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What Is EMF Exposure And Why Is It Dangerous with R Blank - E63
27 Plays12 days ago
Few people realize that the invisible web of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) surrounding us - from power lines to Wi-Fi routers and cell phones - are listed as possible carcinogens by the World Health Organization.
With modern life demanding constant connectivity, it’s easier than ever to brush off or underestimate the true risks of EMF exposure. We trade health for convenience without ever being told what the science is really saying, or how to protect ourselves without going off the grid.
This episode pulls back the curtain on the pervasive health impacts of EMFs and offers simple steps for minimizing your exposure while still living in the real world. The strategies you’ll hear come from someone who’s seen both the science and the everyday reality, making his approach refreshingly actionable for everyone.
R Blank is the author of "Empowered" and co-author of "Overpowered," books addressing the health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) and practical solutions for safer technology use. He is the founder and CEO of Shield Your Body, a brand focused on EMF education and protection products, and began his journey in this field through his father, Dr. Martin Blank, a leading EMF health researcher. He is also the host of ‘The Healthier Tech Podcast’, a show about finding a healthier relationship with modern technology. R's work bridges scientific research and everyday practice, drawing on decades of study and engagement with organizations such as the World Health Organization.
“There are things that we do because these risks are part of life, and EMF exposure is a part of life.” - R Blank
In this episode you will learn:
- What electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are, their different types, and how human-made EMFs have become pervasive in modern life.
- The scientific evidence linking EMF exposure to a range of health issues - including cancer, autoimmune conditions, and disruptions to animal and plant life.
- Why EMFs from power lines, electrical appliances, and wireless technologies are classified as Class 2B carcinogens by the World Health Organization.
- The historical context behind EMF research, including parallels to scientific debates around tobacco and other environmental hazards.
- Simple strategies to reduce EMF exposure in everyday life, such as changing device habits, increasing distance from sources, and using protective products.
- How to approach EMF risk reduction in a practical way - emphasizing awareness, moderation, and choosing meaningful changes over aiming for an impossible zero-exposure lifestyle.
Resources
- Connect with R Blank on ‘Shield Your Body’s Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/shieldyourbody
- Listen to The Healthier Tech Podcast: https://www.shieldyourbody.com/podcast
- Learn more about ‘Shield Your Health’: https://www.shieldyourbody.com
This podcast was produced by the team at Zapods Podcast Agency:
Find the products, practices, and routines discussed on the Alively website:
Recommended
Transcript
Are EMFs from power lines carcinogenic?
00:00:00
Speaker
Both types of human-made EMF that I talked about, the ones from power lines and the ones from wireless communications, are listed as class 2B carcinogens by the World Health Organization.
00:00:12
Speaker
Even one of the most buttoned up organizations in the world is recognizing the story that the science is telling.
Introduction to Home of Healthspan Podcast
00:00:23
Speaker
This is the Home of Healthspan podcast, where we profile health and wellness role models, sharing their stories and the tools, practices, and routines they use to live a lively life.
00:00:37
Speaker
R. Blank, it is a pleasure to have you on the Home Health Span today. I'm excited for this conversation.
Who is R. Blank?
00:00:42
Speaker
This is not one we've actually had before on the show, ah but it's one I'm very interested in not just for this specific vertical, but I think a lot of areas of our life that maybe we don't question some of the things we should be questioning.
00:00:57
Speaker
But before we jump in to the work you've been doing and what you're about to share with the world, ah how would you describe yourself?
R. Blank's Communication Style
00:01:05
Speaker
Thank you very much for having me. um It's a pleasure to meet you.
00:01:08
Speaker
I would describe myself as a lively communicator, um both both written and spoken. That, I believe, are two ah two of my strong suits.
00:01:19
Speaker
Well, we're... We're able to get a ah couple for the price of one today. so we have you spoken.
Why did R. Blank write 'Empowered'?
00:01:26
Speaker
You've shared your book, Empowered, with me.
00:01:30
Speaker
And maybe let's, as a communicator, start with what inspired you to to write Empowered and and share all of that with the the broader public.
