The verdict is out: we still don’t know how dangerous mobile phones are. After over ten years of availability, there is not a clear picture of the damage these devices may or may not be doing to our heads and our bodies. The only thing we know for sure is that there are some things we should be aware of when we use our phones.

First, let me explain a little about the nature of the concern. A mobile phone is basically a small, two-way radio station. Because antennae are not on every corner (the design calls for antennae to be about one to two miles apart for normal coverage), this radio needs to broadcast and receive signals for distances of up to a couple miles. As such, you have a very powerful transmitter and antenna within your phone. Ever wonder why your battery doesn’t last long when you’re talking? It’s because of the power requirements to push a signal to the nearest tower.

The power of this transmitter, combined with the frequency of the mobile phone band, means you have something similar in nature to (but different in a few notable ways from) a miniature microwave oven. The biggest difference between them is that your phone is using a frequency range that does not directly heat water (a microwave is tuned specifically for this purpose). The second difference is that a microwave is using about one hundred times more power. Still, the phone is potentially a cooker of sorts. If you use your phone for more than about ten minutes, you can feel that it has warmed up; the only question is what damage can this do?

Having this tiny energy blaster next to your head has the potential (this is not clearly proven yet) to damage proteins within your body and head. DNA is a protein. Many of the components of the cells of your body are simple and complex proteins. The concern, then, is that the phone can directly damage and mutate human cells of all forms. In other words, you can give yourself a tumor.

Other research indicates being in the vicinity of a mobile phone can impede higher mental functions, like concentration and stamina. This is not conclusive, but there are some interesting implications being suggested.

How concerned am I personally? Well, I’m not giving up my phone. However, I would suggest some basic guidelines:

• Avoid using your mobile phone when possible.
• Keep calls short.
• Use a hands-free kit, especially a wireless (bluetooth) one.
• Keep your phone turned off when you don’t need to use it (at night, in the movies, etc).

Above all, remember that a mobile phone is a tool. Like all tools, it provides a benefit and carries a cost. Be aware of the cost, and keep tabs on the continuing story as it unfolds over time.

Resources:

• Cell Phone Dangers Are Real [www.newsmax.com]
• Need A Cooker? Use Your Cell Phone [rense.com]
• GRAVE Cell Phone Dangers Revealed [www.newmediaexplorer.org]
• How EMF’s from Cell Phones, Computers and other Electrical Devices May be More than Just Wearing You Down [www.emf-health.com]

Other news

• “Play our way, or else!”: National Cancer Institute will stop hosting scientific meetings in 13 states [www.msnbc.msn.com]
• Secondary effects can be expensive: ‘Super-size’ not a super deal, study finds [www.msnbc.msn.com]
• My stomach feels like a chem lab: The Truth About Antacids [consumerhealthdigest.com]
• An exercise strategy for the ultra-lazy: Fidget Your Way to Longer Life [www.webmd.com]

From the editor

I’m back in society! For those who didn’t know, I’ve been off in the wilderness for a while, emerging as a new man (or at least as a smelly, in-need-of-a-shower man).

It’s amazing what some time away from the hectic pace and constant disruption of modern life can do. I feel fantastic!

What do you do in order to get away from it all? How many days can you get away from your phone, your computer, and all the other gadgets? How many days can you be away from your television and your stove? How about your television?

In a past phase of my life, I lived by these things. Getting away for a weekend meant deciding which devices were coming with me. In recognizing just how much I was missing in the world, I now realize the value of turning every thing off sometimes, of returning to nature. Whether you immerse yourself in the wild or just go for a hike, leave your stuff behind and try it the old-fashioned way… you might learn something about the world you hadn’t noticed before.

Healthy thoughts,
Jeff