Advice from a partially-recovered ES person

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I'm a civil engineering student living in Seattle, WA. I have struggled with

electrosensitivity for many years now (my big issue is with wireless

technologies), and I have found a few coping mechanisms that I'd like to share

with the group. ES still affects just about every aspect of my life, and I

would be nowhere today without the support of my friends and family to help me

cope, but at the moment I'm getting through a competitive engineering program

and getting by in daily life. I found out about this group through the

Electrosensitive Society, and I'm eager to hear about how other people cope and

to be whatever help I can be in helping others deal with this difficult

situation.

Here's a short article I wrote recently on how to deal with ES:

Coping with electrosensitivity (ES) is difficult, and there are a lot of dead

ends. If you are ES, the good news is that it is possible to become less

sensitive to wireless technology; I've done it, although I'm not " cured " by any

stretch of the imagination. Here are some things I have done that I believe

have helped:

1. Reduce exposures. This is achieved by:

a. Not using wireless technology, and, for more severely ES people,

b. Relocating to an area with lower levels of ambient RF. Although there are

many RF exposure sources it doesn't consider, www.antennasearch.com is a good

resource for getting started identifying which neighborhoods in your community

are likely to be lower-RF. A low-cost RF meter will help you quickly narrow it

down further. Make sure to use one capable of measuring up to at least 3 GHz,

and keep in mind that some exposures---such as high-frequency wi-max---will not

be detectable by the meter. If you're considering going to such lengths as

this, you're probably pretty electrosensitive; be sure to stay long enough in

the different areas you consider to get a good feel for whether they're going to

be positive places for you to be. And, of course, remember that new antennas go

up all the time; today's safe-haven can easily become tomorrow's hell.

Low-density areas with single-family homes on large lots are generally a good

bet; also, try to find a house made of concrete or brick, as these materials are

generally most effective at blocking RF. Apartment complexes tend to have more

RF exposure because of tenants' wi-fi networks, so you should avoid them if you

can. If you live in an area with RF-emitting electrical meters (so-called

" smart meters " ), be aware of this variable as well.

c. RF shielding of your bed. I haven't personally done this, but other ES

people have reported it to be helpful.

d. RF Shielding of your house. Difficult and expensive; make sure to consult

with someone competent.

2. Get grounded. Devices for connecting your body to electrical ground are

cheap, easy to use, and helpful at combating the effects of RF. See

www.earthing.com for more info. I strongly recommend installing your own

grounding rod (also available from this site) rather than using the wiring in

your house, especially if you are ES; resistance and electrosmog on the

building's ground circuit can diminish the effectiveness of grounding for some

people.

3. Negative ion therapy. I have found a medical device called the E-Power to

be helpful; I use it every night while I sleep (laying its' charged belt flat on

your mattress under your sheet and turning it on while you sleep is a good way

to get in a lot of time with it). It is, however, not cheap; for those on a

tight budget, grounding is a better way to go. Also, don't use it at the same

time as you are grounding or you will get shocked! Info at:

http://www.chimachine4u.com/epower.html<br>

3. Detoxification and diet modification/supplementation. This is best done in

consultation with a naturopath. For me, it meant taking various vitamins,

changing my diet, removing my mercury fillings, and heavy-metal detox using

Calcium-Disodium EDTA (a synthetic amino acid that is FDA approved for the

treatment of lead poisoning). Testing can help determine if this last

suggestion is relevant to you, but if you're seriously ES, chances are good that

it is. Seriously ES people, do not underestimate how much metal removal can

help! I view it as probably the most important thing I've done to treat this

problem.

4. Meditation and yoga can help calm your mind and make you more resilient when

faced with RF exposure. The practices I have found most helpful are

transcendental meditation and bikram (or hot hatha) yoga. Hot yoga is one of

the most powerful " de-smogging " practices I have found; I do it almost every

day, and the practice helps keep me able to function relatively normally in

wireless-saturated areas, provided I can stay at least a few feet away from the

nearest wireless transmitter. The trick is to find a studio that isn't right

next to a cell tower or in an office park with tons of wi-fi networks (although

if this isn't possible, the practice may still prove a net positive; try it and

see). Info at:

www.tm.org

http://www.bikramyoga.com/

5. Multi-polar magnets can help stabilize the body's electrical field and are

relatively inexpensive. I wear one in each front pocket of my pants, pretty

much all the time. Call Seattle Natural Health and I bet they'd be happy to

ship you a couple:

http://www.seattlenaturalhealth.com/

I hope this information proves useful to someone out there. Please e-mail

wifriedseattle@... if you have any feedback on it. I'd love to hear from

you!