Father's Influence and 'Overpowered'
00:01:40
Speaker
The real origin of this goes back about 13 years, and I'll get there. But what inspired me to to write this book is my experience with my customers ah through my Shield Your Body ah brand and store.
00:01:57
Speaker
And I deal with, as we'll get into, an area that is both complicated and poorly understood. And so customers have... a lot of questions, just a lot.
00:02:10
Speaker
And um I got into this round ah line of work originally through working with my father. So my father was Dr. Martin Blank, who is one of the world's leading researchers and for lack of a better term, academic activists in the area of the health effects of electromagnetic fields.
00:02:30
Speaker
And in 2012, he had a contract to write a book um about everything he had learned across his career on this this question.
Mission of Shield Your Body
00:02:40
Speaker
And he was having trouble writing it in a way that normal people would understand it ah So he asked me to jump in and write it with him.
00:02:49
Speaker
And so that's that's what I did. And that book became overpowered. It's still available today. ah It's a fantastic overview of the science of the health effects of EMF exposure and how corporate interests corrupt that science.
00:03:06
Speaker
And it was in the course of writing Overpowered that I came up with the idea for what became Shield Your Body, which is based in this notion that ah the the technology that emits these forces, these toxic forces, electromagnetic fields,
00:03:22
Speaker
They form the entire foundation of modern society. So it's not like CFCs, chloro-fluorocarbons, which you could just regulate away. This stuff is going to be with us ah forever.
00:03:36
Speaker
And so there have to be safer ways for people to engage with the technology around them. And that is through a mixture of education and protection. And that is what Shield Your Body's mission is.
00:03:47
Speaker
And that was over a decade ago. And again, I realized in all this time, there's just a whole bunch of stuff that overpowered doesn't answer. Overpowered, like other books on this topic, really focus on the science, really focus on convincing people ah the story that the science is telling.
00:04:05
Speaker
ah But there's very little out there that really tells people what they can do about it. And so that's the gap in the market that empowered fills. And I apologize for running on so long with that one. ah Most of my answers will be shorter.
00:04:20
Speaker
I think our listeners come for the long, in-depth answers, so no apologies warranted for ah being robust in the response. Before we go too deep on it, can we just define EMFs for our listeners?
What are EMFs?
00:04:35
Speaker
Certainly. So EMF stands for electromagnetic fields. It's also called electromagnetic radiation, or EMR. They are the same thing. And it is a form of energy ah formed by ah combination of electrical and magnetic forces.
00:04:51
Speaker
So it is it is ah pervasive in the universe. And one form of EMF that all of your listeners will be aware of is visible light. So the sun's light is a form of
Ionizing vs Non-ionizing EMFs
00:05:05
Speaker
EMF. And visible light is the only form of EMF that we can see.
00:05:10
Speaker
And for billions of years, it was essentially, not exclusively, but essentially the only form of EMF to which all forms of life on the planet were exposed.
00:05:23
Speaker
That is until we get into the 19th century. But stepping back a bit, visible light exists in ah these different wavelengths, right? they have their their Their energy levels, how quickly they vibrate.
00:05:36
Speaker
And so we know, for example, ah violet ah vibrates at a higher energy, at a higher frequency than red, right? So different forms of EMF are defined by their frequency or how quickly they vibrate.
00:05:52
Speaker
There are forms of EMF that vibrate faster than visible light. And we call those ionizing forms of EMF because they have so much energy, they can knock electrons loose from the cells in your body.
00:06:06
Speaker
And that is super, super damaging. Even very, very small doses of this stuff are really harmful, often lethal. And so these include things like x-rays and gamma rays. So those are types of EMF that are ah very dangerous and, again, that your listeners will have heard of before.
00:06:25
Speaker
Then there's a whole set of frequencies that vibrate ah slowly more slowly than visible light. And these are called non-ionizing because they don't have enough energy to knock the electrons loose from the cells in your body.
00:06:41
Speaker
And it was long thought, until about 100 years ago, that these were completely benign. That is, they are very safe. They don't impact human life or any other living things.
00:06:54
Speaker
And that is part of how they became the basis for the and all of modern technology.
EMFs in Modern Technology
00:07:01
Speaker
right Because anything that runs on power, which is everything, or anything that communicates wirelessly, which is increasingly everything, both of these are sources of EMF radiation.
