Cell Phone Update - Colony Collapse - Bees

Though I have not dedicated an entire post to cell phones in quite some time, there is so much "activity" in this increasingly controversial area that a review of some of the newer developments is warranted.

The issues are significant enough that a day will come when the research and law suits dwarf the issues raised by smoking. Try to imagine a time when to make a call using a cellular phone, you can not be commuting using public transportation, can not be standing in an office building where others are working, or can not even be outside on a public sidewalk. If you think this is far-fetched, you are stuck in 2011 and not seeing the handwriting on the wall.

Two separate studies with cell phones, one in Switzerland and the other in India, conclude that continual intrusion of cell phones near bees causes colony collapse within 5-10 days.

A resolution issued by the Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection calls for prohibition of use by cell phones for people under 18 years of age. This is based on countless studies linking cell phone use to developmental disorders, including mental retardation, epilepsy, nervous system issues and problems with the blood and immune system. The Committee stated that "For the first time in human evolution, the brain is daily exposed to modulated EMF at all developmental stages."

The Council of Europe, an organization with 47 member states and considerable influence, has called for immediate action to protect the public from all wireless technologies, including cell phones, wifi, and even baby monitors. Among the preliminary recommendations are that all wireless devices should be prohibited in classrooms and that all high voltage equipment is erected a safe distance from occupied structures.

Anyone who is interested in the complete studies can easily find them so taking up your time with my commentary is not necessary. However, it would behoove us to note that electro-sensitivity is becoming a medically recognized condition and that protection for people suffering from this sensitivity is advocated by many consumer groups. In short, people with such sensitivity are not faking illness nor suffering from some unrecognized psychiatric disorder. In fact, they might be the proverbial canaries in the mine, the ones to warn of the consequences of rampant disregard of electromagnetic pollution. Industry, of course, tries to protect its bottom line but even industry-funded studies suggest that roughly one-third of those exposed to EMF fields are affected by the exposure. In publicly funded studies, that figure jumps to 80%. Topping the list of symptoms are sleep disorders, dizziness, headaches, trouble concentrating, erratic blood pressure, and allergies.

Given the way science operates, we would expect that countries that take the issues seriously will begin by proposing guidelines that eventually set legal limits for exposure. Obviously, these limits will be set too high so they will have to be revised downward over time. In the meantime, those of us who recognize the problem probably feel helpless because new relay towers are being erected at breakneck pace and without any regard for public input or environmental impact.

It's very difficult to comment on something as pervasive as modern technology, but in my more facetious moments, I imagine how long it took for a letter from Ptolemy to reach some monastic scholar in India or Sri Lanka. Even in my childhood, our pen pals sent snail mail that took days to arrive. We used to see handwriting, think about what we wanted to say, and we expressed ourselves more individually without emoticons and without reference to online links. There are countless pros and cons to modern civilization, and the world has indeed changed, but we must not lose ourselves in the maelstrom and this is the hitch. We all want to fit in somewhere because we are social creatures with a passion for acceptance and belonging, part of which is influenced by communication. We must however preserve our uniqueness if we have any need at all to be ourselves rather than copies of each other. You know how I celebrate diversity, but this is something much less valued by those who profit from the industrial revolution. We are therefore on our own if we wish to know ourselves and our destinies and the gifts we were given to fulfill our destinies. Personally, I feel the odds favor more diversity when there is less emphasis on the immediate gratification of gadgetry.

In the meantime, I will express a few private thoughts, some of them bordering on the frustration I have getting through the din!

All day long, emails pour in asking what formula to take for this, that, or the other condition. Obviously, these questions cannot be answered. First of all, there is always a context in which a condition emerges so that context needs to be explored. The big culprits are amalgam dental restorations and various other toxic metal exposures spanning everything from preservatives in pharmaceutical products to food packaging, industrial pollution, and chemtrails. This is probably followed by fluoridation and chlorination, not only of municipal water but toothpaste and other dental products as well as laundry and other cleaning products. We are constantly exposed and the exposure is not benign. Then, we have the various electromagnetic fields (EMF) and radiation. The list just goes on and on and on but before anything from anemia to leukemia to migraines can be resolved, the contributing factors need to be addressed. This is why it's so important for individuals that each takes charge of that corner of life over which there is some control. I know how difficult it is. My own effort to avoid xenoestrogens, fluoride, endocrine disruptors, and radiation in the dental crown required 12 days of intermittent research, this despite 40 plus years of general familiarity with the issues. The products I had chosen a few years earlier had been reformulated and were no longer acceptable so keeping up-to-date is a challenge. However, what I encounter is people who think that skipping a few basics is all right so long as they eat a bit better. This is not my experience. In fact, I think it goes the other way: skipping the most egregious issues makes it infinitely more difficult to get the desired results from otherwise acceptable products.

Virtually all stress studies suggest there is a breaking point. Worse yet, stress is cumulative so unless we eliminate the major ongoing stressors, the breaking point will be reached sooner rather than later. This is what I have been seeing throughout my now long involvement with health. The conditions that we sometimes saw in elderly persons are not only occurring in the prime of life but sometimes in childhood. This just isn't all right so I am brooding . . .

I have a little gardening project I will report on next time. Hopefully, everyone will be able to grow some food in a tiny plot with an investment of less than $50 at the hardware store.