What Is EMF Radiation Sensitivity?

While science continues to research the precise effects of electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation, the population gets inundated with mixed messages from knowledgeable and fake news sources. To set the record straight, most people don’t notice EMFs, but a few individuals prove sensitive to frequent electronic device use. The medical community calls this sensitivity by many names, most often electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS).

Standards Apply to the Manufacture of Electronic Communication Devices

Few people notice EMFs, partly because manufacturers of electronic devices must make their devices in accordance with standards set by the nations in which they sell their products. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets the safety standards, while the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) enforces the standards, mandating that every electronic communications device carry a true statement that it meets FCC Radio Frequency Emission Exposure Guidelines.

People Who Experience EHS

The World Health Organization uses the term EHS to describe the experience of individuals who attribute a variety of non-specific symptoms to their exposure to EMFs. Other terms refer to the same collection of symptoms, including:

• Electromagnetic hypersensitivity syndrome
• Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance (IEI)
• Idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF)
• Microwave syndrome
• Electromagnetic sensitivity.

Although scientific and medical tests have not documented the tie-in between EMF exposure and the symptoms these individuals experience, the medical community does consider the hypersensitivity real. Let’s consider what that means.

What Medical Science Says

Medicine has not yet defined or set guidelines for EHS. That means individuals self-report experiencing the syndrome. No medical test to prove this exists at this time. Science continues to work to determine whether EHS occurs due to physiological or psychological conditions, according to two studies published in the journal Environmental Research, Stein and Udasin and Belpomme and Irigaray.

After nearly 50 laboratory studies, scientists have yet to reproduce the effects perceived by those who self-diagnose with EHS. The syndrome could fall into the category of somatic symptom disorders, according to WebMD. That means the individual experiences fear of EMFs and worries about them so much that it increases their stress levels. This increase in stress and fear triggers the fight-or-flight syndrome. The result of this becomes symptoms, including:

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Sleep problems, such as insomnia
• Skin problems, including redness
• Problems concentrating.

In severe cases, the person may experience depression. Research has linked the self-reporting of EHS to known clinical mental health illnesses, including:

• Anxiety or panic disorders
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Phobias, including agoraphobia, the fear of leaving your home
• Paranoia
• Interpersonal hypersensitivity, feeling insecure in relationships or around others.

Because science has yet to determine a definite underlying cause, doctors don’t yet have treatment options except for symptom treatment. If you experience EHS, your general practitioner (GP) may treat your symptoms, such as headaches or anxiety, with medication.

Dealing with the Threat of EMFs

Technology companies like Aires Tech provide other options. Its independent research and development program developed a device called a coherent converter that transforms the incoherent radiation from small electronics into coherent radiation that’s considered harmless to humans and pets. People with EHS may alleviate some of their symptoms and general anxiety by using scientifically proven devices that alter EMF radiation.