00:07:16
Speaker
And so anything that runs on power, so like your refrigerator, the power lines that come to the refrigerator, ah they emit a certain type of EMF radiation called extremely low frequency.
00:07:30
Speaker
ah That's more like a byproduct, right? So just because the energy is the power is flowing, that emits EMF. Is it all along the wire? Is it?
00:07:42
Speaker
Yep, it's the entire chain. Because wherever electricity is flowing, EMF is generated. Can I ask, ah sorry, not to go on a tangent, but, you know, everything's always run on power. So pre-human existence,
00:07:56
Speaker
the power was sunlight, right? Like photosynthesis and it carries through. And then we harnessed maybe hydropower with mills and wind power with windmills. And so... I'm talking about electrical power.
00:08:10
Speaker
Okay. So burning hydrocarbons and stuff like that, like... Yeah, so this started in the mid-19th century, right? So we had the invention of the light bulb, which is a light bulbs are a source of EMF.
00:08:28
Speaker
ah But then you had the creation of a an AC power grid to power everyone's new fancy light bulbs. And then once we had power running to homes, ah they realized, well, let's do other things with it. And so you got, you know, kitchen appliances and radio. Toothbrushes and radio. Yeah. and Everything now. Now, so trying to carry that over. so and On its surface, right you just have an old mill on a river that's using hydropower that's not emitting EMFs. But I guess now with a big dam generating hydropower, putting it in batteries, emitting it through electricity lines, that would be because it's about the system, not the source necessarily at this point.
00:09:15
Speaker
That's correct. Yeah. And I'm happy to get into these just before we do. um Right. So that's what that's what power emits. That's what power lines and power appliances. That's what it emits.
00:09:27
Speaker
But then and again, I wanted to emphasize that's more like a byproduct. We don't want it to emit yeah EMF. If it didn't emit EMF, it would be fine for us. ah That's different.
00:09:39
Speaker
from all of these wireless technologies, right? Because anything that communicates wirelessly does so by sending and receiving yeah EMF, right? So when your cell phone makes a call, it emits EMF that connects it to the cell tower. It sends your voice out to the cell tower as EMF.
00:09:59
Speaker
The cell tower will send back to you what your friend on the other end of the line is saying. um So that in in this case, it is actually the product. EMF emissions are how wireless technologies work.
00:10:12
Speaker
And cell phones these days, they're very pervasive and they're a very common source of this stuff. But this goes back to radio, ah television, ah radar, and then, of course, not just cell phones, but cordless phones, Bluetooth, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Anything that communicates wirelessly is communicating by making use of ah EMF generation and reception.
00:10:36
Speaker
And so in reality, I mean, now with the ubiquity of cell phones, of iPads, of anything, I mean, IoT devices, right? Smart fridges, smart TVs, our Wi-Fi networks, <unk> we're just swimming in a sea of EMF at this point. Is that fair to say?
00:10:54
Speaker
Yeah. And it's getting denser and denser every single year because of the forces that you just alluded to.
Health Impacts of EMFs
00:11:01
Speaker
Okay. And then i guess now, so now we understand the landscape, what what they are, where they're coming from, what the sources are.
00:11:07
Speaker
What are the implications specifically, you know, Home Healthspan podcast on our health? Yeah, well, so the story that the science tells um is that we find biological impact in essentially every system where we look for it.
00:11:25
Speaker
Right. So that's a pretty big statement. So I'm going to try to back it up for everybody. But before I do, I want to illustrate a little bit of of what I mean. Right. So headlines are often generated about brain tumors, cell phones and brain tumors.
00:11:38
Speaker
And that is a real thing. And it makes sense that that grabs a lot of the headlines because brain tumors, cancer is terrifying, but brain tumors are a particularly terrifying version of this.
00:11:51
Speaker
um But it's not just brain tumors, right? It's multiple types of cancer. our And tumor formation are linked to EMF exposure.
00:12:02
Speaker
ah So you have lymphoma, you have prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, just as as some examples. um But it's not just...
