six to 220 pound Yeah, mail that the regulations were originally stopped for. So definitely decreasing their exposure, putting those tablets on airplane mode, you know,
Dr. Andrew Wong:
time and yeah, to what is one thing you wish everyone knew about EMS? One or two things?
EJ Meaney:
There's a lot of things I wish that people knew, I think just the legislation piece of it. Getting involved in the communities and just Yeah, understanding how quickly these things are rolling out maybe without complete research. Okay. Okay. And I think the other thing I wish people knew is that your wireless headphones are not good
Dr. Andrew Wong:
for you. Yeah, yeah. I've
EJ Meaney:
seen a lot of people with that. See, and they're so convenient. And I understand that. Yeah. But I think the long term risks just
Dr. Andrew Wong:
so those ear tubes would be better. Yeah. That connects the phone to your ear, like through physical wire. Physical. Yeah. Yeah. And just if you could speak to the the ethernet cables, I know you we talked about that before. Yeah, started taping. If people don't want to use Wi Fi, and they want to kind of limit exposure a bit, I think you can set up people can set up sort of Wired of sort of a cable way to kind of get internet without without being exposed as much. Yep.
EJ Meaney:
So yeah, you can use your Wi Fi router. They the Environmental Health Trust actually has great kind of resources on how to go about doing that. So I definitely would take a look at that. But yeah, you can wire and you know, connect via Ethernet to your computer, turn the Wi Fi off, you know, so you're decreasing that exposure that you're getting every day.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
The other thing that people can look at that I think you told told me about is the Faraday cage. That's something that even if you have the Wi Fi on during the day, and you still want some internet connectivity, yeah. You can actually put a little metal cage there over the over the box. Yes.
EJ Meaney:
Which does help to reduce the exposure exposure as well. Yeah, there's I mean, it's there are devices out there where people can measure, you know, RF meters where people can measure the frequencies. There are more readily available now and easier to use. So if you are interested, I know safe living technology is one that I really like and have used before
Dr. Andrew Wong:
for the RF meter. Got it? Yep. Got it. You gotta check that out. So EJ one one question that that I think this we haven't asked Him from before, but it's interesting. Health and wellness on a budget. So what is one thing under $20 that you think has changed your health for the better?
EJ Meaney:
This question made me laugh i because being in this face, I tried just about everything just works. And I thought through it a lot, I was like, What is something that I bought? But at the end of the day, I think, for me, for my health, the best thing that I have is a notepad and a pen to write a to do list. Yeah, because I think it just, it allows me to get what I'm thinking onto paper, clear my head and organize myself for the day. Nice. Yes. So it doesn't have to be complex. It does, right. Yeah.
Dr. Andrew Wong:
And you can actually put your health and wellness goals on there as well. Right. Yeah, things like exercise.
EJ Meaney:
Oh, everything goes on there. Even things have already done. You just like to cross get credit
Dr. Andrew Wong:
for it. Yeah, that's great. I'm gonna do 10 things and then write them down and cross up. I love the post it notes for that reason. Yeah, that kind of similar thing. Yours are much more in depth, much more organized than mine. But yeah, that's really great. But thank you so much media for being on here today, providing this great episode on EMS and how, you know, we can really improve our health by mitigating exposure, but also by just knowing that it's there. And you know, doing things to, to balance, you know, our systems out with them. how can listeners learn more about you and work with you?
EJ Meaney:
Yeah, right here at CIH
Dr. Andrew Wong:
Nice. Yeah, yeah. Awesome. Oh, great. Thanks so much. EJ, thank you. Thank you for taking the time to listen to us today. If you enjoyed this conversation, please take a moment to leave us a review. It helps our podcasts to reach more listeners. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss our next episodes and conversations. And thank you so much again for being with us.