00:12:12
Speaker
cancers, right? So um you have everything now from anxiety and depression ah to leakage of the blood brain barrier and autoimmune disease.
00:12:25
Speaker
And it's not just humans, right? So like I was saying, every biological system. So this includes ah dairy cows, where we see the current in the ground negatively impacts significantly negatively impacts milk production.
00:12:41
Speaker
Anything that uses magnetoception to navigate the world, that is, there is a whole bunch of animals and insects that use the Earth's own magnetic field in order to know where the heck they're going.
00:12:54
Speaker
Any one of those creatures that does has that fundamental in ah sense disrupted by the human made magnetic fields. ah You can see it in trees and plants, and you can see in certain areas, like if you put up a cell tower in a heavily wooded area, the health of the trees closest to the cell tower, you can visually see how it is poorer than the ones further away.
00:13:20
Speaker
And this is not just that was an anecdotal example, but this is actual real science. um And I also want to underscore for your listeners
Historical Research on EMFs
00:13:29
Speaker
that both types of human made EMF that I talked about. Right. We have the ones from power lines and the ones from wireless communications are, as of this date, listed as class to be carcinogens by the World Health Organization.
00:13:44
Speaker
Right. So this is even one of the most buttoned up organized, you know, ah conservative ah organizations in the world is recognizing ah the the ah the story that the science is telling.
00:13:57
Speaker
I mean, knowing that and there's a science behind it, the WHO says that. ah but we just keep putting more out there. Is it this falcium bargain that we've just made of saying, hey, yeah, they're real risks, but I'm trading convenience. i Maybe one thing to equate it to, people say, oh, they really worry about their privacy. I'm really worried about privacy.
00:14:20
Speaker
And yet, as soon as Google will give them a free Gmail account or they could use Google Maps, they're like, Oh, no, i'll sign all privacy away because the convenience I'm getting from this. So in theory, I care about privacy.
00:14:32
Speaker
But when I get to trade it for these things, I will trade it for those things every time. Is it people making a conscious, hey, yeah, this is risky. But the convenience, my God, of Internet of Things, I have a smart TV now, ah makes it worth it. I love my cell phone.
00:14:48
Speaker
Or is it ignorance? I mean, I i don't know much about this. That is a fantastic question. I've been on, I think, about 100 podcasts. And that is the first time anyone has asked it that to me. And I think it's it's a really insightful question. And it gets to one of my core beliefs, which is I believe that if people were given the choice for informed consent, they would behave like they do with privacy.
00:15:17
Speaker
unfortunately ah They are not being given that choice um because the scientific landscape and the media landscape has been polluted ah by these corporate interests. um Then the amount of money ah that goes into ah creating science.
00:15:37
Speaker
um that displays certain predetermined scientific outcomes, and then ah covering and communicating this whole thing as a he said, she said, where there's two sides to a debate, um is all intended to delay action.
00:15:53
Speaker
And on that, I mean, this is not the first time in the past 50 years this has happened, right? We had the the tobacco companies funding to the research for your doctors to recommend smoking and to get lucky strikes in the pack of every single GI during World War II. So they're all coming back addicted. Like we we line it up.
00:16:11
Speaker
We have the big fat lie where the sugar kind of carb industry funds all the research that, oh, fat's a problem. Don't worry about all these other things. We have, I mean, the most recent example for me that just drives me mad that we haven't carried it through is it wasn't that long ago that the quote experts told us all fracking can't cause earthquakes. Don't worry, guys, you're being your conspiracy theories. You're worried about it. Like fracking is totally safe. It can't do anything.
00:16:36
Speaker
And then immediately, almost immediately, like, oh, yeah, of course, fracking causes earthquakes like that. That's a thing. And the they just kind of shifted the story without this mea culpa of, oh yeah, everything we told you was a lie. And so...
00:16:51
Speaker
I don't know if the fracking example, because it's more recent, was deliberate lying or they really didn't know. Right. They didn't have the evidence yet. And so, you know, it's the evidence of absence versus absence of evidence.
00:17:04
Speaker
And so there was an absence of evidence. And once they did enough fracking, like, oops, we were totally wrong. Yep. Does cause cause earthquakes. Sorry about that. With EMFs, it sounds like there's a long enough history of the science and the research. Is it more like ExxonMobil funding ah the counterclaims on man-made climate change?
00:17:26
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's more like your tobacco example. And so in my in Empowered, and actually in Overpowered, now that I think about it, the earliest study that I cite is from 1924. And that's the first one I'm aware of.
00:17:42
Speaker
I mean, literally 100 years. Yeah. yeah It's yeah literally over a century at this point, which is why I highlight it. um And there are archives now ah like the Zori Glazer archive, which is available online. He went through and compiled Tons and tons of research, right? Because this was a really active area of investigation by both the American and Soviet militaries because they're deploying all of these technologies in mid 20th century and they want to know what impact it's going to have on their soldiers.
00:18:19
Speaker
And there there is a lot of research that has since been published and declassified. But even outside of the military, we're talking about ah decades and decades and decades of this work. And there are are thousands upon thousands of published peer reviewed ah scientific papers on ah the health effects ah that have been demonstrated. and it really is insightful as to the really, really broad range of impacts.
00:18:50
Speaker
um And like I say, basically every biological system of every living thing where we look for one, we find one. Okay. So say listeners, some want to double click. And of course there are these amazing books, overpowered, empowered, please check them out. Shieldyourbody.com slash ah empowered ah for the the launch. But if if we're convinced that What can you do about it?
How to Minimize EMF Exposure
00:19:17
Speaker
Right. So we live in this sea. Even if you try to check out and say, hey, I'm not going to have any electronic devices at all. I'm going to have a fire and cook my food over that. no matter what you did personally, you're still the power lines around. Like even if you're off the grid, you're you're yeah totally see this stuff.
00:19:34
Speaker
So what can people do, especially those that don't want to check out a society and they still have to live? I mean, I'm talking to you and I see you have your shore mic and you have your headphones. Like we're we're still using electricity to record this, right? So what can a normal person do in such an environment? So my message is very much catered to whom I like to think are normal people.
00:19:56
Speaker
um So the first step though, is recognizing that this is ah risk and recognizing it it Not not in from a position of fear, but a position of knowledge and acknowledgement. Right.
00:20:09
Speaker
So an example i like to give is ah we all know ah you might not think about it, but we all know that every time you leave your house, there is a chance you are going to get run over.
00:20:24
Speaker
That is a non zero chance and run over and die or run over and paralyzed. And if, ah you know, if I tell you that, you don't react with, no, that's not possible. You say, yeah, okay, fine, but I'm willing to deal with it, right? Because we're not just all going to stay in our homes all day.
00:20:40
Speaker
You take certain precautions, right? So again, probably without realizing it, but you look both ways when you cross the street and you're doing that to prevent getting run over. If you go jogging at night, maybe you wear a reflective vest in order to prevent getting hit.
00:20:54
Speaker
So there are things that we do because these risks are part of life. And EMF exposure is a part of part life and there is no hitting zero. And that should not be anybody's goal.
00:21:07
Speaker
It is not practical. ah What's more is if you try, ah you will end up stressing yourself out and generating the types of negative health effects and oxidative stress ah that we're trying to minimize and avoid here just because you you've set these unrealistic goals for yourself.
00:21:24
Speaker
The keys are understanding where these forces are coming from and how they behave. Right. So I already alluded to where they're coming from, which is anything that runs on power and anything that communicates wirelessly.
00:21:39
Speaker
So the first step is using less of it if you can. Right. It wasn't that long ago where your doorbell was not a source of EMF, ah where your thermostat was not a source of EMF.
00:21:53
Speaker
ah They now make a smart tampons, right? Smart toothbrushes, smart kitty litter boxes. All of these are EMF-emitting alternatives and replacements to things that did not emit EMF. Now, if they actually add value to your life, like real tangible value, ah then obviously do it. But think ah but Be aware that you're adding another source of EMF into your immediate environment, and it is an environment that is increasingly filled with these forces.
00:22:28
Speaker
Can you describe what the curve looks like? Is it a linear curve? is it Great segue, man. So the first was minimizing your use of these devices. The second is maximizing the distance between you and the devices when you're using them.
00:22:46
Speaker
And so to and ah to your question, ah the power of EMF diminishes exponentially with distance. So if you have your phone, I don't know if people are going to watch this online, but YouTube is our number one channel.
00:23:00
Speaker
Yeah. OK, excellent. So if you have your phone an inch away from your body. and then you put it now two inches away from your body, the power of your exposure from that phone has dropped 75%. Then if you move it to four inches away, it's another 75%.
00:23:22
Speaker
Conversely, when the phone is right up against your body, the way it is if you were to hold it up to your head or to carry it in your pocket, you are getting the maximum possible dose that this highly overpowered device is emitting.
00:23:38
Speaker
And so that's why distance is really a key factor. And that's why I was saying it's not just understanding these sources, ah but how to use them more safely.
00:23:49
Speaker
And I guess my question on the curve too is the absolute amount of EMF that you're exposing yourself to. Because you know there' there are a lot of absolutists out there. that They may start a diet and because they ate a cookie at lunch, they're like, well the diet's thrown out. So the rest of the week, I'm going to eat like trash.
00:24:06
Speaker
Any aspect of life, right? Like, oh, I can't go to the gym for 60 minutes, so I can't exercise today versus like I could spend 10 minutes doing air squats and pushups, right? Like you couldn't move body. And I think you may be familiar with Michael Greger, Dr. Greger of How Not to Die and nutritionfacts.org.
00:24:23
Speaker
And his whole point is sure if you go to no animal based products it looks like the health outcomes are better but it's not a zero or one right just cutting one meat from one meal a week could have this positive benefit and and benefit and you roll from there and so i'm curious what it's like with yeah emfs so saying hey look I can't do anything because I can't do everything versus wait, I could limit it And from in going and having an exposure of a thousand, even if I only get 900, I'm making up numbers. Here's what the benefit of that decrease would be to me.
00:25:01
Speaker
Let me say just a quick, easy answer there, which is true, is that the less EMF you are exposed to, the lower your health risk.
00:25:11
Speaker
Science is not yet in a place to actually answer if we go from 1,000 to 900, what's the difference, because you have to realize just how varied our exposures are in daily life, right? if if If we could actually isolate this and say, okay, well, actually the phone is really our only ah source of exposure. So if I go from talking on it from five minutes a day to eight minutes a day,
00:25:38
Speaker
I can actually measure the health outcomes and see what the reductions are. But you're exposed to the radiation from your phone, from your Wi-Fi network, from the cell network, from your neighbor's Wi-Fi, from the wiring in your home, from your laptop, from all. I mean, you are and on any given day, you are exposed radiation.
00:25:59
Speaker
probably EMF from thousands of different sources. And it is just not practical for science to be able to measure the relative levels of of each one in a wide number of of humans.
00:26:11
Speaker
And so you can't say um that going from a hundred to nine a thousand to 900 is going to lead to X. But what the science does clearly demonstrate is a dose response relationship.
00:26:25
Speaker
And so the more you are exposed to, whether it's time spent talking on your phone or your Wi-Fi network being on 24 hours a day, that the more you are exposed to the greater your health risk.
00:26:39
Speaker
And conversely, each exposure that you cut out will reduce your health risk. Okay, that's really helpful.
Strategies for Reducing EMF Exposure
00:26:49
Speaker
And I guess to to kind of round it out, a practical in a day kind of look of what someone could do from behavioral changes in their own life of putting the device further away or cutting off the Wi-Fi at night to products that may help them.
00:27:05
Speaker
You know, I heard ah Ben grin Greenfield was recently on our friend Melanie's podcast and talked about he wore and em EMF suit when he flies. Yeah. Um, and so what could a ah day look like for someone who's saying, I can't go to zero, but I do want to take these actions to limit my exposure.
00:27:24
Speaker
I'll give a ah couple of examples if there's time. And I'd also, this I think is, it's really good because a it provides really good information for your listeners, but B, it helps explain why this book is unique in in the market in terms of the information it offers.
00:27:42
Speaker
So we'll start with the cell phone in your pocket, right? Because this to me is that for the vast majority of people in the world, well, certainly in in developed countries, I believe that carrying the cell phone in the pocket um or in the bra or anywhere directly against your body is the ah most significant avoidable exposure in their lives. Right. So even if you're exposed to
00:28:12
Speaker
30 different Wi-Fi networks throughout the day, even if there's a power plant down the street. If you're carrying your phone in your pocket, that is probably your number one exposure that you can actually get rid of.
00:28:25
Speaker
And the reason is because of what we were just talking about before. Right. When it's in your pocket, there is no distance between the phone and your body. ah This is probably a good time to bring up. If you read the Apple iPhone manual, you will see that it tells you not to hold it against your body.
00:28:44
Speaker
ah But that is in the fine print. They don't really include that in those cool ads. So not carrying your phone in your pocket um is the number one thing people should be doing.
00:28:57
Speaker
Alternatively, if there's nowhere else to carry it, ah putting it into airplane mode, um because when it's in airplane mode, basically all of the sort of the EMF emissions are eliminated.
00:29:11
Speaker
There's still a tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny bit from the battery, but it's like almost like as close to zero as is possible. So for all our intents and purposes, ah going into airplane mode makes it safe to carry your phone in your pocket.
00:29:27
Speaker
Now, if you can't do that, right, let's say you're a doctor who's on call and, you know, so you don't have to be a doctor there and endless number of use cases, right, where you can't afford to ah be out of touch.
00:29:42
Speaker
um So at that point, at least turning off the wireless signals that you're not using, right, because your phone isn't just a source of cell phone radiation, right?
00:29:54
Speaker
Because it's also a source of Wi-Fi radiation. It's also a source of Bluetooth radiation. It's also a source of NFC radiation, which is the technology used for Apple Pay and Google Pay.
00:30:06
Speaker
When you add it all together, your phone, depending on your model and how it's set up, is a source of five or six different types of radiation. So if you really need to be reachable by phone,
00:30:18
Speaker
you could still turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, possibly even cell data and make reductions in your emissions, that in your exposures that way. But then if you still need to carry your phone around, you you're there's nowhere else to carry it. You need to be in touch.
00:30:36
Speaker
ah So you can't go into airplane mode. That's when a protection product can start to make sense for you. And so I cover several of these in Empowered because I include...
00:30:47
Speaker
several of these options in my store at ShieldYourBody.com. But the most popular one is my SYB phone pouch. And that is a pouch for your phone where the back is shielded and the front is not.
00:31:01
Speaker
And so when you put your phone in the pouch and then put the pouch on your belt or in your pocket, it is deflecting radiation away from your body while still allowing your phone to work.
00:31:13
Speaker
Right. So that's how it's different from a full Faraday pouch. which we also sell in the store, but i that's different from an EMF protection pouch. ah There are also EMF protection cases ah from a company, the ones we carry at my store from a company called SafeSleeve, but they work very similar. One side is shielded, the other isn't.
00:31:33
Speaker
um And so you just need to make sure that the shielded side is between your device and your body, um and then it will reduce your exposure. Now, that's also an example. the So ah that that's an example of how there are free behavioral based changes to provide protection ah in a lot of these scenarios and in all of them where they exist, they are the better scenario.
00:31:58
Speaker
um But if you cannot follow those for one reason or another, then that's where protection comes in. And the book Empowered walks through a lot of them.
00:32:09
Speaker
If there's time, I'll give you one more example. Yeah, please do. Yeah. ah Which is another really significant change that people should make their exposure to Wi-Fi radiation, um because Wi-Fi radiation is it's not as powerful as your cell phone, um but you are exposing yourself to it.
00:32:30
Speaker
all of the time. And there's a bunch of Wi-Fi networks that you're being exposed to that you have no control over. So you should really care about the radiation you're exposed to from the one that you do control, which is the router in your home.
00:32:44
Speaker
And so ideally, optimally, you would get rid of Wi-Fi and replace it with hardwired connections. And the book explains how to do that.
00:32:55
Speaker
But I know, because I deal with consumers a lot, and like I said, this book and my message is really aimed at you know normal people, people willing with normal utility curves, people willing to do the things that regular consumers are willing to do. And I know that a lot of people aren't willing to go to Ethernet.
00:33:15
Speaker
So there's a ah few things you can do there, right? So number one is turning off your Wi-Fi at night when you go to sleep, because then at least you're cutting out about a third of your exposure from your own router. And it's a really important time to do that, right? Because EMF radiation um ah impedes your sleep quality and duration.
00:33:40
Speaker
But it's also a period of time where your body is supposed to be recovering and rejuvenating and resting ah to prepare for the next day. So anything you can do to improve your sleep will have knock-on effects in your health.
00:33:56
Speaker
There are other things that you can do as well, right? So a lot of routers these days ah include two networks by default. They're called dual band routers. And so you'll see when they install it, ah you'll see maybe a 2.4 gigahertz network and a 5 gigahertz network.
00:34:14
Speaker
ah So you can log in to your router control panel and turn one of them off. And then you're cutting the radiation from that router in half without turning off the Wi-Fi. um In any instance, you want to keep the router as far away from you as possible, um ah as far away from where you and your family spend time. Right. So, for example, it shouldn't be next to your baby's crib.
00:34:42
Speaker
It shouldn't be close to your living room sofa where you guys all watch TV for an hour at night. Just put it as far away as is practical within the context of your home.
00:34:53
Speaker
And you'll notice these are not all mutually exclusive options. You could ah keep it far away. You can turn off one of the bands. You can power down at night. You can do all of these things together and you'll have combined benefit.
00:35:06
Speaker
But now let's say you're not willing to make any of those changes. You want to reduce your Wi-Fi radiation, but you're not willing to make any of those changes. And so that's where a product like the JRS Eco Router comes in.
00:35:20
Speaker
And this is a router developed by a gentleman. a doctor, a PhD in Holland. um And he rewrote the firmware on the router.
00:35:32
Speaker
And I could explain the details, but it's in the book so you can read it. But the upshot is it emits 90% less EMF radiation when it's in use and zero radiation when there's not an active connection.
00:35:50
Speaker
Right, because that's another characteristic of Wi-Fi is it's constantly so pinging and sending and receiving, even if you're not actively using it. So the eco, the JRS Eco router, it totally changes the game and it doesn't require you to make any other changes at all to your home or to the devices that you use or anything like that.
00:36:12
Speaker
Just by installing this router instead of the one you have right now, ah you will make a huge difference, a really big reduction in your exposure.
00:36:23
Speaker
So that's another example of a thing that ah impacts a lot of people. right Wi-Fi radiation in the home is a big source for a lot of people. And there are free things that people can do ah right away um to to reduce their exposure.
00:36:41
Speaker
And there are product-based solutions, and you should approach it in that order in all of these examples.
Purpose of 'Empowered'
00:36:47
Speaker
Yeah, or i I really appreciate your work and this conversation today. I think in areas like this, there's some that come about it with fear-mongering. Here's why everything's horrible and everything, um and give a sense of powerlessness. But I think really the message of your book is,
00:37:07
Speaker
empowered. And that's really what you shared with us today of, Hey, here's the situation. You need to understand it because these are the facts on the ground. And here's the power you hold to decide what you want to do about it from free options to low impact options to different products you can buy. And so just thank you so much. This has been incredibly helpful and insightful to me. And I really hope it will be to our listeners as well.
00:37:31
Speaker
Thank you. I really appreciate the opportunity to meet you. Thanks to Melanie. I really appreciate you helping me get the word out about Empowered.
00:37:42
Speaker
ah And I really appreciate the quality of the questions that you asked. This was a great interview. Thanks, Ari. right. And good luck with the book launch. And I look forward to seeing the impact it has.
00:37:53
Speaker
Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. Shieldyourbody.com slash empowered releases on September 15th. And the pricing will be really, really low for the first seven days. So get on the wait list at shieldyourbody.com slash empowered. And I'll remind you when that happens.
00:38:08
Speaker
Fantastic. Thank you. Thank you for joining us on today's episode of the Home of Healthspan podcast. And remember, you can always find the products, practices, and routines mentioned by today's guests, as well as many other healthspan role models on Alively.com.
00:38:23
Speaker
Enjoy a lively day.